AM Radio in Northeastern NC

[N4GBK]

Hi folks!

Saturday, I spent most of the day in the car wasting gas and listening to AM radio stations. When I was in Rocky Mount I barely heard something on 1420, I guess it was the remnants of WVOT as mentioned in another thread.

Of the Rocky Mount stations, 1490 sports radio, sounded the best on the car radio. Now I don't think I've heard a decent AM car radio in decades so it is hard to get a good idea of audio processing etc. I know years ago, successful stations would adjust their audio processing to get the best sound on car radios and portables. I really don't care what my station sounds like in the studio monitor, I want it to sound good to the most listeners.

1390 signal strong and clear for a good distance from Rocky Mount.

I'm hearing a gospel station on 1470. I think that's the station in Plymouth that finally has come back to life, could not get an ID.

900 in Williamston has weak audio, it consistently sounds like it is running about 50% modulation.

930 in Washington sounds like it could use something. They often simulcast with 1250 in Farmville but the Farmville audio seems to be fuller and brighter. I wonder when the last time some of these stations did some serious transmitter and antenna system maintenance? Just some thoughts for future radio threads. Ya'll have a great radio week. - Bill

 

[ZAX Double J]

As for WRMT I can say we use an Invionics processor unless it has been changed out since the last time I went to the transmitter a couple of years ago. On the studio side it is satellite/Media Touch and then through a phone line I think to the transmitter again unless it has changed.

 

[w00t]

930 in Washington sounds like it could use something. They often simulcast with 1250 in Farmville but the Farmville audio seems to be fuller and brighter. I wonder when the last time some of these stations did some serious transmitter and antenna system maintenance? Just some thoughts for future radio threads. Ya'll have a great radio week. - Bill

It's been this way for a couple years now. If you go between 930 and 680 during Rush, 680 will blow the doors off your car... you just have to crank it up so high to hear 930.

 

[tothedj]

It's sad when owners don't take time and fine tune their AM outlets, some of those Northeastern North Carolina stations once
sounded great like WGTM, WVOT, WOOW and others, at some point the AM band will fade away, and when it does, we'll
remember those days growing up to AM.

 

[ZAX Double J]

It's sad when owners don't take time and fine tune their AM outlets, some of those Northeastern North Carolina stations once
sounded great like WGTM, WVOT, WOOW and others, at some point the AM band will fade away, and when it does, we'll
remember those days growing up to AM.

And unfortunately so too will FM. As new technology comes along the old standards will just fade away....

Except maybe amateur radio because that works when all else fails.

What's so sad is the owners don't see it that way all they see is $$, but you have to put a clean (as in audio quality etc.) signal on and compelling and unique programming on for people and sponsors to come to your station. It is not "if you build it and leave it alone they will come" attitude. Yes sales is a big part of the business, but it is the PROGRAMMING department that makes it happen. They can have the best sales package in the world, but it takes the programming department to make the thing come alive. And the engineering department makes everything work so that it CAN get on the air. It's a TEAM effort not a ME effort or one department alone effort. But all management sees is the sales department and everyone else in the building is a liability that is not necessary for the SALE to be done. SO if this is their way of thinking then let's let the sales people cut the spots, run the board for the remote, DO the remote, and fix the transmitter when it doesn't want to work the day of the big remote and we will see what actually gets done. I can hear static already because the sales department CAN'T fix the transmitter!

 

[A 94Z Fan]

It's sad when owners don't take time and fine tune their AM outlets, some of those Northeastern North Carolina stations once
sounded great like WGTM, WVOT, WOOW and others, at some point the AM band will fade away, and when it does, we'll
remember those days growing up to AM.

Let's not forget WCPS 760 am aswell.

 

[EncSpy]

WCPS has always amazed me, they sound great from a processing standpoint, they have a niche' format that you can only hear in eastern NC and they are live and local from sign on till sign off...although their DJ's sound stuck int he 70's..it makes for good listening still....I remember when james brown died the whole day was nothing but james brown music.

 

[A 94Z Fan]

Encspy, I agree with you 100% about WCPS it always has amazed me alot what they do too. They do sound great from a processing standpoint. WCPS is still the best sounding am radio station in eastern nc that is still around

 

[N4GBK]

I listen to them from time to time as I enjoy most of the music they play. They have a good signal for 1 kW. Several other 1 kW "daytime" stations in the same area such as 900 in Williamston, 970 in Ahoskie & 990 in Windsor all do not seem to have as good of a signal. I realize 760 is a bit better frequency but they have a short tower. I expect the ground system and everything else has deteriorated at most of the AMers in the area.

Have a great radio week! -Bill

 

[EncSpy]

WRCS is still using a RCA BTA 1R-1 that they bought new in 1968...I suspect the ground system is not up to parr..I do know it was replaced in the late 1970's after the "field" caught on fire. but after their tower went down during hurricane isabel and they put up a shortened folded unipole their signal hasent gotten out as well as it did when it was on their old tower....

I suspect part of WBTE's ground system is gone since it looked like the golf course neighboring their tower was getting closer and its a bit overgrown with tree's and etc. in another direction

WWDR over in murfreesboro has always had a horrible signal...it was worse on their old transmitter/tower, but even with a electrically longer tower brand new ground system and transmitter they struggle to be heard in ahoskie, except for those times they forgot to shut off at night and was taking out WTIC up and down the east coast.

 

[midatlanticengineer]

AM radio in general in Eastern NC and basically everywhere else for that matter is a shell of what it once was. There are still a few stations in very small communities up and down the east coast that still run AM radio like they did -years- ago. With portable media, internet and you name it, radio (AM/FM) and even TV is suffering.

It amazes me to see how much AM radio has changed over a period of 20 years...from live and local to automation and satellite delivered programming. Progress? hmm, one must wonder.

 

[eacalhoun1]

Back in the Western North Carolina mountains, there are several AM stations not doing too badly -- and they are typically areas where just one or two FMs get a decent indoor signal. One of the most professional sounding mountain stations are co-owned WKYK/WTOE in Burnsville. WKYK at 940AM has the better signal with 5kw days/250 watts DA nights; WTOE is licensed to Spruce Pine at 1470 with 5kw days/103 watts night. Also, there's 1450 WHKP, Hendersonville -- they've been doing local radio right for as long as I can remember and their on-air personalities have staying power. Very little "turn over" at WHKP. Finally, there's 1320 WKRK, Murphy.