WECO power increase..

[knoxbob]

WECO in Wartburg has applied to go to class C2 status. 10kw @ current antenna location. Increasing height by several feet. Interesting...Why do they need the extra power?

 

[gr8oldies]

My hunch is to ward off nearby translators. They have listeners who commute from the Wartburg area to Oak Ridge and still like to listen to the station.

 

[knoxbob]

That was might thought also, if it gets approved their HAAT should be 1100 feet pushing and little over 10KW. They should boom into Knoxville.

 

[BRH]

Hmm, wonder what kind of coverage a C2 would throw over Knoxville from there. Would it be enough to be considered as a possible Knoxville move-in & snapped up by one of the big 3 groups?

 

[gr8oldies]

I don't look for it. Stranger things have happened though

 

[ThomasFoolery]

If WECO sells, this would make a nice addition for the Alperts. 104.9 sounds good and could benefit from the added coverage.

 

[94 Country DJ]

Needless to say, I've got a lot of interest in this one as I worked at WECO for 19 years. It'll take a good bit of doing. First WSGS. Hazard KY will have to be downgraded to C0. Might not be a problem there as that's what they're actually operating at now, having never been above 1478 feet HAAT. But a couple of translators will be a bigger issue. Meredith is running one on 101.1 in Clinton relaying WYSH, and Blount Broadcasting recently added a translator for WKVL-850 Maryville (move from Knoxville) on 101.3. I'm sure Ex Knight would be glad to get rid of those two guys. Will be interesting to see what kind of coverage they would get at 10.5 kW. I've heard them in Sevierville on my Dodge truck radio, although the signal wasn't good. WIVK and WCYQ can't be happy about this.

 

[gr8oldies]

I don't see WECO moving in and being the 5th Country format in Knoxville (which is why 104.9 went for broke and flipped to oldies). If WECO gets approval for the upgrade, the translators have to move, period.