Daytime music on 1710 am

[davideduardo]

That's what we got in southern Indiana. Radio was either funeral music or news. TV was wall-to-wall network news. Even independent WTTV, who aired ABC during that time, along with "regular" affiliate WLWI.

I was on the board at WCUY in Cleveland when the news came down. The GM ran the network feed, and I went to the record store down the block to borrow some classical music albums (we were all Jazz). All the local stations that did not carry network coverage ran classical music.

 

[MarioMania]

@icybluelake

Can you pleaes give more info

What located were you listening at

Do we have to guess were in Eastern Iowa

 

[cyberdad]

I also remember the somber music when President Kennedy was killed. It was either that or continuous network news on the radio.

"Zombie music" the perfect phrase to describe what was commonly being played. Sort of a cross between "somber" and "elevator". KAAY was the perfect example that I remember.

 

[kevtronics]

"Zombie music" is the smooth jazz played in dead malls. The soothing sounds of Dave Koz and John Tesh as you walk the halls full of empty storefronts and overgrown plants.

 

[tvnut]

I remember when President Kennedy was killed, most radio stations in the U.S. broke from their regular format and played subdued, if not somber, music. Usually instrumentals. Regular programming was also suspended on TV. An exception that I remember (because I watched it), was one of the Milwaukee stations, WTMJ-TV if memory serves, that ran a movie without commercials after the Saturday 10pm news "Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo".

I'd be surprised if it was WTMJ with that movie, since NBC was on late with news coverage (and went overnight Sunday into Monday). Maybe it was WVTV, which picked up ABC coverage. I checked the Milwaukee Journal and it had updated listings for church broadcasts (and WTMJ-AM's Packers broadcast without commercials), but no late movie listings.

 

[icybluelake]

The way you describe the music, it sounds a lot like Radio Enciclopedia on 530 AM from Cuba, which I can get, very weak signal, at night. Last night they were playing a soft, understated instrumental cover of the Bee Gees' "Too Much Heaven".

The music did remind me of Radio Enciclopedia, which I’ve listened to a couple times.

The line about overthrowing the government was just pure facetiousness — nothing more — I vaguely remember stories about hearing either soft or bombastic, nationalistic music in connection with a coup d’etat somewhere or other in the world. What I heard on 1710 was very soft, very sedative music.

But what could this be? A part 15 operation seems unlikely given that I heard it off and on over a trip of about 25 miles near Cedar Rapids.

 

[TomásEstefan]

The music did remind me of Radio Enciclopedia, which I’ve listened to a couple times.

The line about overthrowing the government was just pure facetiousness — nothing more — I vaguely remember stories about hearing either soft or bombastic, nationalistic music in connection with a coup d’etat somewhere or other in the world. What I heard on 1710 was very soft, very sedative music.

But what could this be? A part 15 operation seems unlikely given that I heard it off and on over a trip of about 25 miles near Cedar Rapids.

It was so long ago...maybe The Shadow knows !...

 

[kwthom]

If they're *on* 1710 (as opposed to 1700 from Des Moines), is there any possibility that someone with an old boat-anchor of a transmitter has tuned it up the band slightly and is doing a bit of 'hobby broadcasting'?

The low end of 160m is only 90khz away; could it be some amateur radio owner goofing off?

Might be a fun fox-hunt for the source. Know any local hams?

 

[Cordelia Chase]

"Zombie music" is the smooth jazz played in dead malls. The soothing sounds of Dave Koz and John Tesh as you walk the halls full of empty storefronts and overgrown plants.

Isn't that the way the Vaporwave genre sounds?

 

[icybluelake]

If they're *on* 1710 (as opposed to 1700 from Des Moines), is there any possibility that someone with an old boat-anchor of a transmitter has tuned it up the band slightly and is doing a bit of 'hobby broadcasting'?

The low end of 160m is only 90khz away; could it be some amateur radio owner goofing off?

Might be a fun fox-hunt for the source. Know any local

 

[icybluelake]

If they're *on* 1710 (as opposed to 1700 from Des Moines), is there any possibility that someone with an old boat-anchor of a transmitter has tuned it up the band slightly and is doing a bit of 'hobby broadcasting'?

The low end of 160m is only 90khz away; could it be some amateur radio owner goofing off?

Might be a fun fox-hunt for the source. Know any local hams?

I used to know several local hams! But that was a long time ago and they have all sadly passed on.
I think you have the right idea as to what the kind of source might be, but I don’t think it is local. I think the signal is coming from a ways away.

 

[kwthom]

I used to know several local hams! But that was a long time ago and they have all sadly passed on.
I think you have the right idea as to what the kind of source might be, but I don’t think it is local. I think the signal is coming from a ways away.

Wait - Cedar Rapids??

The ghosts from Collins Radio Company!

There - problem solved!

 

[cyberdad]

I'd be surprised if it was WTMJ with that movie, since NBC was on late with news coverage (and went overnight Sunday into Monday). Maybe it was WVTV, which picked up ABC coverage. I checked the Milwaukee Journal and it had updated listings for church broadcasts (and WTMJ-AM's Packers broadcast without commercials), but no late movie listings.

Well, it's been nearly sixty years. Maybe it was another channel. Not WVTV. because we didn't have a TV capable of UHF. Prehaps WISN (Ch 12) or even WLUK-TV from Green Bay (Ch11). Chicago's WTTW didn't broadcast on Saturdays at that time, and it wasn't all that unusual for WLUK to come through.

 

[Marcos_C]

This is absolutely a part 15er/pirate because broadcasters are not even allowed to use 1710. Only that New Jersey TIS has the legal clearance.

1710 doesn't fall under the 100 mW/3 meter antenna provisions of 15.219. They are limited to a field strength of 15 uV/m at 30 meters if the bandwidth is less than 10% of the center frequency, per 15.223. In reality, I doubt if the FCC would go after someone on 1710 unless they're interfering with another station or are running way too much power. Just like in the real Ancient Modulation band.

Years ago, I tuned to 1710 here in Lower Manhattan and found a pirate Hasidic Jewish radio station called Radio Moshiach and Redemption. Operated by Chabad-Lubavitch World Headquarters in the Crown Heights neighborhood of Brooklyn, its programming consisted of Jewish teachings. Yiddish was one of the languages that was spoken on the station. Today, the programming continues online on Chabad.org Radio.

 

[TomásEstefan]

I used to know several local hams! But that was a long time ago and they have all sadly passed on.
I think you have the right idea as to what the kind of source might be, but I don’t think it is local. I think the signal is coming from a ways away.

Maybe it's a TIS signal being tested with no IDs...don't know if stand-alone music would be permitted, however.

 

[IM42A]

The music did remind me of Radio Enciclopedia, which I’ve listened to a couple times.

The line about overthrowing the government was just pure facetiousness — nothing more — I vaguely remember stories about hearing either soft or bombastic, nationalistic music in connection with a coup d’etat somewhere or other in the world. What I heard on 1710 was very soft, very sedative music.

But what could this be? A part 15 operation seems unlikely given that I heard it off and on over a trip of about 25 miles near Cedar Rapids.

If it were closer to Fairfield, I'd still go with the Maharishi explanation. No idea why they would do that, though, unless it were some kind of carrier current just to serve their campus, but it wouldn't be receivable outside of that small area.

Wonder if it could be some kind of FCC test, to see if 1710 AM would be a viable frequency to allocate? It almost sounds like a variation on the theme of the shortwave "numbers" stations that used to broadcast, according to most accounts, from rural Northern Virginia. That was thought to be some kind of clandestine government operation, possibly intelligence.

And for that matter, could it be Radio Enciclopedia, broadcasting on 1710 and managing to get all the way up there? Stations with no competition on a frequency can get quite far.

Just for the heck of it, I'm going to try out 1710 in my car tonight, after it gets dark, to see if I can hear it here.

 

[Schroedingers Cat]

I remember the music they were playing on one Top 40 station on Monday, November 25, 1963. The station announced that "now is not the time to return to regular programming" and resumed playing what some people described as "a dirge".

A couple of years ago, Michael DelGiorno interviewed his father, Bob DelGiorno, on WWTN Nashville. He described the Kennedy assassination as the most significant time in his career. When he heard about the shooting, he dropped the other local Top 40 format immediately at WTAC, and proceeded to direct all day News coverage, a format he had never done before. Bob said the next most significant time in his career was Hurricane Katrina, where he reprised a similar all day News format on WWL, serving as a clearinghouse for emergency communications there for Days, when nearly all other communications were knocked out, including landline and cell phone. So all news, and "a dirge" were two formats used under these circumstances.

 

[radioman148]

I remember the music they were playing on one Top 40 station on Monday, November 25, 1963. The station announced that "now is not the time to return to regular programming" and resumed playing what some people described as "a dirge".

A couple of years ago, Michael DelGiorno interviewed his father, Bob DelGiorno, on WWTN Nashville. He described the Kennedy assassination as the most significant time in his career. When he heard about the shooting, he dropped the other local Top 40 format immediately at WTAC, and proceeded to direct all day News coverage, a format he had never done before. Bob said the next most significant time in his career was Hurricane Katrina, where he reprised a similar all day News format on WWL, serving as a clearinghouse for emergency communications there for Days, when nearly all other communications were knocked out, including landline and cell phone. So all news, and "a dirge" were two formats used under these circumstances.

Speaking of New Orleans I remember listening to WNOE after the Kennedy assassination and they eased back into their Top 40 format slowly and the DJs were much more mellow for awhile.

 

[icybluelake]

If it were closer to Fairfield, I'd still go with the Maharishi explanation. No idea why they would do that, though, unless it were some kind of carrier current just to serve their campus, but it wouldn't be receivable outside of that small area.

Wonder if it could be some kind of FCC test, to see if 1710 AM would be a viable frequency to allocate? It almost sounds like a variation on the theme of the shortwave "numbers" stations that used to broadcast, according to most accounts, from rural Northern Virginia. That was thought to be some kind of clandestine government operation, possibly intelligence.

And for that matter, could it be Radio Enciclopedia, broadcasting on 1710 and managing to get all the way up there? Stations with no competition on a frequency can get quite far.

Just for the heck of it, I'm going to try out 1710 in my car tonight, after it gets dark, to see if I can hear it here.

I don't see any way it could be a signal from Cuba. But I've had plenty of weird and unexpected DX experiences, so I would never day never. I've heard it on a few different days (in broad daylight). I was listening for some kind of ID, any ID at all, and never heard one. In any event, I do remember that Radio Enciclopedia has an announcer whose voice is heard a few times an hour.

 

[IM42A]

I don't see any way it could be a signal from Cuba. But I've had plenty of weird and unexpected DX experiences, so I would never day never. I've heard it on a few different days (in broad daylight). I was listening for some kind of ID, any ID at all, and never heard one. In any event, I do remember that Radio Enciclopedia has an announcer whose voice is heard a few times an hour.

If you heard an announcer speaking Spanish, or better yet, IDing as Radio Enciclopedia, that would clinch it.

I'm torn between Maharishi, FCC testing, or some kind of clandestine transmission.