KWRD Henderson/KGAS Carthage

[gbranch]

I noticed this week that KWRD and KGAS have swapped formats. KGAS(AM) is now airing ESPN Radio and KWRD is playing 80's music. Maybe Gleiser complained that the ESPN radio format on 1470 was too close to Tyler and KYZS 1490.

 

[billyg]

I noticed this week that KWRD and KGAS have swapped formats. KGAS(AM) is now airing ESPN Radio and KWRD is playing 80's music. Maybe Gleiser complained that the ESPN radio format on 1470 was too close to Tyler and KYZS 1490.

Could be, or ESPN sports just wasn't a good ad buy in Henderson. KWRD-AM became adult contemporary right after Hanszen bought it.

Another thing I've noticed is that KPXI-FM and KGAS-FM have both switched off the stereo generators.

 

[Chuck]

Another thing I've noticed is that KPXI-FM and KGAS-FM have both switched off the stereo generators.

I've contemplated doing the same thing,or at least, trying it for a while. If your receiver doesn't automatically blend to mono, then fringe area reception is impacted by running stereo. On modern "blend to mono" radios (especially car radios) it is hard to notice much difference.

A gentleman called the other day, saying he was having a problem that every time he walked past the radio, it would jump from us to a different station. I thought that was "interesting" until I discovered that his radio has a manual "AFC" switch on it. The multipath caused by his body would make the Automatic Frequency Control try to grab a stronger signal. Switching it off seemed to solve his problem. He assured me that "It's a very good radio....A Philco." I haven't seen a real Philco in a long time. Of course it may be one that comes from China and is marked for "nostalgic" value. It's hard to say if it was a good radio or not, but he was completely unaware of how its controls worked, past on-off-volume and tuning

I've had several other people whose reception problems were solved by getting them to switch their receiver to "mono." They usually were not aware that such a switch existed. Of course, it doesn't on a lot of radios.

I've also noted that a lot of people think the stereo light means "tuned in."

These episodes lead me to believe that a lot of people really do use old (or inferior) radios, or have no idea how to get the maximum performance out of it. Running mono might help coverage in those situations.

 

[Goat Rodeo Cowboy]

Another thing I've noticed is that KPXI-FM and KGAS-FM have both switched off the stereo generators.

I've contemplated doing the same thing,or at least, trying it for a while. If your receiver doesn't automatically blend to mono, then fringe area reception is impacted by running stereo. On modern "blend to mono" radios (especially car radios) it is hard to notice much difference.

When stereo on FM was new, it was "all the rage" with many listeners. Remember those console AM-FM-Phono sets in the 1960s.... about the side of an office credenza or a linen and silver cabinet in your dining room. "I paid good money for this receiver and I am not going to listen to any station that does not give me stereo so I can enjoy what I paid for!" I was raising kids and didn't feel I could afford one, but I did admire them when my friends showed me theirs!

Now that FM has become somewhat THE STANDARD BAND for audio broadcasting, and we are listening to Talk Radio and Sports Radio and even people listening to music are on Walkmans and small radios you can stash in a desk drawer when you leave work for the day, it would seem to me that there are very few listeners who would even notice... much less be offended... if a lot of broadcasters just turned off the stereo generator.

 

[billyg]

These episodes lead me to believe that a lot of people really do use old (or inferior) radios, or have no idea how to get the maximum performance out of it. Running mono might help coverage in those situations.

Some people think since their radio can pick up 100K powerhouses like KYKX and KNUE without any problems, it should pick up every station the same way. :

Today's china-made radios at Wal-Mart and Target are terrible performers, especially those retro Crosley radios. I have a portable Crosley phonograph and a "Jukebox" (basically a ipod speaker-controller) that I received as Christmas presents and they are cheap junk.

Since your station plays a lot of older music that was recorded in mono, turning off the stereo generator might be a good idea.

And I think KWRD-AM would be better off just simulcasting KPXI-FM, since 100.7 has some serious weak spots in east Rusk county.

 

[jd]

Chuck,

I don't know if your story about the listener's AFC causing a problem involved your main station or not. But let me say that coverage of the Tyler translator on 97.9 improved tremendously a while back. I noticed that it's now at Troup and the Loop and I can get a solid signal heading west all the way to Spur 364 and Highway 31. Once I had a listenable signal in stereo in Chandler, which was really surprising.

 

[Chuck]

Chuck,

I don't know if your story about the listener's AFC causing a problem involved your main station or not. But let me say that coverage of the Tyler translator on 97.9 improved tremendously a while back. I noticed that it's now at Troup and the Loop and I can get a solid signal heading west all the way to Spur 364 and Highway 31. Once I had a listenable signal in stereo in Chandler, which was really surprising.

As you noticed, we moved the translator to the CBS 19 STL tower in late June. It used to be on the old People's Bank building in Downtown Tyler. That allowed it to go from 20 watts to 165 watts ERP. That’s still not much power, but it made a big difference in coverage. The funny thing is the Longley-Rice predictions show the outer edges of the coverage going right along highways, but not very far off of those highways. The map almost looks like the radar image of a hurricane, with "wisps" out towards the edges. Get out of one of those areas, even just a mile or so, and it is dead as a hammer. Go figure.

 

[Chuck]

These episodes lead me to believe that a lot of people really do use old (or inferior) radios, or have no idea how to get the maximum performance out of it. Running mono might help coverage in those situations.

Some people think since their radio can pick up 100K powerhouses like KYKX and KNUE without any problems, it should pick up every station the same way. :

Today's china-made radios at Wal-Mart and Target are terrible performers, especially those retro Crosley radios. I have a portable Crosley phonograph and a "Jukebox" (basically a ipod speaker-controller) that I received as Christmas presents and they are cheap junk.

Since your station plays a lot of older music that was recorded in mono, turning off the stereo generator might be a good idea.

You are right about the miserable quality of a lot of modern radios.

I'd guess that about 80% of the music we play is in stereo. Back in the 1950's and 1960's "Hi-Fi" and "Stereo" was a big hobby. Many of the recordings of that era are amazingly good.

 

[C414B]

As you noticed, we moved the translator to the CBS 19 STL tower in late June.

Saw that last weekend when we were down there and wondered whose FM stick that was.

Mystery solved. ;D

 

[billyg]

As you noticed, we moved the translator to the CBS 19 STL tower in late June. It used to be on the old People's Bank building in Downtown Tyler. That allowed it to go from 20 watts to 165 watts ERP. That’s still not much power, but it made a big difference in coverage. The funny thing is the Longley-Rice predictions show the outer edges of the coverage going right along highways, but not very far off of those highways. The map almost looks like the radar image of a hurricane, with "wisps" out towards the edges. Get out of one of those areas, even just a mile or so, and it is dead as a hammer. Go figure.

I was in Tyler last week and can vouch for your translators new signal. It's a strong signal in the right places for Tyler.

And I've been able to pick up KWRD's K280FH-FM 103.9 translator on my home stereo here in Kilgore, with a little adjustment of my "rabbit ears" FM antenna to null out KHMT-FM from Marshall. ;D

I'd guess that about 80% of the music we play is in stereo. Back in the 1950's and 1960's "Hi-Fi" and "Stereo" was a big hobby. Many of the recordings of that era are amazingly good.

I have a few original MOR albums from that era in my collection and they sound great. Producers like Enoch Light (of Command Records) had a lot of fun with stereo back then.

 

[billyg]

A funny story about stereo generators..

In the 1980's at my university radio station, KCSC-FM Edmond, we used to turn off the stereo generator for talk and sports programs. And of course we'd get the usual listeners complaining "My stereo light is off".

I used to tell them it takes the transmitter more electricity to broadcast in stereo than it does in mono, and we do it to save the university money. Most of them took my bait! ;D

 

[Chuck]

I have a few original MOR albums from that era in my collection and they sound great. Producers like Enoch Light (of Command Records) had a lot of fun with stereo back then.

The Enoch Light stuff was really spectacular in stereo. Back in the era, people actually had parties at their homes to show off their new “Hi-Fi” stereos. It was a really big deal. There were quite a few hobby magazines that had plans for building your own speakers, adding stereo to an existing mono "Hi-Fi," installing one of those new fangled FM tuners and lots more. The real sign of an over the top audiophile was someone who had the where-with-all to purchase a reel to reel tape recorder. Now, that was a sign of being really cool...

I remember visiting one neighbor's home that had speakers made from four foot sections of clay sewer pipe, standing on end, placed over an 8” loudspeaker. It was called "The Drain Pipe 8." The design was featured in Popular Electronics magazine. Another popular DIY project was the "Sweet 16" which used an array of 16 very inexpensive (99 cents each, if I recall correctly) four inch speakers. It actually sounded pretty good. I suspect that Dr. Bose read the same article. Of course, he figured out how to sell it for a lot more. That is the real genius part...