Reception Report in Center City Philadelphia

[KML0224]

I made a visit to Center City Philadelphia on Friday. Here's what my Panasonic AM/FM/CD "Walkman" was able to pick up.

G=Solid Signal F=Fair Signal P=Poor Signal

P 88.5-W~~~ (?)
P 90.1-W~~~ (Classical)
G 90.9-WHYY (NPR)
F 91.7-WKDU (?)
G 92.5-WXTU (Country) Philadelphia
G 93.3-WMMR (Classic Rock) Philadelphia
P 93.7-WSTW (Hot AC) Wilmington, DE
G 94.1-WYSP (Active Rock) Philadelphia
F 94.5-WPST (CHR) Trenton, NJ
G 95.7-W~~~ (AC?) Philadelphia [95.7 BEN-FM]
G 96.5-WRDW (CHR/Urban) Philadelphia [WIRED 96.5]
G 97.1-W~~~ (Religous) Philadelphia [REACH FM][TRANSLATOR?]
F 97.5-W~~~ (Jazz) Trenton, NJ?
G 98.1-WOGL (Oldies) Philadelphia
G 98.9-WUSL (Urban) Philadelphia [POWER 99 FM]
F 99.5-WJBR (AC) Wilmington, DE
G 100.3-WPHI (Urban) Media, PA [100.3 THE BEAT]
G 101.1-WBEB (Classic Hits) Philadelphia
P 101.5-W~~~ (Talk) Trenton, NJ [NEW JERSEY 101.5]
G 102.1-WIOQ (CHR) Philadelphia [Q-102]
G 102.9-WMGK (AC) Philadelphia
P 103.3-W~~~ (Princeton) Princeton, NJ
F 103.9-W~~~ (Gospel) [PRAISE 103.9]
G 104.5-WPFF (Modern Rock) [RADIO 104.5]
G 105.3-WDAS (Adult Urban) Phialdelphia
G 106.1-W~~~ (Hot AC) Philadelphia
G 106.9-W~~~ (Religous) [TRANSLATOR?]
G 107.9-WRNB (Adult Urban) Pennsauken, NJ

 

[DToTheJ]

G 95.7-WBEN-FM (AC?) Philadelphia [95.7 BEN-FM]
F 97.5-WJJZ (Jazz) Trenton, NJ?
P 101.5-WKXW (Talk) Trenton, NJ [NEW JERSEY 101.5]
P 103.3-WPRB(Princeton) Princeton, NJ
F 103.9-WPPZ (Gospel) [PRAISE 103.9]
G 104.5- WRFF (Modern Rock) [RADIO 104.5]
G 106.1-WISX (Hot AC) Philadelphia
G 106.9-WKDN (Religous) [TRANSLATOR?] (Camden)

 

[eyg2181]

I made a visit to Center City Philadelphia on Friday. Here's what my Panasonic AM/FM/CD "Walkman" was able to pick up.

G=Solid Signal F=Fair Signal P=Poor Signal

P 88.5-WXPN (College Radio AAA)
P 90.1-W~~~ (Classical)
G 90.9-WHYY (NPR)
F 91.7-WKDU (?)
G 92.5-WXTU (Country) Philadelphia
G 93.3-WMMR (Active Rock) Philadelphia
P 93.7-WSTW (Top-40 CHR) Wilmington, DE (that should have been pretty strong in philly)
G 94.1-WYSP (Active Rock) Philadelphia
F 94.5-WPST (CHR) Trenton, NJ
G 95.7-WBEN (Adult Hits) Philadelphia [95.7 BEN-FM]
G 96.5-WRDW (CHR/Hip Hop) Philadelphia [WIRED 96.5]
G 97.1-W~~~ (Religous) Philadelphia [REACH FM][TRANSLATOR?]
F 97.5-WJJZ(Jazz) Philadelphia, PA?
G 98.1-WOGL (Oldies) Philadelphia
G 98.9-WUSL (Urban) Philadelphia [POWER 99 FM]
F 99.5-WJBR (AC) Wilmington, DE
G 100.3-WPHI (Urban) Media, PA [100.3 THE BEAT]
G 101.1-WBEB (AC) Philadelphia
P 101.5-WKXW (Talk) Trenton, NJ [NEW JERSEY 101.5]
G 102.1-WIOQ (CHR) Philadelphia [Q-102]
G 102.9-WMGK (Classic Rock) Philadelphia (i dont know where you got ac from)
P 103.3-WPRB (Princeton) Princeton, NJ
F 103.9-W~~~ (Gospel) [PRAISE 103.9]
G 104.5-WRFF (Modern Rock/Alternative) [RADIO 104.5] (if they were modern rock, there would be heavier music)
G 105.3-WDAS (Adult Urban) Phialdelphia
G 106.1-WISX (Hot AC) Philadelphia
G 106.9-WKDN (Religous) [TRANSLATOR? no, regular station out of Camden]
G 107.9-WRNB (Adult Urban) Pennsauken, NJ

 

[ccuphl]

I made a visit to Center City Philadelphia on Friday. Here's what my Panasonic AM/FM/CD "Walkman" was able to pick up.

You went to Center City Philadelphia and got all of the Philadelphia stations. lol

Anyway, the religious 97.1 is a translator - W246AQ/"Collingswood, NJ" (serving the people of Collingswood from high atop the PSFS building in Center City).

 

[Bill_W]

I made a visit to Center City Philadelphia on Friday. Here's what my Panasonic AM/FM/CD "Walkman" was able to pick up.

You went to Center City Philadelphia and got all of the Philadelphia stations. lol

Anyway, the religious 97.1 is a translator - W246AQ/"Collingswood, NJ" (serving the people of Collingswood from high atop the PSFS building in Center City).

And we lost the WWFM translator at 107.9 when WRNB moved into town serving the people of Pennsauken from the top of One Liberty Place

P 90.1-WRTI (Classical) Temple University
F 103.9-WPPZ (Gospel) [PRAISE 103.9]
F 97.5-WJJZ(Jazz) Philadelphia, PA but serving Burlington, NJ just like channel 48

 

[eyg2181]

alright heres my reception report. i was visiting levittown pa today. actually, i live there but whatever. im not going to list the whole thing because i it'll take forever.

1=Very Strong 2= Strong 3= Moderate 4= Weak 5= Very Weak

this is for my stereo receiver with the FMSS antenna.
Green = Crystal Clear, Orange = Clear Depending on how the wire is set up, and Maroon = the station is in, but all crappy sounding

for my MP3 Player (Zen Zleek Photo)
1= 3 Bars 2= 2 Bars 3=1 Bar or no bars, just in stereo mode 4= stereo mode on and off depending on what way im holding the player and the headphone wire, and 5=mono, and the station is somewhat to barely audible.
sorry to be confusing but its my way of explaining it.

Radio

88.5 XPN 3
91.3 WTSR 4
~92.3 WXRK 5
92.5 XTU 2
*93.3 WMMR 1
~93.7 WSTW 3
*94.1 WYSP 2
~94.5 PST 1
95.1 WZZO 4
96.1 WCTO 4
96.5 WRDW 3
97.5 JJZ 3
99.5 WJBR 4
99.9 WODE 4
101.5 WKXW 1
102.1 WIOQ 2
102.5 WRFY 5
*102.9 MGK 2
103.3 WPRB 1
103.7 WMGM 4
*104.5 WRFF 2
104.9 WSJO 2
*105.7 WCHR-FM 2
*106.5 WBBO 2
~107.5 WFKB 3/4

MP3 Player

88.5 XPN 3
91.3 WTSR 4/5
~92.3 WXRK 5 (at best)
92.5 XTU 3
*93.3 WMMR 2
~93.7 WSTW 3/4
*94.1 WYSP 2
~94.5 PST 1
95.1 WZZO (nothing)
96.1 WCTO (nothing)
96.5 WRDW 3
97.5 JJZ 3/4
99.5 WJBR 4/5
99.9 WODE 5
101.5 WKXW 2
102.1 WIOQ 3
102.5 WRFY (nothing)
*102.9 MGK 2/3
103.3 WPRB 2
103.7 WMGM (nothing)
*104.5 WRFF 3
104.9 WSJO 3
*105.7 WCHR-FM 3
*106.5 WBBO 3
~107.5 WFKB 5

like i said, i missed a lot of stations on the list. the ones on my presets have a (*)but the ones i listen on occasion have an (~).

 

[KML0224]

Thank you all for the replies guys. As for the "Walkman" I was using, I kept the DX/LOCAL switch on "DX" the whole time. Now that my list has been updated and modified, I still have a question or two:

Who operates WXPN-FM 88.5?
Is WHYY-FM 90.9 licensed to Philadelphia? I know TV channel 12 (analog) is licensed to Wilmington, DE.
Who operates WKDU-FM 91.7?
Does WMMR-FM 93.3 have their transmitter in Roxborough or in Center City?
Is WJJZ-FM 97.5 of Burlington, NJ a "move-in"? Weren't they Trenton,NJ before?

On a side note, thanks for the tip about WRFF-FM 104.5! Are they owned by Clear Channel? They sound almost identical to WURH-FM 104.1 of Waterbury/Hartford ("Radio 104.1"), same voiceover guy on the hour and all. While WRFF seems to actually a DJ or two, you only get a pre-recorded liner between songs on occasion with WURH.

 

[aindik]

Who operates WXPN-FM 88.5?

The University of Pennsylvania.

Is WJJZ-FM 97.5 of Burlington, NJ a "move-in"? Weren't they Trenton,NJ before?

Yes.

On a side note, thanks for the tip about WRFF-FM 104.5! Are they owned by Clear Channel?

Yes.

 

[eyg2181]

Does WMMR-FM 93.3 have their transmitter in Roxborough or in Center City?

Center City 8) thats why they go further south. just that 5 miles is enough to make a 20 mile difference

 

[KML0224]

Thanks! There's two reasons why I asked about WMMR:

1- I noticed hints of their signal underneath on a few open FM stations on my tuner.
2- When eating at the Food Court at the Gallery Mall, I can only get a good signal on two FMs: WMMR-FM 93.3 and WRNB-FM 107.9.

 

[raedizzle2008]

The missing call letters for the 90.1 station in Philly are WRTI, and they play a "hybrid" format...meaning they play classical from (I think) 6am-6pm, and jazz the remaining half of the "day." 'RTI is licensed to Temple University (Bill Cosby's alma mater), and they had been an all-jazz station until several years ago, when the commercial classical station on 95.7 FM dropped their format and started playing some "mainstream" crap I'm sure LOL (WFLN, I think the calls were) 'FLN gave its valued classics collection to 'RTI, and many listeners were fuming at 90.1! I don't live in Philadelphia (but visited once), but I read about this online awhile back.


I listen to 'RTI sometimes online, as they stream their audio...and they frequently advertise themselves, along with the MANY "translators" and repeater frequencies that relay their programming throughout the Delaware Valley, Atlantic/Ocean City, central PA and even way up in the mountains (Poconos, Scranton, etc.)!

 

[ccuphl]

And we lost the WWFM translator at 107.9 when WRNB moved into town serving the people of Pennsauken from the top of One Liberty Place

Interesting to note: WWFM's 107.9 translator in Chatsworth (Burlington County) is still on the air.

 

[deepstblu]

Is WHYY-FM 90.9 licensed to Philadelphia? I know TV channel 12 (analog) is licensed to Wilmington, DE.
Who operates WKDU-FM 91.7?

WHYY-FM is licensed to Philadelphia. Before the FCC loosened up the call letter rules the FM was called WUHY.

WKDU is operated by Drexel University.

 

[kms575]

Thanks! There's two reasons why I asked about WMMR:

1- I noticed hints of their signal underneath on a few open FM stations on my tuner.
2- When eating at the Food Court at the Gallery Mall, I can only get a good signal on two FMs: WMMR-FM 93.3 and WRNB-FM 107.9.

WMMR and WRNB both come off the top of One Liberty Place, it's the unmistakeable tall building (2nd tallest now) with the spire. It's a modern version of NYC's Chrysler Building.

 

[Rockin Rob]

Do any stations have plans to fire up from the top of the new Comcast building?

 

[kms575]

Do any stations have plans to fire up from the top of the new Comcast building?

Comcast may, in a few years, be dwarfed by a proposed 1,500 building called American Commerce Center. I think it's going through the city approval process right now. I've seen renderings of it and they include a spire. That might be a more logical place to move to if any station has plans.

 

[raedizzle2008]

Do any stations have plans to fire up from the top of the new Comcast building?

I don't know about the Philly stations possibly moving their "sticks" to the top of the new Comcast building, but don't many of them, still, have their antennas around the big "farm" around Roxborough? Is that the most optimal spot for transmission...or would the Comcast building also be suitable, if it's okay with Comcast that is?

 

[kms575]

Do any stations have plans to fire up from the top of the new Comcast building?

I don't know about the Philly stations possibly moving their "sticks" to the top of the new Comcast building, but don't many of them, still, have their antennas around the big "farm" around Roxborough? Is that the most optimal spot for transmission...or would the Comcast building also be suitable, if it's okay with Comcast that is?

Yes, most are at Roxborough.

 

[Play Freebird]

I don't know about the Philly stations possibly moving their "sticks" to the top of the new Comcast building, but don't many of them, still, have their antennas around the big "farm" around Roxborough? Is that the most optimal spot for transmission...or would the Comcast building also be suitable, if it's okay with Comcast that is?

There are several reasons the Roxborough location was chosen for Philadelphia's antenna farm, despite the fact that the ground elevation there is only 300 feet or so:

1) Availability of industrial-zoned land along Domino Lane and Umbria Street, suited for tall towers.

2) Availability of redundant three-phase electric utility feeds. Most stations can be fed from the substation along Umbria or from the top of the ridge.

3) It's far enough from PHL and PNE airports to avoid major airspace issues.

4) For many years, the old "gentlemen's agreement" discouraged construction of tall buildings in Center City which might have attracted interest from FM and TV broadcasters.

5) Roxborough is very near the center of population of the Philadelphia metro. Look on a map and you'll see that the northern and western suburbs extend further out from Center City than those on the southeast side, so it made sense to put the towers where they are.

6) Most importantly, it's close enough to the Schuylkill and Delaware valleys to provide line-of-sight coverage in most residential areas and along major highways. One notable exception is the shadowed area behind the Conshohocken Curve, but the two FM stations in Center City have many more problems along this stretch.

Needless to say, there are numerous sites with higher elevation several miles west of Roxborough, but this is too far out to see into all of the Delaware Valley -- particularly Northeast Philly. WXTU 92.5 and WPHI 100.3 were formerly at sites west of Roxborough and were both granted waivers to move to the farm to resolve the coverage problems.

As long as the 73.207 and 73.215 FM separation rules remain in effect, most of the stations in Roxborough will not be permitted to move to Center City, due to spacing issues with adjacent-channel stations in South Jersey.

 

[Interstate 78]

so as crappy as WJJZ's music mix is since picking up the same playlist as the old WJJZ before the flip, i guess you can't blame them TOTALLY for their lackluster ratings. even with this new stick, 97.5's signal in philly ain't that great. i noticed the same thing last year when visiting a relative in a center city hotel shortly after the stick was moved over to PA. the clock radio in the hotel room didn't get a single trace of it. granted, hotel clock radios are no amazing instruments, but other philly frequencies came in loud and proud. WJJZ was nowhere to be found.