stations that never were

[hypwr]

In 1959 former Pirates broadcaster Dick Bingham and I made plans to build WMTL(FM) in Mt. Lebanon on 102.5 MHz. We had financing and a tower location above Rt. 88 near Casle Shannon. We ran into some delays and after awhile I joined the staff of DYSR AM/SW and we dropped our plans.

Does anyone know of other stations in the area that never got on the air? Just curious.

 

[xm41]

I heard old rumors about an 890am in Bethal Park that had once been planed. It might have been hearsay.

 

[hypwr]

You are correct. WPLW was going to apply for 890 also, but with WLS to the West of Carnegie the winter hours would be rather short. Perhaps that's why the Bethel Park group didn't follow through.

 

[cingram]

On the television side, there was WTVQ (channel 47), the third early UHF station in Pittsburgh, which
held a CP for almost five years, but was never built.

Here is a clipping from the 1957 Television Factbook, just before they surrendered the permit. Ch. 47
was eventually reallocated to Altoona, where Cornerstone put it on the air as WKBS-TV.

http://www.clarkeingram.com/wtvq1957.jpg

C.

 

[filenz]

You are correct. WPLW was going to apply for 890 also, but with WLS to the West of Carnegie the winter hours would be rather short. Perhaps that's why the Bethel Park group didn't follow through.

Roy, that CP was for WQTW 1570 out of Latrobe. In the early 80's when Stan Wall bought it out of bankruptcy, he showed me the the CP for 890 and for the reasons you mentioned plus the commission was filling in night time power for certain Mexican and Canadian clears, I suggested that he hold on to what he had.

 

[Boss Radio]

So we've gone from discussing stations that have no listeners to discussing stations that never existed.

That's progress.

 

[Pratte4Life]

What was the motivation for that post, Boss?

Other than to kill discussion and to identify yourself as a sarcastic nitwit, what was it?

 

[Parttimer]

If were discussing the formats of the stations that never existed, then I would think we have a problem....

 

[hypwr]

On the television side, there was WTVQ (channel 47), the third early UHF station in Pittsburgh, which
held a CP for almost five years, but was never built.

Here is a clipping from the 1957 Television Factbook, just before they surrendered the permit. Ch. 47
was eventually reallocated to Altoona, where Cornerstone put it on the air as WKBS-TV.

http://www.clarkeingram.com/wtvq1957.jpg

C.

There was also an application for channel 47 to be operated by a group of disabled veterans and they were requesting the call letters WDAV. I think they had some serious financial problems and the app never got off the ground.

 

[hypwr]

You are correct. WPLW was going to apply for 890 also, but with WLS to the West of Carnegie the winter hours would be rather short. Perhaps that's why the Bethel Park group didn't follow through.

Roy, that CP was for WQTW 1570 out of Latrobe. In the early 80's when Stan Wall bought it out of bankruptcy, he showed me the the CP for 890 and for the reasons you mentioned plus the commission was filling in night time power for certain Mexican and Canadian clears, I suggested that he hold on to what he had.

I ran the Chicago radial for Bob Hickling. I remember another group was also considering 890 but the limitations were too great.

 

[secondchoice]

There was a rumor that 1220 AM in Cleveland could have been in Pittsburgh. That would have been a little "close" to 1250 but who knows maybe 1250 got the 1220 channel and gave KDKA a hard time or 1250 got moved.

 

[FreddyE1977]

There was a rumor that 1220 AM in Cleveland could have been in Pittsburgh. That would have been a little "close" to 1250 but who knows maybe 1250 got the 1220 channel and gave KDKA a hard time or 1250 got moved.

Perhaps Plan B after they failed to flip 1250 for 1170 in Wheeling?

 

[hypwr]

As I mentioned before on this site, Jim Shultz, the CE of WCAE informed the GM that Mexico had agreed to allow a Class II 50 KW station to operate on 1220 in the NE USA. The shortsighted GM said that TV will soon kill radio and, besides, 5 KW was power enough.

Onward to the 1920s!!!

 

[cingram]

So we've gone from discussing stations that have no listeners to discussing stations that never existed.

That's progress.

Next we're going to discuss stations that only existed in people's heads. It'll be sort of like the series finale
of "St. Elsewhere."

C.

 

[fybush]

Next we're going to discuss stations that only existed in people's heads. It'll be sort of like the series finale
of "St. Elsewhere."

C.

But enough about WFVW Fairview...

(And thanks for tuning in to another exciting episode of "Scott and Clarke's Ancient Inside Joke Theatre.)

 

[Bob E. Nelson]

The never-built nightime array for WEEP. I think that app was actually approved but the steps to make it a reality were daunting.
Had it been built, I envisioned KQV moving to 1080 with a far more potent day signal and adequate night service from up around Hampton Township.

 

[Bob E. Nelson]

And one more -- on the TV side. We used to chat about this in the WLTJ control room with some of the gang there.

As I recall Steubenville's channel 9 had an app (and maybe even a CP) to move the transmitter much closer into Pittsburgh. Back in the OTA days, when such things still mattered, it could have been a VHF indy and later a Fox affiliate on a prime channel assignment. That ship has long since sailed, but I don't recall there being co-channel QRM had WSTV/WTOV headed east into the Burgettstown/Cecil/McDonald area.

 

[cingram]

As I recall Steubenville's channel 9 had an app (and maybe even a CP) to move the transmitter much closer into Pittsburgh. Back in the OTA days, when such things still mattered, it could have been a VHF indy and later a Fox affiliate on a prime channel assignment. That ship has long since sailed, but I don't recall there being co-channel QRM had WSTV/WTOV headed east into the Burgettstown/Cecil/McDonald area.

In 1955, CBS filed with the FCC to buy WSTV for $3 million, contingent on re-licensing channel 9 to Florence,
PA and moving the transmitter. The site actually would have been close to where channel 11 is located now.
The FCC saw this for what it was -- an attempt to create another Pittsburgh VHF station -- and denied the
application.

C.

 

[cingram]

The never-built nightime array for WEEP. I think that app was actually approved but the steps to make it a reality were daunting.
Had it been built, I envisioned KQV moving to 1080 with a far more potent day signal and adequate night service from up around Hampton Township.

KQV also had the opportunity to swap 1410 for 620 with WHJB. The engineering was done, there were a few
complications, and Taft (KQV's owner at the time) said the hell with it. Had it gone through, KQV would have
had 5000 watts day and night on 620, and I guess I'd be working for "14 KHB."

C.

 

[Bob E. Nelson]

The never-built nightime array for WEEP. I think that app was actually approved but the steps to make it a reality were daunting.
Had it been built, I envisioned KQV moving to 1080 with a far more potent day signal and adequate night service from up around Hampton Township.

KQV also had the opportunity to swap 1410 for 620 with WHJB. The engineering was done, there were a few
complications, and Taft (KQV's owner at the time) said the hell with it. Had it gone through, KQV would have
had 5000 watts day and night on 620, and I guess I'd be working for "14 KHB."

That's one I never heard about until now and I thank you for that information. Do you have any details on what the night pattern would have been like for the KQV plant at 620? WWNR and WHEN in Syracuse are the two co-channels that spring to mind.