Cumulus changes on air

[w9wi]

Yesterday's FCC Broadcast Applications Public Notice contained the applications for licenses-to-cover for the four Cumulus FM stations:

106.7 WNFN: from the channel 4 tower to the Sinclair DTV tower at OHB & I-24 West; power increases from 1100 watts to 2950 and antenna height from 236m to 294. City -of-license changes from Belle Meade to Millersville.

97.1 WRQQ: from Goodlettsville to Belle Meade. Power increases from 43,400 watts to 44,370 - I don't think anyone besides their engineer (who can see the wattmeter...) will notice the difference.

92.1 WQQK: from Hendersonville to Goodlettsville. Power increases from 3,000 watts to 3,100. Again, nobody but the engineer will notice.

99.7 WWTN: from Manchester to Hendersonville. No technical changes.

Up here in Pleasant View, I can now get 106.7 - but it's still pretty noisy and no sign of HD.

 

[kc4rae]

This is the first of many posts I'm sure. I have often read the entiries made in this and the San Antonio/Austin boards (I live in the Austin, TX area but lived in Gallatin, TN for many years) and all of you have very interesting discussions sometimes. Hence me registering!

I had noticed that they applied for CPs, but was unaware that they had already moved. WNFN (WNPL) was hard to receive sometimes in Gallatin because of WHHT (Horse Cave, KY) in Glasgow. Now WHHT moved to 106.5Mc.

Interestingly enough, WNFN has some history and I caught the tests they were doing when they had the station in Mount Juliet some years ago.

Besides WNFN getting a power boost and location move, I wonder why WRQQ and WQQK had increased power so slightly?

 

[Fredj1979]

I don't know, but I think they did somthing wrong, I live north of town and WTN does not come in any better from Hendersonville than it did when it was way down in Manchester. Are they not at full power?

 

[Tibbs4]

Fred --- these are COL changes. No transmitter/antenna location changes for WTN. See w9wi's post. The real difference is
WNFN on power/tower site location. As for calls, I know RQQ is using Belle Meade-Nashville, anyone heard the other ID's change on 92Q, WTN? I know no one will ever hear or listen to The Fan, so we'll never know on that one!!! :-*

And yes, so how all these expensive changes will increase revenue how much???

 

[scottwmro]

Fred --- these are COL changes. No transmitter/antenna location changes for WTN. See w9wi's post. The real difference is
WNFN on power/tower site location. As for calls, I know RQQ is using Belle Meade-Nashville, anyone heard the other ID's change on 92Q, WTN? I know no one will ever hear or listen to The Fan, so we'll never know on that one!!! :-*

And yes, so how all these expensive changes will increase revenue how much???

Tibbs,

I was surprised that WNFN got to move to the Sinclair Tower and increase in power with out a protest from Steve Newberry. He has a 106.7 allocation licensed to Horse Cave, KY

 

[Nashsound]

As part of the huge filing a few years back to allow The Fan to move/upgrade, they moved Horse Head to 106.5. They have an app to move to 106.3 and go from 3KW to 50KW

 

[w9wi]

This is the first of many posts I'm sure. I have often read the entiries made in this and the San Antonio/Austin boards (I live in the Austin, TX area but lived in Gallatin, TN for many years) and all of you have very interesting discussions sometimes. Hence me registering!

I had noticed that they applied for CPs, but was unaware that they had already moved. WNFN (WNPL) was hard to receive sometimes in Gallatin because of WHHT (Horse Cave, KY) in Glasgow. Now WHHT moved to 106.5Mc.

Interestingly enough, WNFN has some history and I caught the tests they were doing when they had the station in Mount Juliet some years ago.

Besides WNFN getting a power boost and location move, I wonder why WRQQ and WQQK had increased power so slightly?

Interesting that you heard WNFN when they were in Mt. Juliet. I'm a DXer and check "unused" frequencies quite a bit - but never heard them until after they got the move to Belle Meade. Must not have operated from Mt. Juliet for very long.

I could only speculate about the power increases. My guess is they redid the engineering & found it wasn't quite right in the first place -- that they figured the power reduction wrong (for antenna height above 150m (97.1)/100m (92.1)) & could get away with a bit more RF. I'm sure the existing transmitters handled the increase, chances are all that happened is the engineer recalibrated the power meters & maybe bumped "power up" one step.

 

[kc4rae]

They weren't there very long at all. In fact, it was moved because they interfered with Nashville's and Smyrna's airport location beacons. With a ERP of any value, it was said that just being that close would interfere and they applied to the FCC to move the COL to Belle Meade. I can't say for sure when I heard them...probably in the early to mid '90s. The station eventually moved, but it took some time to get it to Belle Meade and on air.

I do DX'ing also which is how I managed to hit it, since I lived near the Gallatin Fossil Plant, it was not hard to get them on my old Mangavox receiver and I often wondered why the next day they weren't there anymore. After that day, I figured that it was a station doing tests and they would be on the air shortly.

 

[w9wi]

They weren't there very long at all. In fact, it was moved because they interfered with Nashville's and Smyrna's airport location beacons. With a ERP of any value, it was said that just being that close would interfere and they applied to the FCC to move the COL to Belle Meade. I can't say for sure when I heard them...probably in the early to mid '90s. The station eventually moved, but it took some time to get it to Belle Meade and on air.

In fact, the move to Belle Meade was unprecedented. Normally the FCC does not allow you to delete a community's only channel assignment - of course, 106.7 was the only assignment to Mt. Juliet.

They managed to prove that there was *no place* where a 106.7 transmitter could be placed that would provide a city-grade signal across all of Mt. Juliet and still meet FAA approval. Why they chose Belle Meade I'm not sure but my guess would be they were already looking at leasing space from ch. 4 & city-grade coverage of Belle Meade from there is a no-brainer.

Approval would have taken a lot longer than a normal C-O-L change, I'm sure that's why they were silent for so long.

 

[Tibbs4]

If I recall correctly, which is virtually impossible...they were only on the air testing from Mt. Juliet when the problems
forced them to cease and move the signal away from the interference from BNA. I cannot rememebr what they were
programming, etc. Then they did disappear.

Sad too, is the couple of decades it took to get RQQ on the air...then look what all that time and effort lead to..
should have just left it off the air and done Nashville a favor...kidding, mostly.

You guys are right about the WHHT situation, used to be able to hear it here, they moved. When they go to 106.3
it will be worth WNFN's request for Steve Newberry to get a much more powerful signal.

How much actual profit would you say AFTER all the license buying, fees, filings and attorney's and format changes, etc., has Crumulus
made from owning 106.7??? I'd say they've lost $3M + since the 90's. Makes no sense.

 

[w9wi]

Sad too, is the couple of decades it took to get RQQ on the air...then look what all that time and effort lead to..
should have just left it off the air and done Nashville a favor...kidding, mostly.

Really pushing my memory, but wasn't most of that time spent waiting for the FCC to decide which applicant would get the channel?

(I certainly found noisy reception of K-97 from Memphis a much better use of 97.1!)

 

[courier37027]

Tibbs and w9, IIRC 97.1 frequency was locally granted by FCC around 1986 or 1987. I worked radio in Clarksville and recall reading that in R&R Magazine. You are correct about 97.1 frequency potential owners arguing, perhaps went to court, to claim ownership rights.

106.7 in Mt. Juliet was short-lived. Again IIRC one May (1995 or 6?) weekend 106.7 played WAMB "beautiful music in the night" format one, maybe two, weekend(s).

 

[Tibbs4]

Seems like playing WAMB was right. I think we've all heard that air traffic control at BNA was having bleedover from the station.
I can't remember if it was the original attempt at something like Planet 106.7 with Hot AC or not at that time. (I seem to vaguely
recall a Top 40 sound and maybe a monikor for a few days and then nothing, but could be completely wrong.) I may be remembering
the Jet 107.1 vs. Kicks 106 days from WRJT/WKXD in Cookeville.

I was referring to the time the FCC was waiting for the cooling off period on the 97.1 applications. I even remember hearing
it said from someone that Cy Young (from the real KDF ;D days) applied. Someone on here knows who finally actually got the
frequency and sold it to Crumulus (there may have been a couple of parties/swaps to that deal.) You're spot on on your thoughts
Courier.

Still, ya have to laugh...two frequencies that tried to basically abort themselves now still unhappy with their parents and trying
to prove they'll never give in to success from Crumulus.

 

[kc4rae]

Back on WNFN/WNPL for this reply

They weren't there very long at all. In fact, it was moved because they interfered with Nashville's and Smyrna's airport location beacons. With a ERP of any value, it was said that just being that close would interfere and they applied to the FCC to move the COL to Belle Meade. I can't say for sure when I heard them...probably in the early to mid '90s. The station eventually moved, but it took some time to get it to Belle Meade and on air.

In fact, the move to Belle Meade was unprecedented. Normally the FCC does not allow you to delete a community's only channel assignment - of course, 106.7 was the only assignment to Mt. Juliet.

They managed to prove that there was *no place* where a 106.7 transmitter could be placed that would provide a city-grade signal across all of Mt. Juliet and still meet FAA approval. Why they chose Belle Meade I'm not sure but my guess would be they were already looking at leasing space from ch. 4 & city-grade coverage of Belle Meade from there is a no-brainer.

Approval would have taken a lot longer than a normal C-O-L change, I'm sure that's why they were silent for so long.

I'm not exactly sure if any other reasons existed for the long wait, but one reason was that the move to Belle Meade was heavily contested by two local operators of other stations.

 

[courier37027]

Tibbs, you bring up a name from the past. Cy Young was overnights at KDF, then moved to 92Q mornings. IIRC The 97.1 frequency original owners were Dickie Brothers Broadcasting. Dick Broadcasting owned KDF at the time. At the time it was a confusing mix of names.

 

[scottwmro]

Seems like playing WAMB was right. I think we've all heard that air traffic control at BNA was having bleedover from the station.
I can't remember if it was the original attempt at something like Planet 106.7 with Hot AC or not at that time. (I seem to vaguely
recall a Top 40 sound and maybe a monikor for a few days and then nothing, but could be completely wrong.) I may be remembering
the Jet 107.1 vs. Kicks 106 days from WRJT/WKXD in Cookeville.

I was referring to the time the FCC was waiting for the cooling off period on the 97.1 applications. I even remember hearing
it said from someone that Cy Young (from the real KDF ;D days) applied. Someone on here knows who finally actually got the
frequency and sold it to Crumulus (there may have been a couple of parties/swaps to that deal.) You're spot on on your thoughts
Courier.

Still, ya have to laugh...two frequencies that tried to basically abort themselves now still unhappy with their parents and trying
to prove they'll never give in to success from Crumulus.

Tibbs,

John Heidelburg, that now owns WVOL had the CP for 97.1 in the mid 90's. Now, I'm not sure if John bought it or won it in an FCC hearing. If you recall, John Heidelburg worked at WSM-AM as on air personallity and production director I think after Tom Bryant retired from Gaylord. John told me the whole story about him trying to find a tower site for 97.1 back in the mid 90's and the City of Goodlettsville kept turning him down on proposed sites. I was visiting WVOL just before this past Christmas when John and I sat down in his office and we dicussed the whole transisition between him and Lew Dickey, which was President of Dickey Brothers Broadcasting, L.L.C. They paid 15 million for WVOL and 92Q in 1996. John Dickey offered me and Bill Buntin jobs with Dickey Brothers Broadcasting, be we turned them down due to the uncertainty of the trasisition between the Dickey Brothers and Cumulus.
Lew Dickey and Cumulus made a deal (trade) with John Heidelburg for a big sum of cash and WVOL for the CP of 97.1, which at the time, didn't have assigned call letters. Whit Adamson from the Tennessee Association of Brodcasters can jump in here and fill in the holes of this story, but Whit was one of the "major players" in getting 97.1 on the air, then the license transfered from Middle TN Broadcasting to Cumulus. About that time, Lew was trying to get over the humps and hoops of getting 106.7 on the air as well, as it had to be relicensed from Mt. Juliet to Belle Meade.

Scott

 

[firepoint525]

I remember the tests on 106.7 as well. Prior to that, I believe it had been WAMB's night-time station. I remember driving down Broadway and hearing 106.7 broadcasting in the daytime! This was around 1996-97. I also remember thinking that the closer I got to the Billboard at the Broadway/West End split, the more likely it was that 106.9 would interfere with it! ;D ;D I don't think any broadcasts originate from that frequency in that location anymore! But I haven't been in that area lately, and when I have, I never think to tune in!

After hearing 106.7's tests, I called Mt. Juliet city hall to see if they knew anything about this station. They didn't, but the woman I talked to said she would tune in and listen to it. Word of mouth!

 

[w9wi]

I remember the tests on 106.7 as well. Prior to that, I believe it had been WAMB's night-time station. I remember driving down Broadway and hearing 106.7 broadcasting in the daytime! This was around 1996-97.

That's a separate license. It still exists, on 98.7, still carrying 1160 AM at night only.

The timer did screw up from time to time, leaving the FM on during the day. You could also hear it VERY weakly driving through the area. I was told the FM transmitter was on all the time but they switched it to a dummy load during the day, and the switch leaked a bit. I'm sure it was only a few thousandths of a watt getting radiated (most of the time) because it was VERY weak even if you were very close to the tower.

I don't think any broadcasts originate from that frequency in that location anymore! But I haven't been in that area lately, and when I have, I never think to tune in!

There hasn't been anything on the billboard referencing a radio transmitter in years, and to the best of my knowledge there is no transmitter there anymore.

 

[Tibbs4]

Scott ---

I have always wondered, but never asked, exactly why one of the Dickey brothers would come in a market and buy
a station (or more) and then sell it to Crumulus. Was it to keep on the down low and keep prices down? Was it to
allow one of the Dickey's to make a profit selling to their corporation? Scott, if no one knew the relationship between
the two, I can see being concerned about the future employee status. Am I just wrong to have made the analogy
that they "worked" the ownership up to Crumulus?

I never knew Cy worked at 92-Q. I thought he left Nashville for DC 101. Did he return at some point after that???

 

[jetfli]

I'm surprised I haven't heard of The Fan touting their new power increase. Why haven't they?