AM Stations that alternated frequencies and days

[route56]

Were any KU sports ever carried on KLWN?

KLWN has always been a KU affiliate. They also carry Women’s basketball, which is not carried by 105.9 or 92.9.

 

[radiofan2023]

KLWN has always been a KU affiliate. They also carry Women’s basketball, which is not carried by 105.9 or 92.9.

Thanks, I wasn't sure

 

[Huff]

During the years that WBAP and WFAA shared 570 and 820, the NBC Red/NBC Radio Network affiliation was always on 820 (800 prior to 1941) and the NBC Blue/ABC Radio/ABC American Entertainment Radio Network affiliation was always on 570, regardless of which station was on which frequency.

Here's a sample of what WFAA's schedule looked like in 1963, with shows on 570 on white and 820 on red.


What's more - before ABC and NBC intervened in 1957, the prime time schedules for WBAP-TV and WFAA-TV followed the radio stations' pattern. In other words, on nights when WBAP radio was on 570 (ABC), WBAP-TV ran ABC shows and NBC shows would be on WFAA-TV. The next night, NBC-TV would be on WBAP-TV, and ABC on WFAA-TV.

 

[Hole in your radio]

I'm starting to think the WFAA/WBAP arrangement might have been unique.

I searched YouTube yesterday, looking for audio of shared time stations about to leave the air and return later. I'd like to hear just how that was handled. When I finally gave up I had a swollen scrolling finger but no such audio.

Anybody?

 

[SomeRadioGuy]

I didnt see anyone mention the one station that still alternates frequencies today

WNZK Detroit

690 days
680 nights

 

[kevtronics]

I didnt see anyone mention the one station that still alternates frequencies today

WNZK Detroit

690 days
680 nights

When the FCC opened up the clears in the 1980s, we had two daytimers on 1170 here in NJ, WBRW and WOBM, and one of them (I forget which) initially planned to stay on 1170 during the daytime and switch to 1160 at night. But eventually WBRW (now WWTR) remained a daytimer on 1170 (and subsequently went dark for a few years before the license was bought and resurrected), while WOBM (now WJLK) went full-time on 1160.

 

[Mark Roberts]

Origianlly written by @Mark Roberts and now part of my website.

Give yourself some credit, too, for keeping the history going after I moved from the Midwest and expanding on it as well. The number of sources available now is a lot richer than it was in the 1990s when I first wrote those articles after spending a ridiculous amount of time with microfilms of the Kansas City newspapers at the old downtown Kansas City Public Library. Having the FCC history cards become public was a big plus as well. I had transcriptions of some of them that had been done for Barry Mishkind, which Barry provided to me along with his "Oldradio" database.

By the time WIBW regained the K-State affiliation, Learfield and/or IMG had taken over. WIBW was the Topeka affiliate for University of Kansas football and men's basketball for a brief period. Going a little OT, that period included the KLZR to KKSW switch and one of the few KU Mens' Basketball games *NOT* to be carried on 105.9 between 1984 and 2024.

I was under the impression that the Booths established KLWN-FM originally for the purpose of ensuring that they could broadcast the KU games. For a station in a city of its size, KLWN came relatively early to FM, 1963 according to the FCC history cards for the station. Columbia, Mo., often compared to Lawrence for a lot of things, didn't have a full-power FM station until 1967.

 

[gr8oldies]

I searched YouTube yesterday, looking for audio of shared time stations about to leave the air and return later. I'd like to hear just how that was handled. When I finally gave up I had a swollen scrolling finger but no such audio.

Anybody?

Here's one.

If you pull up the long form coverage of the JFK Assassination on WBAP, you will find the coverage on alternating on 570 and 820, with ABC reports on 570, NBC on 820

 

[ThePowerCow]

On the reelradio.com comment section, Charlie Van Dyke explained how the WFAA/WBAP switchover went:

From: Charlie Van Dyke Wednesday, January 28, 2004 at 07:06:22

A little clarification on the frequency switching. I was in the WFAA studios one evening when the "switch" happened. Here's how it was done. As the switch moment approached, the jock could put 570 into one side of the headphones and 820 into the other. There was a switch beside the console. The jock would turn the switch to the frequency to which he was headed. Both stations talked into the "hit mark." (Each was also listening to the other.) You would hear, for example, "You're listening to 570 in Dallas, WFAA." Then each jock would hit the button moving him to the other frequency. After about a 1 second pause, you would hear, "And now you are listening to 570 in Ft. Worth, WBAP." The same thing would be happening on 820. Whenever WBAP identified themself at switch time, their ID also included a cow bell...really. Originally, both stations operated on 820 with shared time. 570 was moved in later when both stations realized the could afford to operate full time...thus the sharing. At first 570 was called KGKO regardless of which station was operating on the frequency. The FCC made them identify who they were and the KGKO calls were dropped. At leaset when I was young and living in Dallas, 570 always had a slight "whistle" in the background and as far back as I can remember, 570 has never had much success, in spite of a fine coverage pattern.

REELRADIO Comments-Steve Goddard, WFAA Dallas, October 1, 1976

 

[Grounded Grid]

Something like 30 years ago, there was a 1kW AM station in the Tacoma, WA area that operated on a shared-time arrangement. In this case, the studio and transmitter served two licenses, operating with separate call signs, depending on which license was active. The active times were not elective, but baked into the paperwork for each license.

I imagine this worked as long as it did, only because the two licensees were father and daughter. I saw the place on a tour, because they had given up and had put the station up for sale. The person I went with passed, because the deal was for a little cash and a whole lot of debt.

 

[SomeRadioGuy]

Something like 30 years ago, there was a 1kW AM station in the Tacoma, WA area that operated on a shared-time arrangement. In this case, the studio and transmitter served two licenses, operating with separate call signs, depending on which license was active. The active times were not elective, but baked into the paperwork for each license.

I imagine this worked as long as it did, only because the two licensees were father and daughter. I saw the place on a tour, because they had given up and had put the station up for sale. The person I went with passed, because the deal was for a little cash and a whole lot of debt.

1250?

its 5kw now, but it shows as being owned by a dad and daughter at one point... it had to sign off early for a station in pullman, but could come back on when they signed off

 

[Dondd]

In the later years of the arrangement, the Kansas State calls were KKSU

It was always KKSU in the 1990s, when I first encountered the station.
It was kind of jarring to hear one station, WIBW, sign-off at 12:30 p.m., handing it off to another, KKSU.

 

[Mark Roberts]

It was always KKSU in the 1990s, when I first encountered the station.
It was kind of jarring to hear one station, WIBW, sign-off at 12:30 p.m., handing it off to another, KKSU.

In Kansas City, you could always tell which was which. The field strength dropped off considerably between WIBW and KKSU.

 

[Dondd]

In Kansas City, you could always tell which was which. The field strength dropped off considerably between WIBW and KKSU.

That's right. KKSU was always weaker east of Topeka compared to WIBW.

 

[Mark Roberts]

That's right. KKSU was always weaker east of Topeka compared to WIBW.

KKSU was also 500 watts nondirectional at night while WIBW has 5 kw, DA-2, cardioid pointing west-southwest. In the mid-1980s in Houston, I could pick up WIBW quite a bit, but no dice in central Missouri. Some forty years later, it's kind of present in Denver but there's quite a bit of co-channel interference, which tells you how challenging the AM dial has become at night just from the standpoint of reception.

 

[Dondd]

KKSU was also 500 watts nondirectional at night while WIBW has 5 kw, DA-2, cardioid pointing west-southwest. In the mid-1980s in Houston, I could pick up WIBW quite a bit, but no dice in central Missouri. Some forty years later, it's kind of present in Denver but there's quite a bit of co-channel interference, which tells you how challenging the AM dial has become at night just from the standpoint of reception.

I regularly receive WIBW here in Austin, Texas, area, at night.
Sometimes, it comes in decent (but not strong).

The local 590 doesn't offer much co-channel splatter. None do, really. Or, maybe my Grundig Yachboy has more selectivity than other radios.

There are nights when moving the dial from 560, 570, 580, 590 and 600 has all those stations running the same national overnight show..

 

[route56]

KKSU was also 500 watts nondirectional at night while WIBW has 5 kw, DA-2, cardioid pointing west-southwest. In the mid-1980s in Houston, I could pick up WIBW quite a bit, but no dice in central Missouri. Some forty years later, it's kind of present in Denver but there's quite a bit of co-channel interference, which tells you how challenging the AM dial has become at night just from the standpoint of reception.

Correction, WIBW is 5 kW, DA-N.

In the latter years of the share-time arrangement, KKSU would power down at 5:00 rather than use the 500w ND authorization during the winter months and feed to WIBW's transmitter for the final half-hour of their shared-time allotment.

Supposedly, KFKU had a separate transmitter at one time but, by the time of the FRC/FCC history cards, it was clear that they were feeding to WREN's transmitter, which they continued to do until WREN first left the air in 1987. At times, KFKU's authorized power was lower than WREN's.

 

[Mark Roberts]

Correction, WIBW is 5 kW, DA-N.

Oops, sorry - thanks for the catch. I knew better!

In the latter years of the share-time arrangement, KKSU would power down at 5:00 rather than use the 500w ND authorization during the winter months and feed to WIBW's transmitter for the final half-hour of their shared-time allotment.

Toward the end, didn't KKSU just feed to WIBW during those five hours? That was after my time in Kansas City.

Supposedly, KFKU had a separate transmitter at one time but, by the time of the FRC/FCC history cards, it was clear that they were feeding to WREN's transmitter, which they continued to do until WREN first left the air in 1987. At times, KFKU's authorized power was lower than WREN's.

My understanding was that they just sent tapes to WREN, who then ran them from the Topeka studios. The time occupied was half-an-hour daily, if I recall correctly.

By a stroke of luck, Google News has digitized copies of the Lawrence Journal-World, where you can see the WREN story play out in contemporary accounts. After WREN went silent in 1987, there were some articles speculating on whether KU would take over the frequency full-time with KFKU. But it was quite clear from the statements emanating from KANU (the longtime FM station) that the university was perfectly content to let it go. Cost clearly was one factor. For context, one should remember that this was before most public radio stations ran mixed news and music (usually classical or jazz) formats and few specialized in either news or music; consequently, I don't think KFKU would have been of much additional use to KU.