Milwaukee's Newest Radio Station "The Haunt"

[IKHNetworks]

If you haven't noticed it yet - 100.3 FM and 107.3 FM are no longer carrying Fonz FM but instead have re-branded as The Haunt.

You can still hear Fonz FM, but it will only be on 1290 AM. There is no information on what the future format will be for 100.3 FM and 107.3 FM - most likely The Haunt is a temporary format most notably referred to as stunting.

 

[Alex Browne]

Aren't 100.3 and 107.3 translators? What are they "translating" if they're not simulcasting WZTI-1290?

 

[JJSPC]

Aren't 100.3 and 107.3 translators? What are they "translating" if they're not simulcasting WZTI-1290?

WLDB HD-3

 

[IKHNetworks]

WLDB HD-3

To be honest I actually didn't know they had an HD-3 channel on 93.3 WLDB - I actually thought translators were under a required 4 year must carry requirement with FCC. What I mean by Must Carry is included in the quotation below

Any eligible translator relying on the FCC’s blanket waiver and application process must continue to rebroadcast the AM station for four years, commencing with the initiation of service at the new location.

I also thought there was a time where they were permanently linked.

Translator stations acquired through the auction windows will be permanently linked to the AM primary station of the translator.

 

[JJSPC]

Some translators are permanently linked to the AM, some are not. They've finally updated the liners to "AM 1290 The Fonz" after several days of the old frequencies still playing. The legal ID still mentions 100.3 and 107.3 though. Was it that quick of a decision to switch that they couldn't have updated imaging for the AM ready to go beforehand?

 

[IKHNetworks]

Some translators are permanently linked to the AM, some are not. They've finally updated the liners to "AM 1290 The Fonz" after several days of the old frequencies still playing. The legal ID still mentions 100.3 and 107.3 though. Was it that quick of a decision to switch that they couldn't have updated imaging for the AM ready to go beforehand?

I still hear the station identifying 100.3 FM and 107.3 FM as Fonz FM. Their stream must be different than over the air

 

[Fighting Irish]

As of 6PM CDT, 100.3 and 107.3 are still grinding along with the Haunt stunt. I figured they would have launched the new format today, but I guess they'll wait until Monday. Or whenever.

They also simulcast on B93.3's HD3 channel (which is new). Fonz is on the HD2, as well as on 1290 and streaming. The sound quality of the HD3 is awful, but tolerable on the translators. Fonz never really sounded great on HD2.

Speaking of The Fonz, they have updated a few liners. Some of the new ones still list the former translators. And they still air some of the old ones. One of the new liners gives out the wrong web address.

As for RDS, considering they can barely get it to work on WLUM, it's best to lower expectations here. The HD2 is accurate, the HD3 merely shows a template. The 100.3 translator still reads out songs played on Fonz. And 107.3 is apparently a neglected stepchild, as it still reads True Oldies Channel, six years after they dropped it.

MRA's management really needs to clean this stuff up before they launch a new format on a pair of translators, and hope to keep Fonz viable on AM and streaming. If casual listeners notice this and they don't, well...

 

[KenoGuy]

MRA's management really needs to clean this stuff up

While they're cleaning things up, they really need to fix the delay between analog and HD on WLDB. Down here 35 miles south it is impossible to listen to on an HD car radio.

 

[Fighting Irish]

While they're cleaning things up, they really need to fix the delay between analog and HD on WLDB. Down here 35 miles south it is impossible to listen to on an HD car radio.

That's another thing. The HD signal of B93.3 sounds kinda crappy. Too much high end, and it sounds like there's an imbalance on the L-R channels. They should talk to the folks at Saga, because WKLH sounds great on HD.

Speaking of delay, when they were running Fonz on AM, HD2 and the two translators, all four signals varied by up to a minute. None of them even came close to being aligned. I realize digital does have a delay, which is why stations have had to delay the analog by a few seconds in order to smooth out the transition to digital. Saga obviously had some problems with it, but they did a good job of tweaking just to get it right. Audacy and IHeart also do a good job, as does Hubbard with The Drive.

But you're right, WLDB doesn't sound very good when HD mode is enabled. Must be awful when you're listening in a fringe reception area.

 

[fybush]

Speaking of delay, when they were running Fonz on AM, HD2 and the two translators, all four signals varied by up to a minute. None of them even came close to being aligned. I realize digital does have a delay, which is why stations have had to delay the analog by a few seconds in order to smooth out the transition to digital. Saga obviously had some problems with it, but they did a good job of tweaking just to get it right. Audacy and IHeart also do a good job, as does Hubbard with The Drive.

Time alignment between analog FM and HD1 is very important, because if you're in a fringe area, you want listeners to have a seamless transition as their radio automatically switches from analog to HD1.

Modern HD transmission equipment can automatically monitor time alignment and adjust it constantly.

But there's really no reason to time align an HD subchannel with an AM or translator. They're usually at separate locations and fed by separate STL paths, so you'd expect different latency along those different paths.

And unlike analog/HD1, where you'd expect radios to be switching back and forth, nobody in the real world is routinely switching back and forth between 1290 and 93.3-HD3 and the translators.

You'd have to go to some considerable trouble and expense to buy delay units for each site and then keep them in alignment, just for the odd chance that one of "us" happens to be in the car flipping back and forth.

If it were my station, I wouldn't.

 

[Fighting Irish]

Time alignment between analog FM and HD1 is very important, because if you're in a fringe area, you want listeners to have a seamless transition as their radio automatically switches from analog to HD1.

Modern HD transmission equipment can automatically monitor time alignment and adjust it constantly.

But there's really no reason to time align an HD subchannel with an AM or translator. They're usually at separate locations and fed by separate STL paths, so you'd expect different latency along those different paths.

And unlike analog/HD1, where you'd expect radios to be switching back and forth, nobody in the real world is routinely switching back and forth between 1290 and 93.3-HD3 and the translators.

You'd have to go to some considerable trouble and expense to buy delay units for each site and then keep them in alignment, just for the odd chance that one of "us" happens to be in the car flipping back and forth.

If it were my station, I wouldn't.

I hear ya there. It just always struck me as kinda funny.

That said, they have more pressing issues to deal with.

 

[secondchoice]

There is a station in remote KY that doesn't have "regular" engineer visits. They have solved their HD delay the very low tech way. They send their HD 1 to the HD transmitter via tunneling protocol. They have an HD reciever at the studio that send is hooked up to the old microwave stl for the analog transmitter.

 

[Fighting Irish]

As of now (8AM CST) The Haunt is gone, with just dead air on the translators and 93.3 HD3. RDS data is still from Fonz.

 

[IKHNetworks]

Yikes, hope they will fix the dead air issue. The stunting was exciting to see but now that it's feeding dead air Sounds like a huge failure to me.

 

[Fighting Irish]

Yikes, hope they will fix the dead air issue. The stunting was exciting to see but now that it's feeding dead air Sounds like a huge failure to me.

It was short lived. The Haunt returned a few hours later.

I assume they must have been doing some tweaking. Sound quality is better.

But, as it stands now, they're still doing the Halloween stunting. Probably better to get some space from the election before launching a new format. Or they're just simply screwing it all up.

 

[radiofan2023]

It was short lived. The Haunt returned a few hours later.

Sounds like a ghost in the machine! 😀

 

[K.M. Richards]

Some translators are permanently linked to the AM, some are not.

W262CJ (100.3) has been licensed since 2013. W297BY (107.3) is even older, licensed since 2004. Therefore neither falls under the restrictions that @IKHNetworks thought applied.

 

[CTListener]

It was short lived. The Haunt returned a few hours later.

I assume they must have been doing some tweaking. Sound quality is better.

But, as it stands now, they're still doing the Halloween stunting. Probably better to get some space from the election before launching a new format. Or they're just simply screwing it all up.

Maybe Halloween falls several days later on the Orthodox calendar.

 

[Fighting Irish]

Well, the Haunt is gone, and a new format has rolled out on 100.3 and 107.3. Say hello to Milwaukee's newest station...

Froggy Country.
.
.
Yeah, really.
.
.
WTF?!?!

 

[K.M. Richards]

Froggy Country.
.
.
Yeah, really.
.
.
WTF?!?!

You can blame us out here in Southern California. The first "frog" station, KFRG in Riverside, has been in the format with the branding "K-Frog" since Christmas Day 1989. (No, that's not a typo ... they are coming up on their 35th anniversary, which is even more impressive when you consider that they first signed on -- as KQLH -- a little over 50 years ago, in August 1974. And Country is only the third format they've ever had.)

For a very long time, they gave their air personalities "cute" names tied to the format as puns, e.g. "Heather Froglear". Nowadays, they all identify only by first name ... I guess the novelty wore off.