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Any 50,000 Watt AM Stations in Florida?

C

Cincinnati Kid

Just wondering if there are any 50,000 watt AM stations in Florida? Here in southwestern Ohio, stations may be picked up at night from various points in the south (Atlanta & Nashville for example) but none from the Sunshine State. I thought perhaps the station at 690-AM in Jacksonville (formerly WAPE) might be one. With WLW here on 700-AM, it would be harder to receive in this area. Thanks for any information.
 
I used to live in the Tampa Bay area in 1982 and remember picking up WWWE [now WTAM] out of Cleveland clear as a bell. Also remember picking up some stations from New York. Before moving there from Northern Ohio, Remember picking up an AM station from St. Pete, I think it was WSUN, on 620 AM but it was fading in and out with a station from Milwaukee. Can't pick up either now, always get some station from Knoxville, TN that is now on 620 AM.
 
There are several stations with 50K. Problem is, most have directional antennas for better local coverage , also to protect stations up north or with NARBA signatories (such as Mexico), and may also reduce power at critical hours or sunset. Also interference from others on the same freq, domestic and south of the border...Below is a list of some I know of off the top of my head (there may some more):

690 - WOKV - Jacksonville
710 - WAQI - Miami
940 - WINZ - Miami
990 - WDYZ - Orlando
1010 - WQYK - Tampa / St. Pete
1060 - WIXC - Titusville
1180 - Radio Marti - Marathon Key
1530 - WYMM - Jacksonville

You may have better luck DX'ing just after sunrise sign on, or prior to sunset when the power is still on day power and pattern.

Bill in E. Central FL
 
Also, WFLF, 540 AM in Orlando. It's directional to place a large signal over Orlando and the coasts, so much of the signal goes over water.

Bill in E. Central FL
 
WWBC had an app at one time for 50 kW. It must have been deleted.

Florida got cheated on the 50 kW allocations long ago. I say reallocate the Class A's from Shreveport, New Orleans, Rochester and the like to the Sunshine State.
 
According to the FCC database, WWBC has a CP with 50K daytime, 25K critical hours using two towers, with the signal nulled away from the 1510 in Nashville, TN (WLAC). I would guess it will give them better signal penetration in buildings and less interference early a.m. from WLAC, as their signal sometimes booms in down here.

Also at the time of radio allocations and assignments back in the 1920's and 30's the population of FL was much smaller, most of the people here moved down from "up north" on vacation or to help build the infrastructure here, so the clear channels probably served them with news from back north, etc... However today, with considerable interference here from computers to border blasters, along with the ever sprawling suburbs, has resulted in many stations over the past few years increasing their signal wherever possible.
 
Sounds like you are asking if there are any 50,000 watt stations in Florida with monster night time coverage. The answer is no. Many stations do run 50 KW though, and 690 in Jacksonville and 940 in Miami are two that are non directional daytime and enjoy excellent signals.
 
its not in Florida, but WWL-AM in New Orleans has a 50,000 watt “clear signal" frequency: DAYtime WWL spans five states—from the Texas Gulf Cost to Florida; NIGHTtime WWL covers the entire Central U.S.—reaching 30-plus states and portions of Canada. In addition, WWL's signal is heard in the far corners of the globe. Reception reports are received on a regular basis from as far away as Europe, Japan and Asia.
 
WNLS 1270 in Tallahassee, FL has applied for a CP to go from 5 kw-day and night (directional at night) to 50 kw-day. I don't believe this CP has been granted, and the application was filed some time ago.

WNLS is a sports station.
 
WFTL 850 is 50,000 by day, and about half that at night. Licensed to West Palm Beach. Formerly WCGY, WEAT-AM.
 
Cincinnati Kid said:
Just wondering if there are any 50,000 watt AM stations in Florida? Here in southwestern Ohio, stations may be picked up at night from various points in the south (Atlanta & Nashville for example) but none from the Sunshine State. I thought perhaps the station at 690-AM in Jacksonville (formerly WAPE) might be one. With WLW here on 700-AM, it would be harder to receive in this area. Thanks for any information.
Click to expand...

Currently operating AMs with 50 kw day, plus night power
WAQI Miami 710 50000
WDYZ Orlando 990 14000
WFLF Pine Hills 540 46000
WFTL West Palm Beach 850 24000
WINZ Miami 940 10000
WIXC Titusville 1060 5000
WKAT North Miami 1360 5000
WMEN Boca Raton 640 25000
WMGG Largo 820 1000
WOKV Jacksonville 690 25000
WPTK Pine Island Center 1200 1000
WQBA Miami 1140 10000
WQTM Orlando 740 50000
WQYK Seffner 1010 5000
WSUA Miami 1260 20000
WTPS Coral Gables 1080 10000
WWBC Cocoa 1510 0
WWFE Miami 670 1000
WWNN Pompano Beach 1470 2500
WYMM Jacksonville 1530 0
 
I used to do nights at The Big Ape in the early 70s (now WOKV). Though 50k, it was so directional we used to joke that we were #1 with dolphins and whales. You could not hear the station anywhere north or south of a pretty straight line from the transmitter out in west jax to parts of the beaches. It was really awful.

BTW that line-up was amazing to this (at the time) rookie;
Jack McCoy (PD & Mornings)
Larrry Dixon (mids)
Cleveland Wheeler (PMD)
Jay Thomas (nights)
Me (10-2a)

Then McCoy went to KCBQ to introduce The Last Contest, Jay became the AMD/PD, I got moved into nights. Shortly after, Jay told me there were big changes coming (everyone else was bailing, too) and he had a buddy in Nashville who had an opening at good money in Nashville. Did I want the gig? I did and bailed. But that's another story.
 
WWL comes in here 24/7 though at night I do hear the famous ticks of a station known as "radio reloj" or "clock' (excuse my Spanish or lack there of)

The words don't come in but the CW does.

-Rob
 
robfwb said:
WWL comes in here 24/7 though at night I do hear the famous ticks of a station known as "radio reloj" or "clock' (excuse my Spanish or lack there of)

The words don't come in but the CW does.

-Rob
Click to expand...
That's what it's called, "Radio Reloj". I believe it's a 24/7 all-news and time annoucing station. I've been hearing it since the late 1970's. The annoucers talk in rapid-fire spanish.
 
I remember the big ape in Jacksonville when I was a boy in the early to mid 1960's. It was one of the strongest and most popular stations I can remember listening to in Jacksonville with a little 6 transistor hand held radio. Daytime was great but at nightime you were lucky to hear the station in Jacksonville, I remember everyone saying that WAPE use to change from one tower south of Jacksonville to one that was north of town and lower their power. One things for sure it was one of the most talked about popular radio stations in the area. I live in South Carolina now and did when I was a young boy off and on too and have had many people tell me that the big ape was their best stations to listen to in many of the southern most counties in South Carolina back in the 1960 and 70's.
 
Florida is a REALLY tough state to hear from anywhere to the north - seems most stations down there beam their power right out to sea at night.

I remember a number of occasions when hurricanes were threatening Jacksonville and WAPE would stay on daytime (non-directional) facilities at night to address the emergency. It would just *blast* in to Wisconsin. (and, I'm sure, the South Carolina coast which is probably where they were trying to reach anyway...)

A lot of DXers up north would have had a much easier time landing Florida if WAPE didn't have to protect Montreal!

(I suppose the four expanded-band stations have made Florida a lot easier up north. I solved the problem by moving to Tennessee :) )
 
I heard one of the hurricane broadcasts when 690 was doing oldies as WPDQ and Hugo was bearing down on Charleston SC. Most of Charleston's media was off the air. WPDQ was blasting into Ft Wayne that night, as the jock was taking calls from all over, including folks calling to say they hadn't evacuated the barrier islands, they had a 12 pack and "Par--ty!".

I remember 540 in the WGTO days..monster signal all over Florida and am surprised it never made it north before sunset (it had siomething like 1000 watts at night).

Iused to hear WLCY-1380 out of Tampa in Ohio fairly frequently mixed in with others including WAOK, Atlanta (semi-local Top 40 WMEE had swictched to night pattern). I heard WNWS on 790 once when aurora knocked out most of the northern signals.
 
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