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1320 WENN drops talk for neo-soul, debuts on FM 101.9?

N

Nate Wesley

With all the buzz about a new FM talker, Cox has made a surprising adjustment to one of its Birmingham stations: 1320 WENN has apparently dropped its urban-talk format for one that features neo-soul and urban/alternative acts.

Not only that, but the W270BW 101.9 (Haleyville) translator that seemed destined for WAGG 610 (listed as its primary station to relay) will relay 1320--hence the new "WENN 101.9" branding.

http://1320wenn.com/splashpage/index.html
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=331153969814&ref=nf
http://photos-a.ak.fbcdn.net/hphoto...0396677491_100000805924211_5170_1902693_n.jpg

I first found out about these changes through some mutual B'ham friends on Facebook--can anyone confirm actual changes from live listening on 1320 and 101.9? I'm streaming them online.
 
I listened online for a few minutes, they ID'd the translator, but did not mention AM 1320.
 
ALRocker said:
I listened online for a few minutes, they ID'd the translator, but did not mention AM 1320.
Click to expand...

The WENN translator is on the air, I heard it in Hoover tonight around 6 pm, intermixed with WHHY out of Montgomery.
 
I'm assuming they're on from the CP facility atop Red Mountain. The FCC database seems to have taken a chill pill at the moment so I can't see what's going on. :(

I just knew this translator was destined to be an AM repeater, but I gotta admit I thought it would have been for WAGG.
 
It appears that Cox is into cannibalism, will this will cut into 98.7 Kiss FM? I don't see a market for Neo-Soul in Birmingham. Plus, I am hearing rumors of a Ricky Smiley Morning Show on the new 101.9. More to Come maybe?
 
I doubt if it will make any impression on the market. WJLD has a 250 watt translator on the same tower at the WENN 99 watt translator and it has not really made any difference.

They both suffer from the translator issue of not being powerful enough to penetrate buildings effectively. Sound weak even in the car driving through downtown on the interstate although this could be an audio processing issue.
 
Both of these translators WJLD and WENN are on Red Mountain, meaning they are in the city center with a dense population. According to the FCC database, WJLD has a 60 dbu signal that reaches about 500,000 people. A 60 dbu signal can penetrate buildings. A 40 dbu signal can be heard in cars on most radios, Again, according to the database WJLD reaches over 700,000 with a 40 dbu signal. I will take a 100 to 250 watt FM with good elevation over a 5 kw AM anyday.
 
Unless something has changed in the last few days, I'm 99% certain the WENN translator is actually transmitting from Graysville. I got a mail a few days ago saying it was a lot stronger along Corridor X than downtown, and that in Hoover it was obliterated by Y 102 out of Montgomery. I don't think the Red Mountain facility has been built out yet.
 
From all indications W270BW 101.9 is transmitting from Channel 42's tower on red mountain at 430 feet with 99 watts. According to the FCC database, an STA was granted for silence for the Adamsville location with it's eventual home being Red Mountain. I have been riding around Birmingham listening to the signal and I don't believe that a 38 watt signal with an antenna height of 36 feet is doing that well. If in fact they are broadcasting from Adamsville, then the signal will be awesome once on Red Mountain. However, I stand by belief.
 
rambo2 said:
From all indications W270BW 101.9 is transmitting from Channel 42's tower on red mountain at 430 feet with 99 watts. According to the FCC database, an STA was granted for silence for the Adamsville location with it's eventual home being Red Mountain. I have been riding around Birmingham listening to the signal and I don't believe that a 38 watt signal with an antenna height of 36 feet is doing that well. If in fact they are broadcasting from Adamsville, then the signal will be awesome once on Red Mountain. However, I stand by belief.
Click to expand...

I'll take your word for, sadly I'm not in town to see for myself. ;)
 
You can see an antenna about half way up the Channel 42 tower. From a distance, it looks like a two bay FM although I am not sure. I need to get closer with binoculars. From that height, you can cover quite a bit of area with little power.

In the car on the Interstate, they are full quieting. They sound good until I pull into my garage in Hoover, then it goes away. Reminds me of XM or Sirius.
 
Zach said:
I'm in Birmingham today and there's no trace of 1320 on the radio. My FM section is, er, hampered at the moment, and 101.9 is gone down along I-459. 104.1 though is booming in.

Did they just shut down the AM? ;)
Click to expand...

The AM has been off the air for several days now. I was up near Bham a few days ago; the FM translator was still on the air. Don't FCC rules require translators to be taken off the air if the originating station is not broadcasting? I figure that daytime-only AM's might be exempt from that rule, but WENN is licensed for full-time operation.
 
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