Signal Degredation, Off Air time, etc...

[uncleDJ]

Hi gang:

Wondering if some of you are sharing in this frustration. It may be just a phenomenon for us living on the border (CT/RI) but my sense is that more of us are noticing an interference 'spike' on our AM and FM dials.

The AM thing, typically, tends to be transmission lines...but there are sounds coming out of my radio that almost sound like the jamming signals I would hear when on short wave...and, more often than not, found on stations I listen to for conservative viewpoints (talk).

The FM problem typically occurs during atmospheric changes (weather patterns / sunspots)...but one was caused by the biggest mistake Citadel has made in the New England marketplace: the flipping of programming between 102.3 (now The Wolf WMOX) and 104.7 (now WXLM). They were 'the other way' earlier this year, then somehow (I can figure out how) this switch was made and touted to be 'great for everyone'. REALLY?

Rhode Island listeners and just about anyone north of the immediate coastline here in CT have been really frustrated with 104.7...so the Rock Classics crowd is more important to Citadel than news/talk listeners???

104.7 spent several days OFF AIR...only heard online. Had to spend those days deciphering through the jams and scratch of the talkers in Hartford, Providence and NYC. Whole parts of shows (not to mention local news) were missed.

Citadel's lunacy in duplicating programming heard on at least 8 other faciliities in the 104.7 coverage area is no 'win'; on 102.3 they had only 'PRO and 'HJJ as direct competition (which I realize is half competing with themselves). All they've done is tick me (and others) off to the point where I don't bother listening to them much at all on the radio, and that translates to not caring for what they have to say online. In fact, for local news I've gone back to online daily newspapers and TV. Something tells me former WXLM listeners are doing likewise. As for the talk, WHJJ's website and lineup are about the best in the area...including eastern CT...and their online access kicks butt. If HJJ wanted to dupe the signal somewhere in Eastern CT and do a little more news from this area they'd be a superstation in no time flat. But for any CT-based folks on this thread living in Old Saybrook and vicinity WLIS 1420 at night has a great talk lineup (rebroadcast of some of the national shows, including Jerry Doyle 10p-1a, if you're missing this great show). Yeah, 500 watts only hits about 6 towns, but what lucky towns they are!

-Bill Alley
Norwich / Mystic CT

 

[someplacesomewhere]

I read somewhere that when XLM and MOX switched, they'd be broadcasting mono from Montauk, which would make the signal a bit better. Thats the last I heard about that switch. You'd probably be better off catching the stream.

 

[Jacko]

The 104.7 signal is really from eastern Long Island and probably shouldn't even be targeting the New London market in the first place. Several years ago, 104.7 was WBEA "Beach Radio" with a hot AC format and didn't seem to have a real target market but was probably happy just to pick up the listeners that could actually get the signal. I believe WBEA had moved to a different frequency (101.7?) a little bit west on Long Island. Now, what to do with 104.7, who knows, but it does come in well along I-95 between Hopkinton, RI and East Lyme, CT, but move farther inland and you lose it, especially if 104.7 from Cape Cod is coming in especially well due to weather/atmospheric conditions. The reality is, unless one of the other New London area stations (that's actually in New London County) goes news/talk, you're stuck with either getting a crappy signal or listening online.

I always thought that northeastern Connecticut (Putnam/Danielson area) is underserved in terms of radio. The Providence stations seem to come in the best but completely ignore the Connecticut communities along I-395 north of Norwich to the Mass. line.

Jacko

 

[uncleDJ]

That's been the ongoing problem for SECT/SWRI. Signals from just outside the area at times have better strength than some of the ones supposedly broadcasting to our direct audience. Great recap on 104.7 by the way, WBEA-The Beach is on 101.7.

If you were to tune from New London County, here are stations with better signals that don't necessarily serve us:
AM570-(are they still WMCA? Salem Communications owns'em, Christian programming)
AM630, WPRO (since they've Buddy-cized they relate pretty much to only greater Providence these days)
AM710, WOR (good alternative for talk nationally)
AM740, WNYH (great alternative for oldies, no jocks though)
AM790, will they be changing calls for their True Oldies gig?
AM880, WCBS (longtime news fave, will cover if we make 'big' news)
AM910 out of Southington (hispanic)
AM920, WHJJ (once again poised for a great ride and a super news/talker now)
AM1010, WINS (the alternative good news source, some in our locale)
AM1050, Bloomberg
AM1080, WTIC (rarely deals with SECT, mostly if it's casino or 'bad' news)
AM1420, WLIS (odd that a station in Old Saybrook pays little attention to Groton/New London)
AM1560, Disney out of NYC

Now, your FMs...
The RI signals do cover us well, very little mention of us at all...
The Eastern LI signals are great too, but outside of WLNG they don't seem to mind us very much
As for Hartford/New Haven, well...that's the old 'you're not in the I-91 corridor so you don't really matter that much' gang, with few exceptions (WRCH, WDRC, The River 105.9)...we're not high priority.
NE CT can sustain itself from signals in central MA which do cover news there...

I think Citadel's big no-no with the signal switch for WXLM will haunt them for years or eventually force them into utter obscurity. MOS could (and did) get away with being there for one huge reason: they had music which fit well within the broadcast range of 104.7 and lended well to Mohegan Sun's broadcast outreach beyond the local area. Do they have that now? Doubt it. They're just a copycat of WCCC or WBRU-like signals which are better entrenched in their own backyard. WXLM in trying to be a news leader for SECT/SWRI can't and won't be that now; how can one win this audience when 50% of the time it's riddled with drops and interference in cities like Norwich? If there were to be any correction here it should happen with an LMA / second low power tower situation in the Norwich area...maybe then listeners could actually believe 'XLM is their local news station with a continual presence. In their current situation their 'audience' for news should really be the North/South Fork, Riverhead, etc....

 

[GlennO]

104.7 WXLM does not have a strong signal into Riverhead, so their Long Island signal is limited to the North & South Forks. They also do not effectively cover the northern portion of New London County in places like Norwich and Jewett City. Citadel's Providence-oriented talk on 99.7 seems to reach the northern half of the New London market better than 104.7 itself. A 99.7/104.7 simulcast would have pretty much covered the market, but I guess covering a Providence AM's nighttime null is deemed more important for 99.7.

102.3 WMOS does get into Norwich better than 104.7, and they do pick up where Springfield's 102.1 leaves off along parts of Route 2, but it's still a distance to Norwich from their tower over the RI border with about 7 other FM locals with true city grade signals into the Rose City. Classic rock listeners in the Lymes come out on the losing end, where 104.7 is stronger. Net gain? Time will tell.

1420 WLIS does get into the New London area during the day, but is lower power and directional away from NL at night. A news/talker needs a full-time presence. Their simulcast with Middletown's 1150 WMRD allows them to fully cover Middlesex County - although barely at night. However, the two ends of that county are very different places. 1150 is in Hartford's shadow, while 1420 has a Valley/Shore market.

 

[someplacesomewhere]

The New London market seems plauged by terrible signals. Is any single one strong enough to make it out?

 

[GlennO]

For Arbitron's sake, the market is New London County, and at least a half dozen local signals blanket SE CT just fine. The local sales market really includes "Westbrook to Westerly" along the shoreline and may also reach points north of NL County up the 395 corridor. As long as you're strong in population centers in your home market, a signal with wider reach won't add much to your bottom line.

Hartford and Providence have their own AC, CHR, country, classic rock, news/talk, etc.

 

[Adam Rivers]

I always thought that northeastern Connecticut (Putnam/Danielson area) is underserved in terms of radio. The Providence stations seem to come in the best but completely ignore the Connecticut communities along I-395 north of Norwich to the Mass. line.

Jacko

WILI-AM and WINY-AM serve the area well with local news.

 

[Skynet74]

I used to listen to WINY from Seekonk when growing up. I was offered a job doing weekends there but wasn't able to accept at the time.

 

[DG02816]

Gotta make a couple changes to Bill's list here: 570 New York is still WMCA, now owned by Salem. 1050 in NYC is now ESPN, with the calls WEPN. 1130, once the mighty WNEW, is Bloomberg Radio under the call WBBR.