• 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

Did the Lite Breeze blow the stereo away?

W

westlife

Guest
I noticed recently that 107.1 "The Breeze" (WWZY Long Branch, NJ) is transmitting all of its music in mono. Their local programming elements, such as commercials, are in stereo, but anything shared between all of the Breezes (including 99.7 and 106.3) is in mono.

And just today while in northwest NJ, I discovered that the other 107.1 -- "Lite 107" (WWYY Belvidere, NJ) is also transmitting all of its audio, including commercials, in mono. Just like WWZY, the stereo indicator remains lit, but the audio definitely doesn't contain any true stereo separation.

But even with the lack of stereo, I did notice that "Lite 107" has better audio than any other FM station in the area. They sound very similar to TV audio, with a very clean and balanced sound, without all the mega bass and treble boost that many other stations use. It's also nice to hear a Soft AC station that still plays newer music, including current hits (I heard Lite 107 play BSB's "Incomplete"). The Breeze is generally classified as a Soft AC station, but they're actually more of a soft Classic Hits station -- or "Classic Gold" as it's sometimes called -- because they almost never play anything newer than the mid-'80s.

<P ID="signature">______________
noiboc.jpg
</P>
 
> I noticed recently that 107.1 "The Breeze" (WWZY Long
> Branch, NJ) is transmitting all of its music in mono. Their
> local programming elements, such as commercials, are in
> stereo, but anything shared between all of the Breezes
> (including 99.7 and 106.3) is in mono.
>
>

The Breeze has been having stereo/mono problems since day 1 (once they started the local programming separate from the satellite feed). They air songs missing one channel and they also air songs in just plain mono. It seems that either everybody who works there is deaf in one ear, or maybe it's just that nobody cares. Which is a shame since I love the station otherwise. Due to their technical inferiorities, I can only enjoy listening to them on a cheap mono radio.
 
> > I noticed recently that 107.1 "The Breeze" (WWZY Long
> > Branch, NJ) is transmitting all of its music in mono.
> Their
> > local programming elements, such as commercials, are in
> > stereo, but anything shared between all of the Breezes
> > (including 99.7 and 106.3) is in mono.
> >
> >
>
> The Breeze has been having stereo/mono problems since day 1
> (once they started the local programming separate from the
> satellite feed). They air songs missing one channel and they
> also air songs in just plain mono. It seems that either
> everybody who works there is deaf in one ear, or maybe it's
> just that nobody cares. Which is a shame since I love the
> station otherwise. Due to their technical inferiorities, I
> can only enjoy listening to them on a cheap mono radio.
>
They should kill the stereo pilot and broadcast in mono. That will extend their range a few miles. WLNG 92.1 in Long Island does that because its signal is not as big as others.<P ID="signature">______________
17-year-old radio geek
Location: Princeton Junction, NJ
AIM: KewlDude471</P>
 
> They should kill the stereo pilot and broadcast in mono.
> That will extend their range a few miles. WLNG 92.1 in Long
> Island does that because its signal is not as big as others.

Any idea what percentage of stereo radios today don't have a blend circuit?
 
My guess is that their lack of stereo with the subcarrier going is re resut of either a bad satellite feed or STL. When I worked at 107.1 in the early 70's we had stereo issues of a different kind. At the time, both studio and transmitter were at 156 Broadway. When the temperature got too warm in the transmitter room, the stereo sub-carrier generator would just quit working and we'd be in mono. This happened one Saturday and I called the chief engineer at home. "No problem," he said. "Just go behind the transmitter rack, plug in and turn on the window air conditioner there. The extra a/c will cool everything down and the sub-carrier will come back on." Well, I followed his instructions. Three problems rolled into one.... the air conditioner immediately tripped the circuit breaker.... both the on-air and production boards were on said circuit.... and the breaker panel was downstairs, behind a locked door (I had to find this out in a subsequent call to the Chief). Suffice to say, we were off the air for a good while while I had to lower myself over a stairwell railing into the dark to get to the breakers.
 
I would hope at the very least that you were "Employee of the Month" for all that extra effort!!
 
> My guess is that their lack of stereo with the subcarrier
> going is re resut of either a bad satellite feed or STL.
> When I worked at 107.1 in the early 70's we had stereo
> issues of a different kind. At the time, both studio and
> transmitter were at 156 Broadway. When the temperature got
> too warm in the transmitter room, the stereo sub-carrier
> generator would just quit working and we'd be in mono.

That sounds like two transmitters ago, as the equipment on air these days is much newer than that. Any stereo/mono issues are a result of the program material at present.
 
Not "ALL" music - SOME music was accidently
transferred in mono. This info comes from
my secret informat (Phil Spector) at Press.

back_to.gif


> I noticed recently that 107.1 "The Breeze" (WWZY Long
> Branch, NJ) is transmitting all of its music in mono. Their
> local programming elements, such as commercials, are in
> stereo, but anything shared between all of the Breezes
> (including 99.7 and 106.3) is in mono.
 
> I would hope at the very least that you were "Employee of
> the Month" for all that extra effort!!
>
My contributions to the company went largely unnoticed! I'm guessing this was many, many transmitters ago. There were two at the time I worked there, both Gates 1kw. One looked fairly recent but was not working that entire summer I worked on. The backup we were using looked like it was early 60's vintage.... possibly the original.
 
> I would hope at the very least that you were "Employee of
> the Month" for all that extra effort!!
>
My contributions to the company went largely unnoticed! I'm guessing this was many, many transmitters ago. There were two at the time I worked there, both Gates 1kw. One looked fairly recent but was not working that entire summer I worked on. The backup we were using looked like it was early 60's vintage.... possibly the original.
 
Status
This thread has been closed due to inactivity. You can create a new thread to discuss this topic.


Back
Top Bottom