Another New AM Station

[jabba17]

50,000 watt WGUN, at 1010, only sold for $1M. After all the expense of building new facilities how much could they reasonably expect to sell a 5KW station at 1260 for in market #9?

If it were a class B with a decent night signal, probably a decent amount. Salem paid the Mouse $2.5MM for WDWD, which is 12kW-DA day/4.5kW-DA night. Both patterns cover the metro area, but only so-so at night. In Gwinnett 1010 has a better day signal than WDWD.

But for a class D daytimer, no way. That's why I was asking about upgrading 1260 to class B with a night signal, by hook or crook, and figuring out how you could find an array and shoehorn in a night pattern. Nobody wants a station that you can't listen to in drivetime in the winter. The only reason WGUN got so much was their fantastic day signal. I remember us talking before what it would take for WGUN to put in a night pattern, maybe away from their daytime tower.

The only reason WCNN still does well is because Ring Radio got that floodplain in Peachtree Corners almost 40 years ago and put up 8(!) towers and shoehorned in a 10kW night signal that takes all 8 towers to pull it off, versus remaining a 25kW daytimer in Brookhaven (which is why they still have a CoL of "North Atlanta").

 

[RoddyFreeman]

When WCNN was a 25KW daytimer, they were on a tower in AM Transmitter Heaven on Cheshire Bridge Road. It's the tower now shared by 970, 1190 and 1690, and I believe still owned by the Dickey clan. The studios were of course in Brookhaven.

 

[vchimpanzee]

I see a 1260 in Asheville (WKXR) .

Asheboro. That's a couple hundred miles farther east.

 

[jabba17]

Asheboro. That's a couple hundred miles farther east.

You're right. I did see it as Asheboro when I looked it up on Radio-Locator.

 

[secondchoice]

But WYDE is a Class D daytimer, too. Who has to be protected at night?

There are several class B’s on 1260 this side of the Mississippi (not counting FL) that have a decent night signal on this channel at night WNDE Indianapolis, WCHV Charlottesville, VA, WSDZ Belleville, IL (St Louis). I suspect WSDZ and especially WCHV would make a 1 KW or greater non directional night time service difficult.

IIRC: it is hard to force a station of the same class to change unless both parties agree. Usually that requires a lot of money, so more power during the daytime is not likely either. I assume they looked at the existing directional arrays out there and they couldn’t make a class B night service work.