• 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

FM Frequency of the Week 2018-19: 97.5

I could have sworn I wrote this last night, but the site was glitchy and apparently nuked it.

Anyway, continuing with the traditional Class B/C frequencies, what do you hear on 97.5

East Tennessee: Nothing bit 100kW local WJXB

Retro/other: Dayton, Ohio. 97.5 was filled in by a couple of 80-90s and even an LPFM.
Normally a toss-up between WVNU, Greenfield, Ohio and WTGR, Union City, IN/OH. WAMZ, Louisville can make an occasional appearance. WSWO-LP landed on 97.5 for awhile moving down from 97.7 and now at 97.3.

Lafayette, IN: One-time Beautiful Music WHMS, Champaign, IL, now an A/C.

Retro DX Clip of the week: It was a hot and humid day in Knoxville, and that might have helped WEZK make it into Indiana on this day in 1969.
http://46124.info/FM/Tennessee/TN Knoxville 97.5 1969 WEZK.mp3
 
Orange County, TX KFNC Mont Belvieu. During skip conditions have received KFTX Kingsville, KWTX Waco, KXXN Iowa Park, & KTBB Tyler. One day last week it was KDBH Natchitoches, LA
 
If I didn't have evidence of double-hop Eskip on this channel, you would think it was an April Fool's joke. But I do have evidence of my one and only 2-hop log, and I'll get to that.

Normally, I get a very weak KOLW Basin City WA (Kiss FM, CHR recent flip from Rhythmic Contemporary) but they have been operating on 2.5KW STA. They rarely come in now. KNLR Bend OR (Christian Contemporary) goes in and out all day long. It's a great channel for DX. Eskip logs below:

CJKR Winnipeg MB (Power 97, Rock)
KMVA Dewey-Humboldt AZ (CHR)
KDLY Lander WY (Classic Hits)
KZNS-FM Salt Lake City (Sports)
KPAK Alva OK (Rock)
KSRX Sterling CO (Bob FM)
KKCT Bismarck ND (Top 40)
KNXR Rochester MN (Classic Hits)
KVEG Mesquite NV (Rhythmic Contemporary)
KLMX Clayton NM (Rock)
KLYY Riverside CA (Spanish Adult Hits - Jose)
and the double hop - KWTX Waco TX (CHR, Kiss FM) logged 6/30/2017 at a distance of 1,623 miles! My only 2-hop on FM. The proof is just below:

http://www.mediafire.com/file/ger63...30_17_from_Yakima_WA_2Es!!!!!!!_1623mi!!!.wma
http://www.mediafire.com/file/uero6..._TX_6_30_17_from_Yakima_WA_2Es!!!_Clip_2!.wma

Needed - boy, there isn't much left to grab here in the single-hop Es range. KBNA El Paso always escapes me every time I hear that market, however, well-wanted.
 
97.5 at my location is class B rocker WZOK from Rockford, IL. Stick is about 38 miles west of me. WZOK definitely has a following here in the far northwest reaches of the Chicago metro area.
 
At my location in the near north Chicago suburbs WZOK could be heard on a good radio with a good antenna. However, now with all the LP stations around I can't hear it anymore.
 
Warminster PA(Philly 'burbs):
Local sports station WPEN-FM(97.5 the Fanatic) from Burlington. Years ago, WPST in Trenton
dominated this frequency. They're now on 94.5.
 
In the Valley of the Jolly Green Giant (Le Sueur, MN)
KNXR Rochester, MN
In the Valley of the Jolly Green Giant (Le Sueur, MN)

KNXR Rochester, MN

Another massive signal....100kw from a 1,000 foot stick. In the days when I was in the Twin Cities every couple of month, the resultant signal was good for at least an hour into Wisconsin on I-90 and/or I-94 and sometimes longer!

Did you guys know there's a connection between KNXR and in-flight audio entetainment available from airlines?

The concept was pioneered by longime Chicago "MOR" jock John Doremus. I forget all the details and minutiae of the story, but the gist is John had access to the KNXR library which he used to start his series of music channels with "relaxing beautiful music". As part of the bargain, Doremus' syndicated music show aired on KNXR.

Fast forward to today.....and streaming a re-creation of the original KNXR beautiful music format is available online complete with original Doremus progrzms. Google "97five" to find it. At minimum you'll be impressed with Doremus' set of pipes! (Unfortunately we lost him a decade or two ago).
 
At my location in the near north Chicago suburbs WZOK could be heard on a good radio with a good antenna. However, now with all the LP stations around I can't hear it anymore.

Same here at my location in Wood Dale, IL. The frequency is now dominated by W248BB broadcasting from Aon Center in downtown Chicago.
 
Am rarely into FM DXing, but I have a story that might interest some.

Back in my Long Island days WALK-FM used to sign off each night, around 12 or 1AM. On a few of my nocturnal journeys in the car, WOKQ from New Hampshire would come in pretty well in WALK's absence. They were Country then and are still Country last I'd read. I realize that many of the states in the northeast are smaller in area than, say, the Southwest US ; still, WOKQ's signal technically had to go through parts of New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut and Long Island Sound to hit Long Island proper. I heard 'em more than once, too.

I wound up working at WALK for a while, and my night shift spilled into 2 the next morning. Under new owners at that time, they'd already raised their power and gone directional. The engineering boys came in one night about 2AM for some work, and they had to turn the transmitter off. It wasn't even two seconds after they shut down when WPST Trenton came booming over the the radio atop the studio rack.

I believe WALK-FM and WPEN-FM are still directional today, even as WPEN-FM moved their stick west.
 
Mason City, IA:
KNXR/Rochester, though their signal has seemed to be fairly spotty in town lately.

Central KS:
My hometown Top 40/CHR...KJCK-FM/Junction City! What a flamethrower of a signal at 100,000.
 
Status
This thread has been closed due to inactivity. You can create a new thread to discuss this topic.


Back
Top Bottom