MARC Radio Welcome to Gainesville

[ThatGuyOnTheRadio]

You can only slice the country pie so thin...

 

[Kmagrill]

AM fill-in FM translators can't have a 60dBu that exceeds 25 miles from the AM tower(s) in any direction. WRZN is a little bit more than 25 miles from Ocala. They would have to move to really get a translator into the heart of Ocala.

... If the 50kw is still possible, I’d apply for it and add an FM translator in Ocala which will give Ocala 24-hour coverage via FM plus the primary AM day signal. That will make a huge difference.

 

[Nostalgia]

It would be a squeaker. Lets use the W244BC translator in the middle of Ocala as a hypothetical point of reference: Tower to tower is 22.217 miles per my calculations. 60dbu contour reaches out about 3.48 miles at 10 watts ERP / 92 meters HAAT. Would the FCC quibble over .7 miles? Find a site a mile closer to WRZN's tower? Reduce ERP a little? Directional antenna? And does that stay within WRZN 2mV/m daytime contour?

 

[redneckriviera]

If we use the FCC contour map for WRZN on radio-locator.com as a guide, 720's 2.5 mV/m contour extends about 10 miles beyond Ocala, so the 2.0 limit shouldn't be an issue. FWIW, if their stick is 22.2 miles from downtown, MARC should be able to move WRZN's official office and studio into Ocala and easily stay within the commission's 25-mile requirement. Ocala/Marion is obviously a much bigger market than Citrus County--three or four times larger--though the lack of competition and the large retirement population in Inverness could/should remain a nice base for Sunshine 720.

Also in the FWIW department, if they can kick that daytime power up to 50kw (or 25kw for that matter) without even needing a DA, that 2.0 contour issue for translators would put a lot of geography in play.

And speaking DA systems, don'tcha wonder if that 3-tower night rig of theirs could be tweaked a bit to kick it up beyond 250 watts? A fourth tower? I know--nobody wants to invest anything in an AM nowadays. But given the nature of the region (the 50-plus population is booming--and knows how to work an AM dial) and the capability of this particular station...

 

[jmtillery]

Originally WRZN was intended to be a daytimer; However, since the FCC was no longer accepting applications for new class D AM stations at the time the original application for a new CP was filed, the original owner elected for the bare minimum night-time power - 250 watts - to qualify as a class B AM just to get the application approved.

Interestingly, my consulting engineer, in 1991, had determined 720 could operate with 50kw-NDD and 1kw-DA-N South from the existing tower site using the existing three towers. We had also determined the TL could have moved to an area just North of Ocala near Anthony with 50kw-NDD and 2.5kw-DA-N South using the same three tower antenna configuration which would have placed 24-hour coverage over all of Ocala proper and much of Marion County at night. From this location, WRZN will still cover and serve Citrus County in addition to serving Ocala. Land in the Anthony area in relatively inexpensive, so it may be worth looking into again to determine if such a move and upgrade is still possible.

At the very least the main studio, sales and operating hub can and should be moved to Ocala, giving WRZN a local “store-front” presence.

 

[Nostalgia]

Also in the FWIW department, if they can kick that daytime power up to 50kw (or 25kw for that matter) without even needing a DA, that 2.0 contour issue for translators would put a lot of geography in play.

Sadly it is the lesser of the two conditions: 25 miles or 2.0 mV/m contour. So even if they upgraded to a 50kw blowtorch they would still hit the wall at 25 miles from the Hernando tower.

Probably hard to justify building towers and buying 50kw transmitters and the electrical upgrade (and bill) that would go with it, but if investing a little engineering time and filing fees would get them more nighttime power that might be worth it. As long as the increased coverage covers people, not trees!

 

[jmtillery]

There are obvious advantages and disadvantages either way. The absolute highest and best use of WRZN is to technically upgrade it to 50kw with a tower site move to an area just slightly North of Ocala if this option is still available. This will not only greatly improve the day signal, but it will also add an impressive night signal over Ocala. It will take a sizable investment to implement any such upgrades but will be well worth it in the long run as WRZN, under this option, will become the most powerful and most valuable AM station in the region.

On the other hand, I can still produce what I said I can produce with no technical upgrades, implementing a slight format change and by adding the previously acknowledged but non-disclosed NTR. The existing 10kw day signal covers Ocala, Spring Hill, Leesburg and the Villages. The format and sales oriented programming elements I have in mind will target and attract the existing as well as new demos to the station. It will take a firm commitment from MARC Radio to provide a modest budget for marketing and promoting the station, namely outdoor advertising in strategic locations.

For some time WRZN has been basically neglected. And there is absolute no reason why WRZN should not be producing anywhere between $40k and $50k each month like clockwork with its present format. Potentially it can produce $60k in local retail spot sales with an additional $150k in NTR as previously stated utilizing my proposal. I suspect current billing is most likely under $10k monthly, but it may be producing a little more than that amount as I don‘t have the exact figures. However, I will say it will never be anything more than it is right now if it continues down its current path of essentially running itself with no real attention being paid to it.