US Non Daytime Only Stations Still Sign Off

[SarahB98]

Ok I found proof. There are at least a few of them. I caught WENT 1340 AM in Gloversville, NY during the 2019 Christmas season and they still sign off at 12am except for Sundays when they sign off at 10pm. Another one is Another Upstate NY station, Whitehall NY‘s WNYV 94.1 FM and it’s sister in Poultney, Vermont, WVNR also 1340 AM. In
Millinocket, Maine, WSYY-FM 94.9 FM still signs off, starts up at 4:55 am and closes down at 11:15 pm. All of those mentioned do play the national anthem.

 

[SarahB98]

And during the summer months (like As of this writing, the date), KJNP in North Pole, Alaska signs off, and I think they play the national anthem. During the winter months, KJNP is on 24 hours a day like most radio stations these days.

 

[SarahB98]

WPRL In Lorman, Mississippi still signs off, that happens at 10pm. In Portland, Indiana, WPGW still signs off.

 

[crainbebo]

Until recently KKPZ (1330AM) Portland OR was signing off several nights (or maybe every night) a week at midnight.

 

[Kent]

That practice used to be common because stations had to be attended 24/7 until 1995. Plus, automation wasn’t as reliable as it is now. As making money on overnights, even for successful stations, was difficult, many just signed off. There were ways to outsource your attendant prior to '95, and, at some point, your engineer being on call all night while sleeping qualified as attended so long as he was in a fixed location with a landline phone. Directional AM stations, however, even still have to be checked at least every three hours, though, today, a computer dialing in is now acceptable.

Given that running a station 24/7 is much easier than it used to be, I'm kind of surprised anybody signs off at night who doesn’t have to. Of course, “we've always done it this way before” syndrome is common, and good automation isn’t cheap.

 

[JeffSteele]

WPRL In Lorman, Mississippi still signs off, that happens at 10pm. In Portland, Indiana, WPGW still signs off.

WPRL--(We're) public radio for Lorman (Alcorn State University)--broadcasts from 6 am to 10 pm (Central time) every day.

FM stations that don't broadcast 24 hours a day are quite rare.

 

[Kent]

FM stations that don't broadcast 24 hours a day are quite rare.

So long as you have a reliable transmitter (which almost all are), you barely even need to monitor an FM station. Walking away from an FM for six to twelve hours is almost always no big deal.

 

[Oldie919]

So long as you have a reliable transmitter (which almost all are), you barely even need to monitor an FM station. Walking away from an FM for six to twelve hours is almost always no big deal.

I would qualify "need to monitor"....
Yes, a station may have a carrier on.....but what's the station SOUND like?
In my neck of the woods (central NH) there are several stations over-modulating -- BIG TIME.......and pilot injection is a crapshoot (varying from <6% to > 12%!!).....
These stations are checked regularly, using an Inovonics 531 mod monitor/analyzer (recently calibrated at the factory.....).
It seems (at least around here....) that the general philosophy re: radio audio quality is: "If it's LOUD....that's good enough!"
Not to brag....but my little Part 15 FM puts some of these "big dogs" to shame when it comes to aural quality...
SIGNAL strength....OK, not so much.....
Full disclosure....my part 15 is only on for 9 hours --- weekends only --- since I'm the sole operator!!

 

[SarahB98]

Even though KBCL 1070 am in Bossier City, Louisiana is daytime only on terrestrial radio, their internet streaming signs off at 12 am.

 

[SomeRadioGuy]

And during the summer months (like As of this writing, the date), KJNP in North Pole, Alaska signs off, and I think they play the national anthem. During the winter months, KJNP is on 24 hours a day like most radio stations these days.

As a side note, when I worked about 275 miles west of Fairbanks, in the winter months. .a half megawatt 1170 from Asia would regularly fight with KJNP and win on my radio and longwire

 

[SarahB98]

As a side note, when I worked about 275 miles west of Fairbanks, in the winter months. .a half megawatt 1170 from Asia would regularly fight with KJNP and win on my radio and longwire

That would be when KJNP is on 24 hours.

 

[SomeRadioGuy]

WPRL--(We're) public radio for Lorman (Alcorn State University)--broadcasts from 6 am to 10 pm (Central time) every day.

FM stations that don't broadcast 24 hours a day are quite rare.

WEAI 107.1 Jacksonville, IL was on the air 530am to 12midnight for the longest time until very recently, in the last 2 or 3 years they installed automation to stay on overnight

 

[MarquisP4]

WAAZ-FM 104.7, in Crestview, FL (which have become one of my country stream favs in recent years and has been a widely popular subject here, particularly in the North FL Board) still signs off from 12am-5am (til 7am on Sundays). I'll add they still have a live person running the board at all times and no automation.

 

[SomeRadioGuy]

WAAZ-FM 104.7, in Crestview, FL (which have become one of my country stream favs in recent years and has been a widely popular subject here, particularly in the North FL Board) still signs off from 12am-5am (til 7am on Sundays). I'll add they still have a live person running the board at all times and no automation.

Pretty sure they have station playlist automation in there.... and theres a good reason i say that, i just wish i remember if it was someone at the station telling me or an engineer

 

[WCJ]

Orange County, TX-Local KOGT broadcasts from 5AM to midnight.

 

[SarahB98]

KURM in Arkansas starts at 5am, but they still sign off.

 

[ftballfan]

Doesn't KWSU (AM) in Pullman, WA still sign off at midnight?

 

[crainbebo]

I think they do. Last I checked 1250 khz after 12am PT I had KKDZ and KNEU mixing.

 

[MarquisP4]

Pretty sure they have station playlist automation in there.... and theres a good reason i say that, i just wish i remember if it was someone at the station telling me or an engineer

You've right, they do have StationPlaylist. Thanks for reminding me! I remember I read a message from WAAZ's then OM in a StationPlaylist Yahoo group about it sometime ago before they closed.

 

[SarahB98]

If anybody has a sign off Audio of any of those stations still signing off in 2020 to be posted to YT.