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AM 1500 WPJX Zion flips to HEAVY Metal

The signal comes out of the little town of Wadsworth, near the Wisconsin/ Illinois border, and is aimed East & West. The signal is minimized in the North & South directions...towards Milwaukee & Chicago.
 
The signal comes out of the little town of Wadsworth, near the Wisconsin/ Illinois border, and is aimed East & West. The signal is minimized in the North & South directions...towards Milwaukee & Chicago.
/quote]

Unfortunately, WPJX is not likely to be upgraded since it has to protect adjacent 1490's in Oak Park and Beloit and 1510's in Waukesha and Joliet. Perhaps they could find another frequency like 1550 or 1560, since Lake Geneva and Sycamore vacated those frequencies, and could increase power but that still would be only daytime...

Well... Rebel Radio may never have a decent AM or FM signal or be 24/7, but at least you'll be able to hear them online soon:

"Coming Soon worldwide on rebelradio.com!" says their website (Their website is "under construction" but there are a few things to look at now)
Those of us with web access in our vehicles could listen...
 
stormy01 said:
The signal comes out of the little town of Wadsworth, near the Wisconsin/ Illinois border, and is aimed East & West. The signal is minimized in the North & South directions...towards Milwaukee & Chicago.
/quote]

Unfortunately, WPJX is not likely to be upgraded since it has to protect adjacent 1490's in Oak Park and Beloit and 1510's in Waukesha and Joliet. Perhaps they could find another frequency like 1550 or 1560, since Lake Geneva and Sycamore vacated those frequencies, and could increase power but that still would be only daytime...

Well... Rebel Radio may never have a decent AM or FM signal or be 24/7, but at least you'll be able to hear them online soon:

"Coming Soon worldwide on rebelradio.com!" says their website (Their website is "under construction" but there are a few things to look at now)
Those of us with web access in our vehicles could listen...
Yeah they really get overpowered here by 1490 Oak Park.
 
The signal comes out of the little town of Wadsworth, near the Wisconsin/ Illinois border, and is aimed East & West. The signal is minimized in the North & South directions...towards Milwaukee & Chicago.

I don't know what they were thinking (or perhaps smoking) when the decision was made to put this thing on the air. But I'm 30 miles west-southwest from their stick, and their signal is definitely listenable on a good radio. I didn't say it was a good signal, and in no way is it competitive. But there's not much here on 1490 or 1510 to bother it, so its out there for anyone who likes heavy metal, bad audio, and has a good radio.
 
I don't think Polnet was really thinking when they bought that station. I think they really wanted to hit the Hispanic audience, but realized that wasn't a possibility with the signal that they owned. The key isn't their stations that they own. The key is the property that the antennas are on. The studios are located on Dundee Rd. in Northbrook. That area is a goldmine. It's full of cell phone towers. They did a good job renting that land.
 
BlueTights said:
"""I don't think Polnet was really thinking when they bought that station. I think they really wanted to hit the Hispanic audience, but realized that wasn't a possibility with the signal that they owned. The key isn't their stations that they own. The key is the property that the antennas are on."""

******


The WPJX signal was bought because it was a "steal of a deal" when it was being offered for sale. The Hispanic format was an experiment to see if an automated satellite delivered Spanish format would attract listeners and advertizers in Zion and Waukegan. After a few years it was decided that the idea wasn't working.

The Heavy Metal Rebel Radio show is brokered and pays for the air time. So now WPJX is making some money...not alot but better than it was.

Dr. Dave
 
"Both of you guys have alot to learn. The station is licensed to cover Zion....not Chicago.
The fact that it isn't heard in northern Cook county means that it's directional antenna is working properly".

Thank you, Mr. dd92251, for your considered opinion. I can assure you that although all of us on this board have a lot to learn, it certainly won't be from you. For starters, "alot" isn't a word, and "it's" means "it is". Kindly take a class in remedial grammar.

I am personally quite familiar with the transmitter site of the station in question, having driven by it on many occasions. I am also aware of its directional pattern (note: not "it's"). Anyone with a web browser connected to the Internet can download the pattern from the FCC web site.

The fact of the matter is that the station has a weak signal on the high end of the AM dial. It is located in an area with low ground conductivity. Its antenna pattern radiates most of the signal to the east and west, whereas most of the potential listeners live to the north and south.

However, thanks for sharing your great wisdom with us.
 
audioguy said:
"Both of you guys have alot to learn. The station is licensed to cover Zion....not Chicago.
The fact that it isn't heard in northern Cook county means that it's directional antenna is working properly".

Thank you, Mr. dd92251, for your considered opinion. I can assure you that although all of us on this board have a lot to learn, it certainly won't be from you. For starters, "alot" isn't a word, and "it's" means "it is". Kindly take a class in remedial grammar.

I am personally quite familiar with the transmitter site of the station in question, having driven by it on many occasions. I am also aware of its directional pattern (note: not "it's"). Anyone with a web browser connected to the Internet can download the pattern from the FCC web site.

The fact of the matter is that the station has a weak signal on the high end of the AM dial. It is located in an area with low ground conductivity. Its antenna pattern radiates most of the signal to the east and west, whereas most of the potential listeners live to the north and south.

However, thanks for sharing your great wisdom with us.

Ouch. I'm pretty sure Dr. Dave knows. If it's the Dave I am thinking of, then he has been working on Polnet stations for YEARS!
 
BlueTights said:
audioguy said:
Thank you, Mr. dd92251, for your considered opinion. I can assure you that although all of us on this board have a lot to learn, it certainly won't be from you. For starters, "alot" isn't a word, and "it's" means "it is". Kindly take a class in remedial grammar.

The fact of the matter is that the station has a weak signal on the high end of the AM dial. It is located in an area with low ground conductivity. Its antenna pattern radiates most of the signal to the east and west, whereas most of the potential listeners live to the north and south.

However, thanks for sharing your great wisdom with us.

*************************************

So your point is????

I had no idea we were being graded on our grammar on this board...I'll try to shape up.

Evidently I've offended that person, otherwise I would not have received a reply like that.

He must know some rudimentry Broadcast Engineering, (ground conductivity and all that)

But my soggy sneakers from my last visit to the WPJX site beg to differ with the conductivity at this time.

As for the Internet download of the signal pattern, it's true you can download the pattern.

But I, my freind, have actually twisted the Phasor knobs, inside that little building to create that pattern.

Talking about WPJX's lack of coverage is a bit like complaining that you can't hear the 500 watt station in Alaska.

The point is the station covers what it is designed/engineered to cover...that's all.

If it can't be heard in Cook Co...so what...it's not supposed to !

Now everyone relax and lets give it a rest.

Have a GR8T Day !!!
 
So.... more than a year later.... is ANYONE making any money with heavy metal on an AM daytimer in Zion, IL? I'm no stranger to metal on AM, as I worked with an AM Z-Rock affiliate back in the day... I have heard WPJX, while driving on I-94 between Chicago and Milwaukee, and honestly, it sounds terrible.
 
stereolane said:
So.... more than a year later.... is ANYONE making any money with heavy metal on an AM daytimer in Zion, IL? I'm no stranger to metal on AM, as I worked with an AM Z-Rock affiliate back in the day... I have heard WPJX, while driving on I-94 between Chicago and Milwaukee, and honestly, it sounds terrible.

It's not making alot of money but it's making a few bucks...a station with that limited a signal can't do much other that some type of extreme "niche" format. With nearly every other format possible on the Chicago stations that blanket the WPJX coverage area... there isn't much else to do. ::)
 
"there isn't much else to do."

Sure there is. SERVE the community. If it's with metal - or with Glenn Miller. So what?
 
Prais said:
"there isn't much else to do."

Sure there is. SERVE the community. If it's with metal - or with Glenn Miller. So what?


The concept of serving the community is great in theory...but when you've got 40 + signals from Chicago already being received in that community and already "serving" that community you need to get creative. Additionally the community isn't one homogenous entity with one mind set, it is a significantly diversified group with many preferences. There is no one solution to "serving" the community, hence WPJX "serves" the Heavy Metal Listening portion of their community.
 
How about "serving the communities that the station covers"
local police and government news, sports form schools nobody else covers (there must be a few) "name dropping" weather, taking requests, north shore stuff, even brokered time in certain dayparts.

I can give specific examples of how we took several DOGS and made their bottom lines successful in this way.
 
Prais said:
How about "serving the communities that the station covers"
local police and government news, sports form schools nobody else covers (there must be a few) "name dropping" weather, taking requests, north shore stuff, even brokered time in certain dayparts.

That worked in the "old days" but in todays economy radio station operate with a minimal staff, some only employ part-time people...radio isn't what it was in the 80's...I guess that's why it sounds the way it does now.

:-\
 
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