> Ive heard, and read to seperate answers to this,, Its either
> 1650 watts, or 3000. It says 3,000 on B-97s website, and
> ive read both power outputs on multiple different websites,
> Including an I.U website, talking about sports coverage.
> Does anyone know for sure whether their running 1650, or
> 3000 watts?
Their authorized power is 1650 watts.
However, their antenna is 134 meters above average terrain, which exceeds the 100 meters normally allowed for Class A stations like WBWB. They are required to reduce power to compensate. I've not done the math, but for an antenna height of 134 meters, 1650 watts sounds about right for the power reduction from the old maximum of 3000. (I would imagine B-97 is saying "3000 watts" because due to the added tower height, their coverage is the same as that of a 3000-watt station at 100 meters)
"old maximum of 3000", because that maximum was increased to 6000 watts a few years ago. Almost all Class A stations were allowed to double their power - but there were a few exceptions. I'm guessing the presence of WAZY in Lafayette on 96.5 is what limits WBWB to the old maximum. Of course, it *could* be that they simply never bothered to apply for the increase...
As for your underlying question... believe it or not, if you're 18 miles from the tower you are NOT in WBWB's interference-protected coverage area. At their power level the protected contour only goes out 14 miles. I don't think it's actually interference that's making your reception noisy, but the signal may not be nearly as strong as you think...