Back about 1963 or so, WGN Radio ran an ad in Brodcasting Magazine that seemed to claim that their signal on 720-AM could be heard from coast to coast. The ad said...."From the Tappan Zee (in New York State) to the Pacific Sea". Does anyone know if that was ever so? In this day of satellite radio and internet streaming audio, I've wondered if there was a radio station that was ever heard over the air coast to coast. Any ideas on WGN or anyone else?
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WGN Radio - Ever Heard Coast to Coast?
- Thread starter Cincinnati Kid
- Start date
It was deinitely true in the 60s & 70s. I received WGN, WMAQ, WBBM, & WLS all over the continental US & on both coasts. In fact in the late 70s I picked up WLS & WBBM in Hawaii.
Cincinnati Kid said:
There was W8XO. 500,000 watts day and night.
Cincinnati Kid said:
Such ads for the 25 1-A clears were very common, particulary in the 40's and early 50's in Broadcasting. Many, like ones for WSM, showed with precision for all 48 states, the mail pull of the station. We have to remember that prior to the TV era, most radio listening was at night, and there were a quarter of the stations there are today, and much less noise. So shows like the Grand Old Opry were heard in every state.
Back in that era, there were no other night signals on 720 in North America... now there are many, and the use of radio at night is the lowest of all the time periods.
livingfruitvirus said:
It's funny that what is superpower in the US is considered medium level power in Europe and Asia and the Middle East where megawatt stations are at the higher end, power wise.
P
P-R
Guest
Despite with all the electrical interferences of today...with the right conditions at night I can pick up WGN here in Central Florida using a Grundig unit in the house without external antenna and in the car. Now...I am not saying it is crystal clear...but it is listenable to a radio-geek like myself and I have a strong feeling 25 plus years ago even more so. 780-WBBM comes in sometimes too...but usually WGN is all I can pull out of the Chicago.
P-R said:
And in the other direction... on a recent trip, WGN and WBBM came in quite well on a cheap portable in a Boise, Idaho hotel room.
I do suppose crossing the last row of mountains to make that last few hundred miles to the coast could well knock these Chicago stations pretty well out - getting further into the main night lobes of KDWN and KKOH probably would be a problem as well.
In the 60s thru 80s WLS usually seemed to be the best Chicago signal going west & south.
Going east WCFL AM 1000 was the best with their directional pattern.
Going east WCFL AM 1000 was the best with their directional pattern.
radioman148 said:
Before KDWN 720 Las Vegas and KDXU 890 St. George UT came on the air circa 1974, WGN and WLS came in faintly during the winter in Phoenix. WBBM is still possible here since KKOH Reno isn't a regular. WMAQ/WSCR never made it to Phoenix due to KBOI Boise, before that station eliminated its signal to the south about 7 or 8 years ago. Now a Denver station is on 670, overriding The Score.
But it doesn't really matter anymore since (1) Chicago stations and their advertisers don't get revenue from people in Phoenix (except for the snowbirds who are only here during the winter. ;D ) so I doubt that they really care if I'm listening, and (2) the major stations are online so if I do want to listen to them, I can (even though I still can't patronize their advertisers and generate revenue for them).
I picked up a Cubs baseball game on WGN in Southwest Florida (Naples) two months ago....on a Sony walkman. Earlier this year, I heard it blowing out WRZN about 15 miles from their stick. I've also picked up WGN dozens of times elsewhere and Florida and California on all manner of cheap radios and car radios. Of course, this was an easier and more frequent event 20-30 years ago!
But even today, its not unusual to hear WGN under KDWN anywhere in California if you listen closely enough. Same goes for WLS (under KDXU...and I also picked up WLS on the North shore of Oahu on a car radio ). WBBM is more problematic in California for some reason (at least for me), but possibly the easiest Chicago catch in Florida. WSCR/WMAQ is the toughest of the Chicago blowtorches on either coast , but not impossible.
But even today, its not unusual to hear WGN under KDWN anywhere in California if you listen closely enough. Same goes for WLS (under KDXU...and I also picked up WLS on the North shore of Oahu on a car radio ). WBBM is more problematic in California for some reason (at least for me), but possibly the easiest Chicago catch in Florida. WSCR/WMAQ is the toughest of the Chicago blowtorches on either coast , but not impossible.
I recently picked up WLS in southern Nevada even under KDXU.
When (cyberdad) did you pick up WLS in Oahu?
I did it in Nov 1978. Just wondering if current conditions still occassionally permit it.
When (cyberdad) did you pick up WLS in Oahu?
I did it in Nov 1978. Just wondering if current conditions still occassionally permit it.
...in the earliest days of WCFL, circa '33, Ed Nockels of the Chicago Federation of Labor locked horns with the FCC over getting full 50-kilowatt power for the station. The FCC's excuse at the time? WCFL's 1500 watts were already causing interference with Seattle's 5000-watt KJR and Philadelphia's 100-watt daytimer WIBG on the same frequency (960 kHz)...
radioman148 said:
February 1965, when I was going to high school out there. Standard-issue Delco Car radio in my mom's '62 Impala. My buddy and I pulled off highway 83 about 10-15 miles north of Kailua. We also picked up WFAA/WBAP and WWL. The latter was the strongest of the three, riding over KAIM from Honolulu, which had been pretty well eaten up by the Koolau mountain range between us and the city. Oddly enough, we were also looking for KFI, KNX, and KGO, which were all absent.
That's interesting--I also picked up WWL and several west coast stations from Seattle to LA--especially the directional ones into the Pacific.
I remember when I received WLS & WBBM in Hawaii it was about 9 or 10PM Hawaii time.
Any later & DX from the far east started coming in over it.
I remember when I received WLS & WBBM in Hawaii it was about 9 or 10PM Hawaii time.
Any later & DX from the far east started coming in over it.
I was in Hawaii earlier this year and the only two I could pull out in Honolulu was WBAP-820 (listenable, but faint), and WWL-870 (very weak.) Same for Maui. I was fully expecting to pull in KFI and KNX, but no luck. Otherwise, I listened to local KSSK-AM/FM, one of the BEST soft a/c's I've heard.
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