Hernando/Citrus counties have new talk station

[drt]

According to Hernando Today, the station WXJB will have separate programming most of the day; they will carry Glenn Beck and Rush and I believe Hannity as well.

The dial location is 99.5 and according to the press release published in Hernando Today; they expect to cover Pasco and maybe even Sumter counties as well as Hernando and Citrus. The station is licensed to Homosassa, but the transmitter is about 7 or miles n.n.w. of Brooksville, not that far south of the Citrus/Hernando county line.

Tower is approximately 500 feet high (163 meters) and the ERP is 2.3 kw.

Here is the FCC link:

http://www.fcc.gov/fcc-bin/fmq?list=0&facid=170182

Now people in extreme Eastern Hernando will be able to listen to Rush on the FM band as well as 540 out of Orlando.

drt

 

[JayR]

Here's the link...

From Hernando Today:

Hernando news talk now found on the FM dial

According to the article it's 99.9 FM.

 

[drt]

Here's the link...

From Hernando Today:

Hernando news talk now found on the FM dial

According to the article it's 99.9 FM.

Sorry for my mistake; of course it couldn't be 99.5 with WQYK on that frequency (99.5).... guess maybe I should have 3 cups of coffee, instead of just two, before posting.

I am wondering if they may cut the stereo to increase their coverage contour; right now I'm in exteme eastern Hernando county
with Sumter county just to the north and the east; signal here is outside the 60bd contour, but it's a decent signal, but it is in stereo.

The Hernando Today column also mentions 6,000 watts, instead of the 2,300 (ERP) on the FCC site.

drt

 

[jmtillery]

The new WXJB-FM 99.9 is another George Flinn radio station, a/k/a Memphis based Flinn Broadcasting, Inc. Flinn also owns WXRA-FM 99.3 Inglis, serving West Ocala.

The new 99.9 was a direct result of a new classs A frequency I had petitioned for Cedar Key in 1998 at 100.1. Flinn was the highest bidder and applied to change frequency and move it to Homosassa after WGNE 99.9 C Palatka sucessfully moved to Jacksonville as a C1. With the WGNE move, many new class A possibilities opened up in the Central and North Central Florida area. Two such openings, in additiona to 99.9 A Homosassa, is for a new Sillver Springs Shores (Ocala) FM on 99.7 A and a second one on 99.5 A Daytona Beach Shores, both currently vacant channels.

The 99.3 A frequency currently used by WXRA is the original frequency I had petitioned for Cedar Key, but I was given 100.1 due to a competing proposal for the same 99.3 frequency proposed for Gulf Hammock filed after my initial petition was submitted and accepted by the FCC. The Gulf Hammock proposal was later withdrawn, and the same petitioner filed a new proposal to petition 99.3 A to be assigned to Inglis. When the FCC finally settled on assigning 99.3 to Inglis, Flinn was the highest bidder for that channel, coming in at around $860,000.

Regarding the new 99.9, how soon is the new WXJB scheduled to begin broadcast service? I'm happy to see the area will soon have its own local news-talk outlet. There has been a market void for that format in the area for years.

 

[DToTheJ]

Anyone know if the new FM station will carry Buccaneers play-by-play as WWJB does?

 

[drt]

WXJB has been on the air for several days now and I believe that today is the first day of regular programming; will have to wait to see if they carry Rush at noon; previously in this area(Ridge Manor East/Webster),the only good signal for Rush has been540 out of Orlando.

In extreme eastern Hernando county though, I'm not sure how will this new station will come in on a regular clock radio or cheap radio that most people use for day to day radio listening. On a sensative fm receiver or a car radio; their signal in eastern Hernando and Bushnell is decent.

I don't know about the Buc's coverage, but yesterday, they did carry the Rays game (as did sister station WWJB).

This morning they are carrying the local morning show broadcast on WWJB, but are supposed to only carry the first two hours of the four hour local show and switch to Glenn Beck at 1000.

It will be interesting to see upon my return to St. Pete if I can receive the 99.9 signal at all; which is normally open except when I'm within a mile or two or Eckerd College. (they have a station on 99.9 that fades out very fast once I'm more than 1.5 to 2 miles from their campus.)

drt

 

[JayR]

[P]reviously in this area (Ridge Manor East/Webster), the only good signal for Rush has been 540 out of Orlando.

In extreme eastern Hernando county though, I'm not sure how will this new station will come in on a regular clock radio or cheap radio that most people use for day to day radio listening. On a sensative fm receiver or a car radio; their signal in eastern Hernando and Bushnell is decent.

It will be interesting to see upon my return to St. Pete if I can receive the 99.9 signal at all...

A little off-topic: Please tell me you don't drive from eastern Hernando County to St. Pete on a daily basis...

 

[drt]

A little off-topic: Please tell me you don't drive from eastern Hernando County to St. Pete on a daily basis...

In a word........... NO!

btw- I assumed that WXJB carried Glenn Beck earlier today; everytime I happened to check, it was during one of these extended commercial blocks; they (99.5) are broadcasting Rush though; which will probably add to his listener base in parts of southern Citrus county that have been unable to receive him on 540 Pine Hills or on WSKY 97.3 out of Gainesville

 

[drt]

correction again! The frequency of course of the new fm talk station is 99.9 and today I did have 3 cups of cofee; maybe I need 4 cups before posting!

They are broadcasting with the stereo pilot on, which means people listening in the fringe area with a stereo radio will hear that annoying hiss in the background, if the radio doesn't have the capability to switch or blend to mono.

drt
trying to remember, its':

WXJB 99.9

WXJB 99.9

 

[jmtillery]

My best guess would be that Steve Manuel is leasing WXJB from George Flinn through a Local Marketing Agreement/Time Brokerage Agreement considering this is the normal business model Flinn uses with all his stations located outside the Memphis Metro.

 

[Studio20]

Car radio kept the signal from southeastern Pasco to northwest polk. Shame the afternoon programming has long been heard on at least 3 other stations in the region.

I also wonder if the north suncoast schools will levy a fee on the station for High School Football?

 

[ok walters]

I also wonder if the north suncoast schools will levy a fee on the station for High School Football?

Levy a fee? That is a new one on me for high school football. Is there a state champ over there we don't know about?

 

[Studio20]

No. It's the wildly inaccurate theory that radio broadcasts of local high school football games keeps the crowds away, thus the stations would have to pony up fees to make up for the lost gate.

 

[ok walters]

That's nuts - who thought that one up?

 

[Studio20]

Usually the school board, or athletic directors. It was a way to get money back in the day when the economy was good. I can imagine this practice will really take off for schools these days.

 

[jmtillery]

My best guess would be that Steve Manuel is leasing WXJB from George Flinn through a Local Marketing Agreement/Time Brokerage Agreement considering this is the normal business model Flinn uses with all his stations located outside the Memphis Metro.

I stand to be corrected. It appears from an unconfirmed, yet very reliable source, that George Flinn has entered into an agreement to sell WXJB-FM to Steve Manuel. In the meantime WXJB is under an LMA agreement pending FCC license transfer approval.

 

[drt]

I have noticed that 99.9 WXJG has turned off their stereo pilot, which makes sense since they are a talk format.... between turning off the stereo pilot and adjusting their volume upwards, they have improved their coverage in the near fringe areas, no hissing sound in the background in the near fringe areas now.

People that like WFLA 970 Tampa should be in heaven, since WXKB's programming Monday - Friday appears to be the same programs at the same time as WFLA and WFLA's signal in Hernando isn't so great during the day and even worse at night. (before WXJB anyone in the Bushenll, Ridge Manor, Webster area listened to Rush on 540 out of Orlando.) At any rate from 10am until 5 or 6 am, it's the same programming as WFLA 970; they, of course, do not have Jack and Tedd in the morning and they do pre-empt any evening programming for the Rays; I find it hard to believe thought that they would pre-empt Rush for any Rays' afternoon games.

I guess they had to hurry and get the station on the air or to ask for an extension to the CP,since the CP expires on the 2nd of August 2010.

drt