Wasted 50 kw AM signals

[landtuna]

You are so right about WCBM. The station's in a time warp. If I ever walked into that place, I wouldn't be surprised to see rotary phones, speakerphones to interface with callers, homemade cart delay systems, and leisure suits. What a comedown for Rush to end up there.

Oh I dunno. Sounds like they were made for each other. ;D

 

[tanner]

Down here in Orlando there is:

WQTM 740 Regional Mexican
50,000 D/N very directional
WDYZ 990 Radio Disney
50,000 day, 14,000 night
WFLF 540 News/Talk
50,000 daytime good sinal in outlying areas not as good as 5,000 watt WDBO in core metro
50,000 nighttime WDBO better signal

 

[tanner]

Great thread, but I jsut discovered it because of the Top 10 posting. You should redirect it to DX and reception.

 

[ALRocker]

and thw winner is, drum roll please, WCPC in Houston, Ms.

 

[tomservo]

and thw winner is, drum roll please, WCPC in Houston, Ms.

Not only is it an incredible waste of power, but that power doesn't really get out that well. And how the heck did a town of a few thousand get a 50kw daytime station at 940? :

 

[CW]

...keep that radio tuned right there.

Funny you mentioned that. KTRH, according to the announcers, stands for "Keep Tuned Right Here." (I can't listen anymore. ) It is just a waste of Houston's only 50 kw station. It is essentialy a clone of KPRC (talk-radio) and KBME (sports station). It barely has any news except for headlines at the hour and half-hour or breaking news and it is mostly talk that dominates the schedule. Recently they cemented KTRH's talk radio status by moving Rush from KPRC to midday on KTRH. All they need to do now is to move Sean back to KTRH with all three hours of his show and they've done it. They still can legitimately call themselves NewsRadio since this is the only radio station in town that has anchors or reporters.

However, KTRH is NOT Houston only 50KW AM......50KW 24/7 yes....but there are two 50kw daytimers.....

ANY AM not playing music and feeding RUSH to the masses in my book is a waste of a 50KW AM and in Dallas, 1190 is definitely a waste of 50KW daytime.....the former MIGHTY KLIF in the Top40 heydays..

At least WLS sounded good again on Memorial Day.......

 

[davideduardo]

and thw winner is, drum roll please, WCPC in Houston, Ms.

Not only is it an incredible waste of power, but that power doesn't really get out that well. And how the heck did a town of a few thousand get a 50kw daytime station at 940? :

Robin Mathis put on several of these 50 kw day and 250 or 500 watt night stations. Houston, MS, on 940 was another. They all covered densely populated rural areas so the overall population they served was quite high... and a daytimer in the deep south does not sign on as late as or sign off as early as a northern daytimer.

 

[davideduardo]

and in Dallas, 1190 is definitely a waste of 50KW daytime.....the former MIGHTY KLIF in the Top40 heydays..

KLIF originated when Dallas and Ft. Worth were separate markets. KLIF covered Dallas pretty well in the 50's and 60's with its quirky dual sites and thin night pattern. When the two markets became one, KLIF became yet another AM with inadequate metro coverage.

 

[CW]

and in Dallas, 1190 is definitely a waste of 50KW daytime.....the former MIGHTY KLIF in the Top40 heydays..

KLIF originated when Dallas and Ft. Worth were separate markets. KLIF covered Dallas pretty well in the 50's and 60's with its quirky dual sites and thin night pattern. When the two markets became one, KLIF became yet another AM with inadequate metro coverage.

Oh I know all that, David....I USED to take care of the 2 sites and that wonderful 12 tower monster in Rockwall; ran the night site pattern with the FIM for Randy Michaels one time after he was in Dallas and was complaining of hearing it in his hotel room (HELLO! a night signal through steel and concrete on a table top radio??? He must have been drinking heavy that night!)...STILL right on target in the main lobe...the levels were as they were recorded in the project book by Carl Jones and company decades ago! NOW as to the NULLS, thats another issue ....read ALL the history there at the site too.......(as well as repaired the Gates 5 after a lightning shot and let the Continental Ampliphase run for several weeks)...When they switched at night, the jocks would say "Goodbye Fort Worth (switch) Hello Abilene!!

 

[oldies5161]

WPGC Morningside, MD(Washington, DC)

 

[oldies5161]

ANY AM not playing music and feeding RUSH to the masses in my book is a waste of a 50KW AM


What would you prefer? Air America?? :

 

[oldies5161]

KPTK-AM 1090 Seattle. Once the mighty KING-AM (top-40, then full service gold -A/C, then local talk, then classic country). These legendary calls have been reduced to a shadow of their former self by becoming the local outlet for Air America. Not ONE local person appears at anytime on this signal save for the Metro Traffic reporter. Nice job, CBS!


Air America wont last long on that station. It doesnt last long anywhere. ;D

 

[CW]

ANY AM not playing music and feeding RUSH to the masses in my book is a waste of a 50KW AM


What would you prefer? Air America?? :

Didnt say that...just cant stand Rush Loudmouth......never have...

 

[oldies5161]

Didnt say that...just cant stand Rush Loudmouth


Who are conservative talk show hosts you like?

 

[CW]

Didnt say that...just cant stand Rush Loudmouth


Who are conservative talk show hosts you like?

Few actually...and I dont care for liberal talk either......I prefer music


NOW as to wasted 50KW AMs........would be nice to hear MUSIC or LOCAL programming back on them......but most 50KWers arent doing that....the have syndicated sat feed stuff....KTRH in Houston slashed their news staff to minimum....during storms, etc you hardly hear an EAS if you are lucky....(and thats all Ive got to say about that :

 

[davideduardo]

WPGC Morningside, MD(Washington, DC)

It´s a daytimer for all prasctical purposes and, at 1580, is the equivalent of about 4 kw to 5 kw on 550. Being a 50 kw station aboove 1500 is pretty much like being a much lower powerd station below 1200.

 

[CW]

WPGC Morningside, MD(Washington, DC)

It´s a daytimer for all prasctical purposes and, at 1580, is the equivalent of about 4 kw to 5 kw on 550. Being a 50 kw station aboove 1500 is pretty much like being a much lower powerd station below 1200.

EHHH WLAC in Nashville at 50KW sure lays a nice signal all over the Southern US...it doesnt sound like a much lower power station to me

 

[8638]

WPGC Morningside, MD(Washington, DC)

It´s a daytimer for all prasctical purposes and, at 1580, is the equivalent of about 4 kw to 5 kw on 550. Being a 50 kw station aboove 1500 is pretty much like being a much lower powerd station below 1200.

All true. It has always been interesting to me that this former daytimer, licensed for 10 kw at the time, was once Washington's Top 40 WPGC! Not what you'd call the best AM signal in the District, then or now. I know they simulcasted on 95.5, but, in the early days, who listened to that?

 

[davideduardo]

EHHH WLAC in Nashville at 50KW sure lays a nice signal all over the Southern US...it doesnt sound like a much lower power station to me

That's at night. Daytime, the station barely covers the metro, and at night, it misses some of it due to the directionality. Skywave coveerage today is irrelevant, as essentially nobody listens to out of market sttions and advertisers have no interest in out of market signals.

 

[tomservo]

EHHH WLAC in Nashville at 50KW sure lays a nice signal all over the Southern US...it doesnt sound like a much lower power station to me

That's at night. Daytime, the station barely covers the metro, and at night, it misses some of it due to the directionality. Skywave coveerage today is irrelevant, as essentially nobody listens to out of market sttions and advertisers have no interest in out of market signals.

I used to listen to tons of skywave at night when travelling because it was the only way to hang on to Coast to Coast AM. WLAC, for whatever reason, was usually the most solid in the SE at night of the many choices.

That being said, XM has now replaced skywave.

And I'll second WLAC's daytime coverage. I was shocked to discover this "big" nighttime station was very spotty in the southern suburbs like Franklin. The last time I was up there my car radio's amplified antenna had cut out and 1510's signal was completely gone just 2 miles from the tower. ;D