AM Frequency of the Week: 1550

[crainbebo]

Ellensburg WA
Not much during the day, occasionally KRPI Blaine or KKOV Vancouver on good winter days.
At night, it's a slobbering mix of the aforementioned two and KGMZ San Francisco, which has also gone ethnic (was Channel Q, LGBT talk/music). KMRI in Utah sometimes makes it around sunset with Regional Mexican, adding variety to the ethnic Asian formats I hear on 1550khz.

But I've never heard KXEX Fresno, KUAZ Tucson (50KW at sunrise) or even closer KXTO Reno! A frustrating frequency with the same stations over and over at night.

I still remember when KKOV was KKAD, 'Sunny 1550,' with America's Best Music standards. Before that, they were on 1520 KZNY. KKAD was very weakly heard in the daytime in western Washington with some KXPA slop. Better at night but still QRMed by San Francisco.

 

[oldradiotapes]

I kind of vaguely remember 1520's "KZNY" call but don't remember ever hearing it on the air. When was that? It must have been near the end of its run on that frequency. I do remember it as KKSN, which it continued using for years after the 910/1520 frequency swap.

1550's former "KKAD" call letters were from "ADvice Radio", a former syndicated? talk format Pamplin carried for a brief time between KVAN and the AM Only years.

FTR, KKOV's transmitter is cosited with KPAM (860), which currently runs an extreme-right propaganda/affirmation format from Salem Media that also bleeds horribly into the local telephone cables, though I haven't observed it to have as severe of HF spurs as KKOV.

 

[Steve Green NEPA]

1550 has obliged me pretty well here in the 'new' digs of NE PA.

In the day it's the semi-local but loud WITK from Pittston, 1/2 way between Scranton and Wilkes-Barre. Lomg ago, logged back in Queens, they'd been WPTS, on 1540.

Sunset I've caught WKVA from VA (also a SSS regular in Queens).
One early sunset I got (and TAPED the ID from) what was then WSER Elkton MD. I'm pretty certain they were on day power. Here's their rumoured night pattern.

Radio-Locator.com

Radio Station Search Engine

radio-locator.com

One watt.
And directional ?!?!?
WUTQ Utica is noted on the log list. Here's their 3-watt night signal. WUSP-AM Radio Station Coverage Map
Never knew they were that close to Rome, Frankfort and Poland. But that's what the map says.

Some random evening atop 1550 there was a pretty steady signal from WRBN from Hartford. Originally they were WEXT West Hartford.

CBEF was usually there at nights.

 

[crainbebo]

1520 Portland was KKSN from 1997 (or 98?) to 2003, KZNY from 2003-04, then they flipped to La Gran D (KGDD).

 

[oldradiotapes]

I see it now on Wiki, it was KZNY from November 2003 to March 2004. So I guess it was one of those "you'll miss it if you blink" kind of things. I think that was around the time when Bustos Media were frequency-hopping AM Only around their station chain because they didn't know what else to do with it. It was on 1010 for maybe one or two years in the mid-2000s before it went away the first time around, until Pamplin (or maybe it was Entercom? They did carry it on one of our locals for a few years) put it on 1550 after Advice Radio croaked.

 

[jim-satx]

From NW San Antonio:

Day: Heavy splatter from local 1540 KEDA. I've heard country station KCOM in Comanche, TX, a few times during winter daytime skywave.

Sunset: KCOM and KWBC in Navasota, TX, are the first to show up in the splatter. Later WPFC in Baton Rouge comes up as well. To the NW, I often hear a weak KQNM (Relevant Radio), which is replaced by KUAZ in Tucson after dropping to night power.

Night: Slop is reduced with KEDA on day power, and 1550 is somewhat like a graveyard frequency. WPFC is heard most often, with KYAL (ESPN), KDCC (Fox Sports), KWBC (which sometimes simulcasts 1510 KAGC), and KCOM all mixing in at times. Aiming NW/SE, most of this can be nulled out pretty well, and KUAZ in Tucson is a regular before it signs off for the day. Once it's gone, I occasionally hear a weak Radio Rebelde in Cuba.

Sunrise: The KEDA splatter is back. KWBC is stronger, and so is KQNM when it goes back to 10 kW. KUAZ once again takes it out when it signs on for the day.

DX/Retro: I used to hear XENU in Nuevo Laredo, especially at sunrise and sunset, before it retired. Stations I've heard only once include KMAD in Madill, OK; KAPE in Cape Girardeau, MO; and KRZD in Springfield, MO. Also, this past Tuesday I logged KESJ "Joe Town 107.5" for the first time ever; it was briefly before 6 p.m. CT.