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Family Radio to Take Over 950 on Friday
- Thread starter rtetro
- Start date
J
jman
Guest
WPEN 950 April 29, 1929 - December 21, 2012
Consider this link as an obituary:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WPEN_(AM)
Consider this link as an obituary:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WPEN_(AM)
The Wkipedia link had a lot of stuff I didn't know about. Lots of folks complained about night coverage when 950 was the Phillies' flagship.
The night pattern then had a deep null to the west protecting WWJ in Detroit. You could be on the Blue Route , and the station would fade to distortion.
The night pattern then had a deep null to the west protecting WWJ in Detroit. You could be on the Blue Route , and the station would fade to distortion.
E
EJ204
Guest
A few years ago, Greater Media boosted power on 950. It now runs 43,000 watts days, 21,000 watts nights. The daytime pattern is pretty good. It can be heard in places like Allentown, Reading and Lancaster. But at night, as stated above, they are VERY directional away from 950 WWJ Detroit, which now runs 50,000 watts around the clock, even though 950 is a regional frequency. You may have trouble hearing 950 at night even in some close suburbs north and west of Philadelphia. It still covers South Jersey very well.
It's amazing how bad an organization Family Radio is, how it really was just an entity for Harold Camping's ego. To stay alive after the financial hit they took following Camping's Doomsday Predictions, they had to sell 106.9 without even having a Plan B ready for shifting their Philadelphia audience to 950. How many months has it been that they've been gone from the Philadelphia market? 6 or 7? Now they're coming back on an AM frequency without having the resources of their FM station to alert former listeners that they've returned.
In Washington-Baltimore, they sold 107.9 hastily. Now they have a bad AM station in Baltimore only, that powers down to 700 watts at night. No outlet for Washington listeners. And they're ready to make the same mistake in NYC. They're selling 94.7 without having an AM station lined up, just a weak FM station in Westchester County. Even AFTER the doomsday fiasco, WFME still gets a one-share or better. All those NY listeners, except a few in the Hudson Valley, are about to be disenfranchised and no AM alternative has been arranged.
It's amazing how bad an organization Family Radio is, how it really was just an entity for Harold Camping's ego. To stay alive after the financial hit they took following Camping's Doomsday Predictions, they had to sell 106.9 without even having a Plan B ready for shifting their Philadelphia audience to 950. How many months has it been that they've been gone from the Philadelphia market? 6 or 7? Now they're coming back on an AM frequency without having the resources of their FM station to alert former listeners that they've returned.
In Washington-Baltimore, they sold 107.9 hastily. Now they have a bad AM station in Baltimore only, that powers down to 700 watts at night. No outlet for Washington listeners. And they're ready to make the same mistake in NYC. They're selling 94.7 without having an AM station lined up, just a weak FM station in Westchester County. Even AFTER the doomsday fiasco, WFME still gets a one-share or better. All those NY listeners, except a few in the Hudson Valley, are about to be disenfranchised and no AM alternative has been arranged.
The irony of WKDN returning on the day someone else predicted as the end of the world is too funny - assuming the world doesn't end & they get to sign on! Actually for the Family Radio followers it is good because they can catch their Christmas carol programming leading up to Christmas, they always had a good selection of the sacred carols (for those tired of the 1,000th play of 'Santa Claus is Coming to Town'). Like the people who 'read Playboy for the articles', there are many people who really like the selection of hymns/sacred music in the Family Radio library and put up with - or tune away from - their other programming. Anyone remember when Family Radio had the number of hours of Christmas music correspond to the year, as in 1977, the "77 Hours og Christmas". Not sure when it ended, but sometime before the "Zero Hours of Christmas" in 2000!
Yes, in the midst of comments on WKDN, one of the great stations of Philadelphia radio history goes away. For my parent's generation, the 20 year Station of the Stars format was an amazing station for the WWII generation in their retirement years, bring back great personalities from their day with an exceptional music selection. In many markets standards were an afterthought on a satellite-fed format, but WPEN was the 'high standard' along with WNEW. Grady & Hurst, Joe Niagara, Ken Garland, Bill Webber, Dick Clayton, Bud Brees, Dean Tyler, Bob Roth, on & on amazing talents, excellent full-service programming.jman said:WPEN 950 April 29, 1929 - December 21, 2012
Consider this link as an obituary:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WPEN_(AM)
Also noting, I really liked the '95PEN' format 1975-77, great jingles, jocks & pacing of the music.
J
jman
Guest
The management of Greater Media should have given the station a better send off.
When WNBC 660 New York signed off back in 1988 after 66 years, they had special programming leading up to the final sign off.
And yesterday, WPEN ended 83 years of service as quiet as a mouse. Whoever spoke the final words only said to tune in to 97.5FM, not even thanking listeners for being so kind. Even the final saying of the call letters was cut off when the power was shut off before being turned on again when WKDN signed on.
It think it's a disgrace how that station was ran into the ground in the last few years. GM should have done better. 83 years down the tubes.
When WNBC 660 New York signed off back in 1988 after 66 years, they had special programming leading up to the final sign off.
And yesterday, WPEN ended 83 years of service as quiet as a mouse. Whoever spoke the final words only said to tune in to 97.5FM, not even thanking listeners for being so kind. Even the final saying of the call letters was cut off when the power was shut off before being turned on again when WKDN signed on.
It think it's a disgrace how that station was ran into the ground in the last few years. GM should have done better. 83 years down the tubes.
jman said:
It was a rather ignominious end to what was, for most of its life, a great radio station -- and one of historical significance in Philly. I couldn't believe they cut the carrier during the final ID. For those who missed it I plan on putting up an aircheck of the sign-off later today.
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