Mega 890/1400 sale completed

[JustinT]

According to Radio and Records, the sale of Mega 890/1400 from Mega to J-Sports is now complete. The article mentions that the stations are now expected to switch format in mid-July. So perhaps July 4th will not be the date. Additionally, the signals are both being upgraded in some way.

<a target="_blank" href=http://www.radioandrecords.com/Newsroom/2005_06_22/bostonto.asp>http://www.radioandrecords.com/Newsroom/2005_06_22/bostonto.asp</a>

I wonder if J-Sports will can the Spanish Tropical immediately and run dead air for a few weeks. Wouldn't that make more financial sense than paying for a format that is going to be replaced anyway?

 

[raccoonradio]

> Additionally, the signals are both being upgraded in some
> way.

Has that been done already? Tuned 890 in here in Beverly _at 3 am_ and it wasn't too bad.

 

[Bill981]

> According to Radio and Records, the sale of Mega 890/1400
> from Mega to J-Sports is now complete. The article mentions
> that the stations are now expected to switch format in
> mid-July. So perhaps July 4th will not be the date.
> Additionally, the signals are both being upgraded in some
> way.
>
htt> p://www.radioandrecords.com/Newsroom/2005_06_22/bostonto.asp
>
>
> I wonder if J-Sports will can the Spanish Tropical
> immediately and run dead air for a few weeks. Wouldn't that
> make more financial sense than paying for a format that is
> going to be replaced anyway?
>
They're not paying for the format. Notice that the "intellectual property" of Mega is no longer on the air. They're just playing music. Don't have to pay anybody to do that.

 

[Bill981]

> > Additionally, the signals are both being upgraded in some
> > way.
>
> Has that been done already? Tuned 890 in here in Beverly _at
> 3 am_ and it wasn't too bad.
>
When Alex Langer built the 1060 nighttime facility as a diplex with 890, he spent a lot of $$$ to improve the site, including a complete gorund system replacement. That one action made a H-U-G-E improvement in the 890 signal, as it should. The old ground system (from the original 1060 days) had all but disappeared. That made a great difference on the north shore where it was previously just about non-existant. Mega had Harris factory service in to totally go through the DX-25, and it was working like new. I don't know what J-Sports intends, unless it's to go to 50 kW (a 3 dB increase, which is an increase in signal strength of 1.41.) As far as WLLH goes, maybe repairing the ground system will make an improvement, but both the Lowell and Lawrence sites are operating at 1 kW, and I doubt they'll be able to increase it. Maybe they'll build the Haverhill synchronous site that was never built, and WLLH will have a real meaning.

 

[TXengineer]

> As far as WLLH goes, maybe repairing the ground
> system will make an improvement, but both the Lowell and
> Lawrence sites are operating at 1 kW, and I doubt they'll be
> able to increase it. Maybe they'll build the Haverhill
> synchronous site that was never built, and WLLH will have a
> real meaning.
>

They can't increase the power at the frequency they are currently at.
The maximum the FCC allows at 1400 kHZ is 1kW.

 

[JustinT]

> They're not paying for the format. Notice that the
> "intellectual property" of Mega is no longer on the air.
> They're just playing music. Don't have to pay anybody to do
> that.
>

I heard what sounded like a live announcer at 4:26pm announcing the clubs that Mega will be at tonight.

It would be unique if ESPN were to stunt with sports-themed songs for the next month ("Basketball Jones", "Rock and Roll Part 2", etc, but I doubt that will happen.