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old 790 WFUN ,South Miami
- Thread starter alok
- Start date
WFUN moved to the Tamiami site between 1975-77 which would have been at the very end of the top 40 days. WFUN may not have even been around when 790 went on the air from the new site.
Prior to that the transmitter site was on SW 127th Ave. just north of Kendall Dr. Looks like there's a park there now.
The power at both sites was 5kw directional day and night.
FCC History Cards here
Final day of WFUN here
Prior to that the transmitter site was on SW 127th Ave. just north of Kendall Dr. Looks like there's a park there now.
The power at both sites was 5kw directional day and night.
FCC History Cards here
Final day of WFUN here
Thanks ,I found the site at,
looks like they had 6 towers ( 3 and 3 ) ,it shows up on a 1969 map , prior to that , the next map is 1952,nothing there. The 1980 map the site might be there but afterwards ( 86 ,94 ,etc. ) and closer to now it looks like it is not there except paths where things use to be. Like you said looks like a park now ,on the maps available the first sign of a park is 2005.
again Thank You.
Al
looks like they had 6 towers ( 3 and 3 ) ,it shows up on a 1969 map , prior to that , the next map is 1952,nothing there. The 1980 map the site might be there but afterwards ( 86 ,94 ,etc. ) and closer to now it looks like it is not there except paths where things use to be. Like you said looks like a park now ,on the maps available the first sign of a park is 2005.
again Thank You.
Al
I believe the towers were at sw107Ave. and Sunset Drive. There were 6 towers in a straight row. 5000w daytime. I'm not sure of they're night pattern. They were about 1/4 mile from my house, and came in clear all the time. If I drove by them, and I was tuned to another station, it would bleed over them. I believe the 3/3 tower array just north of Kendall was the old WFAB site.
Also out in that area was WQBA 1140. I lived in Kendall around 1981 when the site burnt, and rode my bike over to see if I could help Mike Triay with anything.
I did find a 5 tower in line site that might be it ,using historical aerials. The site is now homes. It looked like it was there until the 80's. On the next map available ,1994 - there were all houses where the site was.
It was along a waterway called,Snapper Creek , along the creek just on the northside ,the towers looked like they pointed SE. ,near 117th and Sunset , just northeast of that intersection. Near with is today, N. Snapper Creek Dr. between 107th & 117th. Av. , again looking at todays maps.
I could not see a 6 tower array in that area, around 107th,except for that 3X3 array , near 127th Av.,that someone said was WFAB at one time,that site is gone too.
Al
It was along a waterway called,Snapper Creek , along the creek just on the northside ,the towers looked like they pointed SE. ,near 117th and Sunset , just northeast of that intersection. Near with is today, N. Snapper Creek Dr. between 107th & 117th. Av. , again looking at todays maps.
I could not see a 6 tower array in that area, around 107th,except for that 3X3 array , near 127th Av.,that someone said was WFAB at one time,that site is gone too.
Al
Here a picture of the WFUN transmitter building and one of the transmitter.
Check out our tribute site and 24/7 FUN stream.
www.WFUNRadio.com
PS: Still better then QAM
Check out our tribute site and 24/7 FUN stream.
WFUN RADIO - FUN 79 MIAMI FLORIDA TRIBUTE WEBSITE
WFUN RADIO MIAMI | FUN 79 | WFUN MIAMI FLORIDA - TRIBUTE WEBSITE, wfun, wfun79, wfun miami, wfun radio, miami radio, south florida radio, fun radio, radio fun, oldies radio, mike e. harvey, jack armstrong, pete berlin, bob mayer, russ oasis, don wright, alan polasky, oldies radio online, online...
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Dick Starr was a great PD who could beat WQAM with that bad signal!Here a picture of the WFUN transmitter building and one of the transmitter.
Check out our tribute site and 24/7 FUN stream.
PS: Still better then QAMWFUN RADIO - FUN 79 MIAMI FLORIDA TRIBUTE WEBSITE
WFUN RADIO MIAMI | FUN 79 | WFUN MIAMI FLORIDA - TRIBUTE WEBSITE, wfun, wfun79, wfun miami, wfun radio, miami radio, south florida radio, fun radio, radio fun, oldies radio, mike e. harvey, jack armstrong, pete berlin, bob mayer, russ oasis, don wright, alan polasky, oldies radio online, online...
(We were both in the Broadcaster's Idea Bank in the late 60's and I visited him when I few up to Miami on several occasion)
The site near Snapper Creek was WQBA until 1981 but I'm not able to find any details on WFAB.
I do not remember where La Fabulosa was, but they had a half-dozen towers configured end-fire, pointing basically east, and whenever I drove broadside to them, I would go into and out of their deep nulls, maybe protecting WLOD (980) and/or WHOO, Orlando.
The all-knowing wikipedia was actually right for once and puts the WFAB transmitter site at 7500 SW 107th Ave between Sunset and 76th St. The address came from a 1961 Miami News article about a theft that occurred at the site.
OK, I don't wanna give up ,so I went to the FCC History cards , there are no coordinates given for 790, nor tower numbers, but a bunch of addresses for studio & transmitter site info over the years since they were on 800 then moved to 790 ,even the latest transmitter site is listed in the cards.
For all I can figure and see on historical aerials website , the history cards info takes you close to those 6 towers that are 3X3 ( sombody here said they belonged to WFAB 990 ). I can't find any other towers in this general area,using the address info in the history cards for WFUN.
If you believe the FCC cards ,the winner is - the 6 tower 3 X 3 is ( maybe ) WFUN ,but again somebody said that was the old WFAB 990 site.
Could not find FCC History cards for 990 . . . per history cards for 1140 the 5 towers I saw on the old aerials - WQBA history cards said it was on Snapper Creek Rd. ( not is correct , per what somebody said,that was WQBA 1140 ).
Al
For all I can figure and see on historical aerials website , the history cards info takes you close to those 6 towers that are 3X3 ( sombody here said they belonged to WFAB 990 ). I can't find any other towers in this general area,using the address info in the history cards for WFUN.
If you believe the FCC cards ,the winner is - the 6 tower 3 X 3 is ( maybe ) WFUN ,but again somebody said that was the old WFAB 990 site.
Could not find FCC History cards for 990 . . . per history cards for 1140 the 5 towers I saw on the old aerials - WQBA history cards said it was on Snapper Creek Rd. ( not is correct , per what somebody said,that was WQBA 1140 ).
Al
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David, are you saying WFUN did ever beat WQAM? I have to believe, based on everything I've read, heard and listened to (when on a Miami Beach family vacation in the '60's) that WQAM was #1 virtually all of the time during the Top 40 glory years. If WFUN ever won, was it just for one or a couple of books?
It was toward the later 60's, when Dick Starr was PD.
Remember that following Todd Storz' death in early 1964, there was a top management vacuum and the stations... all of them... started a gradual decline. While many believe that the end of Storz came in the early 70's due to the move of Top 40 to FM, it was actually much earlier. KDWB in the Twin Cities was one example of an "upstart" Top 40 that beat WDGY. Similar things occurred in all the Storz markets.
You're certainly correct about KDWB beating WDGY, but I'm not so sure about the other Storz markets. In St. Louis, WIL left the format fairly early on, and KXOK, with a pretty formidable signal, had the format to itself. In fact, with no place else for teens to go, KXOK had the luxury of going very adult Top 40 except for evenings with Johnny Rabbitt. It really didn't sound like a Storz station. I believe KXOK stayed really strong at least until KSLQ signed on in 1973. In New Orleans, WNOE left the format for a few years in the late '60's after being dominated by WTIX. I'm pretty sure WTIX remained strong until at least the mid-late '70's. In Oklahoma City, I don't think Storz's KOMA, despite being famous for blanketing the Southwest at night, ever beat WKY in the Top 40 glory years.
Wow, I'm really straying from the subject of this thread.
Wow, I'm really straying from the subject of this thread.
It was more than just a few books WFUN 1st beat WQAM in the numbers for the 1st time six months after going on the air. Not bad since QAM had been on the air for many years at that time. FUN's 1st PD talks about this on our reunion webcast at WFUNRadio.com - WFUN also beat QAM in the ratings at times in the mid to late 60's. Rick Shaw confirmed this before his death. What many do not remember is FUN's numbers were still not that bad in the mid 70's when the station was sold. I was at FUN in 74/75. Check out the tribute streams for both of these great stations at www.WFUNRadio.com and www.TigerRadio560.com
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