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WAMA-AM 1550
- Thread starter Louis_009
- Start date
Are you referring to ratings or signal coverage.. In both cases, the answer in regard to the stations you mentioned is "poorer"
The station used to be a daytimer - W-YOU (Anyone remember that one!)
The station used to be a daytimer - W-YOU (Anyone remember that one!)
At 1550kHz, I'm surprised that you were able to hear the signal at all. Not a good frequency for ground wave.
@frankberry yeah ur right i hread it around late morining hours like 11am-12noon comes in okay but alot of static and noise build up on that dail when u get to late afternoon like 2pm or so. it's not as storng as AM-1470. Here in north florida I get AM-620,WDAE AM-680 AM-970 WFLA WHBO AM-1040 AM-1340 and somewhat of AM-1380 Disney Radio every once in a while WPSO-AM 1500 and AM-1520 if the weather is good.
WDAE-FM101 said:
Yes, I sure do remember WYOU-AM 1550... At that time the present AM 1550 WAMA call letters were assigned to AM 860 Clearwater long before that frequency became WGUL-AM and was re-licensed to Dunedin. During the 60s and 70s WYOU was a country station owned by Art Rueben and co-owned with WZST-AM 1410 Leesburg. I also remember when WFLA-AM dabbled with Top 40.
I have a few airchecks of WFLA and WYOU from those days. WFLA was Top-40 from around 1964 up until (perhaps) the mid-1970s, although as JM Tillery has suggested, they never were fully committed to a full Top-40 format. In fact, they seemed reluctant to play the really hard rock stuff, even when it appeared on the top surveys. However, they had their listeners, and played a mix that many listeners preferred - appealing to a more musically conservative audience.
With all due respect, although WDAE-FM was Top-40, I have listened to WDAE-AM my entire life and it was never Top-40, never competing with WLCY or WRBQ. In their MOR formatting, WDAE-AM played some of the softer Top-40 hits, but they never played any of the harder-rock songs that appeared on Top-40.
For years, many of us who followed radio as a hobby wondered why WDAE-AM never went Top-40, but just attributed it to a management preference.
For years, many of us who followed radio as a hobby wondered why WDAE-AM never went Top-40, but just attributed it to a management preference.
FM 101 (WDAE) changed formats in March 1972. They ran MOR standards Andy Williams etc. (The sound of Music at 100.7) until 3:30 p.m. and then were Top-40 "FM-101" until 6:00 a.m. the next day. Chuck Monroe was the original air personality (3:30 -10:00 p.m.) and then they ran commercial-free Top-40 from 10:00-6:00am. They promoted the station with an FM-101 Ford Pinto Giveaway (from Bill Currie Ford) - if anyone could guess how many tennis balls were stuffed inside the Pinto. Within a few months they were full-time top-40. Rob Snowden was PD and had a mid-morning shift; eventually they had Brother John Moore doing morning drive, Snowden on Mid days; Larry Stevens, Chip Taylor, Tedd Webb evenings and Monroe. They ran 32,000 watts from the old tower in Downtown Tampa (in monaural) They actually became the #1 rated station in Tampa in late 1973 (until Q-105 signed on with a 100kw stereo signal, $100 giveaways and a really well put together production) FM101 increased power in March 1974 to 54kw and became stereo but could never compete with Q-105. They eventually morphed from Top40 by adding album cuts (I remember them playing "It Ain't The Meat, its the motion" by Maria Muldaur; as opposed to her hit "Midnight at the Oasis").
In February 1975, the call letters were briefly changed to WATL and then to WAVV and they became a "beautiful music station" - competing against WFLA-FM; WTAN-FM (95.7) WQXM (97.9) and WWBA (107.3) Interestingly, when the 100.7 frequency changed back to Top-40 (and WUSA call letters) in 1983 - they referred to themselves as W-101. Jerry Walker was the only air personality to be part of FM-101 and W-101. (He had his start at the old WTMP -1150 - which is the subject for another thread)
In February 1975, the call letters were briefly changed to WATL and then to WAVV and they became a "beautiful music station" - competing against WFLA-FM; WTAN-FM (95.7) WQXM (97.9) and WWBA (107.3) Interestingly, when the 100.7 frequency changed back to Top-40 (and WUSA call letters) in 1983 - they referred to themselves as W-101. Jerry Walker was the only air personality to be part of FM-101 and W-101. (He had his start at the old WTMP -1150 - which is the subject for another thread)
Aaah..but you left out the WJYW calls running Bonniville tapes with live announcers..it was always a race for me to run a block and a half to The Turf to grab a jack Daniels and a miller lite..while the Joy-101 guys had nearly 20 min to get there and back. Ken Cinco was the PD there if I recall. This was just prior to Taft buying WDAE from Rounsaville...to pair up with the 94.9 signal that was WLCY-FM..Y95..a formidable competitor against Q105..Randy Michaels and Taft ran both stations separately with 1250/DAE still at 101 Tampa St, and WYNF at the LCY transmittal building..and that old place was a DUMP..later both stations were moved to the "new" Reo street location.
dwtpa97 said:
I guess it was simply my imagination and instead coincidental that each time I tuned to WDAE-AM 1250 in 1979 and 1980 that WDAE-AM just happened to be playing what sounded very much as a Top 40 play-list coinciding with the trades coincidentally and mistakenly listing WDAE-AM 1250 as Top 40. Although I agree the music was more watered down in comparison to WLCY and WRBQ, the format, to me, sounded very much Top 40. If one does not want to identify it as Top 40, one can always say it was a very up-tempo and very hip modern MOR format.
Hi Louis,Louis_009 said:
WAMA's daytime signal isn't that good considering they are 10,000 watts during the day; they do pretty well cover Hillsborough county with a decent daytime signal and east Pinellas, but their daytime signal isn't as good as 620 or 970's. They are non directional.
Where I am, near the bayfront in St. Petersburg, I pretty well lose them at night (8:30 pm in June) when they reduce their power to 133 watts. (I might be mistaken, but I thought they previously had a higher night time power, i.e.500 watts)......... at any rate after the power change 1550 sounds like a graveyard channel where I am, between 1550 in Tampa, 1550 in Miami and a few other stations coming in as well.
I'm surprised you get WAMA at all up there, but from past posts I know you have a good antenna system, as I would have never suspected you would get 1470 up there as well.
drt
I can still get AM-1470 but sometimes i get static on it when they play spanish sometimes it loud and clear with no static depends on the weather. The stornger AM stations I can get is 620,820,1040. So/So ones are 1340,1380 and barley on AM-1500,1520. WFLA 970 is another storng AM station but there singal is up and down it's not as strong like WWBA and WDAE. maybe they doing thier HD thing (i guess).
Louis_009 said:
We are, in fact, and have been all along, very much on topic discussing any Tampa Bay AM radio station in this thread since you have also given specific reference to Tampa Bay stations in addition to WAMA. These additional stations you have specifically identified by name include, but are not limited to, 620, 680, 970, 820, 1040, 1470, 1500, and lastly 1520. Logic would dictate that if the other stations which you gave reference are appropriate for discussion here, it is also appropriate to discuss 1250, 1380 and any other Tampa Bay area station here as well since these two signals, as well as the other Tampa Bay signals not given reference, are also Tampa Bay stations.
To be more specifc regarding WAMA, although this station operates with 10kw-NDD, its overall signal is inferior over most of the Bay area due to its rather high dial position. Although I am a little surprised you are able to receive WAMA at all in the Florida Panhandle, I'm not surprised at all by the physics which has made this possible. It is quite simple in that the signal follows the Florida gulf coast as salt water does amazing things with AM signals... By way of example, 250 watt NDD WPSO 1500 has a tremendous signal along the Gulf Coast. I've heard WPSO as far North as Chiefland in Levy County. However, when you travel a few miles inland, the signal is completely gone. The physics which makes it possible for you to hear the WPSO signal most likely best explains why you are also able to hear WAMA in your location.
There is also a Radio Rebelde 'mitter out of Cuba on 1550, the intent of it being to block the Coral Gables Hispanic WRHC (which at one time 'mysteriously' operated on 1560 before returning to 1550). For me, in central Pinellas and near the coast, WAMA's night signal/power is poor, with WRHC and Rebelde hammering them pretty good.
Radio Rebeide explains, the third Spanish language station I can hear in the mish-mash, along with an English language station; basically the 1550 frequency is unlistenable at night, as far as trying to listen to just one station at a time, from where I am in St. Pete.TerryKay said:
btw- does anyone know or recall if their night time power has been at a greater power level in the past? I know it's been at it current power level (133 watts) for at least the last two years.
drt
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