Rating the signals

[Bob Brame]

My Dad, as some of you know, was clearly the engineer in the family but I'm still thrilled when light switches work. Reading the post about sports talk in Memphis made me think about what a strong signal would do in the case of 730. I know what stations come in better than others but my knowledge of how and why it happens is limited at best.

Is there a rating list of radio signals in the Memphis market? If not, I'd be interested if the technically gifted folks out there would take a stab at ranking the area stations based on overall signal strength and penetration.
Thanks for any info.

bb

 

[w9wi]

My Dad, as some of you know, was clearly the engineer in the family but I'm still thrilled when light switches work. Reading the post about sports talk in Memphis made me think about what a strong signal would do in the case of 730. I know what stations come in better than others but my knowledge of how and why it happens is limited at best.

Is there a rating list of radio signals in the Memphis market? If not, I'd be interested if the technically gifted folks out there would take a stab at ranking the area stations based on overall signal strength and penetration.

I would strongly suggest it depends on where in town you are. Who's strong in Midtown may be noisy in Collierville and vice-versa.

http://www.v-soft.com/ZipSignal/zip_answer.asp can be an interesting site.

_________________________________________________

I know what stations come in better than others but my knowledge of how and why it happens is limited at best.

• Powers vary wildly. Daytime AM powers range from 580 watts to 50,000. Nighttime can be even lower. FM powers range from 4,800 watts (WEVL) to 290,000. (WMC-FM) Some suburban FMs and translators are even lower - there is a permit for a 60-watt translator on 96.7.
• Directional antennas. Most AM stations are directional at night. Many are also directional in the daytime. Directional AM stations are very directional - they may radiate hundreds of times as much power in some directions as others. FM stations usually aren't directional, and those that are usually aren't as directional, but that can be a factor.
• Transmitter sites vary wildly. Especially on AM. Of course, a station that's further away is going to be weaker.
• Dial position makes a difference on AM. AM stations at the bottom of the dial "get out" better for the same power. 640 is the only Memphis station I can hear here (in Cheatham Co.) during the day, even though 1600 is also 50,000 watts. (and on a clearer channel, it isn't next door to 50,000-watt WSM!) The lower dial position is the difference.
• Maintenance. There is anecdotal evidence (probably solid evidence, if one were to inspect some stations) that some stations have not done a good job of maintaining their antenna systems (again, especially on AM) and/or transmitters. They may not be operating at full licensed power/antenna efficiency.

 

[Sandscott]

Back when 92.9 was called "Solid Rock" I used to see a ton of bumper stickers around town, etc. I always thought Solid Rock could have made it with a better signal. I heard one time they broadcast live from a gas station in Covington and had very poor attendance mainly because you could barely hear the station in that area, lol.

 

[spaceman]

Back when 92.9 was called "Solid Rock" I used to see a ton of bumper stickers around town, etc. I always thought Solid Rock could have made it with a better signal. I heard one time they broadcast live from a gas station in Covington and had very poor attendance mainly because you could barely hear the station in that area, lol.

Solid Rock could have made it with the small stick, if they would have focused on the right areas and not compromised the brand by abandoning the core artists.

Subtract Metallica and insert Matchbox 20. That's going to alienate your listener....

 

[anotherguyTN]

On some FM stations tower height and weather conditions can make a difference. My brother and I were talking today about how that almost every Summer that WWTN 99.7 in Nashville knocks out FM 100 a big part of the time in the Jackson/Dyersburg area. Since I've found out how much higher overall that WWTN's tower is compared to FM 100's though I think I understand why it happens at times.

 

[radiosaur]

On AM, 600 and 640 have the best signals by far, I think. 680 is a close third, even though they have twice the power of WREC, the daytime coverage is about the same. WDIA even with 50K is not as good with daytime coverage because they are directional. As for penetration in the metro, all of them do well, as does 790. At night, it's 680 hands down, but the metro area has outgrown all the high power nighttime signals over the last 40 years.

FM 100 should have a much better signal than they do. I have heard 99.7 out of Jackson MS interfering around Holly Springs as well as the WWTN signal the other poster mentioned. I would bet someone a farily good amount of money that there is something wrong with the FM 100 antenna system, or else the pattern has changed considerably and for the worse since they replaced the antenna a few years back. If I was still CE there I'd be looking for a problem. It's just not like it was.

Kix has a great signal. WEGR has a decent one, but it was better when they were on the WHBQ tower.

WYPL also has a good signal, but 90% of that coverage is cows and cornfields. Why the library ever let them do that is beyond me.

 

[longleggs]

This is a great topic because not everyone understands had a signal works and the importance of a strong antennea.

 

[DeadElvis]

This is a great topic because not everyone understands had a signal works and the importance of a strong antennea.

And, signal is the one thing that all the programming in the world can't fix.

If HD Radio ever takes off, at least in its current form, signal will become an even bigger issue. HD simply does not work with its current power levels in the fringe. From what I have seen -- and others have opined this, too -- FM HD drops out not far out of the City Grade (70 dBu). Rimshot signals simply don't work in HD. AM HD is far worse.

DE

 

[radiosaur]

And, signal is the one thing that all the programming in the world can't fix.

DE

I suspect the John Long era Q staff might disagree with that....seeing as how a 5KW / 1KW AM beat the pants off the best daytime and nighttime AM signal in the city back then.

 

[robgrayson]

And, signal is the one thing that all the programming in the world can't fix.

DE

I suspect the John Long era Q staff might disagree with that....seeing as how a 5KW / 1KW AM beat the pants off the best daytime and nighttime AM signal in the city back then.

Yep. Night shift at 485 South Highland, when you stopped down to do weather over dead air you could hear 550 in St. Louis in your headphones. The studios were in a night-pattern null.

 

[DeadElvis]

> I suspect the John Long era Q staff might disagree with that...

Well, if the best programming alone (assuming, arguendo, that WHBQ was the best programming) could save an impaired facility, WHBQ, KHJ, WTIX, etc., would all still be #1, wouldn't they?

Signal and audio matter.

DE

 

[radiosaur]

> I suspect the John Long era Q staff might disagree with that...

Well, if the best programming alone (assuming, arguendo, that WHBQ was the best programming) could save an impaired facility, WHBQ, KHJ, WTIX, etc., would all still be #1, wouldn't they?

Signal and audio matter.

DE

There's hole in your premise somewhere, but I'm too tired to try to figure it out. I've been arguing with lawyers all day in my other career

 

[briancraig]

The shift to FM for contemporary music was going to take place no matter how good an AM signal might be.

WHBQ lasted as long as they did for one reason: Rick Dees.

Yes, the rest of WHBQ's lineup in the 1976 to 1979 era were all great and John Long programmed perhaps the best CHR we ever had in Memphis. But withouth Rick Dees, FM 100 would have beat them long before 1979.

 

[robgrayson]

"Long before 1979", specifically fall 1976, there was a book with NO Rick Dees. Dees was fired at WMPS, and unable to start at the Q due to his contract. Top 10 in that book...

WDIA
WMC-AM
WHBQ (with Stu Robb doing mornings)
WEZI (106)
WMC-FM
WREC
WLOK
WMPS-AM
WQUD (104)
WMPS-FM (97)

So everyone had a book with no Mr. Dees to show how prescient they were and defect en masse to FM, but seemed to neglect to do so. Combined shares for the AM's in the top 10 were 59.5%, for FM, 23.9%. Why didn't everyone defect to FM? Perhaps... programming? (I know... I won't be able to show my face around here after that statement).


The following spring, with Dees (at Q):

WHBQ
WDIA
WLOK
WEZI (106)
WMC-AM
WQUD (104)
WMPS-AM
WMC-FM
WREC
WHRK

With Dees in place, total AM shares in the top10 actually went down to 57.5, and FM up to 27.9. Also, WMPS-FM had switched to "soul - disco", a "programming" move.
Signal and audio matter, but what the audio consists of also matters.

 

[robgrayson]

Now, having said all that for no apparent reason, what was the question?

 

[Bob Brame]

Rob, it's too bad you can't win big bucks playing Memphis radio trivia. I don't think anybody else would have a chance.

The original post dealt with whether or not signals could truly be rated on quality/strength. I appreciate all the information and comments and have been reminded the question represents a moving target of sorts. In the case of 730, the dBu # is a formidable 92.8 in downtown Frayser...but drops to 68.8 in Bartlett. Chances are they would never generate a huge share but I know sports fans who aren't listeners because they can't pick it up.

I've always believed success in radio was easy...have a great product, a great engineer and a tireless sales manager...in that order. Sure there's more but that's where I'd start. What happened to those days?

 

[littlelarry]

Success in radio was easy at one time I think Bob. The influx of making money 1st instead of that great product made it almost impossible within the corporate structure

 

[radiosaur]

Two observations:

1. The WHBQ / RKO AM sound was legendary. It rivaled a LOT of FM signals at the time in sound quality. I wish I could have heard Kanner and Karb (RKO Engineers) let loose on an AM stereo signal.

2. AM could have saved itself with technology. They (owners, bean counters, and the FCC) chose not to do so, and in fact made it worse with the limited bandwidth and the stereo standard fiasco.

I heard for myself demo AM stations which were indistinguishable from FM stereo, and that was WAY before digital anything.

 

[anotherguyTN]

Concerning 730, they were supposed to be working on a power increase during the time when they had a CCM format and were locally owned. Did that ever happen, or was that dropped after being sold to EMF and then Simmons?

 

[Grapevine]

The assertion that the Fall 1976 book showed how great WHBQ was without Rick Dees on the air ignores a few basic points.

Dees was fired by WMPS on September 13. About two weeks later, WHBQ announced that they had signed Dees to be their morning man. For the next 52 days you could not listen to the Q for ten minutes and not hear a live or recorded promo that "Rick Dees is coming." Sister station Channel 13 ran countless promos that all ended the exact same way: A tight shot of a mouth whispering "And Rick Dees is coming."

True, Dees himself was not on the air yet. But there were 67 days from the day Dees was fired until the end of the Fall book. In other words, nearly all of the Fall book. Where were the enraged Dees fans going to park their radios until November 20? The station that just fired Rick Dees, or the station that is promising the party is about to begin?

WHBQ was in the tank before Dees arrived. It went back in the tank right after he left. Case closed.