Kmagrill said:
The main problem with raising the tower height for WKZY is securing local zoning permission. My second hand sources tell me that this has been tried several times, and local opposition always prevents granting a height increase for WKZY. WKZY's signal is very marginal in Gainesville and useless in Ocala. It's pretty much a waste of 100kW. After the last attempt to secure zoning approval a few years ago, I wondered aloud why they didn't just take the county to Federal court, but I was told that the owners thought they might do more damage to their business reputation that way than they would by having a marginal signal.
Mark, when did you work at WGGG? I was at 14K with Shawn Smith (and his wife Marylin) in 1979 and stayed on when Laura Seitz (aka Christy Fox) became the top 40 program director in 1980. Her boyfriend at the time was Joe MacKay, but while he pulled Laura's strings behind the scenes, was not on the payroll as far as I know. A young Jeri Banta, who had been working overnights at CK101, was hired to do afternoon drive. I jumped from WAKA to WGGG in 1980 or early '81 doing overnights and, eventually middays until 1982, but then went back to UF to finish my B.S. degree.
To: Kyle
I agree that there have been problems in the past with gaining approval for a tower height increase with WKZY. I was told one of the problems is the tower site is within two miles of a private airport, hence, at 981 feet at its current location it would invade the flight paths of incoming and outgoing air travel; therefore it doesn't meet FAA approval. One possible solution would be to move the tower site to one more suitable which is A) free of the various zoning restrictions for a 981 foot tower, and; B) removed from any exsiting or proposed flight patterns. Another possible solution is to downgrade from a C1 to a C2 with a tower move and COL change to a community with no local radio service such as Archer assumming from an engineering prespective such a move is possible. By moving the tower site closer to Gainesville as a C2, the signal should be much more superior than it is currently as a C1 broadcasting from Trenton.
Regarding WGGG and 14K, I was with WGGG in 1982. Although I apologize that I don't remember you, it's most likely that I arrived at WGGG after you had left. I do remember very well Jeri Banta on 14K. He later came over to WGGG doing the PM drive shift; later moving over to nights at WYKS. I also remember Kristy Fox, who was once with WGGG under Boomer when WGGG was Top 40. Joe MacKay was, indeed, program director at WKGR (Post WAKA 14K and pre WMGI Magic 1390) when it became adult contemporary formatted "Adult Radio AM 14". MacKay was also the morning host. MacKay later came over to WGGG as program director and midday host, replacing Mike Bonts. Bonts, who had been the midday host with WAPE Jacksonville, was brought in to replace Boomer as PD although Bommer remained on as morning host. Boomer later left radio to begin a private business as a cruise captain in Jacksonville. I graduated from UF with my MBA and left WGGG shortly after Joe MacKay took over as PD at the "G" and headed over to Daytona Beach to party with "Q" over at 750 Root Street a/k/a "The Oil Tower" as it was known to some of the locals because of the antenna design of the WMFJ tower that was situated in the center of the building.
Shawn Smith and Marylin King both worked in Ocala before joining WAKA. Shawn was Operations Manager of beautiful music formatted WMFQ while Marylin was News Director of sister station WWKE. I think they later married before moving to Gainesville to work for WAKA; Shawn as PD and Marylin as News Director and News Anchor. I always thought 14K had a unigue sound under both formats: "Album Music" under the direction of Smith; and CHR under the direction of Fox.
Mark Tillery
J. M. Tillery & Associates, P. A.
[email protected]
