This is a spitballing thread, an offshoot from some questions poledo asked in the "The Fun Begins Friday" thread regarding the HD-2 to translator moves in B'ham. I'm looking at translator possibilities in Mobile, Baldwin and Escambia counties, mostly for secular commercial use. Mobile has some potential, but I guess the spread out nature of the market has kept the HD/translator pairing thing at bay. The only translator relaying commercial ops I'm aware of here are WHEP's mono 250 watter in Foley and WBHY-AM's disaster in Spanish Fort.
Depending on the upgrade path, I could see the 540/95.7 pairing being a real potential thing for a niche programmer.
97.1 in Bay Minette is a mystery to me. It's headed towards Atmore and Brewton where there's no real AM stations beyond one talker in Brewton. But Brewton already has a few translators in the commercial band that are probably not on the air now and could be sold off. I'm surprised the folks behind WTOF haven't snatched it up and kept it in town. If this could be moved to Pensacola it would be a moneymaker.
99.5 has some potential. It could become the FM home of WNTM or another CC HD-2 if the power potential is there.
100.3, revenue potential aside because I know jack about that… this one has some potential. Right in Gulf Shores, with the locals and tourists as a potential target audience. Maybe relaying someone's HD-2, or moved towards Mobile/Eastern Shore for more revenue potential?
103.7 could easily be paired with AM 1000 in Robertsdale. 1000 is already twinned with 105.9 in Atmore but that's so far away there's almost zero overlap between the stations. Hang the bays off the FM antenna just like WHEP Foley does. It's also an open frequency, and I ponder the ability to shove it off to Pensacola. There's a mess of potential in Pensacola as well for AM-to-FM or HD-2 to FM.
106.9 in Fairhope. This one's screaming potential to me: for 1220 WABF. Their signal seems to begin and end at the Fairhope city limits, but I've heard this little station playing in more shops and stores from Fairhope to Foley than any other station, with Sunny 105.7 being a close second. Getting on FM might be a welcome boost for them.
106.9 in Bay Minette. Another "huge potential" freq. As I said, it's headed for Pensacola from what I can tell. They should be chomping at the bit for some translators, because there's tons of potential. TK 101's HD-2 is dead air now but could offer up something to flank their main rock format, or there's 107.3's ESPN feed on their HD-2. On AM, the possibilities are endless. WPNN, WEBY, WCOA, WNRP, all talkers and all on AM only. WAVH actually showed up in the Pensacola ratings despite nearly zero signal, so "the first to FM wins" in my mind. Musically, WBSR and even more likely, WRNE, are possible. WRNE can't keep competing against Magic 106 forever stuck on AM.
There's a part of me that wishes Cumulus were smarter; they could take the 660 in Fairhope and buy up a few translators in Mobile, Fairhope and who knows where else and have a nice little multicast with a robust AM backup, or do something with one of their HD stations, none of which run subchannels. I think whoever gets gospel on FM first will have a good market in Mobile. Of course, we're still lacking a true decent oldies channel, too (cough).
- W239AP at 95.7 is supposedly paired with WASG (AM) but that could always change. It's licensed for 19 watts from a cell phone tower behind Sherwin-Williams on Moffett Road. There might be some wiggle room to upgrade it but it's between K-Love in Pensacola and WKBU in New Orleans.
- W246BN at 97.1 is 250 watts and has been making its way from Bay Minette towards Atmore. WBHY-FM is the parent on this one but that could change. No idea what the plans are for this one but it's been moving around a lot on paper.
- W258AY is 99.5 and 8 watts at 13 feet. Currently said to be relaying AFR but it's off the air like the others. Like 95.7, it's between stations from FWB and NO but is already in Mobile so wouldn't have far to move.
- W262BL at 100.3. 1 watt. ONE. Off the air, of course. WBHY-FM is the parent here, too. Other than maybe protecting The Ticket from FWB this one could possibly get some big power boost.
- W279AT at 103.7 in Loxley, 10 watts. Other than occasional rock from Hattiesburg, this is a pretty open frequency. WBHY-AM is being relayed via a translator on 103.5 (250 watts, direction from the WBHY-FM tower towards Mobile) so that might be an obstacle to moving to the city. But maybe it could do something in Baldwin or Escambia, FL? As a side note, that 103.5 translator's contour extends almost all the way from Spanish Fort to Mobile but I have yet to find a radio that can pick it out of all the surrounding RF. It literally doesn't even reach beyond eyesight of the stick.
- Finally, the two 106.9's. W295BB Fairhope (10 watts) and W295AP Bay Minette (250 watt on the CP). The Fairhope one is ripe for the picking and who knows if it could get a power shot or not. The Bay Minette one has been slowly moving down Old Pensacola Road towards Pensacola. The Fairhope station shows WBHY-AM as the parent and WBHY-FM is the originator for the Bay Minette one.
Depending on the upgrade path, I could see the 540/95.7 pairing being a real potential thing for a niche programmer.
97.1 in Bay Minette is a mystery to me. It's headed towards Atmore and Brewton where there's no real AM stations beyond one talker in Brewton. But Brewton already has a few translators in the commercial band that are probably not on the air now and could be sold off. I'm surprised the folks behind WTOF haven't snatched it up and kept it in town. If this could be moved to Pensacola it would be a moneymaker.
99.5 has some potential. It could become the FM home of WNTM or another CC HD-2 if the power potential is there.
100.3, revenue potential aside because I know jack about that… this one has some potential. Right in Gulf Shores, with the locals and tourists as a potential target audience. Maybe relaying someone's HD-2, or moved towards Mobile/Eastern Shore for more revenue potential?
103.7 could easily be paired with AM 1000 in Robertsdale. 1000 is already twinned with 105.9 in Atmore but that's so far away there's almost zero overlap between the stations. Hang the bays off the FM antenna just like WHEP Foley does. It's also an open frequency, and I ponder the ability to shove it off to Pensacola. There's a mess of potential in Pensacola as well for AM-to-FM or HD-2 to FM.
106.9 in Fairhope. This one's screaming potential to me: for 1220 WABF. Their signal seems to begin and end at the Fairhope city limits, but I've heard this little station playing in more shops and stores from Fairhope to Foley than any other station, with Sunny 105.7 being a close second. Getting on FM might be a welcome boost for them.
106.9 in Bay Minette. Another "huge potential" freq. As I said, it's headed for Pensacola from what I can tell. They should be chomping at the bit for some translators, because there's tons of potential. TK 101's HD-2 is dead air now but could offer up something to flank their main rock format, or there's 107.3's ESPN feed on their HD-2. On AM, the possibilities are endless. WPNN, WEBY, WCOA, WNRP, all talkers and all on AM only. WAVH actually showed up in the Pensacola ratings despite nearly zero signal, so "the first to FM wins" in my mind. Musically, WBSR and even more likely, WRNE, are possible. WRNE can't keep competing against Magic 106 forever stuck on AM.
There's a part of me that wishes Cumulus were smarter; they could take the 660 in Fairhope and buy up a few translators in Mobile, Fairhope and who knows where else and have a nice little multicast with a robust AM backup, or do something with one of their HD stations, none of which run subchannels. I think whoever gets gospel on FM first will have a good market in Mobile. Of course, we're still lacking a true decent oldies channel, too (cough).