• Get involved.
    We want your input!
    Apply for Membership and join the conversations about everything related to broadcasting.

    After we receive your registration, a moderator will review it. After your registration is approved, you will be permitted to post.
    If you use a disposable or false email address, your registration will be rejected.

    After your membership is approved, please take a minute to tell us a little bit about yourself.
    https://www.radiodiscussions.com/forums/introduce-yourself.1088/

    Thanks in advance and have fun!
    RadioDiscussions Administrators

Changes at WACQ AM- Tallassee?

W

WBGR FM 93.1

I was driving through last night, and discovered that WACQ was broadcasting on AM 1130 when they were supposed to be dark.... nothing out of the ordinary. However, I went to their website today, and noticed the website is branded and advertising AM 580, WACQ is this the end of WBIL and their Urban Gospel format, or just a frequency swap?

-Travis
 
I too noticed WBIL's website is still the same.... however, WACQ's website is rebranded with the AM 580 Oldies Radio logo. I was listening to WBIL AM tonight in Auburn (126 watt nighttime signal cover's the SW part of town fair) and they still were playing Rejoice! Musical Soul Food.

I remember some guy on here a few months ago posted something about a shakeup at AM 1130, according to what he called "the street committee". I guess the coverage on 580 @ 500 watts is comparable to 25kW at 1130 (minus the extra noise).

-Travis
 
The mention of 25 kw days on 1130 needs to be qualified: I see where it drops to 1 kw critical hours... and once the least bit of twilight skip prevails, I would imagine KWKH Shreveport makes the station unlistenable outside of town.
 
As of Friday morning, 1130 is still WACQ as has been and is what is being translatored (a word?) on 101.1 - no changes

One of their mightiest audience grabbers is Reeltown Rebel football, now for the second (or third) time ever able to be broadcast live thanks to the translator. Wonder if something will change in the next two weeks prior to the season starting?
 
Here's an update to WACQ in Tallassee.

Tallassee AM Changing Frequencies
August 23rd, 2011 • Related • Filed Under

Tallassee’s WACQ is wrapping up a transition from AM 1130 to AM 580.
I’ve looked up all the stuff online about the frequencies and their wattages and have received a lot of conflicting information.

With that in mind along with all the other changes and goings on here in Montgomery in TV and Radio, Jason and I will be the guest this week on Michael Bird’s Saturday Morning Show on WACQ from around 6:45 to 8:00 AM. It’s pretty early, but if your up you can try tuning in on FM in parts of East Montgomery at 101.1 FM. Not sure which AM frequency they will be on by Saturday, so try 1130 then 580.

If possible, we will record the program and put it online for anyone to hear.

This article was taken from this link: http://montgomerytvandradio.com/2011/08/23/tallassee-am-changing-frequencies/

R.D.P. <><

P.S. If this info is correct, what will become of AM 1130? Just wondering.
 
Hotseat said:
Why the swap?
Click to expand...

Lot more coverage. The lower the AM freq., the greater "ground wave". That is why WIND (5 KW) could compete with the 50 KW big boys in Chicago. In AM during the day, a low freq. (coverage wise) is like a taller tower in FM.
 
Perhaps most importantly for struggling stations is a lower power bill. The tradeoff, at least in my experience, is lower powered low band AMs suffer from more electrical interference than high powered stations on the other end of the dial.
 
I still can't help but wonder if some other AM station (anywhere from Montgomery to Auburn) might consider switching frequencies to the 25 kw WACQ. Even though it is a daytimer, with translators available and more almost appearing weekly the option exists. I heard once of a group thinking of conducting a study to study the feasibility of applying for a move of the vacant frequency 105.1 (currently allocated to Rockford) changing city of license to Eclectic. Perhaps 1130 AM and a translator (maybe on 105.1 also, at least temporarily) is a possibility. Good luck to the 580 AM experiment - but will that leave Tuskegee without a (true) local radio voice? They've already 'lost' 95.9 FM.
 
WACQ 1130 is a dog. It cannot sign on until local sunrise, and then MUST run 1kw critical hours for the next two hours before raising power to 25KW. But 2 hours prior to sunset, it must go back to the 1KW power level critical hours. The 1KW signal receives horrible interference mornings and afternoons in the Montgomery area. During the winter months, it cannot run 25KW until 915AM and in the afternoon, must cut back to 1KW around 330PM. It ws better off running 1KW from Carrville, Al, and being a local station in that area. It has been listed for sale for several years with no takers, simply put, it is just not a very good AM facility at it present location with the 90 degree tower.
 
secondchoice said:
Hotseat said:
Why the swap?
Click to expand...

Lot more coverage. The lower the AM freq., the greater "ground wave". That is why WIND (5 KW) could compete with the 50 KW big boys in Chicago. In AM during the day, a low freq. (coverage wise) is like a taller tower in FM.
Click to expand...

Did the WACQ 1130 owners buy AM 580, or are they simply taking over its operations?
 
BTW does anyone know where the WACQ stick actually is? The Google/Bing maps satellite view shows absolutely nothing at the given coordinates. I found the studio on Street View in Tallassee. There's a microwave dish pointing in almost the opposite direction than where the FCC shows the AM should be. ???
 
Although 580 will have lower power, the lower frequency of 580 kHz alone will provide greater coverage. Re: the madness or genius ... I'd go with genius. Hughey gets the coverage area he desires, has transmitter site at WBIL studios in Tuskegee and origination at WACQ studios in Tallassee, with possible upgrades to come.
 
WACQ Changes
August 27th, 2011 • Related • Filed Under

On Saturday, August 27, 2011, Jason and I were invited to be the guest on Michael Bird’s Saturday Morning Show on WACQ. After the program I was able to meet with Mr.Fred Randall Hughey…owner of WACQ. I personally was very excited because I had questions concerning what was going on with AM 580 and AM 1130. As I always try to do, I wanted answers from the source.

First off, Mr.Hughey has one of the most firm hand shakes of all men that I have ever met. It actually made such an impression on me that later that afternoon when my wife and I were visiting a local car lot looking at vehicles, when I shook hands with our salesman I made him shake hands with me again since the first time wasn’t a firm hand shake.

Back to the station visit. 1130 AM has been sold to another company. It will continue at this time to be operated as is. Hughey owned AM 580 WBIL in partnership with Tiger and now he is buying the full interest. It will become WACQ and the 101.1 FM translator will air its signal. 1130 has been authorized to operate at 25kw though at this time it is at 2kw awaiting parts to get it back to full power. WBIL 580 (soon to be WACQ) will eventually in the near future move from its current tower location south of Tuskegee to Shorter. It’s closer to Tallassee and will add city grade coverage into most of Montgomery.

So there you have it. That’s the inside scoop on the frequency changes at WACQ, Hughey Broadcasting.

R.D.P. <><

P.S. For more info about these changes and to see the inside of WACQ visit: http://montgomerytvandradio.com/2011/08/27/wacq-changes/
 
The report on this site about WACQ is not correct. 1130 was repossessed by Westburg financial for non payment of over $650,000 debt owed by Hughey. The license was tranferred to Westburg for forgivness of the debt loan. The WACQ 580 story appears to be a face saving for Hughey. 580 is not owned by Hughey but another local area broadcaster.
 
busterluck said:
The report on this site about WACQ is not correct. 1130 was repossessed by Westburg financial for non payment of over $650,000 debt owed by Hughey. The license was tranferred to Westburg for forgivness of the debt loan. The WACQ 580 story appears to be a face saving for Hughey. 580 is not owned by Hughey but another local area broadcaster.
Click to expand...
And now we know...the jest of the story. ;D Busterluck is correct, and the blog writers didn't get the full scoop:

http://www.wpmedialending.com/content/transactions.asp (See June 2011, Westburg Broadcasting Montgomery, LLC )

http://www.rbr.com/radio/radio_transactions/transactions-4-21-11.html
 
Thanks busterluck and Mr. Nate for the corrections.  Glad that someone checked into the info I was sharing with everyone.

I now have three questions about this change:

1. Will Westburg keep the 1130 AM frequency in Tallassee and/or be the owner of that building?
2. Will the new WACQ stay in Tallassee and/or move to a new community? 
3. Will Tallassee have three AMers once the changes have occurred?

Just curious. 

R.D.P. <><
 
Status
This thread has been closed due to inactivity. You can create a new thread to discuss this topic.


Back
Top Bottom