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1550 WZUM

corporateradiosucks said:
Is "That Girl" by Stevie Wonder as deep as you intend to venture into the 80s? Also, how about a disco show for an hour or 2 on Saturdays (real disco, not Bee Gees over and over).
Click to expand...

We just added some more early 80s songs. There's a brick wall in early 1983 when "Billie Jean" hits and everything
changes, musically speaking.

Re: disco, there are a handful of songs in rotation, but we're trying hard to stay true to the R&B and soul songs and
also to remain colorblind. So you won't hear white-bread disco, but neither will you hear Parliament. It's walking a
tightrope with the music.

Glad you're enjoying the new 1550 WZUM! Spread the word!

C.
 
secondchoice said:
Are Hall and Oates too disco?
Click to expand...

Hall & Oates really aren't what the station's about, musically. I probably could make a case for "Sara Smile" being
blue-eyed soul, but there's no real need to go there when the song is being pounded to death by five other. bigger
stations and it's not necessarily what I think people would want or expect from WZUM. That's a judgment call and
we've had to make a number of those.

C.
 
Music is great! Have enjoyed listening. Q: jingles seem to fit a more traditional oldies format, kinda sound out of place (just my opinion).
 
In the late 60s and early 70s WZUM 1590. Was a soul station using the Pepper Tanner jingles that are being used on the new WZUM 1550 .The Jingles Fit this format for Western Pennsylvania perfectly. WZUM TOP ON THE DIAL. The Cartunables Button Number 5 On Your Car Radio.
 
I have to agree that the jingles sound more 60s than 70s. As Phil Z notes, those are the original WZUM jingles
from 1967 (carefully restored). There is not much on the station yet besides the music and the jingles, so they
probsbly are being overexposed. I have other, even earlier WZUM jingles that so far we have resisted using on
the air, but you might hear a few of them eventually.

C.
 
I have to agree that the jingles sound more 60s than 70s. As Phil Z notes, those are the original WZUM jingles
Click to expand...

Ahhh...Now I understand. Very cool to use the original jingles.
 
Regarding the low night power, I was engineer for a station that had 42 watts at night on 1260. We ran the modulation around 150% and off the front of the 3 tower directional (main lobe) the station got about 20 miles of coverage at night but was gone at about 2 miles in the null areas. I also did work for a station which used a night power of 1.8 watts, similar situation with a 3 tower directional and it got about 5 miles at night. You have to get the modulation levels 'right' to get the low power night signals to really work right.
 
DaveWilliams said:
... We ran the modulation around 150%
Click to expand...

We are currently running close to the legal limit of 125% positive peaks. A couple of setting changes were made to the Optimod 9200 this week. The average modulation is much higher than it was before the changes were made. I hope this helps the 4 watt signal.
 
I applaud you guys for trying this, (something I've always wanted to do myself), but the daytime signal was noisy in East Liberty yesterday.

It will take a lot to make this work with that signal....
 
I had a station with an Optimod 9200 that was barely working. The station was complaining that they just couldn't be heard anyplace. So we took a scope and set the modulation with that and set the Optimod to where it was running the levels at about half way on all the bands. It certainly made a difference and increased the signal about 50%, the complaints stopped.
 
150% modulation??? Isn't that a tad bit over the max?

FCC 73.1570 (Revised as of August 5, 2013)

Modulation levels: AM

(a) The percentage of modulation is to be maintained at as high a level
as is consistent with good quality of transmission and good broadcast
service, with maximum levels not to exceed the values specified in
paragraph (b). Generally, the modulation should not be less than 85% on
peaks of frequent recurrence, but where lower modulation levels may be
required to avoid objectionable loudness or to maintain the dynamic
range of the program material, the degree of modulation may be reduced
to whatever level is necessary for this purpose, even though under such
circumstances, the level may be substantially less than that which
produces peaks of frequent recurrence at a level of 85%.

(b) Maximum modulation levels must meet the following limitations:

(1) AM stations. In no case shall the amplitude modulation of the
carrier wave exceed 100% on negative peaks of frequent recurrence, or
125% on positive peaks at any time.
 
Rallen1st said:
150% modulation??? Isn't that a tad bit over the max?

FCC 73.1570 (Revised as of August 5, 2013)

Modulation levels: AM

(a) The percentage of modulation is to be maintained at as high a level
as is consistent with good quality of transmission and good broadcast
service, with maximum levels not to exceed the values specified in
paragraph (b). Generally, the modulation should not be less than 85% on
peaks of frequent recurrence, but where lower modulation levels may be
required to avoid objectionable loudness or to maintain the dynamic
range of the program material, the degree of modulation may be reduced
to whatever level is necessary for this purpose, even though under such
circumstances, the level may be substantially less than that which
produces peaks of frequent recurrence at a level of 85%.

(b) Maximum modulation levels must meet the following limitations:

(1) AM stations. In no case shall the amplitude modulation of the
carrier wave exceed 100% on negative peaks of frequent recurrence, or
125% on positive peaks at any time.
Click to expand...
Hecks yeah, this is standard stuff I had to know, to pass Elements I, II, and IX and get a Third Class ticket, with Broadcast Endorsement.
 
Does the 4 watt Signal make to the Studio on Penn Ave ? WPGR 1510 when it was Owned by WAMO. The 1 Watt Signal Made it out 5 Miles.
 
Don't worry, the station where we ran the modulation 'hot' is now gone. It sounded pretty good though on that power level. Wonder how many others have done it?
 
I'm about to demonstrate that I 'know' just enough to be dangerous. <VBG>Is there a reason that DSB-SC is not used in MW broadcasting?
 
It really doesn't sound that great. Its OK for ham use. Harris has a system which lowers the carrier as the modulation increases.
 
Would it sound as bad as all the In Band Over Channels hash that we are blessed with now? <VBG> Or the ground wave cancellation I hear on KDKA in the late evenings now, twenty miles away from the city, to the North?
 
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