A "Rose" at any other site...

[FloridaBear1776]

WWRZ (98.3 FM) the "Rose" has filed an application to move its transmitter from the Polk-Hardee county line to Pebbledale, a small community in the middle of phosphate pit country that also happens to be home to the Channel 32 tower site.

The FCC map shows the 60 dbu contour going right through downtown Tampa.

Does the ownership intend to turn the Rose into a Tampa rimshot? The female AC market is already well served here. Could a format flip be in the offing? A Regional Mexican format would serve both east Hillsborough and Polk counties, and would beat the big chains to having the first Hispanic FM on a signal that could cover a large portion of the market.

http://www.fcc.gov/fcc-bin/FMTV-service-area?x=FM1023786.html

 

[altsped]

This application was dismissed by the FCC on June 21, 2005

> WWRZ (98.3 FM) the "Rose" has filed an application to move
> its transmitter from the Polk-Hardee county line to
> Pebbledale, a small community in the middle of phosphate pit
> country that also happens to be home to the Channel 32 tower
> site.
>
> The FCC map shows the 60 dbu contour going right through
> downtown Tampa.
>
> Does the ownership intend to turn the Rose into a Tampa
> rimshot? The female AC market is already well served here.
> Could a format flip be in the offing? A Regional Mexican
> format would serve both east Hillsborough and Polk counties,
> and would beat the big chains to having the first Hispanic
> FM on a signal that could cover a large portion of the
> market.
>
h> ttp://www.fcc.gov/fcc-bin/FMTV-service-area?x=FM1023786.html
>

 

[bossmsx]

> This application was dismissed by the FCC on June 21, 2005

There's a freeze I believe at this point (for some mods) as the FCC is re-assessing how they deal with changes to stations, specifically I know they want to make a City/Community of License change into a minor change...Not sure what all it covers, but I believe a freeze is in place as they look things over.

And why bother with 98.3?? Wouldn't 97.5 be the ripe one (and hasn't it been) for a long while?

 

[CentralFLEagle]

> And why bother with 98.3?? Wouldn't 97.5 be the ripe one
> (and hasn't it been) for a long while?

Hall Communications, which owns Lakeland's "Big 4" (WWRZ/WPCV/WONN/WLKF), would not make any major changes to "97 Country", as it is the company's huge moneymaker and keeps the other three stations going.

I know that "The Rose" has some bad reception spots in Lakeland, so a transmitter site change could possibly be done to improve that situation.

Another reason I would doubt Hall making a format flip: WWRZ is one of only two commercial FMs specifically serving Polk County (Hall's WPCV is the other); the others are religious. With a population approaching a half million, Polk County is an area that has been ignored for a long time in favour of the bigger markets nearby. Hall is also actively involved in the community, sponsoring a wide variety of events and promoting local functions on their stations. An improved signal would make "The Rose" much more attractive to listeners, and increased ratings means increased attention from regional and national advertisers.

I would leave a Spanish FM flip to one of the big dawgs (CC, Infinity, Cox) who won't be as hurt if it fails...which I personally doubt it would.
<P ID="signature">______________
Robert Charles Pickering
Lakeland, Florida</P>