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South Bend Rock Radio

M

mime257

Guest
The Bear is good but does anyone remember when WZOW was simulcasted on 102.3FM in New Carlisle? 97.7 and 102.3 were classic rock I assume going after WAOR? It obviously didn't work and now Artistic Media has an adult contemporary station called The Stream on 102.3 WSMM. Now that WZOW is only on 97.7 they sound more modern rock then ever and their latest ratings are up while WSMM's ratings are awful.

Why wouldn't artistic media put a modern rock format simulcast on 102.3 and 97.7 to compete with WRBR instead of WAOR? The Bear would be more vulnerable having a single 3kw signal. Do you think that Artistic should put WZOW back on 102.3 with 97.7's current format? If not please explain why you believe it would be any worse then what is currently on 102.3.
 
I had the pleasure of being part of WZOW's transition from Oldies to Rock. We had a great Alt Rock show on Sunday nights and a Metal Show on late night Saturday plus the Nightrader on Saturday nights. We left Oldies because RBR had that audience, then they followed us into Rock with Bob and Tom and it has been interesting to follow through the years. 97.7 sounds great right now and both my daughters, who still live in the area, have switched from RBR to ZOW saying it is the best South Bend rocker, they are 22 and 25. I have to admit when I make my monthly trip north to visit I listen. I think if Artisitic went back to the simlucast they could easily make inroads against WRBR. I would put "Free Beer & Hot Wings" in mornings then have solid midday and afternoon talent and within three books they would be top of the heap outside mornings and close to B&T in mornings. That's just this old jock's opinion....
 
Mime: 97.7's (WZOW) does a great job of blanketing the entire market. I can pick them up just East of Michigan City, Indiana! As far as 102.3's signal, it's basically a small, 3KW rim-shot frequency from New Carlisle that doesn't cover the area very well at all. That's why they've programmed a cheap, satellite fed AC format instead of duplicating 97.7.

102.3's signal has always had problems, just like WAOR's signal was for years until Federated Media bought the station and marched the tower to the North Side of South Bend instead of the hole in Niles, Michigan (it's city of license). I believe 102.3 (Artistic) has their tower as far East as they can get it since it's licensed to New Carlisle and not South Bend. Even in it's hey-day when it first signed on as WGTC (Country 102.3), I always had difficulty picking up their signal in South Bend, especially if you were in an office building..forget it.

Unless 102.3 can upgrade to a Class B or C FM, they will always be a non-threatening rim-shot FM frequency in the South Bend market.
 
Well 102.3 can never be a class C. Since the FCC doesnt issue Class C Liscences north of the Ohio river. the only way you can get Class C power above the Ohio River is to either be liscened South of the Ohio River or have Grandfathered in Power status
 
MikeStandardsFromIndiana said:
Well 102.3 can never be a class C. Since the FCC doesnt issue Class C Liscences north of the Ohio river. the only way you can get Class C power above the Ohio River is to either be liscened South of the Ohio River or have Grandfathered in Power status
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Nor can it be a B, or even a B1. It's wedged in tightly by a whole slew of stations - other 102.3s in Auburn/Fort Wayne and Crete/South Chicago, 102.1 in Kalamazoo, 102.7 in Ligonier, and the list goes on.
 
oldhack1965, I agree although I would like to mention that last night I drove down Lincolnway East from Mishawaka west into South Bend. 97.7 does have a strong signal, but as I turned onto Sample Street I noticed 97.7's signal fuzzed out a few times just south of downtown South Bend. By the time I was at Mayflower on the west side 97.7's signal was receiving interference. Also west of South Bend in the city of La Porte 97.7 comes in pretty bad but 102.3 is very strong.

I just wanted to mention that the advantage of the simulcast on 102.3 would bring it closer to ROCK 107.1 WIRX in Berrien County. Already recently I have noticed I was unable to receive 107.1 in most of South Bend because of interference from WUBU on 106.3 in the downtown.

In the past the WIRX signal was often very strong and clear in the northern section of South Bend, Mishawaka, and Granger. I normally could pick up WIRX fairly clear inside the city of South Bend. The other day however I noticed I heard 106.3 WUBU's channel clear as day on 107.1 on Portage Ave all the way north to Meijer. I also noticed WUBU was coming in on 107.1 on my car radio all the way down Western Ave/ Highway 2 until after the 31/20 bypass. It was not until the corner of Highway 2 and Quince Road that I first heard WIRX 107.1. I was still getting interference which still sounded like WUBU down Highway 2 at the western edge of St. Joseph County. I know South Bend is outside of the WIRX contour but I found it unusual that I was hearing WUBU's signal so strong on 107.1.
 
mime257 said:
oldhack1965, I agree although I would like to mention that last night I drove down Lincolnway East from Mishawaka west into South Bend. 97.7 does have a strong signal, but as I turned onto Sample Street I noticed 97.7's signal fuzzed out a few times just south of downtown South Bend. By the time I was at Mayflower on the west side 97.7's signal was receiving interference. Also west of South Bend in the city of La Porte 97.7 comes in pretty bad but 102.3 is very strong.

I just wanted to mention that the advantage of the simulcast on 102.3 would bring it closer to ROCK 107.1 WIRX in Berrien County. Already recently I have noticed I was unable to receive 107.1 in most of South Bend because of interference from WUBU on 106.3 in the downtown.

In the past the WIRX signal was often very strong and clear in the northern section of South Bend, Mishawaka, and Granger. I normally could pick up WIRX fairly clear inside the city of South Bend. The other day however I noticed I heard 106.3 WUBU's channel clear as day on 107.1 on Portage Ave all the way north to Meijer. I also noticed WUBU was coming in on 107.1 on my car radio all the way down Western Ave/ Highway 2 until after the 31/20 bypass. It was not until the corner of Highway 2 and Quince Road that I first heard WIRX 107.1. I was still getting interference which still sounded like WUBU down Highway 2 at the western edge of St. Joseph County. I know South Bend is outside of the WIRX contour but I found it unusual that I was hearing WUBU's signal so strong on 107.1.
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WUBU must be having problems with their transmitter. I don't know much about this, but I remember WXRD 103.9 Crown Point splattered all over the dial from 103.1 to 104.9, for a 2 week period 4-5 years ago. WXRD could be heard on 103.1 - 104.9 for up to a 15 mile radius. I don't know if WUBU is interfering with WIRX within their contour. 103.9 WXRD did interfere with WKSC-FM on 103.5 & 104.3 WJMK (both from Chicago) around parts of Crown Point & Cedar Lake (both communities within the 2 Chicago stations protected contours).

Scott Fybush said:
Nor can it be a B, or even a B1. It's wedged in tightly by a whole slew of stations - other 102.3s in Auburn/Fort Wayne and Crete/South Chicago, 102.1 in Kalamazoo, 102.7 in Ligonier, and the list goes on.
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Let's not forget WGBJ 102.3 Logansport. While WXLC is up near Wisconsin in Waukegan Illinois, Lake Michigan allows signals to travel further, and WSMM could interfere with WXLC (if it doesn't already). With a few 3kw stations on 102.3 all around WSMM, they can't upgrade to even to a 6kw Class A. Even WMUK Kalamazoo makes it impossible for WSMM to upgrade.
 
mime257 said:
In the past the WIRX signal was often very strong and clear in the northern section of South Bend, Mishawaka, and Granger. I normally could pick up WIRX fairly clear inside the city of South Bend. The other day however I noticed I heard 106.3 WUBU's channel clear as day on 107.1 on Portage Ave all the way north to Meijer. I also noticed WUBU was coming in on 107.1 on my car radio all the way down Western Ave/ Highway 2 until after the 31/20 bypass. It was not until the corner of Highway 2 and Quince Road that I first heard WIRX 107.1. I was still getting interference which still sounded like WUBU down Highway 2 at the western edge of St. Joseph County. I know South Bend is outside of the WIRX contour but I found it unusual that I was hearing WUBU's signal so strong on 107.1.
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I always thought I was doing good when I could bring in both WIRX and WRSW(107.3) with no interference between the two.
 
I was up in Roseland today and I heard WUBU on 107.1 in Roseland.

On topic: When WZOW was on both 97.7 and 102.3 the format was classic rock. They were competing with WAOR not WRBR. They sound more like WRBR now but without the DJs. Why wouldn't they put a modern rock format on the simulcast 97.7/102.3?
 
Double Rock 97.7 as 102.3 went on-air around March of 2001. Alan Hoover was the PD/Afternoons, I did mornings... and Marco was on the station as well MIdday's. Lasted all of 6 months or so before it became Love 102.3. I was hired on April 1st. I should have taken that as a hint.

Blowing Classic Rock out of both barrels.

We had ok coverage with both signals in the SB metro as long as they were both on-air at the same time.
 
Where is the WLHM tower located?

I drove north on US 35 from Kokomo recently. I wonder if that was the tower I saw next to US 35/ 24 south of Logansport.
 
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