WFNW/Naugatuck's cool website

[mikedow]

I don't speak Spanish well enough to understand this, but the flash opening to WFNW's website is the oddest, most unusual, and funniest I've ever heard. Has anybody ever heard the station? Is the website indicative of what they do?

Mike


http://www.galaxia1380.com

 

[MarcB]

No. In fact the station sounds like crap. Like they're broadcasting over a phone line. Their studios are in an office building on Grand Street in Waterbury.

 

[BlackiesHotDogs]

Sounds like someone got a new SFX Library and used every bit of it! And the Grand Street studios I'm sure are a step up from the 3 Bedroom ranch on Millane Lane in Naugy!

 

[bub]

Sounds like someone got a new SFX Library and used every bit of it! And the Grand Street studios I'm sure are a step up from the 3 Bedroom ranch on Millane Lane in Naugy!

Isn't that where the transmitter stick is?

Where's 14-NVR when you need it?

 

[Bill-in-CT]

And the Grand Street studios I'm sure are a step up from the 3 Bedroom ranch on Millane Lane in Naugy!

Isn't that where the transmitter stick is?

Where's 14-NVR when you need it?

WNVR's house on Millane Lane was next to the tower site. Two separately owned pieces of land for building and transmitter. The house later was or is used for a children's day care.

The station was originally a daytimer on 860, and the middle tower was added for 1380 in 1968. The station is 5k days directional towards Waterbury, and 500 watts at night.

I would like to know which building they are in on Grand Street? WBRY was originally on Grand.

 

[MarcB]

I would like to know which building they are in on Grand Street? WBRY was originally on Grand.

182 Grand Street. 182 is The Grand Professional Building. BTW when you look up WFNW on Yellowpages.Com is comes up as 40 Mallane Lane, Naugatuck, CT which as you guys just said is their tower site.

 

[BlackiesHotDogs]

WNVR's house on Millane Lane was next to the tower site. Two separately owned pieces of land for building and transmitter. The house later was or is used for a children's day care.

Oh if that daycare only knew what went on in that building.... not as infamous as the 'Orange Couch' at WWCO, but impressive nonetheless.

 

[mikedow]

I liked the studios on Millane Lane. I’ve certainly worked at a lot worse. The on-air studio, production room and newsroom were above average, there was room for parking. Even the offices were quite nice. Compare that to the WQQW studios at the top of Boyden Street, or WLAD in the middle of elderly housing, or WNTY next to the junkyard.

 

[MarcB]

or WNTY next to the junkyard.

LOL. During my time there Charlie told me he called the cops numerous times to report suspicious activity at the junkyard. He called it looking out for his neighbors and hoped they would do the same if there was suspicious activity going on at the radio station while he or any other staff member wasn't there. It's all wilderness in the back of that station. I remember Charlie telling me he saw a deer on more than one occasion in the wilderness in the back of the station. There are still wild animal out that way to this day. The old aptly named love seat is still sitting behind the dumpster (more than 2 1/2 years after it was thrown out) and it looks like wild animals attacked the love seat.

 

[RonTheEngineer]

I don't speak Spanish well enough to understand this, but the flash opening to WFNW's website is the oddest, most unusual, and funniest I've ever heard. Has anybody ever heard the station? Is the website indicative of what they do?

Mike


http://www.galaxia1380.com

Reminds me of this... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ws58s9wzYsA

Weenie and the Butt in the mornings!

 

[bub]

I liked the studios on Millane Lane. I’ve certainly worked at a lot worse. The on-air studio, production room and newsroom were above average, there was room for parking. Even the offices were quite nice. Compare that to the WQQW studios at the top of Boyden Street, or WLAD in the middle of elderly housing, or WNTY next to the junkyard.

I never worked at Millane Lane, WLAD or Boyden Street but I can recall going into 'QQ's studios at Broadcast Center after they went dark. What a sad site.

WNTY, aka "Cinderblock Central": Granted, it was a plain ole' single-level cinderblock shack with no frills and nothing star-spangled but that was pretty much what I expected when I walked in the first time. I had no illusions about the place going in, it was what it was...and I was there on and off for 5-1/2 years so it wasn't all that bad.

or WNTY next to the junkyard.

LOL. During my time there Charlie told me he called the cops numerous times to report suspicious activity at the junkyard. He called it looking out for his neighbors and hoped they would do the same if there was suspicious activity going on at the radio station while he or any other staff member wasn't there. It's all wilderness in the back of that station. I remember Charlie telling me he saw a deer on more than one occasion in the wilderness in the back of the station. There are still wild animal out that way to this day. The old aptly named love seat is still sitting behind the dumpster (more than 2 1/2 years after it was thrown out) and it looks like wild animals attacked the love seat.

Like other radio stations, WNTY had it's fair share of shady characters who would grace WNTY with their presence and I worked with a few of them. Yet, in all the time I was at Cinderblock Central in Southington, we never called the cops once for anything and we never recalled ANY suspicious activity at the scrapyard next door. Seeing how WNTY came out in the years after I left, I wouldn't be at all surprised if after the first few calls, the police basically ignored you guys and the "neighbors" preferred that you folks at the station would think better and MYOB. To the best of my knowledge, the only police activity we ever had at the station occured when the burglar alarm went off only because we had staff members (shady or otherwise) who couldn't remember the codes to disarm it. After a while, we just never set it. We just locked up the joint when we were done and that was the end of it.

I know I'm digressing from WFNW but FWIW, this month marks WNTY/WXCT's 40th Anniversary since the first sign on in 1969. Party at MarcB's house. Franks and Beans will be served.

 

[MarcB]

I know I'm digressing from WFNW but FWIW, this month marks WNTY/WXCT's 40th Anniversary since the first sign on in 1969. Party at MarcB's house. Franks and Beans will be served.

Ha-ha. We (Charlie and I) were planning the 35th Birthday Party for the station when Peter Arpin sold the station to DMG in 04. We were told they wouldn't take over the station until August, but they took over at the end of April 04, so there went the 35th Birthday party. What we did have was what turned out to be a Farewell WXCT Breakfast. About 65-70 of us crowded into that Cinder Block building that Good Friday Morning. Pancakes, eggs, and bacon made by Angelina Santa Maria who owned Twice As Nice Children's Consignment Shoppe which was a sponsor of the radio station. I was sporting an Xact Radio 990 The X hat which I had purchased from the station's CAFE PRESS STORE and what irritated me and Charlie both was the fact that not one of the party guest's asked where they could get a hat. Morning Man Thom Morgan's teenage nephew was there that morning. While Thom was out of the studio mingling with the guests and a CD was playing over the air Thom's nephew said to me "I would love to go over there right now and start fiddling with those buttons and levers (referring to the board). I said to him "Look kid, if you so much as breath on the board let alone touch the board you're uncle and me will both kick your butt."

 

[bub]

What we did have was what turned out to be a Farewell WXCT Breakfast. About 65-70 of us crowded into that Cinder Block building that Good Friday Morning. Pancakes, eggs, and bacon made by Angelina Santa Maria who owned Twice As Nice Children's Consignment Shoppe which was a sponsor of the radio station.

They just came for the free food.

I was sporting an Xact Radio 990 The X hat which I had purchased from the station's CAFE PRESS STORE and what irritated me and Charlie both was the fact that not one of the party guest's asked where they could get a hat.

Oh Yeah! Like there was going to be a hue-and-cry for WXCT hats and t-shirts. Like there was going to be a run on hats and t-shirts from "just another radio station." Again, they just came for the free food. If anything, they probably complained that there wasn't enough food. Did you at least have coffee, tea and OJ?

Morning Man Thom Morgan's teenage nephew was there that morning. While Thom was out of the studio mingling with the guests and a CD was playing over the air Thom's nephew said to me "I would love to go over there right now and start fiddling with those buttons and levers (referring to the board). I said to him "Look kid, if you so much as breath on the board let alone touch the board you're uncle and me will both kick your butt."

And that's WXCT in a nutshell without the shell.
Xact Radio 990, The X? More like "990, The Junior Varsity." :

 

[MarcB]

If anything, they probably complained that there wasn't enough food. Did you at least have coffee, tea and OJ?

Yeah there was coffee, tea, and OJ. In fact coffee was an important part of the morning show. Every morning Thom and his co-host (Kurt Schmiede sp?) would do an on-air coffee slurp. Kurt was based in the news-studio. One morning (and I was not there to witness it, I didn't "work" there everyday) Kurt somehow managed to spray his coffee all over the window that seperates the 2 studios. That lived on in station promos for the morning show. Of course the coffee had to be made with Poland Spring Water because the tap water at the station is not safe to drink.


BTW, the Ft. Myer's oldies station that picked up the WNTY call letters flipped from Oldies to talk, simulcasting an AMer. Not sure if they're gonna dump the WNTY calls. See the Tampa/St. Petes Board for that one.

 

[bub]

Coffee was an important part of the morning show. Every morning...would do an on-air coffee slurp. One morning (and I was not there to witness it, I didn't "work" there everyday) ...somehow managed to spray his coffee all over the window that seperates the 2 studios. That lived on in station promos for the morning show. Of course the coffee had to be made with Poland Spring Water because the tap water at the station is not safe to drink.

I understand the current owners over there are doing something similar on their format...2 variations in fact. One is called chirping crickets. The other is called dead air. ;D

 

[Bill-in-CT]

Oh if that daycare only knew what went on in that building.... not as infamous as the 'Orange Couch' at WWCO, but impressive nonetheless.

A couch in the bomb shelter had to be thrown out when WTBY became WQQW.

Someone also told me about the time WADS had to throw out a couch at the transmitter site.

 

[MarcB]

I understand the current owners over there are doing something similar on their format...2 variations in fact. One is called chirping crickets. The other is called dead air. ;D

The place is for sale. $800k for it. $800k for a station that's essentially a daytimer. The 2500 watts during the day goes out far, but that 80 watts at nite barely gets out 5 miles. My father says someone will buy it for $800K. He said someone (Peter Arprin) was willing to pay $850K iirc in 1999 and someone (DMG current owners) was willing to pay $1.4 mil in 2004 so someone will definatly pay $800K for it in 2009. (or 2010). Of course if the owner is a independent owner who wants to settle down in the area not only will he have to shell out $800K for the station but he'll also have to shell out an additonal $300K to buy a decent house in Southington.

Bringing this back to 1380 AM it's interesting to find out how may of the big names in radio got their start at small stations like WNVQ, WBIS, WADS, WNTY, etc, etc, etc.

 

[bub]

The 2500 watts during the day goes out far, but that 80 watts at nite barely gets out 5 miles.

I know. I used to work there, remember? I've picked up the station in my car radio in New York City and Springfield, Massachusetts at 2500 watts. 990 is a good frequency. I was there in the Summer of '94 when we were operating temporarily at 500 watts on just one tower after a bolt of lightning struck the other tower one Sunday during a violent storm and it was coming in pretty good in my hometown during the day. We didn't get the station back on to 2500 watts until the insurance check came in to pay for the repairs.

I was there during the field measurements when the station was in the process of converting from 5 watts ("flea power") to 80 watts. There are actually parts of Southington where you can't pick up the night signal at 80 watts. There was a CP at one point for an upgrade (if you want to call it that) to 120 watts but it was believed at the time the upgrade would have cost more than $10K so it was scrapped and the CP expired.

The place is for sale. $800k for it. $800k for a station that's essentially a daytimer. My father says someone will buy it for $800K. He said someone (Peter Arprin) was willing to pay $850K iirc in 1999 and someone (DMG current owners) was willing to pay $1.4 mil in 2004 so someone will definatly pay $800K for it in 2009. (or 2010).

The only assets there worth anything are the station's license, towers, building and the land. Beyond that, it's way too money for a station that hasn't had a credible air product over the last 10 years; the Sunday Italian and Polka shows notwithstanding. A lot of time, effort, money and resources would be needed just to correct all the damage.

$800,000 is way too much to shell out for damage control. It's a lot more cost effective to reset the deck chairs on The Titanic.

Bringing this back to 1380 AM...

Yeah, MarcB. Lets.

 

[bub]

Now back to the matter at hand.

Oh if that daycare only knew what went on in that building.... not as infamous as the 'Orange Couch' at WWCO, but impressive nonetheless.

A couch in the bomb shelter had to be thrown out when WTBY became WQQW.

Someone also told me about the time WADS had to throw out a couch at the transmitter site.

Curiosity is getting the best of me, sooooo...

- When did WTBY become 'QQ?
- When did Danny Stiles own the station?
- When did they first go to Boyden Street?
- When did they go to Broadcast Center?
- What was the name of the building before Broadcast Center?
- Were you referring to Boyden Street in mentioning the couch in the bomb shelter?

And, no, I'm not quizzing anyone here. I don't know the answers.

If there was a couch at the transmitter site at WADS that was way before my time. I recall going there a few times and never saw one.

 

[BlackiesHotDogs]

Sorry, bub can;t answer your questions.

I was at WNTY when it only 500 watts daytime. We could go on before sunrise and after sunset on a little, rack mounted 50 Watt transmitter, though.

As far as the NVR studios, can't agree they were 'nice' better than WQQW for sure, but the studios were all home built and kind of 'unfinished'.. lots of shag carpet and panelling in the offices. Have a lot of memories there though...