F
FloridaBear1776
Guest
In this article, James says they're thinking about buying the 1460 Spanish operation in Bartow (formerly WBAR, now WQXM) and using it to simulcast ESPN 1470.
Uh, with all due respect, that really won't help much.
For one thing, Bartow's in the Lakeland-Winter Haven market, and since WQXM is only heard in B-Town according to James, any listenership it picks up is outside the ratings book for Tampa except in TSA. Also, there's the question of play by play rights. WLKF 1430 in Lakeland has FSU rights, so Genesis would have the task of programming an entirely separate radio station. Ultimately, it would give Genesis a strong signal in Bartow, a strong signal in Dunedin, and two weak signals in Hillsborough County. Sort of the "Tan Talk" concept redone.
I think their best bet would be to shut off 1460 entirely and up 1470's power as much as possible. Bartow would still be served by 1130. This would be a lot easier if that 780 CP hadn't been cancelled. Genesis could buy the CP, give it to the 1460 bunch, and take 1460 dark.
Then there's the issue of 1490 in Bradenton. WWPR's new 5 mv/M signal touches part of St. Pete Beach, meaning 1470's juice has to go down below 10 mv/m around downtown St. Pete. Any meaningful power increase would have to include doing something with 1490.
1470's night output isn't so bad, 500 watts ND. But it has to take tremendous interference from 1470 in Rome, Georgia, and a little from Pompano Beach.
Rome seems to be the worst. That 1470 in Rome just went onto an FM signal, so perhaps the owners would be willing to consider shutting down the AM or turning it into a class "D" at night.
But perhaps the biggest impediment to a power increase is 1470's tower site.
It's surrounded by development, meaning little or no chance of adding a tower or two. It's hard to imagine them finding another site close enough to provide city-grade night and day over Dunedin. 860's site would have been a good choice, but that was probably foreclosed when Salem bought the station.
Oh, and Genesis 10:80's power uppage in Orlando is questionable. Yes, 19 kW in the daytime with a big null towards their own sister station in Titusville on 1060. But at night the signal drops to a paltry 190 watts. Not even enough to cover Kissimmee, the city of license, although the application boasts that it "provides new nighttime service" to a thinly populated, unincorporated area around the transmitter site between Kissimmee and St. Cloud.
http://sports.tbo.com/sports/MGB99PQXHEE.html
Uh, with all due respect, that really won't help much.
For one thing, Bartow's in the Lakeland-Winter Haven market, and since WQXM is only heard in B-Town according to James, any listenership it picks up is outside the ratings book for Tampa except in TSA. Also, there's the question of play by play rights. WLKF 1430 in Lakeland has FSU rights, so Genesis would have the task of programming an entirely separate radio station. Ultimately, it would give Genesis a strong signal in Bartow, a strong signal in Dunedin, and two weak signals in Hillsborough County. Sort of the "Tan Talk" concept redone.
I think their best bet would be to shut off 1460 entirely and up 1470's power as much as possible. Bartow would still be served by 1130. This would be a lot easier if that 780 CP hadn't been cancelled. Genesis could buy the CP, give it to the 1460 bunch, and take 1460 dark.
Then there's the issue of 1490 in Bradenton. WWPR's new 5 mv/M signal touches part of St. Pete Beach, meaning 1470's juice has to go down below 10 mv/m around downtown St. Pete. Any meaningful power increase would have to include doing something with 1490.
1470's night output isn't so bad, 500 watts ND. But it has to take tremendous interference from 1470 in Rome, Georgia, and a little from Pompano Beach.
Rome seems to be the worst. That 1470 in Rome just went onto an FM signal, so perhaps the owners would be willing to consider shutting down the AM or turning it into a class "D" at night.
But perhaps the biggest impediment to a power increase is 1470's tower site.
It's surrounded by development, meaning little or no chance of adding a tower or two. It's hard to imagine them finding another site close enough to provide city-grade night and day over Dunedin. 860's site would have been a good choice, but that was probably foreclosed when Salem bought the station.
Oh, and Genesis 10:80's power uppage in Orlando is questionable. Yes, 19 kW in the daytime with a big null towards their own sister station in Titusville on 1060. But at night the signal drops to a paltry 190 watts. Not even enough to cover Kissimmee, the city of license, although the application boasts that it "provides new nighttime service" to a thinly populated, unincorporated area around the transmitter site between Kissimmee and St. Cloud.
http://sports.tbo.com/sports/MGB99PQXHEE.html