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1600 WAMS Dover has really expanded

M

MikefromDelaware

I was looking at various things on Radio Locator, and noted 1600 WAMS Dover and their two FM 250w repeaters in Dover and Milford and their third 47 w repeater in Ocean Pines, MD, along with now owning 1590 WMHZ AM Ocean City MD. All link to the WAMS FM website which actually lists all three repeaters and doesn't mention either AM station at all.

I'm assuming that all five stations are playing the same thing via computer, minus local spots (Dover vs Ocean City) possibly local weather conditions, any jingles where the call letters get used and of course the legal ids on the hour as the two Maryland stations use the WMHZ calls and the three Delaware stations use WAMS.

So as many folks have lamented the idea of religious stations doing this, and of course college non-comms have done it too as WRTI Temple Univ has very successfully done, we now have a commercial station that plays 80's music using the same idea to get their AM station on FM in two separate markets, Dover/Milford and OC Md.

Maybe someone down there who can get the station can fill us in on what sort of spot load is WAMS and WMHZ carrying.

Unfortunately Dover isn't a rated market via Arbitron, the Salisbury/Ocean City market #141 doesn't show WMHZ so the ratings must not be that great for them in OC/Salisbury market, but then the FM only gets into OC up to around Fenwick Island DE, thus leaving out the major population area of Salisbury/Pocomoc City MD. If WMHZ had a 250w repeater in Salisbury, there might be a different result.
 
According to the FCC website, the OC station was not in the last ratings because they just turned on in December, which was after the fall book. I live in Dover and LOVE this station. They do have commericals for YMCA, Quizno's, Pohanka, ETC...So I think they must be doing well. I use to listen to Tom FM, but I got tired of the monotone voice. At least WAMS has some DJ on. They has a awsome holiday contest and gave away over $400 to some lady (shame I didn't win LOL) who guessed how much money was attached to a christmas tree. So I think they must be doing something right.
 
Jaydog, now for the big question..................are you listening to 1600AM or one of the FM repeaters in Dover or Milford?
 
Mike,

I work for the State and I listen all day at my desk to 98.3. They and 94.7 are the only 2 stations that come in. And I am not a country fan.
 
Jaydog, so 1600 AM doesn't come in on your radio at work, or you only listen to FM. I'm curious if it makes a difference to you. I'm assuming that WAMS probably is pulling in more folks on 98.3 and 105.1 than on AM1600. If that is the case, then their idea of putting up repeaters on FM worked and maybe making WAMS Dover a viable station.
 
Mike,

I did check and 1600 comes in loud and clear as well in my office. I personality haven't listen to AM radio since I was a little kid and my mom would listen to 1260 WNRK. I remember calling in and winning free Slurpees from 7-11. ;D
 
Thanks Jay. My guess is that WAMS is pulling in far more listeners with the two FM repeaters than the 1600 AM, due to folks who like 80's music grew up being FM listeners NOT AM listeners like those of us in the baby boom who will listen to AM if they are airing something we want to hear and can't get it on FM.
 
I always believed that theory of if you put something on AM that they can't get on FM they will put up with the AM band, the interference noises, the going under over passes, storms and ect. However, when you have the chance to use FM translators to help your AM station reach out further not to mention a much better selling tool for your sales reps in this day and age you had better use it. I think if more AM's had access to FM translators it may save many of them from going dark. The AM would be kind of like your flagship as the translators give you that extra distance. Now I know this is going to sound a little crazy but I enjoy listening to the AM feed sometimes just to get that nastolgic feel especially pop music from the 60's and 70's because that's how I heard them on my transistor radio. Even some of the early 80's music works too because you could still find a few AM's in the early 1980's playing pop like 77 WABC who didn't go to all news until 1982 or 1983. Well that's my two cents thrown in on that. Bottom line is it's just to hard to sell advertising on AM alone. Hell it's hard to sell spots on FM with our economy but it can be done. It has to be done.
 
Now I know this is going to sound a little crazy but I enjoy listening to the AM feed sometimes just to get that nastolgic feel especially pop music from the 60's and 70's because that's how I heard them on my transistor radio.

I can totally relate to your statement. As a young child, the only records my family had were 78 rpm's of Big Band music. We had a TV before we had a HiFi that played 33's and 45's as well as 78's. So for me, there's something special about hearing those big bands on the 78's with the scratches and surface noise. Also it was fun watching how fast the record would spin while playing. I taped them years ago from the 78's and have many on LP's and CD's. Even though it is a better recording by far, etc, it loses something on the LP's and today's digitally remastered CD's for the same reason you stated, you first heard those songs, in my case on my dad's phonograph that only played 78rpms, in your case the transistor radio.
 
I happend to be in Dover a couple weekends ago and had a chance to listen to 1600 for a couple hours. It was a Saturday morning and they were airing a Rick Dees "vintage" radio countdown from 1986. It was fun to listen to, once I realized the show was not current and 25 years old! I finally got clued in when Dees did the birthday announcements.... Mick Jagger was like 43 and they even mentioned Jackie O's birthday.
 
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