Salem and Ingraham breakup brings changes to Atlanta

[Rick Rose 2.0]

WGKA 9am to Noon host Laura Ingraham is out at the station due to a dispute between Salem and her syndicator but the show lives on in Atlanta on 1160 WCFO in the same time slot. Due to the situation WGKA moves Mike Gallagher up to live clearance 9-noon and brings Dennis Prager in from evenings to take the noon to 3 slot.

 

[amlover]

I read that Salem cut Ingram from a lot of their stations. Just as well. She's in love with herself anyway.

 

[Goodtimesandgreatoldies]

Just as long as they don`t bring Dr. Laura back to Atlanta....Yikes!!!!!!! Remember 8-10 years ago when she was going strong on WSB AM.......

 

[jimbo722]

I'm in love with her too, so what?
I think she might be a better fit on WGST. You think nobody listens to them, how about WCFO, give me a break. Do they stream online?

 

[amlover]

If you could hear 1160 it might be worth listening too but even when it was MOYL listeners bitched because they could not her it unless you are in Cobb Ctry. where the transmitter is located. If they wanted a successful talk format putting it on 1690 would serve them much better and the dreadful mess on there now on 1160. It's sad though 1160 has such a crappy 50,000 watt signal.

 

[jabba17]

If you could hear 1160 it might be worth listening too but even when it was MOYL listeners bitched because they could not her it unless you are in Cobb Ctry. where the transmitter is located. If they wanted a successful talk format putting it on 1690 would serve them much better and the dreadful mess on there now on 1160. It's sad though 1160 has such a crappy 50,000 watt signal.

I've never had a problem with 1160 during true daytime. While they don't have to power down during critical hours, their signal gets choppy to the point of being unlistenable during that time.

 

[SalBass]

I'm in love with her too, so what?
I think she might be a better fit on WGST. You think nobody listens to them, how about WCFO, give me a break. Do they stream online?

I don't know you from Adam but I doubt she'd return the favor. (wink wink, nudge nudge)

 

[LarryWachs]

Ingraham is an amusing attack poodle to listen to now and then, but her elitism and arrogance are too much to take for any length of time. I don't particularly care for Gallagher or Prager either. Too bad they didn't bring Hugh Hewitt into the daytime mix. He's pretty much the best guy on the talk mic this side of Rush.

 

[SalBass]

Ingraham is an amusing attack poodle to listen to now and then, but her elitism and arrogance are too much to take for any length of time. I don't particularly care for Gallagher or Prager either. Too bad they didn't bring Hugh Hewitt into the daytime mix. He's pretty much the best guy on the talk mic this side of Rush.

Hewitt is very good.

 

[NewsTalkJunkie]

Well, I, for one, DO enjoy Ingraham, particularly because of her regular interviews with others in media and political figures. Too bad 1160 cuts away from her to broadcast a flurry of ads, then returns to her program in time to pick up her program's hard break and another collection of ads...sounds like a bunch of high schoolers running the board (great variance in volume of the ads, etc.) and then the program signal itself doesn't come in clearly in East Cobb. The move wasn't a good one for her in this Atlanta market and she's lost at least one listener.

 

[LarryWachs]

I was in Cobb the other day, tuned in, and was stunned to hear how lousy that signal is. It sounds like they're broadcasting from a trailer with a CB antenna on the roof.

 

[Ready for air]

WCFO's transmitter sits in a swamp. Part of the issue is Joe Webber who owned WGKA as a classical station has always tried to get a quality signal out of AM. One can tell by the call in segments on Mancow for example that the WCFO compression ratios are not aggressive and the overall modulation is not aggressive. It feels like the station is set for when he comes in to do a shift.

Atlanta is a city that has outgrown most AM signals that we have. We also are seeing more result of years of little attention given to details and upgrades. As owners have not reinvested in the basic product everytihng from old ground systems to aging transmitters are really showing up. Some pretty good programming slots are killed by the delivery system called Atlanta AM radio and it should be better.

 

[jabba17]

WCFO's transmitter sits in a swamp. Part of the issue is Joe Webber who owned WGKA as a classical station has always tried to get a quality signal out of AM. One can tell by the call in segments on Mancow for example that the WCFO compression ratios are not aggressive and the overall modulation is not aggressive. It feels like the station is set for when he comes in to do a shift.

Atlanta is a city that has outgrown most AM signals that we have. We also are seeing more result of years of little attention given to details and upgrades. As owners have not reinvested in the basic product everytihng from old ground systems to aging transmitters are really showing up. Some pretty good programming slots are killed by the delivery system called Atlanta AM radio and it should be better.

Agreed. I have picked up 1160 as far away as Gainesville clear as a bell, and not so compressed and so loud as to make for horrible listening, at least for music.

Problem is, with a crappy AM tuner you may need that compression and loudness to make it easier to hear, if not easier to listen to. With a good one it sounds real good, although you will get blasted when you change stations and have to turn the volume back down.

I am surprised that some of these 50k AMs haven't improved their signal to make it more listenable. And, as I have said before, ATL needs more class A clear channels, or at least more/better night signals.