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WDIS/1170

DG02816 said:
When I worked at 990 in its WEAN days, Grady told me the station would have a much better signal if it could be moved to the Centredale section of N. Providence, drop power to 10 kW, with a 4-tower array in the shape of a square.
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That was presumably before the ill-advised change of COL to Greenville?

Even if you could somehow overcome the NIMBY objections that would surely result from any new site in urbanized greater Providence, there's nothing you could build there that would city-grade Greenville day and night...and you can't (wait, gotta stifle a giggle here) remove the valuable "first local service" to Greenville, because...

Sorry, even I can't keep a straight face on THAT argument....but there are some bureaucrats in Washington who'd be glad to do so.
 
Correct, Scott. This was in 1988; I was overnight guy, and the place was running 500 watts at night.
 
reelyreal said:
People who heard the 990 signal when it was brand spankin' new in the early 60's said the signal was piss poor. Lack of maintenance only worsened an already terrible signal. Ground conductivity definitely plays a role.

It should also be noted that while great hypothetical situations, NOTHING at the current 990 site can or should be salvaged. a 50+ year old ground system, 50+ year old towers, with a 50+ year old phasor in a 50+ year old building with a 30+ year old transmitter, and none of it has been maintained properly?

(I'd also like to note that the blame lies squarely on the owners, even engineering whiz Grady Moates couldn't turn things around with no budget and an already deteriorated site.)

I would say that instead of shoe-horning in WDIS anywhere, it may serve it's greatest benefit by turning it's license in. Less noise for the rest of the stations, ones that may be viable with their current facilities. Anybody here willing to mortgage everything they own to build an AM site in 2012?
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990 had a 5.1 share with Music of Your Life back in the early 1980s (beating WHJJ and WSNE by the way). SOMEONE must have been able to pick them up to get that many listeners! This was with the original RCA Ampliphase transmitter no less.
 
990's highest yearly average share was a 4.9 for the year 1981, but by '86 they were down to a 0.8.

That '81 high share was also only good enough for 6th in the market. They had less than half the share of beautiful music WLKW-FM, plus lost significantly to market powerhouses WPRO AM/FM, essentially tied with whatever 790 was running at the time, and lost to JB105 and 94 HJY. Even with a solid share, they were still an also-ran.

People found the signal, but that was during a much more quiet time in terms of extra RF.
 
So...the question(s) become: Can stations like 1170 and 990 be saved?....and....Are stations like 1170 and 990 WORTH saving?

If it's a question of "critical mass"...perhaps 1170 wouldn't make any economic sense for anyone to try to revive....too small to survive.

For 990...in spite of the enormous technical challenges involved....(read $$$$$$)....it might still be worth somebody's while to attempt a rescue...

There's still the potential to reach a sizeable population. After all...in the 40 plus miles between the infamous "transmitter site from HELL" and the Atlantic ocean...there's still almost all of Rhode Island, and most of Bristol County MA.

I think the critical mass is still there...but would anyone be willing to endure the pain in the neck (and other body parts)...of a total re-build?....and for how much potential ROI??
 
At this point, wouldn't the paper be more valuable to co-channel and adjacent stations? If I were a relatively successful AM station owner, I certainly wouldn't mind seeing money pits like WDIS and WALE going away forever to reduce the interference to my successful station.

I think the time for some of these daytimers and signals that are really shoehorned in has passed.
 
The land that 990 is on is probably worth more than the signal itself.

Nobody knows it's there, it's a station without a heritage. Never mind the poor signal. 50kW aimed at the Bahamas.
 
Hi everyone...I know I'm not supposed to post in a thread that hasn't been active in several weeks, but I just wanted to say that WDIS is still operational. We do have a daytime-only signal, and we are only 1000 watts, but we do have a small but loyal listenership online and in the local area. AM radio is definitely a tough industry to be in, but we are surviving, for now. I would be happy to answer any questions you may have.
 
wdishound said:
Hi everyone...I know I'm not supposed to post in a thread that hasn't been active in several weeks, but I just wanted to say that WDIS is still operational. We do have a daytime-only signal, and we are only 1000 watts, but we do have a small but loyal listenership online and in the local area. AM radio is definitely a tough industry to be in, but we are surviving, for now. I would be happy to answer any questions you may have.
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Thank you for your posting "wdishound". It's good to know that WDIS/1170 is back up and running again. Hang in there and good luck to you all at WDIS.
 
Nice to know it's still alive despite very big obstacles. Best of luck.

wdishound said:
Hi everyone...I know I'm not supposed to post in a thread that hasn't been active in several weeks, but I just wanted to say that WDIS is still operational. We do have a daytime-only signal, and we are only 1000 watts, but we do have a small but loyal listenership online and in the local area. AM radio is definitely a tough industry to be in, but we are surviving, for now. I would be happy to answer any questions you may have.
Click to expand...
 
wdishound said:
Hi everyone...I know I'm not supposed to post in a thread that hasn't been active in several weeks, but I just wanted to say that WDIS is still operational.
Click to expand...

There's nothing wrong with that. Sometimes people on these boards dredge up threads that have not been posted in for several years. Best of luck with WDIS!
 
Hi all. Sorry to revive an old thread. Just an update.
WDIS is currently off the air again and is for sale. The building it is in has been condemned.
My question is, assuming somebody has the money to fix the building, could the station move to 570 on the dial and have a power increase to 5,000 watts (and could remain on at night)?
 
Unregistered said:
WDIS is currently off the air again and is for sale. The building it is in has been condemned.
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Greetings...

I just visited the former WDIS/WJCC/WJMQ radio shack and it's not looking too good.
The 1 KW solid state transmitter is still there, but all of the original broadcast equipment is gone.
Inside, it appears as though the occupants just walked out the front door leaving everything behind.

The two antennas are still standing tall and the aircraft warning lights are working.
The antenna behind the building appears to be used as a commercial cel tower.

It saddens me to see the condition it's in today compared with the days when I worked there in the 80's as WJMQ.

Click this thumbnail for a larger photo.....

WDIS 2014.jpg

<>
 
As someone who was, literally, 'present at the creation,' it was sad to watch the old station twist slowly in the wind.

Regards,
TSB
 
The Radio Station formerly known as WJMQ/WJCC/WDIS at 1170KHz is gone.
Not only is it officially off the air, but the WDIS callsign has been reassigned to an FM station and the building has been torn down. It was deemed unsafe due to neglect for many years and is just an empty gravel covered lot.
The 2 directional antennas are still there, but one is used as a cel phone tower.
So sad to see another small-town radio station fade away.

I enjoyed my time on the air for WJMQ when it was thriving back in the 80's.
Remote broadcasts were always fun handing out bumper stickers and T-Shirts.
Many on-air talent got their start at WJMQ and went on to become quite successful.

Dick Peters - "The Oldies Show".

DSCN9258 (Custom).jpgDSCN9257 (Custom).jpgDSCN9261 (Custom).JPG
 
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