Commercial FM Reception Report - Best Western Port Columbus Hotel - 7/31/2010

[KML0224]

This is how I fared with my Panasonic AM/FM/CD "Walkman", in my first floor hotel room, at the Best Western Port Columbus on Airpointe Drive at North Cassady Street. I never did get to sample the local daytime AM band, only checking to see how WCBS-AM 880 and WTIC-AM 1080 from New York City and Hartford were at night. Let me know if I'm missing anything here! My reception of each station is mentioned, with the CITY/NORMAL reception switch on NORMAL (DX).

92.3 - WCOL Columbus - Continuous Country Favorites 92.3-WCOL (Country) [GOOD]
93.3 - WLZT Ashville - Soft Rock 93.3 (A/C) [GOOD]
94.7 - WSNY Columbus - Sunny 95 (A/C) [GOOD]
95.5 - WHOK Lancaster - 95.5 The Hawk (Country) [FAIR]
96.3 - WLVQ Columbus - Q-96 Ohio's Best Rock (Classic Rock) [GOOD]
97.1 - WBNS Columbus - 97.1 The Fan (ESPN Radio) [GOOD]
97.9 - WNCI Columbus - WNCI 97.9 (CHR) [GOOD]
98.9 - WXMG Columbus - Magic 98.9 (Urban A/C) [GOOD]
99.7 - WRKZ Columbus - 99.7 The Blitz (Active Rock) [GOOD]
100.3 - WCLT Newark, OH - T-100 (Country) [GOOD]
101.1 - WWCD Grove City - CD 101 (Modern Rock) [FAIR]
101.7 - WNKO Newark - Cool 101.7 (?) [POOR]
102.5 - WCVZ Baltimore, OH - CD 101 on 102.5 (Modern Rock) [GOOD]
103.1 - WVKO Johnstown - 103.1 La X (Spanish) [FAIR]
103.5 - WJZA Pickerington - Rewind 103.5 (A/C) [GOOD]
103.9 - WTDA Westerville - Eagle 103.9 (Classic Hits) [FAIR]
104.9 - WCVO Gahanna - 104.9 The River (Contemporary Christian) [GOOD]
105.7 - WBWR Hilliard - The Brew 105.7 (80s) [GOOD]
106.3 - WJYD London, OH - Joy 106.3 (Gospel?) [POOR]
106.7 - WCGN Dublin - Gen-X Radio (?) [FAIR]
107.1 - WNKK Circleville - Wink 107.1 (Country) [POOR]
107.5 - WCKX Columbus - Power 107.5 (Urban Contemporary) [GOOD]
107.9 - WVMX Westerville - Mix 107.9 (Hot A/C) [FAIR]

 

[Nu_Roo_2]

Sounds largely like what would be expected for that location.

You were East and slightly North, which is why 103.5 ranked "GOOD" there.  But that also it makes it surprising that 95.5 and 103.9 didn't come in well.  Of course the particular room you're in can definitely make some degree of difference in reception, as can your radio and antenna, and atmospheric conditions.  I notice you apparently didn't receive 104.3 at all, which isn't surprising given how far Northwest of the city it is.

Of course, if you had been in a hotel on the Far-North Central  or Northwest areas of Franklin County (or Southern Delaware county) -- where there is more population and population growth (not that East doesn't have a fair amount of population), -- your results with a number of the rimshots would have been quite different.  Also, if you had been at a hotel within a mile radius of downtown, many of the rimshots you listed as fair-to-good would have become pretty much unlistenable, largely due to interference from the tall multi-station tower just northwest of downtown.

 

[datfireman]

This is how I fared with my Panasonic AM/FM/CD "Walkman", in my first floor hotel room, at the Best Western Port Columbus on Airpointe Drive at North Cassady Street. I never did get to sample the local daytime AM band, only checking to see how WCBS-AM 880 and WTIC-AM 1080 from New York City and Hartford were at night. Let me know if I'm missing anything here! My reception of each station is mentioned, with the CITY/NORMAL reception switch on NORMAL (DX).

92.3 - WCOL Columbus - Continuous Country Favorites 92.3-WCOL (Country) [GOOD]
93.3 - WLZT Ashville - Soft Rock 93.3 (A/C) [GOOD]
94.7 - WSNY Columbus - Sunny 95 (A/C) [GOOD]
95.5 - WHOK Lancaster - 95.5 The Hawk (Country) [FAIR]
96.3 - WLVQ Columbus - Q-96 Ohio's Best Rock (Classic Rock) [GOOD]
97.1 - WBNS Columbus - 97.1 The Fan (ESPN Radio) [GOOD]
97.9 - WNCI Columbus - WNCI 97.9 (CHR) [GOOD]
98.9 - WXMG Columbus - Magic 98.9 (Urban A/C) [GOOD]
99.7 - WRKZ Columbus - 99.7 The Blitz (Active Rock) [GOOD]
100.3 - WCLT Newark, OH - T-100 (Country) [GOOD]
101.1 - WWCD Grove City - CD 101 (Modern Rock) [FAIR]
101.7 - WNKO Newark - Cool 101.7 (?) [POOR]
102.5 - WCVZ Baltimore, OH - CD 101 on 102.5 (Modern Rock) [GOOD]
103.1 - WVKO Johnstown - 103.1 La X (Spanish) [FAIR]
103.5 - WJZA Pickerington - Rewind 103.5 (A/C) [GOOD]
103.9 - WTDA Westerville - Eagle 103.9 (Classic Hits) [FAIR]
104.9 - WCVO Gahanna - 104.9 The River (Contemporary Christian) [GOOD]
105.7 - WBWR Hilliard - The Brew 105.7 (80s) [GOOD]
106.3 - WJYD London, OH - Joy 106.3 (Gospel?) [POOR]
106.7 - WCGN Dublin - Gen-X Radio (?) [FAIR]
107.1 - WNKK Circleville - Wink 107.1 (Country) [POOR]
107.5 - WCKX Columbus - Power 107.5 (Urban Contemporary) [GOOD]
107.9 - WVMX Westerville - Mix 107.9 (Hot A/C) [FAIR]

we need more Urban Contemporary in columbus

 

[KML0224]

I have a question about WBNS-FM 97.1 (97.1 The Fan): Is it owned by the same company running WBNS-TV (CBS) channel 10? Here in greater Hartford, we have WTIC-AM 1080 and FM 96.5, which are owned by CBS Radio. However, WTIC-TV (FOX) channel 61 is owned by Tribune Broadcasting. On a side note, I noticed the weather forecasts on WNCI-FM 97.9 were supplied by WCMH-TV (NBC) channel 4.

 

[schmave]

Yes, both WBNS radio stations and Channel 10 are owned by the Dispatch Broadcast Group.
How was your reception of WCBS and WTIC? Usually around here, WCBS comes in very well after the local 880 daytimer (WRFD) leaves the air. WTIC is a much harder catch; the last several times I've checked for it, it's been in the mud. I've heard KRLD around here in the winter months, albeit weakly.

 

[KML0224]

WCBS-AM 880 was very sporadic, waving in and out. I heard a station carrying CBS News on the hour with 1080, but despite being owned by CBS Radio, I somehow doubt it was WTIC, since they'll only carry the CBS News update on the hour between midnight and 4 am.

I never did a band scan for the daytime AM stations while I was there. I really wish I had done so now.

Just for fun research, I checked the air mileage between New Britain, CT (my hometown) and Columbus, OH: 547 air miles. Of course, driving to central Ohio would be more!