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AM Frequency of the Week: 1290

G

gr8oldies

I wanted to pick this regional frequency because it is the home of one of our semi-locals, news talker WHIO. Over the years I've been able to log other stations when nulling it out, or even sometimes, not. The most intersting was a station in Manchester, KY (WKLB) that due to an anomoly in their license, actually signs on well before sunrise in November, and can wipe away other stations on the frequency. I've also logged WIRL, Peoria (apparently having their pattern problems too, and an Ontario station that showed up several years ago. Hows about anyone else?
 
Here in Delaware we have a 1290; it used to be WTUX a decent big band and swing outlet that came in all the way up in North Central Jersey during the day but now it's some sports waste of a frequency. I've received WHIO here in the east, but 1290 many times is dominated by WNBF from Binghamton, NY.
 
1290 is pretty much nothing here in the day..sometimes I hear a faint hint of a signal, but at night it's dominated by CJBK London Ontario, which is what gr8oldies probably logged. I'm also familiar with WIRL in Peoria from when I lived in southeast Iowa. When I was a kid, I lived in Winnipeg, MB, home of CFRW.
 
Here Northwest of Chicago, the Milwaukee 1290 is weak but listenable daytime.

At night, WIRL usually dominates with a reasonably strong signal. A few others sneak in from time to time....most notably Omaha.
 
In Southwestern Ohio (and also West-Central Ohio and points such as that) 1290 on AM means WHIO Radio in Dayton. During the daylight hours, the station comes in well in those areas. At night, it is much more difficult to hear in the out-lying areas. Like many stations, WHIO has a news-talk format featuring Rush Limbaugh, etc. During the fall and winter, the station carries the University of Dayton football and basketball games - something they have featured since the 1950's with the exception of one season (1972-73 when they were on another Dayton station).
 
From Dallas - daytime: Wichita Falls KWFS fighting it out with IBOC hash from KFLC 1270 Ft. Worth.

Night - jumble.
 
Daytime, a half hour south of Chicago, I get nothing but IBOC splatter from 1300 WRDZ. At night I've picked up WIRL, and recently picked up WCBL Benton KY on multiple occasions.

I find this kind of interesting about WCBL: I vacation at Kentucky Lake every year, 13 miles away from WCBL. At night I can hardly hear the station down there, but I've picked them up quite well south of Chicago.
 
I can't say whether or not I've picked up WCBL here, but if they carry Cardinals baseball and WIRL doesn't than more that likely I have. I have picked them up in the Lafayette IN area. For the longest time I thought that was who I was hearing sometimes burying WHIO; it took getting away from WHIO completely to positively ID the Manchester station.
 
Yep, WCBL carries Cardinals baseball. They also carry Titans football and various other regional teams. Otherwise, it's classic country which is typically what I've heard later in the evening.
 
1290 in central Connecticut is home to WCCC-AM 1290 of West Hartford, the 500 watt flagship of Beethoven Radio, run by sister station and active rocker WCCC-FM 106.9 of Hartford.
 
That must have been WCBL that I heard for maybe a couple minutes On Thursday morning during the 2 am hour. Usually, here from south MS tere is nothing but a statick.y mess
 
In Charleston, SC, we usually get WTKS from Savannah, GA on 1290, a news-talk station with a somewhat weak signal, but toward the beaches, it comes in almost like a local.

It used to be WCHY, a Radio Disney station, and before that, country.
 
gr8oldies said:
If it was they were running high power at night. Does WCBL simulcast with a 99.1 FM at night, maybe an oldies format?
Click to expand...

I don't know if WCBL simulcasts 1290 and 99.1 100% of the time, but anytime I tuned in while I was in Kentucky two weeks ago, they were.
 
gr8oldies said:
I can't say whether or not I've picked up WCBL here, but if they carry Cardinals baseball and WIRL doesn't than more that likely I have. I have picked them up in the Lafayette IN area. For the longest time I thought that was who I was hearing sometimes burying WHIO; it took getting away from WHIO completely to positively ID the Manchester station.
Click to expand...

WIRL Peoria is a Cubs baseball affiliate, so it was likely WCBL you were hearing.
 
WHKY in Hickory, NC has a great signal, expecially at critical hours. I have picked up their 50 kw signal in E. Central FL (albeit very weak) and the other evening (Sunday) here in NE Alabama. IIRC their signal is directional to the west...
 
I've heard CFRW Winnipeg, KKAR Omaha, WIRL Peoria, and WHIO Dayton here before - not the most exciting mix. Not sure which one is dominant, but I'm guessing WIRL.
 
In Bothell, WA nothing during daytime, KUMA Pendelton, OR during nights.
 
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