Unless they can co-engineer the Long Island next adjacent, there is still the issue of the "Wall of Buildings" that makes Manhattan, the boroughs and the near areas of LI full of multipath, attenuated signals and the like.
-
Get involved.
We want your input!
Apply for Membership and join the conversations about everything related to broadcasting.
After we receive your registration, a moderator will review it. After your registration is approved, you will be permitted to post.
If you use a disposable or false email address, your registration will be rejected.
After your membership is approved, please take a minute to tell us a little bit about yourself.
https://www.radiodiscussions.com/forums/introduce-yourself.1088/
Thanks in advance and have fun!
RadioDiscussions Administrators
This should be interesting -- NASH-FM
- Thread starter AMRocks
- Start date
Unless they can co-engineer the Long Island next adjacent, there is still the issue of the "Wall of Buildings" that makes Manhattan, the boroughs and the near areas of LI full of multipath, attenuated signals and the like.
They do not have CPs. They have applications accepted for filing.
https://home.recnet.com/ will show you the applications if you plug in the call letters.
Not sure what thread this belongs on, what about the possibility of putting WFAN-FM to 94.7 and doing something else with 101.9?
I think many people tend to over-exaggerate the effect of the "wall of buildings" that make up Manhattan. I have driven in both Brooklyn and Queens and had no problems receiving WNSH with a usable signal. That said, there were some very minor signal dips here and there, but nothing that would make the average listener tune away. I have not driven out on LI east of Belmont Park, so I wouldn't know how well the signal is received there. I feel like the transmitter move would be smart and can definitely improve the signal in the city. They would be cranking out 40kW after the move, up significantly from 23,500 kW, an ERP much higher than the Empire FMs. Granted, the antenna would be much lower, but would only be ~6-15 miles from a great majority of the pop in Manhattan, Queens and Brooklyn. There will be signal improvement, for sure.
Why would you sacrifice the good signal of 101.9 to "something else" when WFAN is the third highest billing station in the market?
The lower antenna height is going to make the building obstruction issue even greater than at present. All they are doing is inching closer to Manhattan, likely waiting to see if a deal can be made regarding 94.3.
Only the insiders know for sure -- and they're not leaking the numbers on an internet message board -- but I've seen guesstimates here of 60 percent FM, 40 percent AM. I'd imagine the gap grows wider with each passing year.
There's a part of me that wonders who owns the current transmitter site in West Orange. Is that property now sellable by either Cumulus or Entercom? My recollection is it goes back to the days of Channel 68, and the TV tower is still there. What we know about the WOR site is it's owned by Vertical Bridge, not iHeart.
Update: Did some research and the property records show it's owned by Cumulus, and is assessed at about $1 million. Emmis owns the property next door.
Update: Did some research and the property records show it's owned by Cumulus, and is assessed at about $1 million. Emmis owns the property next door.
Last edited:
Is ther me any reason WWSK would not want to sign a waiver to allow 94.7 on 1WTC (given that it’s further south than ESB). Their antenna is at Exit 53 of the LlE. The New York stations are relatively weak out there so I cannot understand how 94.7 could be considered a threat to their signal.
Boosters work in areas that have total blockage, not partial blockage.
They can work behind hills and mountains, but where you have good reception in one neighborhood and bad in the next, they just interfere with each other.
Last edited:
The options here would seem to be moving 94.3 farther east, or directionalizing.
The FCC does not allow as severe directional operations on FM as it does on AM, so there is a limit to the extent of directional operations.
The larger difference is that an AM can be bought and shut down. This was the case with 1290 and 1600 on Long Island, both deleted to improve NYC stations. But FM operates based on allocations, and even if WWSK shuts off, the channel is still allocated to that location and the allocation protected (Scott will jump in if I got that messed up!).
So the key is co-engineering the two facilities.
One reason why the move of 94.7 onto Manhattan did not happen before is that the sale from Family stipulated a big payment if Cumulus got an upgrade of that kind. Cumulus, in Chapter 11, likely did not move in that area but it seems that the time is right at this point to make a push towards a site in the city. It could be the ESB, or it might be Conde Nast. I do not think the new 1WTC site will work due to NJ/PA spacing, but I have not actu
Given the complex circumstances of such a relocation, with many moving parts, it seems like this could take years, if it is indeed possible.
But my guess is that the removal of the transmitting site from NJ could lead to the end of country music on WNSH (if it is still Country) at that point in time. Country has been an appropriate format for the station, in part due to its suburban location, that put a good signal into areas in NJ where the format is quite popular. If it ends up in Manhattan, the owners may desire a more urban leaning format.
Another reason Cumulus wanted WNSH to be a Country station was that it would clear their syndicated Nash programming. It appears that Entercom does not run syndicated programming on their Country stations in major markets. So they may be less committed than Cumulus was, to keeping the format on 94.7. But it would be a bummer if New York was to be once again one of the few major cities without a Country station.
But my guess is that the removal of the transmitting site from NJ could lead to the end of country music on WNSH (if it is still Country) at that point in time. Country has been an appropriate format for the station, in part due to its suburban location, that put a good signal into areas in NJ where the format is quite popular. If it ends up in Manhattan, the owners may desire a more urban leaning format.
Another reason Cumulus wanted WNSH to be a Country station was that it would clear their syndicated Nash programming. It appears that Entercom does not run syndicated programming on their Country stations in major markets. So they may be less committed than Cumulus was, to keeping the format on 94.7. But it would be a bummer if New York was to be once again one of the few major cities without a Country station.
Entercom doesn't originate any syndicated programming that I know of, and they tend not to carry much of it either. However, they own top-rated country stations in Chicago, Detroit, Houston, Seattle, Rochester, Minneapolis, Miami, Phoenix, Kansas City, Sacramento, and a few more. They also owned WXTU in Philly, but recently spun that off to Beasley. So they have a big commitment to major market country.
Good point. They have 20 country stations out of 237 and nearly 9% of billing comes from them.
American Tower owns and operates the tower that WNSH currently uses as a primary and serves as a backup for Emmis. It used to be known as the Warner tower and 100.3 used that tower before moving to Empire. 96.3 also had a backup there, but I believe that’s gone. It’s literally across the street from Family Radio’s old WFME facility. WNSH still has a backup at the old Family Radio building and tower.
The old TV68 tower is a mile or two away and not related to the radio site. A relatively substantial backup TV transmission site now exists there.
Ah yes, the old WVNJ tower from back in the day. I read somewhere else that Cumulus got use of the old WFME building rent-free for 5 years when they bought it. Perhaps they'll keep the backup there for now. Yes I remembered the TV68 site from years ago. Thanks!
Does that mean anything regarding their programming country in the NYC market though? Country doesn't do well in NYC. It's original purpose of being the flagship station of Cumulus ' Nash brand regardless of ratings is no longer.
The above mentioned markets are vastly different to NYC so one would assume that if Entercom adds another country station to a market where it is not popular that it's billing would drop to say 5-7% for country stations basically bringing them down although I don't have any idea how much WNSH made for Cumulus although it may have been on a national level and by the way this is more of a question than a statement
- Status