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Market exclusivity--WNSH and WTTT

raccoonradio

raccoonradio

Today, WNSH started running Laura Ingraham at 9 am and they're to run Michael
Savage at 6 pm. WTTT picks up Sean Hannity at 3 pm.

Ingraham's show still airs on WTKK, and Savage is still at WRKO. Beverly is
in the Boston market and one would expect a syndicator might give market
exclusivity to a certain station, but apparently it isn't so. They (Talk Radio Network, in this case) can't
tell WTTK "you're the only one in the market to run Laura", but maybe
WTKK isn't afraid they'll lose too many listeners to a weaker AM signal.
Hey, TRN wants as many people as possible to hear the show, and their ads, so Boston
gets her on two stations now. (I believe TRN provides programming for free
providing the ads are run.)

Similarly, I don't think WRKO would worry too much about a weaker signal
station (especially after dark) also carrying Savage. He's also on WCAP
in Lowell.

Meanwhile, while WTTT is picking up Hannity, there's no indication yet on
the WTKK website that Hannity is gone. Could it be that ABC Radio,
Sean's syndicator, is also not giving market exclusivity to WTKK? ABC
may figure "well, we can keep them on BOTH--run it live on WTTT and then
on midnight at WTKK". Perhaps they were upset that 96.9 moved him to
a slot with much fewer listeners but maybe ABC is keeping the show on
_both_, to maximize exposure. Not sure if Hannity is "free, provided you
carry the ads" or if stations pay a fee...not sure. Anyway, we now have
some of the most popular talk shows on different AM stations: WNSH
picking up Ingraham and Savage, and WTTT picking up Hannity (second only
to Rush according to TALKERS and other sources.)

Now, it's possible that those who tune to WTKK tonight at midnight might
hear a third hour of Ingraham instead of Hannity, which means ABC
would be giving market exclusivity to WTTT. Or maybe he'll air on both!
 
> Not sure if Hannity is "free,
> provided you
> carry the ads" or if stations pay a fee...not sure.

ABC now charges a fee.

> Now, it's possible that those who tune to WTKK tonight at
> midnight might
> hear a third hour of Ingraham instead of Hannity, which
> means ABC
> would be giving market exclusivity to WTTT. Or maybe he'll
> air on both!

Doubt it. WNSH and WCAP don't factor into any such equations. My advice to the folks in Beverly: take your license, fold it in three, stick it in an envelope and mail it to FCC, Washington, DC.
 
Not sure if Keating Willcox (WNSH owner) is keeping them or planning to sell
them, but the power increase (see <a href="http://radio-locator.com/cgi-bin/pat?call=WNSH&service=AM&status=C&hours=D">
daytime map</a>, and <a href="http://radio-locator.com/cgi-bin/pat?call=WNSH&service=AM&status=C&hours=N">
nighttime map</a> of construction permit) makes me wonder if he plans to
market the station to a potential buyer. Don't be surprised if someone might
want to do something like standards or religion with them. Weird pattern, yes,
but perhaps of use to someone.

but hey, I'm a mile away from them and they're running some conservatalk so
at least I'll tune in from time to time...


. My advice to the folks in Beverly: take your
> license, fold it in three, stick it in an envelope and mail
> it to FCC, Washington, DC.
>
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</P>
 
Someone could possibly want WNSH just as you say for the 50 kW day pattern. But there goes co channel WPEP Taunton. It put a nice signal into RI with 1 kW day.Even in the mid 80's, I'd hear the 227 watt night signal, mixing with what's now WISP Doylestown PA. I'd heard that the WPEP callsign was supposed to go to what is now WVBF 1530 Middleborough. Any further news on that?


Dave Gardiner

WVCH 740/WNWR 1540 Philadelphia
 
> Someone could possibly want WNSH just as you say for the 50
> kW day pattern. But there goes co channel WPEP Taunton. '

Yes and we remember that the deal was that WPEP would be thrown off if WNSH
got the increase.

http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=14472456&BRD=1711&PAG=461&dept_id=24237&rfi=6

"In order for the Beverly station to increase its wattage WPEP will have to relinquish its use of the 1570 frequency, to avoid interfering with the stronger signal. All signs are that the out-of-state licensee and owner of WPEP has all along been a willing partner to the deal."

--Taunton Gazette, 5/5/05

I'd heard that the WPEP callsign was
> supposed to go to what is now WVBF 1530 Middleborough. Any
> further news on that?

Someone else may know, but I have no knowledge of that<P ID="signature">______________
raccoonradio5ap.gif
</P>
 
WTKK after midnight

> Meanwhile, while WTTT is picking up Hannity, there's no
> indication yet on
> the WTKK website that Hannity is gone.

There is now, plus I tuned in. Just as I figured, Ingraham's show is
extended till 1 am, and John and Jeff once again starts at 1. So
Hannity is exclusive to WTTT. (For those having trouble with their
weaker signal, Hannity is also heard live on the WGIR stations out
of NH--610, 1380, 930--and on WABC/NYC; and WPRO runs him tape
delayed at 7.

WTKK Mon-Fri:
7:00PM 10:00PM JAY SEVERIN
10:00PM 12:00AM The Laura Ingraham Show
12:00AM 1:00AM The Laura Ingraham Show
1:00AM 5:00AM The John & Jeff Show
 
> I'd heard that the WPEP callsign was
> > supposed to go to what is now WVBF 1530 Middleborough.
> Any
> > further news on that?
>
> Someone else may know, but I have no knowledge of that
>
I heard that too, but I don't think anyone should hold his breath waiting for WNSH to build its power increase. WNSH owner, Keating Willcox, recently posted on the Boston Radio Interest list about the WNSH studio move to Willcox's house. (The transmitter remains at Endicott College in Peabody.) His posting did not say even one word about the power increase.

If WVBF 1530 does indeed take the WPEP calls and tries to be perceived as a Taunton station, it will get some benefit from its recent increase in non-CH day power. The station could not improve its CH signal, but now probably puts a listenable signal into Taunton at midday. For nights, I think 1530 is authorized 3W. That won't get to Taunton from the present WVBF site BUT there is no requirement for Class D AMs to be audible at night in their COL. So the thing to do would be to retain the WPEP tower for night operation. I believe that the tower is within the Taunton city limits. 3W doesn't go very far on 1530 in these parts, but if the population close to the tower is dense enough, 3W might be enough to reach hundreds of people. The best example of a station that does something similar is the 560 daytimer licensed to Monroe MI--about midway between Detroit and Toledo. The station's night site is an FM tower known as the Mo-Tower in Southfield, which is north of Detroit, 40+ miles from the day site. The station runs 13W N ND from Southfield and is probably never heard in Monroe after sundown.
 
> If WVBF 1530 does indeed take the WPEP calls and tries to be
> perceived as a Taunton station, it will get some benefit
> from its recent increase in non-CH day power. The station
> could not improve its CH signal, but now probably puts a
> listenable signal into Taunton at midday. For nights, I
> think 1530 is authorized 3W. That won't get to Taunton from
> the present WVBF site BUT there is no requirement for Class
> D AMs to be audible at night in their COL.

According to radio-locator, WVBF is 2 watts at night, not 3. That's 33.3% less.
 
> According to radio-locator, WVBF is 2 watts at night, not 3.
> That's 33.3% less.
>
I used Bob Carpenter's AMSTNS program, which generally shaves 1W off of the night power of Class D AMs. AMSTNS also gives WVBF's night power as 2W, so I assumed the real value was 3W, but the FCC's AM Query pages also says 2W. However, when WVBF installed a new tower a year or so ago, the tower height increased from 53 degrees to 89.6 degrees and the efficiency increased from 282 mV/m/kW @ 1 km to 305.5 mV/m/kW @ 1 km, which is equivalent to a 17.3% power increase. Yet, the FCC did not require a 17.3% reduction in night power (or apparently any reduction in night power; there was a reduction in CH power but it was only about 6%). So if WVBF could run 2W at night from the WPEP tower, which is 103.3 degrees high at 1530 and has an even higher efficiency of 355 mV/m/kW @ 1 km at 1570 (and would be almost as efficient at 1530), the field strength would be a little greater than what WVBF would have gotten with 3W from its old 53-degree tower. This is one of those "how many angels can dance on the head of a pin?" questions. I wonder whether the NIF contour extends beyond the end of the ground radials.

I do remember back in 1972 when WGTR first signed on, it was allowed 1.6W pre-sunrise from its old 140' tower on Kendall Ave in S. Natick. Naturally, I could not hear the station at all 15 miles away in Arlington Heights, but apparently a lot of people in Natick, Framingham, and Sherborn could receive it, and since WKOX, which was still on 1190, was not allowed any pre-sunrise authority in those days, WGTR got quite a bit of listenership between 6:00 AM and sunrise.
 
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