1260, a Mickey Mouse operation (RD to end in Prov)

[Dighton Rockhead]

Way back in the day when Disney decided to get into radio I never quite understood why they tried to target younger kids with AM to begin with.

The answer ought to be obvious. AM's were much more affordable, and the intended audience is not limited to just the kiddies....but thier parents as well...listening together in the car, for example.

Even if the stations only broke even....or didn't lose too much $$$....then Disney could justify the stations as a loss-leader to relentlessly plug all the other stuff going on in the Disney empire.

 

[N1WVQ]

Radio Disney had a competitor who aired children's programming as a network before R.D. was on air. It was called Radio Aahs. It was on WJDM, WWTC & a few other stations (740-Phoenix was one of them).

 

[Don Juannn]

Radio Disney had a competitor who aired children's programming as a network before R.D. was on air. It was called Radio Aahs. It was on WJDM, WWTC & a few other stations (740-Phoenix was one of them).

Let's not forget Kidstar!

 

[Stormychuck]

I know, I know thank's for Pm's I get it, Don Juannn has the tendency to be somewhat rude and obnoxious and nobody is really paying any bit attention to him, but hey give him a break, he's only a "Newbie" doing what "Newbies" do, and that's being obnoxious, he'll figure out the know-it-all thing on his own....

 

[Don Juannn]

I know, I know thank's for Pm's I get it, Don Juannn has the tendency to be somewhat rude and obnoxious and nobody is really paying any bit attention to him, but hey give him a break, he's only a "Newbie" doing what "Newbies" do, and that's being obnoxious, he'll figure out the know-it-all thing on his own....

Not a newbie by any stretch of the imagination.

Have I been rude or obnoxious to you? If so, please show me.

Looks like you have had no input on this thread, and simply arrived here from the "Take it outside" board cuz no one was paying attention to you there.

 

[DanStrassberg]

I hope it won't be a surprise to tell you that ain't happening.

It certainly won't surprise me if it doesn't happen, but you can't be as positive about its not happening as the wording of your post, which I have quoted, suggests. Stranger things have happened in the radio business, and a Providence-licensed station that meets the CoL signal requirements for Pawtucket accepting a payment of, say, $100k to change its CoL to Pawtucket would not be be any more strange than some of the deals that have gone down. In these times, adding $100k to the top line would mean a lot to a lot of stations.

 

[Laurence Glavin]

I hope it won't be a surprise to tell you that ain't happening.

It certainly won't surprise me if it doesn't happen, but you can't be as positive about its not happening as the wording of your post, which I have quoted, suggests. Stranger things have happened in the radio business, and a Providence-licensed station that meets the CoL signal requirements for Pawtucket accepting a payment of, say, $100k to change its CoL to Pawtucket would not be be any more strange than some of the deals that have gone down. In these times, adding $100k to the top line would mean a lot to a lot of stations.

WRNI-AM 1290?

 

[robotique]

Way back in the day when Disney decided to get into radio I never quite understood why they tried to target younger kids with AM to begin with.

The answer ought to be obvious. AM's were much more affordable, and the intended audience is not limited to just the kiddies....but thier parents as well...listening together in the car, for example.

Even if the stations only broke even....or didn't lose too much $$$....then Disney could justify the stations as a loss-leader to relentlessly plug all the other stuff going on in the Disney empire.

I thought it was because of plastic toys of disney characters that had AM radios inside them.

 

[DG02816]

Here's what I wrote on the Prov. board concerning 550:
It's a shame the CP for 4.6 kW D, 2.4 kW N, DA-2 was never built. That would have been quite a signal!
Hmm...I remember the CP as having 4 towers, with daytime pattern being a cloverleaf...Night probably was some form of cardioid to protect New Brunswick? I knew WDEV would have had to be protected during the day; would that also include WGR? Of course adjacent channel protection for WGAN and WHYN. 540? Long Island most likely.

 

[blackgold]

Here's an idea for a new format for AM 550 in Pawtucket: 24/7 Celtic music over the air. Nobody else in the country is doing it, other than WTKK-FM HD2.

 

[DG02816]

A Celtic music format for 550 would be interesting, but maybe too niche....

 

[CTListener]

Here's an idea for a new format for AM 550 in Pawtucket: 24/7 Celtic music over the air. Nobody else in the country is doing it, other than WTKK-FM HD2.

In the most heavily Italian market in the country. Ummmm, I don't think so.

I love Celtic music, too, but it's so small a niche that neither XM nor Sirius devoted a full-time channel to it. Its potential as a money-earner on AM? Nil.

Face it, we're either looking at stations going dark or more dollar-a-holler Jesus hucksters.

 

[Dighton Rockhead]

Actually, the 550 situation would open up a possibility for WJFD-97.3 in New Bedford.

For years, the station's owner, the late Edmund Dinis had hopes for moving the Portuguese language programming elsewhere, thereby freeing up 97.3 to do something else in English. At one point during the 90's, Mr. Dinis held a CP for a 5000 watt AM station licensed for North Dartmouth on 1270. Unfortunately, NIMBY opposition in the area made it impossible to obtain land for a tower site, and the CP eventually expired.

A little bit of creative thinking would have the Portuguese programming going to 550 in a simulcast with an HD-2 signal of 97.3, which would finally achieve the long sought dream of the late Mr. Dinis.

I WON'T hold my breath waiting, however. ;D

 

[HHH]

"In the most heavily Italian market in the country."


Hmmm. Now that's an interesting idea. An Italian service? Some in Italian, some in English, Sinatra/Dean Martin stuff, maybe some younger skewing current Italian hits at certain times of the day. Block programmed. Some brokered. Wouldn't there be enough businesses within signal coverage area which would support this and make a few clams? Would have additional appeal
on the internet. Not sure.

Anyway, the 550 signal as it exists now is quite good for the Providence metro. Would be a shame to lose it. Maybe Rhode Island Public Radio wants a second service? The discussed move to Boston is fascinating.....would work if done just so, diplexed (as mentioned) from WRKO or maybe WEZE (590)?

 

[MarcB]

That's interesting because the other Radio Disney station that went dark WDZK 1550 in Hartford was Half Italian and Half Spanish as WRDM prior to 1997 when Hibernia (which was later bought out by Disney) and flipped it to Radio Disney. In fact both WRDM 1550 and its sister TV station WRDM-LP Channel 13 was half Spanish and Half Italian. Channel 13 showing Spanish Programming from Telemundo and Italian programming from RAI. They were owned by the late Luccio Ruzzier. Most recently a few years before his death Ruzzier and some partners bought another Spanish Radio station in the Hartford Market - La Gigante 840 WRYM (New Britain) with studios and towers in Newington, CT. Ruzzier hosted an Italian show on the station. When Ruzzier and his partners took over WRYM they improved the station - modernizing the format. Previously WRYM was playing mostly older Spanish Music. Now they're player newer stuff including reggaeton.

 

[DanStrassberg]

Anyway, the 550 signal as it exists now is quite good for the Providence metro. Would be a shame to lose it. Maybe Rhode Island Public Radio wants a second service? The discussed move to Boston is fascinating.....would work if done just so, diplexed (as mentioned) from WRKO or maybe WEZE (590)?

The best Boston-area site for 550 would be WEEI, but Canada would probably have to agree move the long-dark CFNB from 550 to 540. I don't think there ever was a 540 in the Maritimes or NF. Also, the WXNH 540 CP, which has been unbuilt for more than a decade, has gone through a zillion iterations and, as far as I can tell, is currently tolled for judicial review, would very likely have to finally be pulled for failure to construct.

I think the WEZE site is a non-starter for an AM 550; the frequencies appear to be too close for a satisfactory diplex. The percentage frequency difference (6.8%) would not set a record but I believe that the 40-kHz absolute difference would be unworkably small.

 

[N1WVQ]

Anyway, the 550 signal as it exists now is quite good for the Providence metro. Would be a shame to lose it. Maybe Rhode Island Public Radio wants a second service? The discussed move to Boston is fascinating.....would work if done just so, diplexed (as mentioned) from WRKO or maybe WEZE (590)?

The best Boston-area site for 550 would be WEEI, but Canada would probably have to agree move the long-dark CFNB from 550 to 540. I don't think there ever was a 540 in the Maritimes or NF. Also, the WXNH 540 CP, which has been unbuilt for more than a decade, has gone through a zillion iterations and, as far as I can tell, is currently tolled for judicial review, would very likely have to finally be pulled for failure to construct.

I think the WEZE site is a non-starter for an AM 550; the frequencies appear to be too close for a satisfactory diplex. The percentage frequency difference (6.8%) would not set a record but I believe that the 40-kHz absolute difference would be unworkably small.

Boston has too many stations as is. It's bad enough they're infesting our airwaves here (WEEI-FM, WRNI under WBUR-FM) but to lose a service to Boston which doesn't need any more stations? Naw, forget that. Send down 1060 & something in the 800s.

 

[DG02816]

Dan,
There is a 540 in Newfoundland...CBT Grand Falls with 10 kW non-D.

 

[DanStrassberg]

Dan,
There is a 540 in Newfoundland...CBT Grand Falls with 10 kW non-D.

Thanks, Dave: That would probably make substituting 540 for 550 in Frederickton a tough sell to the Canadians. CBT is 571 miles northeast of the late CFNB, which is a decent distance. But if a resurrected CFNB had to go on 540 instead of 550, it could not use CFNB's old site (assuming it were still available) or its simple two-tower array. A three-tower array at a site somewhat north of the old CFNB site might work, but it would probably be difficult to convince the Canadians that such a station was truly a replacement for CFNB.

These discussions must have a strange quality to them, though, because Industry Canada or whoever is involved on the Canadian side, realizes that Canada will never build a replacement AM for CFNB or any other deleted AM. In the one case I'm aware of in which the US did succeed in getting Canada to accept a different frequency for a new allocation for an unbuilt Canadian station (it was 770 for 820 in--I believe--North Bay ON, so that WCPT Willow Springs (Chicago) IL could run 1500W-N from a six-tower array instead of a bit less than 1 kW), there had never been a station on 820 in North Bay.

I wonder how the NIF of a 540 in Frederickton would compare with that of the old CFNB. CBT's 10 kW ND from 571 miles away might deliver quite a potent interfering signal on 540, but then, so could the combination of WDEV, WGR, and the Providence station on 550. Perhaps a CFNB replacement on 540 could run ND during the daytime. I wonder if Canada would like that. CFNB sent less than the equivalent of 5 kW to the west, but then, it was not all that far east of the Canada/US border. Canada is not really interested in coverage of its AMs outside of Canada. (In fact, it is no longer interested in the coverage of its AM's IN Canada--except when it comes to hoarding these no-longer-used and never-to-be-reused AM allocations.)

 

[Numo]

Pawtucket is virtually next door. I'm not sure how much more "lucrative" a move to Providence could be.

Who (other than you) said anything about moving to Providence? I was thinking about a Boston suburb--Needham, maybe. Unfortunately, a diplex with WEEI, which might otherwise work technically (could protect WHYN quite nicely), falls apart because the towers are on close to an east-west line and there is a dark 550 in NB that requires protection. I think the 540 in NH is a dead issue, but WLIE could be another problem.

What exactly is your point here? Dont you guys 1 have enough stations up in Boston and 2 another station too close to 550? (540 or 560) in the general vacinity that would get interfarance? I think so since 550 can only trun the power up so high (think it was 1kw day and .5kw directional at night.)

What I think should happen is that the guys that own 1180 wcnx in south cty should buy it and simulcast. 1180 is a mostly News station that covers south county...with 550 they could have full market coverage.