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Easy AM expansion?

S

secondchoice

I wonder with the downgrading of a lot of class B AM's to D's could a class A or B directional at night simplify there night patterns? Of course the FCC would have to approve.

An example,I have always wondered why WLAC keeps their null to the northeast when 1510 in Quincy is now class D. I get protecting KGA's 540 watts but won't something like 20 or 30K watts at night on a single tower protect 1510 in Spokane? Then they could duplex on just about any AM tower in or near Nashville or sell off some land at the tower sight.

If 1070 in Birmingham goes away could WFLI rework their daytime pattern to have a better signal south and west?
 
I think WFLI is directional to blowtorch most of the signal from Lookout Mountain towards their retail market in Chattanooga. Their daytime signal is audible in Murphy, NC but hardly listenable a few miles west in South Pittsburgh, TN. Ground conductivity there is marginal.
 
Ke4kls said:
I think WFLI is directional to blowtorch most of the signal from Lookout Mountain towards their retail market in Chattanooga. Their daytime signal is audible in Murphy, NC but hardly listenable a few miles west in South Pittsburgh, TN. Ground conductivity there is marginal.
Click to expand...
Even with crappy ground conductivity 50 KW might let your FM translator's 60 go farther than 25 miles. That's all that could be expected.
 
This was asked and answered in another thread, and I am not inclined to go look it up.

What you are not taking into account are engineering studies, coordination of new patterns with first- and second-adjacent channels, and the fact that very few owners are willing to invest in upgrading a failing AM.'

No good ROI.
 
secondchoice said:
An example,I have always wondered why WLAC keeps their null to the northeast when 1510 in Quincy is now class D.
Click to expand...
You couldn't have wondered for too long, because WMEX/Quincy, MA only completed the downgrade five years ago.

I suspect WLAC won't upgrade because their day signal cannot be improved, since it is already non-directional. Such little revenue happens at night that the null towards Massachusetts is pretty much irrelevant. The high dial position means their land requirements are minimal compared to, say, WIND/Chicago. The WLAC DA is on about 4 acres. There is lots of vacant land around it, but developing that would not affect WLAC directly.

WFLI's DA is not meaningfully impacted by Birmingham. The DA protects WDIA/Memphis only.

I think the list of stations that could actually adjust their DA today is pretty short, maybe several dozen. The list who could do so without constructing new towers is probably even shorter. That's largely because a lot of the AMs that are "off" are still licensed, like WFME/New York, KZAC/San Francisco, and WFNI/Indianapolis.

secondchoice said:
Even with crappy ground conductivity 50 KW might let your FM translator's 60 go farther than 25 miles. That's all that could be expected.
Click to expand...
The 25 mile rule is generous enough that few stations would even want to exceed it, and if they did the availability of translator licenses would be the first limitation. WTZA/Atlanta could cover essentially the whole market with translators under the 25 mile rule, out to Alpharetta and Douglas. But they don't have even one.
 
secondchoice said:
If you could free up and sell a couple of acres, it might be worth it. I didn't think about improving listenership, just cost. The smaller the footprint, less equipment to maintain should equal lower the costs.
Click to expand...

They already sold most of their tower site in 2022.

radiodiscussions.com

WLAC Transmitter Site for Sale

27 acres north of Nashville, asking 5.5 million, with the ability to keep the 3 acres for the towers and transmitter building. Judging by the current branding and market conditions along with 1510's dismal nighttime signal, wouldn't be shocking if the whole thing was available for the right...
radiodiscussions.com radiodiscussions.com
 
TheBigA said:
They already sold most of their tower site in 2022.
Click to expand...

Why is it that the "armchair quarterbacks" who claim to have the "solution" always lose at least one jigsaw puzzle piece before they post?

It's especially disappointing when the missing piece is already here at RD.
 
K.M. Richards said:
Why is it that the "armchair quarterbacks" who claim to have the "solution" always lose at least one jigsaw puzzle piece before they post?

It's especially disappointing when the missing piece is already here at RD.
Click to expand...
Everyone is a movie critic, too.
 
TheBigA said:
They already sold most of their tower site in 2022.

radiodiscussions.com

WLAC Transmitter Site for Sale

27 acres north of Nashville, asking 5.5 million, with the ability to keep the 3 acres for the towers and transmitter building. Judging by the current branding and market conditions along with 1510's dismal nighttime signal, wouldn't be shocking if the whole thing was available for the right...
radiodiscussions.com radiodiscussions.com
Click to expand...

Are you sure?

According to the Davidson Country TAX Accessor’s property search page, WLAC’s towers street address is 1130 Old Hickory Blvd. Nashville. It is listed as 27.69 acres with Crown Tower Farm LLC as the owner. The LLC has a filing date of May 30 2019. Without really digging into Crown Tower Farms LLC: does this 2019 transaction tie in with Clear Channel – iHeart selling their towers and leasing them back? Or does the LLC has new owners? IDK. But the best I can tell, the property has not been subdivided into 3 acres / 24 acres. I am by no means a property expert but IMHO subdivided property would most likely show up in the Tax Accessor records by now.
 
iHeart sold the property to Crown Towers. Ergo any value accrued from the property of WLAC's antenna site goes to Crown, not to iHeart.

Actually finishing a subdivision is politically contentious (has to go before a board of zoning), so it wouldn't happen until there was a developer preparing to break ground. Presumably Crown Towers hasn't found a developer willing to pay their price.
 
PTBoardOp93 said:
iHeart sold the property to Crown Towers. Ergo any value accrued from the property of WLAC's antenna site goes to Crown, not to iHeart.

Actually finishing a subdivision is politically contentious (has to go before a board of zoning), so it wouldn't happen until there was a developer preparing to break ground. Presumably Crown Towers hasn't found a developer willing to pay their price.
Click to expand...
I thought iHeart sold their towers to Vertical Bridge in 2014. I was under the impression that VB didn't take all the AM sites. This LLC was formed in 2019 and uses the mailing address of the towersite not Vertical Bridge. I can't what happened in the LLC. If someone at iHeart says this property part of VB deal, then this LLC required an announcement as a separate "for sale" which is what All Access should have picked up on. AA gave the impression that WLAC / iHeart had a financial interest in the sale not Vertical Bridge.

There most likely is a tax angle behide this proposed sale using the LLC for whoever really owns the land. I would defer any tax advice to a good tax attorney/ CPA. I have made some expensive tax mistakes selling some land I can tell you what not to do.

BTW in 1977 (last time I was at that site) there was to a small creek running thru the property which could bring up some flood plain issues for anyone trying to get building permits. * Rezoning is usually requested by the existing property owner not a potential owner however the potential owner can pay for the hearings and legal work if he /she has an option for the land but that is usually disclosed on the filings.

* In GA we have to insure that any rain run off from any large commercial construction does not cause any creeks that the run off does not clause that creek to flood worse after you drainage than before you storm water discharge. You you usually end up hiring a PE or civil engineering firm to sign off on your plans for retention ponds unless there are existing structures whose existing foot print allows exception.
 
secondchoice said:
I thought iHeart sold their towers to Vertical Bridge in 2014. I was under the impression that VB didn't take all the AM sites. This LLC was formed in 2019 and uses the mailing address of the towersite not Vertical Bridge. I can't what happened in the LLC. If someone at iHeart says this property part of VB deal, then this LLC required an announcement as a separate "for sale" which is what All Access should have picked up on. AA gave the impression that WLAC / iHeart had a financial interest in the sale not Vertical Bridge.
Click to expand...
All Access didn't do reporting. They copied press releases as submitted...

In many circumstances the tower management firms like Vertical Bridge and American Tower own the towers but not the land. WLAC's ASR registration shows the tower owned by Vertical Bridge CC AM, LLC. Usually land deals are pending zoning approval as well. In this case all I can find was a Nashville City Council hearing in December 2024 to rezone the property to construct 144 townhouses.

www.nashville.gov

Metro Council District 3 Community Meeting

You are invited to a community meeting with Council Member Jennifer Gamble to discuss and provide input regarding a request to rezone property at 1130 Old...
www.nashville.gov www.nashville.gov

As WLAC has yet to file to relocate from the site, it is fair to say that the rezoning is not yet complete.
 
secondchoice said:
Read my post #11. You might be missing a piece.
Click to expand...

I see that, and the additional information does indeed help create a more complete picture. Thank you for researching it.

It would appear that the additional research by Lance is locating even more puzzle pieces. (As well as confirming what I have always said about confirming the accuracy of sources; citing a press release is doing little more than training a parrot to repeat words and phrases.)
 
lanceventa said:
All Access didn't do reporting. They copied press releases as submitted...

In many circumstances the tower management firms like Vertical Bridge and American Tower own the towers but not the land. WLAC's ASR registration shows the tower owned by Vertical Bridge CC AM, LLC. Usually land deals are pending zoning approval as well. In this case all I can find was a Nashville City Council hearing in December 2024 to rezone the property to construct 144 townhouses.

www.nashville.gov

Metro Council District 3 Community Meeting

You are invited to a community meeting with Council Member Jennifer Gamble to discuss and provide input regarding a request to rezone property at 1130 Old...
www.nashville.gov www.nashville.gov

As WLAC has yet to file to relocate from the site, it is fair to say that the rezoning is not yet complete.
Click to expand...
The 1300 site has plenty of towers. If they could get some kind of lower power one tower night deal, 650 would be ideal. A little rent money never hurts.
 
With so many AMs in Nashville selling land or being forced off, I wonder if it would be better to just let WLAC stay, barring RF problems. WMDB and WNVL are not at their licensed sites anymore, both having to leave for development. They are co-owned as well. Both are using wire antennas at the same location at Interstate 65 and Dickerson Pike at the old WNAB studios. STA extensions have stated that they are looking for a new site, but not one they've had discussions with can accomodate them or willing to host an AM.

WNAH has been gone from their licensed site for over a year. The tower is gone. The STA location is in Inglewood.

WYGI (the former WPLN) is at the end of Neely's Bend Road, not far from its former home. WPLN hosted WQZQ on one of its night towers for a while. Now it's at Briley and Ashland City Highway.

WNSR found its home near Travecca.

One has to ask, which one is next? Is there room for another lost AM to find a home? What about the ones on STA? There's so much development in Nashville.
 
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