Markets with most deleted AM’s

[JoeLouis]

The longer wavelengths at the low end of the AM band provide better groundwave coverage. 600 kHz is almost triple the wavelength of 1450. Of course power and antenna patterns can make a huge difference as well.

Sounds like a 5,000 watt station at 600khz versus a 50,000 watt station (daytime only) at say 1530khz would have about the same coverage (daytime) I know at night the 50,000 watt one would be a no contest winner.

 

[luperm]

The only AM I known that was deleted was WLNG 1600 on Long Island, they did that so WWRL in New York City could have a clearer field and not interfere with reception in Nassau and Suffolk counties, that's the only one I know.

WQQW Waterbury, CT and WERA Plainfield, NJ also went dark to accommodate WWRL's upgrade.

 

[JoeLouis]

WQQW Waterbury, CT and WERA Plainfield, NJ also went dark to accommodate WWRL's upgrade.

I remember WQQW aka WBRY aka WTBY and they were at 1590, so why would they go dark to accommodate a station 90 miles away on a different frequency?

 

[Mediafrog+]

Sounds like a 5,000 watt station at 600khz versus a 50,000 watt station (daytime only) at say 1530khz would have about the same coverage (daytime) I know at night the 50,000 watt one would be a no contest winner.

David Eduardo loves to point out that 1kw on 550 does as well as 50kw on 1600 as far as groundwave coverage is concerned.

At night the skywave on shorter wavelengths at the high end of the AM band can get out with amazing strength.

 

[JoeLouis]

David Eduardo loves to point out that 1kw on 550 does as well as 50kw on 1600 as far as groundwave coverage is concerned.

At night the skywave on shorter wavelengths at the high end of the AM band can get out with amazing strength.

No doubt about that, I'm over 400 miles from Buffalo and WWKB (better known as WKBW back when) at night they blast in like a local, I've actually heard 1520 Buffalo some times in daytime on overcast days, no where as clear as nighttime but is intelligible.

 

[luperm]

I remember WQQW aka WBRY aka WTBY and they were at 1590, so why would they go dark to accommodate a station 90 miles away on a different frequency?

Two reasons:
1) The smaller stations were compensated by WWRL to turn in their licenses. It's probably more money than the then owners would have ever received by operating the stations or by trying to sell them. It's a good thing too since it's safe to bet that hardly anyone was listening to them anyway, and isn't the AM band better off with fewer low-powered, little utilized signals?
2) The absence of the smaller stations gave WWRL considerably more flexibility in power and pattern as they now did not need to provide protection to those other first adjacent and co-channel signals. The daytime power went from 5kW to 25kW...and I am sure the directional pattern was relaxed somewhat.

 

[gr8oldies]

Sounds like a 5,000 watt station at 600khz versus a 50,000 watt station (daytime only) at say 1530khz would have about the same coverage (daytime) I know at night the 50,000 watt one would be a no contest winner.

It still wouldn't be a winner in its local coverage area. Reaching the Bahamas by skywave is immaterial.

 

[kevtronics]

1) The smaller stations were compensated by WWRL to turn in their licenses. It's probably more money than the then owners would have ever received by operating the stations or by trying to sell them. It's a good thing too since it's safe to bet that hardly anyone was listening to them anyway, and isn't the AM band better off with fewer low-powered, little utilized signals?

WQQW had already been dark since 1992 when WWRL bought their license for $60,000 in 1996 to keep them dark.

 

[JoeLouis]

No doubt about that, I'm over 400 miles from Buffalo and WWKB (better known as WKBW back when) at night they blast in like a local, I've actually heard 1520 Buffalo some times in daytime on overcast days, no where as clear as nighttime but is intelligible.

I meant to say it's listenable but still sounds like far away AM station.

 

[SomeRadioGuy]

The only AM I known that was deleted was WLNG 1600 on Long Island, they did that so WWRL in New York City could have a clearer field and not interfere with reception in Nassau and Suffolk counties, that's the only one I know.

1590 Waterbury was deleted for the same reason

 

[davideduardo]

Maybe you can explain, why is a station at the low end of the dial e.g. 600khz get out way farther than a station let's say at 1450khz, I know of 2 in the same city with same wattage with antennas at the same location, same signal pattern, yet the 600khz could be heard in 3 states, and the 1450 maybe in like a 30 mile radius?

As Mediafrog explained, the ability of the Earth to conduct signals on lower dial frequencies is much greater than higher ones. The standard equivalent is that 1 kw on 550 will cover as much as 50 kw on 1500.

There are other factors... 1 kw on 1550 in NW Iowa will cover more than 50 kw on that frequency in central Long Island... or more than about 25 kw around Atlanta, GA. That is because the soil in different places conducts local signals better than in other places.

 

[davideduardo]

1590 Waterbury was deleted for the same reason

And 1010 in Little Rock was bought and closed to allow WINS in NYC to let out its pattern a bit. There are quite a few of those examples.

 

[Kelly A]

And 1010 in Little Rock was bought and closed to allow WINS in NYC to let out its pattern a bit. There are quite a few of those examples.

And these days, Mutual Interference Agreements, where one station pays another one to shut down and turn in the license, just doesn't make fiscal sense. Especially when it comes to AM stations. You'll never, ever, see even a return on whatever you invested in the lawyers, engineering, and paying the other station.

 

[JJSPC]

This is an interesting page for deleted AM's.

List of AM radio stations deleted from the FCC database

List of deleted USA AM radio stations

mesamike.org

 

[davideduardo]

This is an interesting page for deleted AM's.

List of AM radio stations deleted from the FCC database

List of deleted USA AM radio stations

mesamike.org

Thanks. I was unfamiliar with that source.

 

[RadioDaze]

Greenville-New Bern-Jacksonville--and Eastern North Carolina in general-- is a place where many AMs have pulled the plug. Just off the top of my head, I can think of twelve in or immediately adjacent to the market that have fallen silent --1340 WOOW in Greenville, 1320 WTOW in Washington, 1380 WSFL in New Bern, 740 WMBL in Morehead City, 1400 WBTB in Beaufort, and 1470 WJPI in Plymouth, 1400 WLSE in Wallace, 1580 WTRQ in Warsaw, 810 WCEC in Rocky Mount, 1420 WVOT in Wilson, 590 WGTM in Wilson, and 1470 WVBS in Burgaw.

Looking at the list of deleted AM's, I forgot two: WBZQ 1550 in Greenville and WANG 1330 in Havelock.

 

[Kelly A]

Looking at the list of deleted AM's, I forgot two: WBZQ 1550 in Greenville and WANG 1330 in Havelock.

WANG...Great call sign.

 

[JoeLouis]

There were two AM radio stations where the call letters were the same name as the town they were in, anybody?

 

[vchimpanzee]

There were two AM radio stations where the call letters were the same name as the town they were in, anybody?

Not exactly what you want but WERT is in Van Wert, Ohio.

 

[vchimpanzee]

And 1010 in Little Rock was bought and closed to allow WINS in NYC to let out its pattern a bit. There are quite a few of those examples.

I don't suppose this affected anything but I live close to a station at 1010 and my clock radio is on that station, so sometimes this time of year I wake up and hear WINS.