WCMT-AM has FM translator now?

[firepoint525]

I noticed from looking at WCMT's website that their AM station, "1410 your best friend," now has an FM repeater at 100.5. I've also noticed that their sister station, WCDZ Oldies 95.1 also has a translator at 102.9.

Isn't this confusing for listeners since Mix 101.3 is also WCMT-FM? WCMT might be the first station that has an AM and FM with the same call letters that also has its AM repeated on FM. Not only that, these two are relatively close on the dial (100.5 and 101.3). This might be especially confusing for anyone who still has a radio with an analog dial on it.

Where (geographically) are these translators located? Where are they broadcasting from, and who are they trying to reach? I'm guessing that 100.5 is there just to give the AM station a presence on the FM dial, and the ability to be heard better at night, but what gives with 102.9? Where is this one located? The coverage maps on their site do not give any clues as to what increased coverage their signals are getting from these new translators. And I haven't lived in west Tennessee for many years, so the only way that I can find out is to ask here.

 

[anotherguyTN]

I don't know about the locations, but the translator for 100.5 was bought from WAY-FM. It was supposed to be a translator for them, but for whatever reason they sold it and the translator they had planned for Jackson on 94.1. It was bought by Forever and is retransmitting WYNU 92.3, which is totally useless. I would have thought they would use it for WTJS 1390, but now they're retransmitting it on 105.3.

WAY-FM selling off the translator in Martin wasn't so bad because they already had one in Union City that comes in OK at Martin. However I wish they had used the translator in Jackson instead of selling it off. It's just being wasted carrying 92.3 since it really doesn't improve the coverage area.

 

[J-Rod]

Don't bother trying to figure out what Forever is doing with repeaters. it'll change in a few weeks anyway... who knows maybe Gregg has something up his sleeve.

as for WCMT... There maybe some confusion, but most people in Martin know that station so well only the college kids will be confused.

after all they are a "NAB Crystal Award Winner"

but if you are still curious, give Paul a call, he's always willing to brag on his stations a bit. and tell him "Jared says Hi."

 

[w9wi]

Where (geographically) are these translators located? Where are they broadcasting from, and who are they trying to reach?

Both translators are on the AM tower at 36-21-45N/88-50-57W. That's also where WCMT-FM was when it was on 101.7.

 

[PedroOrange]

I honestly don't get the Mix 101.3 format. Exactly what format are they? The playlist is all over the place. I understand "mix"ing it up, but I'm hearing songs that weren't hits or even in the Top 10. Who's programming that station?

PeDrO

 

[firepoint525]

Some good replies, so far. Thanks for all the information. I will try to address all of you with one reply here.

I agree that 92.3 has a good signal all over west Tennessee, so a repeater for them seems unnecessary. I once picked them up all the way to Dickson.

I'm not sure that college kids even listen to WCMT. They didn't when I was there. WCMT-FM's ("True Gold 102" and "Oldies 102" at the time) had a "Solid Gold Weekend" that even then was a joke. Nothing more recent than 1963 or so, and this was in the late '80s/early '90s! This music was even older than the students there at the time!

No thanks on calling Paul. I want unbiased information! ;D

Isn't there a website that I can plug in the latitude and longitude info, and it will give me a map and tell me where that is? Based on what you've told me, I'm assuming that this is directly behind their studios. The coverage maps on their website appear to be from radio-locater, or something like that.

Unless they are broadcasting online, I can't listen to them, thus can't comment on their format. If they are still doing "good times in the morning," I suppose you can now listen to them on two almost adjacent frequencies on the FM dial there in northwest Tennessee now.

 

[anotherguyTN]

I don't listen to them other than to occasionally land on them flipping across the dial, but I think 1410 is mostly news/talk now.

 

[w9wi]

Isn't there a website that I can plug in the latitude and longitude info, and it will give me a map and tell me where that is? Based on what you've told me, I'm assuming that this is directly behind their studios. The coverage maps on their website appear to be from radio-locater, or something like that.

http://www.fcc.gov/mb/audio/fmq.html

Plug in the call letters, you get a screen listing the various facilities that station has had. Click on one of the call-letter entries (one that specifies 101.7, since again the tower moved when they changed frequency) and you get more details. Including three links to maps of the tower site at three different "zooms".

 

[firepoint525]

I found this, but I had to plug in 101.3 to get it.

http://www.fcc.gov/fcc-bin/FMTV-service-area?x=FS1050236.html

 

[PedroOrange]

Unless they are broadcasting online, I can't listen to them, thus can't comment on their format. If they are still doing "good times in the morning," I suppose you can now listen to them on two almost adjacent frequencies on the FM dial there in northwest Tennessee now.

They aren't broadcasting online. I would think that they would program a mix of hit songs. I swear, I heard a Christmas song during the 5:00 drive home on Friday.

There doesn't seem to be any consistency in programming and it needs a little work.

PeDrO

 

[J-Rod]

ha ha, Paul's info might be a little bias... I agree...

The Am tower, is directly behind the Studios, I'm not sure about any of the FM's.

I haven't been able to listen to them since I moved from Martin, but the programming was decent when Paul's son was diong it, I'm not sure who is there now.

As for the college students, no they don't listen to it... but most of the "home-town old folks" do.

you've got to admit though, Paul keeps it local.

when I was there 1410 was a "full service" station. Mostly news/talk... but with music on weekends, along with church programs, and Good times with Chris and Paul in the mornings.

That's about all I can remember. Except that Stu was one of the most fun people I've ever worked with.

 

[PedroOrange]

you've got to admit though, Paul keeps it local.

I agree...he's very involved in the community.

PeDrO

 

[firepoint525]

Unless they are broadcasting online, I can't listen to them, thus can't comment on their format. If they are still doing "good times in the morning," I suppose you can now listen to them on two almost adjacent frequencies on the FM dial there in northwest Tennessee now.

They aren't broadcasting online. I would think that they would program a mix of hit songs. I swear, I heard a Christmas song during the 5:00 drive home on Friday.

There doesn't seem to be any consistency in programming and it needs a little work.

PeDrO

Hey, Pedro, if you live in the area, could you listen to them for maybe an hour or so (or at the very least, a half-hour) and post a list of the songs they play, on this site for us here? You have got my curiosity going here! I'd like to see a sample of their playlist.

 

[firepoint525]

ha ha, Paul's info might be a little bias... I agree...

The Am tower, is directly behind the Studios, I'm not sure about any of the FM's.

I haven't been able to listen to them since I moved from Martin, but the programming was decent when Paul's son was diong it, I'm not sure who is there now.

As for the college students, no they don't listen to it... but most of the "home-town old folks" do.

you've got to admit though, Paul keeps it local.

when I was there 1410 was a "full service" station. Mostly news/talk... but with music on weekends, along with church programs, and Good times with Chris and Paul in the mornings.

That's about all I can remember. Except that Stu was one of the most fun people I've ever worked with.

I am guessing that by the time you were there, they were no longer programming WCMT-FM with those automated reel-to-teel tape decks! ;D

 

[PedroOrange]

Hey, Pedro, if you live in the area, could you listen to them for maybe an hour or so (or at the very least, a half-hour) and post a list of the songs they play, on this site for us here? You have got my curiosity going here! I'd like to see a sample of their playlist.

Yeah, I'll try to remember what I hear.

I've heard "Wishing I Was There" by Natalie Imbruglia at least 3 times over the past month. Don't get me wrong, I like that song, but it wasn't a top 10 hit or near the success of Torn.

Chris and Paul kind of annoyed me when I first starting listening in the morning, but now, they've grown on me. They really aren't organized and go "off-the-cuff" for most of the show. Sometimes that kind of thing works and sometimes it doesn't.

In my professional opinion, the station needs a little bit of structure. But, Paul may like the way things are set up. I don't know what the ratings are like for his stations or stations in that area, but he seems to be doing well financially...at least it seems that way.

PeDrO

 

[AMERICA]

This is all interesting about translators..
WCMT now owns three or maybe four.. one is duplicating WCMT AM while the others are duplicating present programming.. they are all on their one tower (see the FCC longitude/lattitude)

Those who know the ownership know that they have been upgrading everything they get. This was once a single station outfit but has now grown to 8 fm channels with those translators! They bought the Union City FM stations a couple of years ago and put up a new building.

All those stations are local.. I think.. maybe some automomation or satellite. they may or may not be number one but they still have local folks running the radio stations and they still do local news and high school sports and they must make money or they wouldn't be able to do some of the things they do.. Some of thier employees have been with them for years but they hire college kids with no radio experience. The morning show is like a town hall meeting each day and its a program that has a bunch of listeners....yea they are off the cuff sometimes .. They have a talk show too and have Limbaugh and Shawn Hannity

 

[PedroOrange]

All those stations are local.. I think.. maybe some automomation or satellite. they may or may not be number one but they still have local folks running the radio stations and they still do local news and high school sports and they must make money or they wouldn't be able to do some of the things they do.. Some of thier employees have been with them for years but they hire college kids with no radio experience. The morning show is like a town hall meeting each day and its a program that has a bunch of listeners....yea they are off the cuff sometimes .. They have a talk show too and have Limbaugh and Shawn Hannity

I know there has to be some voice-tracking going on. KYTN is live in the morning, but there is a syndicated morning show on "The Duck".

There are local people working at the station, but like you said, they are college kids or fresh out of school and probably being paid next to nothing.

You did make a good analogy though...Chris and Paul's show is like a town hall meeting. Local people are talked about and local people call in...it's nice to see that radio can still be local.

Hailey in Union City/Paris is local too, but needs to work on extending that a little bit. However, Hailey's stations are more structured and he runs a tighter board.

PeDrO

 

[J-Rod]

Yes the posts are right, Paul does hire college kids, I was one of them. I worked as Part-time news Director over a summer and a little bit during the year. I had been doing some Board-op work in Jackson up til then, and Paul gave me my first on-Air. Pay wasn't great, but it was better the minimum wage, college students are supposed to be broke, aren't they. I had some good times (pun intended) working there.

 

[firepoint525]

I know there has to be some voice-tracking going on. KYTN is live in the morning, but there is a syndicated morning show on "The Duck".

Do you have any idea why they went back to calling themselves KYTN? I know they changed their call letters to WYVY a few years ago, and their nickname (at least briefly) to Y-105. What happened? Did that not "take"? And interestingly enough, with "the Duck," they could still keep their old call letters there (WQAK), because those worked for their old format (the "Quake") and for the "Duck"! ("quack" ;D)

There are local people working at the station, but like you said, they are college kids or fresh out of school and probably being paid next to nothing.

Just don't be salaried, or you WILL make nothing!

You did make a good analogy though...Chris and Paul's show is like a town hall meeting. Local people are talked about and local people call in...it's nice to see that radio can still be local.

The name "good times in the morning" was a bit of a joke! I can't help but wonder if it was a takeoff on "good times and great oldies," which nearly ALL oldies stations (including Oldies 102) started doing back about that time.

Hailey in Union City/Paris is local too, but needs to work on extending that a little bit. However, Hailey's stations are more structured and he runs a tighter board.

I would definitely agree with that. The Union City/Paris arrangement is an interesting setup, because they are just far enough apart (two counties, about an hour away from each other) that whenever I hear a spot or a news story, I obviously immediately know which market it is intended for. The simulcast is better than what they were doing individually before, because they were already playing the same songs at the same time over both stations anyway. (Hailey also wanted to buy SL-100 back in the '80s, but I don't think Maxey would have ever sold to him. And I don't think northwest Tennessee needed another KF-99 clone anyway! :) With this current arrangement, they have Thunderbolt sandwiched in between in Weakley County. That may be why Paul bought the other Union City stations.

Do you know anything about what Paul's plans are for the Union City stations? I can't find out much about them because their website (www.obioncountyradio.com) is still down, and of course, Thunderbolt is not broadcasting online. I am especially curious about the move of the studios to the new location. Did they outgrow the old studios on First Street? Or are they planning some expansions soon? Or maybe they were looking for a more secluded, more private location. I personally always preferred working at radio stations that were not too accessible to the general public. I had enough weirdoes calling me on the phone! I certainly didn't like them just walking in off the street into our studios!

 

[AMERICA]

The Duck station and kytn were moved when the new building went up because they lost the lease and the studios are very nice..better than most stations you'll find in a small market around here. I saw there was an opening for an assistant manager.. it's on the TAB website. The only way for small stations to pay more is to charge more money for spots. But some of the Jackson stations are still giving away their time. Anyone who has been in radio can appreciate working in a small station for minimum wage..because it gives you a start in radio...and we all have to start some where.