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Countdown to WFMX Flip

They could have still changed the COL and not moved the tower? Correct? Or would too much of their signal still have been over the Charlotte metro and violate ownership rules?
 
While that could have been done, it would have left the spacing too close for WAGI on 105.3 to move closer to Charlotte.

Somehow, the owners of WAGI and WFMX likely made an agreement at some point in the recent past which has brought about what we see happening to WFMX. Neither clear channel nor Mercury Broadcasting owns WAGI, but knowing that WAGI's owners are not made of gold, they're getting the money somewhere to do the engineering studies needed to support their efforts to move the signal east.

The problem is that ClearChannel, the ultimate owner of WFMX, does not understand the concept of making an individual station a profit center without support of a cluster of stations in a rated market. Their "box", so to speak, is bounded by the maps drawn by Arbitron which define counties in a market metro area. Their apparent goal is to make everything conform to the "box", and make everything outside of the "box" irrelevant and unimportant.

WFMX has always been, to a large measure, non-conformist by the standards which radio as an industry has traditionally used to define itself. It existed in an environment that had neither defined markets nor a common ethnicity. Its signal went everywhere, and gave an identity and common focus to a large, rural area. In other words, it gave its listeners RELEVANCY. Clear Channel has taken that relevancy, and conformed the station to their marketing model.

Once all of the legal details of transferring WFMX to Clear Channel is completed, corporate is likely to begin looking at options to shift frequencies to give their new signal a better reach.

If they can't get it to a total-metro coverate, they will cut their expenses with the station and LMA it. It is quite possible that if ClearChannel can't get the coverage they need to make 105.7 profitable, the frequency could become the home of Billy Graham in the Triad as a WMIT repeater.

There's a world of possibilities with the situation, and I doubt if we will know what will really happen until they get out of this "kiss" loop.

Later...
Matt Smith
 
This is what I pointed out earlier. The only reason to do this is for a move-in of WAGI. If WAGI wasn't theirs (or about to be theirs through a loop-hole), they would protect their turf in the Charlotte market. That's the story I'll be following over the next few weeks. :eek: CC Doesn't make that kind of investment to get worse results on the bottom line unless they are working on something in a neighboring market that will generate a lot of $$$. If this was over a market cap (which CC could find a way around, as they have before), they would've changed COL and that's it. It's a real slap in the face of both Statesville-Hickory and the Triad to hear once more that Charlotte means more to them and they are willing to destory this once great radio station in exchange for better Charlotte coverage from another. If they cared about the Triad, they could still locate the tower in Walnut Cove and have excellent coverage of most of the market. City Grade over all three major Triad cities. I would think that would be their goal from a move-in of a C1 and yes, the spacing would allow for it.
 
Unless I can be engineeringly enlightend, I can't quite buy into this that WFMX had to move east to enable WAGI to move east. WXRC(95.7) and WIBT(96.1) have the same spacing as 105.3 and 105.7 and look how geographically close they are? WXRC(100kw) is near Denver and WIBT(99kw) is less than 10 mi to the SW near High Shoals. If WAGI proceeded to move to the WBAV site(and WFMX remained at Cool Springs) they would be about 50 miles apart!

I'm not an engineer, so can someone please 'splain this picture? ???
 
When did these spacing rules go into effect? I guess WIBT has been at High Shoals since WXIK in Shelby moved and became WWMG in 1987? WXRC moved from Smith Mtn in Burke County to near Denver around 1989 or 90. And thanks for your posts, Mr W-S.
 
Attention to WFMX and WSIC alum. You may or may not know that WSIC-AM will be 60 years old next year and we plan on having an event to get everyone together. Of course it will also be a time to remember the big brother down the hall in WFMX. I've setup an email account, if you'd like to send your contact info to so we can contact you with information on the event next year. Its been amazing to talk to some of people who have worked here. I got an email from a guy who was the first voice heard when the Cool Springs transmitter went online. There is alot of history in these walls.

Send your info to [email protected]

-Ben
 
WFMX was a phenomenal station with reach like no other. It was a rural Big Boy! It was truly a community station and the folks that worked there took that responsibilty very seriously. It's listeners were multi generational families who felt like it was their station no matter where they lived and were very verbal and passionate about it. The majority of the folks that worked for WFMX chose to be there when they certainly could have gone anywhere and made alot more money. It was a maverick station with maverick employees. They felt like they had the best of both worlds to work at WFMX because it was not cookie cutter, it was larger than life and one of the few places where radio was still fun! They were committed to giving their heart, soul and life's blood to make something out of less and less each year after CC took over. I would stack those employees and that station up against WTQR and WKKT any day of the week. WFMX gave it's listeners a choice other than TQR or KKT and the listeners and advertisers celebrated that choice. It saddens me that CC did not even consider giving this station the respect that it deserved or the listeners a chance to say good-bye but instead, hidden under the cloak of darkness, stole it away like a thief in the night.
 
I think they went into effect in 1962, around the same time that the FCC authorized AM Stereo and set the maximum power at 100KW (50KW in New England and Southern California).

Stations in existence prior to that year were allowed spacing equal to the maximum power allowed for class "C" stations which, in the case of WFMX and WAGI, was 250KW...even though they were not allowed to increase to that power after 1962.

In the 90's the FCC's FM spacing rules were modified to allow classes designated C(0), C1, C2 and C3, with reduced maximum powers and closer separation limits.

WXIK and WHKY-FM were class "A" signals originally...limited to 3KW and 328 feet tower height. When they moved closer to Charlotte, they had to upgrade to put the legally-required signal over their cities of license yet have enough signal directed to Charlotte to make them listenable in the metro. As C's under the post-1962 rules (which assume 100KW Maximum power), current incarnations WIBT and WLYT could both make the move and keep the spacing as required.

I know all of this is as clear as mud, but figuring it all out keeps some engineers and lawyers gainfully employed.

Later,
Matt Smith
 
I think this is one of my first, if first ever posts.

Wow, what to say about WFMX, I remember listening to this station when I was a kid going up the NC mountains every summer. I even had the pleasure of seeing the main tower last year. VERY TALL for a FM stick, and very well lit at night also. According to FCC records, nearly 1,500 feet tall. After serving the Western Piedmont of North Carolina for nearly 50 years, it's now time to try out a new transmitter and new sound in the Greensboro market. I'm surely going to miss hearing the familiar "Good Times and Great Country - 105.7 WFMX".
(I may be repeating some of the information that has already been posted, but I think it wouldn't hurt to have all the info conveniently. ;) )
WFMX has a construction permit (which expires in 2009) to move it's transmitter to a spot either adjacent to or on the side of the current WTQR tower, which is high above the piedmont (around 1,450 ft) on the top of Sauratown Mountain in Stokes County.
Along with the move to Greensboro, comes a power drop. Currently WFMX is broadcasting with 100k watts. However, this will change if the station moves where it will drop to 34k. But who knows when this will take place.

The looped "Kiss" track, to me, Is an awesome way to switch over to the new station. Anyone know how long are we going to listen to it ?

I just thought of something else, remember (WKSI) 98.7 KISS FM? It's been around 10+ years since we last had a "Kiss" station in the Triad.

I can't wait to see how the new Kiss does. How will the name go ? 105.7 Kiss FM; 105-7 Kiss, Kiss 105.7 FM. Hmm, shall be interesting.

Untill next time,
Later 'yall
 
Ya know, I've never quiiiite understood why WTQR is held in SUCH high esteem in the country circlles. They have won a couple of CMAs and are nominated every other year...but why?Huh What sets them apart form all the others??? A man pretending to be a woman on the morning show??? And then the same top 40 country hits everyone else in the world is playing??? I'm not hating on TQR...just curious

WTQR is not nearly what it used to be when the station so dominated the market. The news is just a reason for another person on the morning show. Non-existent afterwards. Community involvement is not as strong as it once was. Eloise has seen better days. PD during that era was Les Acree.

Station, to a great extent, lives on it heritage within the circles of those who give awards. They still have incredible cume and audience share but not what it used to be. They used to be able to claim the largest NASCAR audience in the nation. Now, there are ten or eleven races they don't carry!

Angie Ward is a solid talent - but the mornings have declined since Big Paul died!
 
Jim said:
They could have still changed the COL and not moved the tower? Correct? Or would too much of their signal still have been over the Charlotte metro and violate ownership rules?
Click to expand...

No, according to FCC rules, tower must be so many miles from COL and studios must be so many miles from tower and COL.

OJ
 
Hello guys from Northern IL... I just wanted to send my thoughts out to all the staff at WFMX... It really is a sad day in broadcasting with FMX being no more... Like most I remember listening to FMX from the sandhills of SC... I was not really a super big listener of FMX untill around 86 or 87 when WSOC decided they wanted to not have the NASCAR races on sundays... That was when I really discovered how awesome FMX was... At that time country was still twangy, but there was something different about FMX... They played the kind of country that I remember my dad having old 45 records of... Over the years I listened to FMX grow as a station yet they kept that all important local feel that was slowly going away from a lot of the QC stations... To everybody at FMX you gave us one hell of a ride and I want to tip my hat to everybody who worked there... As CC moves forward with what ever format they go with I hope that somewhere down the road they will realize what they did to a Carolina treasure in WFMX... Good luck to everybody who was involved with WFMX and thanks for giving everybody a quality radio station... CC1
 
Kiss? They can Kiss my fat rear end. I listened to WFMX since the early 60's. This is an assinine decision. What's going to become of their old tower near the Iredell/ Rowan county line? Where's the Nascar programing going?
 
radioguy801 said:
No, according to FCC rules, tower must be so many miles from COL and studios must be so many miles from tower and COL.

OJ
Click to expand...

You need a city grade signal over your COL, but that will limit how far you can go. The Cool Springs Tower and the Saurtown Mountain Tower are both 24.5 miles / 39 kilometers from Clemmons and at Saurtown Mountain, they are downgraded to C1, so from the Saurtown Mountain Tower, the signal over Clemmons is not as good as the C from Cool Springs. I've seen studios as far as 50+ miles / 80 kilometers from the COL for a C1 and the C1 around 30 miles / 48 kilometers from the COL.
 
KingOfOlin said:
Kiss? They can Kiss my fat rear end. I listened to WFMX since the early 60's. This is an assinine decision. What's going to become of their old tower near the Iredell/ Rowan county line? Where's the Nascar programing going?
Click to expand...

The sad fact of the matter is it is going to pretty difficult to find a station with near the coverage of the old WFMX willing to pick up the NASCAR racing programs. WSOC in Charlotte and WTQR in Winston Salem decided that programs like Fast Talk with Benny Parsons doesn't fit their format. They had rather play a few more songs than air programs that many folks in this part of the country really enjoy.

I am sure the phones will be ringing this afternoon when long form qualifying coverage is not on the air.

I guess there is Satellite radio but the races will be moving from XM to Sirius at the end of this season...

Test123
 
I am sad at the move of WFMX. However, I do not like country, and it does not bother me in the least about the format change. I'm sure I will not like the new format either. I do feel the loss of the original staff in Statesville. It is a shame that such good people were let go, or chose not to go with the station. Yes, WFMX's TPO is now just 40K, with much less coverage. It covers Greensboro about the same as before. CC was forced to move the tower to eliminate coverage in the Charlotte metro. However, Dick Broadcasting does gain a new radio station in Irongate VA, due to this deal.
 
First, I have posted on the thread many times already.

I am an alum of WFMX having worked with Keith Todd on the morning show for almost 3 years until taking a job with Clear Channel in Roanoke, VA.

I am good friends with many of our listeners. One of our listeners just called me to say that she had called to complain. She was told by the receptionist that it was the decision of WFMX NOT to say anything on air about the flip. She was also told that it was WFMX's decision to move to Greensboro. Let me inform you first, THIS IS NOT TRUE!

The company didn't want anyone to say anything about it on air and the company was the one who made the decision to move the station, NOT THE STATION itself. Now, most of us insiders already know that. However, I feel bad for the listeners that call getting that same run around which is NOT true! In my mind, it sounds like the company is and was tired of taking the heat for the flip and is now re-directing the listeners anger towards the staff and management of WFMX.

Please, if you know any listeners, please inform them that this is NOT true. :)

Thanks!

OJ
 
She was told by the receptionist that it was the decision of WFMX NOT to say anything on air about the flip. She was also told that it was WFMX's decision to move to Greensboro. Let me inform you first, THIS IS NOT TRUE!

Was WFMX a separate entity from Clear Channel? Not really. The staff was working for Clear Channel. So technically, the statement is correct.

I hope no one takes offense at my rant, but I just don't understand all of the grief being expressed over this move. If the station had been kicking butt and raking in the money, it would still be operating the same way. The radio business is completely different now from the way it was 10, 20, 30, 40 or 50 years ago. Pick a decade. It constantly changes. The FM radio band changed radio drastically. When the FM's started becoming dominate, it killed a lot of small stations. Satellite and the internet and CD's and I-Pods have changed and are changing everything in the media business. Cable changed TV. The Internet is changing Newspapers. The Internet is changing everything for that matter. Instead of griping about change, we need to learn how to adapt to new realities. Outlying FM's have been moving to urban areas for years. Time finally caught up with WFMX. This is not a big bad corporation being a bully. This is business in the 21st century.
 
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