While we're strolling down memory lane, remember that in the 60s, the city only had THREE stations after sunset - WCOV (Middle of the Road music + network news), WHHY (top 40 most of the time), and WAPX (top 40 initially, black later on). Most cities that size had more fulltimers (Jackson, Miss. had 7). Back then if you had one of the three fulltimers, you had it made.
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Bluewater WACV For Sale
- Thread starter busterluck
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..... and all three stations (WCOV, WHHY, and WAPX) signed off at midnight or so and didn't sign back until 5 or 6 a.m. WAPX went silent for several months in late 64 or early 65 and its jocks made a big move to WHHY. So did the listeners of WAPX; and WHHY went "Rock" and was successful at it for many years. Stations on "regional" frequencies such as WHHY on 1440 could go to full daytime power at 4 a.m. back then until October, 1967 when the FCC changed all that. WETU, Wetumpka, a "regional" daytimer on 1250 had authority to sign on at 4 a.m. with full daytime power.
WHHY was such a powerhouse and they had the best jocks in the business.
I was a big fan of "The Dukes of Hazzard" as a kid, and my mom took a school friend and I out to Norman Bridge Road to watch John Schneider's limo pull up into the parking lot. We got to attend the meet and greet, which was cool.
NO ONE does it anymore the way they did it at WHHY-AM 1440. What an awesome station and a great time to enjoy real radio!
I was a big fan of "The Dukes of Hazzard" as a kid, and my mom took a school friend and I out to Norman Bridge Road to watch John Schneider's limo pull up into the parking lot. We got to attend the meet and greet, which was cool.
NO ONE does it anymore the way they did it at WHHY-AM 1440. What an awesome station and a great time to enjoy real radio!
This has turned into quite a lengthy discussion ... there has been frequent mention of abandoning a multi-tower DA-N in favor of the non-D low power the FCC permits a station to keep after dark. I looked at the current facilities of a number of AM stations I had been familiar with in prior decades ... all known to have been fulltime with 2, 3, or 4 towers, and with anywhere from 500 to 5,000 watts night.
Here is at least a partial listing of stations that have gotten rid of the extra towers (and possibly reduced the amount of land), the cost of painting, insuring, and lighting the structures, the engineering expense, and the higher electric bill ... and apparently settled for the low power status...
WDAK 540 Columbus (went from 500 w DA-N to 38 w nonD)
WRCG 1420 Columbus (now 79 watts non-D, used to be 5 kw 3 towers?)
1460 Phenix City (now 140 watts non-D, used to have 3 towers I think)
950 Montgomery (was 4 towers 1 kw DA-N, now non-D with 45 watts)
970 Troy (now 45 watts, used to be DA-N with 500?)
920 Andalusia (was 3 tower DA-N, went to lower power non-D nite, then shut down?)
1320 Dothan (was 1 kw DA-N, now 92 watts non-D).
1170 won't do much with 7 watts night, but I wouldn't want the expense of keeping that DA-2 going. There are probably other stations in the area that have done the same thing as those I listed. (Now that 3 stations in the Columbus-Phenix market have downgraded, the Class IV station there on 1340 [1 kw non-D fulltime] looks pretty good by comparison.)
Here is at least a partial listing of stations that have gotten rid of the extra towers (and possibly reduced the amount of land), the cost of painting, insuring, and lighting the structures, the engineering expense, and the higher electric bill ... and apparently settled for the low power status...
WDAK 540 Columbus (went from 500 w DA-N to 38 w nonD)
WRCG 1420 Columbus (now 79 watts non-D, used to be 5 kw 3 towers?)
1460 Phenix City (now 140 watts non-D, used to have 3 towers I think)
950 Montgomery (was 4 towers 1 kw DA-N, now non-D with 45 watts)
970 Troy (now 45 watts, used to be DA-N with 500?)
920 Andalusia (was 3 tower DA-N, went to lower power non-D nite, then shut down?)
1320 Dothan (was 1 kw DA-N, now 92 watts non-D).
1170 won't do much with 7 watts night, but I wouldn't want the expense of keeping that DA-2 going. There are probably other stations in the area that have done the same thing as those I listed. (Now that 3 stations in the Columbus-Phenix market have downgraded, the Class IV station there on 1340 [1 kw non-D fulltime] looks pretty good by comparison.)
Welll....
At the end of the day it's all about how much more money I can make doing it this way or doing it that way. With the cell phone companies getting in on broadcasting radio stations over cell phones, translators with better quality than AM radio (especially at night),internet radio for hobby and main stream broadcasters, it's clear that AM is on its way out as a listened to band even when talk radio is involved. Someone on this board mentioned earlier that AM radio is just a place holder for translators. I agree. Why would anyone try to buy and maintain an AM radio station is puzzling? The costs do not justify the means. Though it's probably a few years off, the trend will be toward leasing HD channels. But first, the HD receivers must be purchased by consumers and become standard with new car purchases. Then we shall see AM radio going the way of CB radio... still there but not relevant..
At the end of the day it's all about how much more money I can make doing it this way or doing it that way. With the cell phone companies getting in on broadcasting radio stations over cell phones, translators with better quality than AM radio (especially at night),internet radio for hobby and main stream broadcasters, it's clear that AM is on its way out as a listened to band even when talk radio is involved. Someone on this board mentioned earlier that AM radio is just a place holder for translators. I agree. Why would anyone try to buy and maintain an AM radio station is puzzling? The costs do not justify the means. Though it's probably a few years off, the trend will be toward leasing HD channels. But first, the HD receivers must be purchased by consumers and become standard with new car purchases. Then we shall see AM radio going the way of CB radio... still there but not relevant..
Noticed that 1170 WACV is running night time signal again. Wonder if they repaired the 1KW directional array and are running the 1KW night time again. Or is WACV just running the 10KW at night these days. Signal seemed very robust in Montgomery at night last week.
Someone needs to break out the Potomac AM field meter and see if WACV is operating now within the terms of the FCC license. At any rate itis good to hear the station back on at night these days.
Someone needs to break out the Potomac AM field meter and see if WACV is operating now within the terms of the FCC license. At any rate itis good to hear the station back on at night these days.
jovialjay said:
Actually WTBF ran 500 watts from its three towers. The pattern resembled a mutated fish, and the signal was terrible.
IMO, they're doing much better in Troy proper with 44 watts than they ever had with the DA.
--Russell
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