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A Real OMG Moment

Thanks for sharing.

I love "Studio P" - I have spent time there, usually listening to the full sing version of Stairway to Heaven.
 
The blue tarp over the equipment or transmitter takes the cake. Is this building in “code”? I am surprised any insurance company would insure this operation. I assume Bob and Tanya do not work there.
 
Its as bad as an AM transmitter site I went to in West Texas years ago on a pre-purchase inspection. There was no lock on the transmitter building, only a wedge of wood stuck through the hasp on the building door. None of the lights in the building worked and so I had to use a flashlight to see around inside. The wooden planks in the floor were rotted through so you had to watch your step to literally keep from falling through the cracks! Once we finally found the transmitter it was an old Gates BC-1H backed up by a Vanguard. The BC-1H would only make about 200 watts. The phasor was stuck in Night mode and would not switch to the full 1 KW ND Day mode. Later when I talked with the last contractor who worked on the array, he recounted how the owner told him to leave it in whatever mode would get him the lowest fine if he ever got inspected. I quickly terminated all negotiations, got back in the car, drove off and "didn't slow down til I was almost to Arkansas". Places like this are the kind you need to introduce to the front end of a Caterpiller D-9 dozer!
 
LOL! For sure!

Unfortuantely I've seen this type of station all too many times. Sadly, a good clean-up and rewiring and a few newer things would be make it quite decent. Note the nice Nautel Ampet sitting there. The CE probably isn't that horrible as a backup either. The "dump" needs a couple large loads to the real dump, along with it's current wiring. The tower mess would certainly need a fix IMHO. Oh well. I bet that won't be happening anytime real soon.
 
LibertyNT said:
That place is a dump.
I wonder how it sounds on air? lol

The photos are dated 2004. Do some digging and you'll find it looks like WSLM (AM/FM) is still hanging in there. They Twit to FB and the FM owner and her DAWG are NYY fans. Nice...
Click to expand...
 
Sgt. Hans G. Schultz said:
LibertyNT said:
That place is a dump.
I wonder how it sounds on air? lol

The photos are dated 2004. Do some digging and you'll find it looks like WSLM (AM/FM) is still hanging in there. They Twit to FB and the FM owner and her DAWG are NYY fans. Nice...
Click to expand...
Click to expand...

The FM used to be 50kw at 98.9. They sold it off a while back, probably got a good price. That freq has since relocated to Looaval. It always sounded fine. The 50kw version had heavy reverb on it. But for most of its lifespan that I remember it was substantially religious programming mixed with a mish mash of 50s rock, gospel, etc. It's in a very tiny town.
 
I've seen many operations like this even in somewhat large markets. I remember an FM in Tulsa that was housed in two single wide mobile homes with a walk way between them. After a week of tracing through the rats nest of wiring and hauling away a couple of dumpster loads of paper and junk it turn into a pretty nice station.

One time I was the contract for a former monster AM/FM in Denver. A legendary station that had gone to seed.
Went to the AM transmitter site and found a MW5 with about six inches of caked on dirt in the air filters. The poor thing was hotter than ....Also funny thing was it was only doing about 45% negative peak and beyond measure positive peaks. Sounded like hammered crap. Turns out someone in the past broke the symmetry pot on the CRL peak limiter and it had ran that way several years. Fixed that after power washing the filters fired it back up and it sounded perfect.

The final tale was the FM. Absolutely no stereo separation. Zip, nada. Started at the Stereo generator (Optimod 8000) and worked my way back. Through 30 years of add on upon add on of wiring. Finally on the back of the console I found the problem. Seems some years back the jocks wanted COMPRESSED air checks. I'm cool with that I was a jock. However to get what they wanted they took a mono Radio Shack AGC cassette recorder and tied the left/right program audio to the input of MONO recorder. I took out the trusty wire cutters and snip...The jock on the air freaked out because it was the first time he ever heard himself in FM Stereo...

So any "pigs ear" can be made into a "silk purse" with a little effort and time.
 
secondchoice said:
The blue tarp over the equipment or transmitter takes the cake. Is this building in “code”? I am surprised any insurance company would insure this operation. I assume Bob and Tanya do not work there.
Click to expand...
Nope..we don't work there, but have visited the place. My first pilgrimage was in the late 80's...nice fall day. AM studio door was open. I walked in a several CHICKENS walked out. There are station wagons in the parking lot that are used to store file folders. At that time 1/3 of the record library was on 78's and they had turntables that would still play them. The remote start switches on the console had BANDAIDS over them so the broken plastic buttons wouldn't fly off onto the floor. At the top of most hours, they have a "time check" that's been in use continuously since the 1950's that sings "Tick Tock Tick Tock Tick Tock, It's Two O'clock". Legend has it that the master was a 78 RPM record...judging from the quality, I believe it. The pictures (taken by Todd Edwards, formerly of WUME/Paoli,IN) are a very accurate representation of the place. Say what you will...call it a dump, call it hokey, call it hopelessly antiquated...but in a world where a computer & satellite dish are the main event in almost all stations, this station with a live board op during every broadcast hour & no automation equipment deserves credit for marching to their own beat. The owner (who just passed away) was quite proud that he still had several sponsors that were with him the day he signed the station on (was it 1953?).
 
I wish there was a way to post airchecks here....I made one of the station in 1974. Bob above has heard it. As a 22 year old know nothing back then I thought it was the worst station I'd ever heard. Today, I get it. And if they still attract the local advertisers and listeners, more power to them.
 
I amazes me that people allow themselves to live or work in such filth. As an owner, take a little pride in your place and clean it up. I would be embarrassed to say I owned or worked there, not because they were still using records and carts, but because it's so trashed.
 
"5,000 Hot Watts" ;D

Seems to me you get anything very hot near that place and it will all go up in flames!!

Wouldn't mind looking through that record collection though, if that's what that wall was??
 
It's looked like this since 1982. I worked in the Louisville market and had been up to this station a few times back in the 80's when I was doing high school play by play. I had heard the horror stories. The outside looks a little different..but NOT the outside.

pictures REALLY don't do it justice...you need the SMELL TOO ;D

ick,
riggie
 
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