What gives with 850?

[b344077]

I have been finding that WAIT is rebroadcasting WCPT or CNN Headlines News with no predictable pattern. What Gives?

Now that Jake Hartfield is on WCPT, WAIT could broadcast the best of Stephanie Miller?

 

[radiotower40]

I read this on another board, I was curious about it as well when I heard them simulcasting. From what I read on the other board
is that it has to do with the NCAA tournament, and that WAIT is running the same feed as sister station 92.7 WKIF in Kankakee.
I guess WKIF is running some of the games and they are not allowed to run them on WAIT, so they just decided to play WCPT during
those times. That is as much as I could find out about it so I hope that helps.

 

[avtosalon]

Also, the operating hours are slightly different for the two stations. Perhaps they can utilize 850 for the liberal talk format before 820 is allowed to sign on, or after 820 signs off.

I know that 850 is allowed to sign on early with a lower power in the morning before they go to maximum daytime power.

A better solution is to buy some land to build towers and make 820 a station 24/7 again as it was in the 80's when the station was owned by Century Broadcasting. I wonder if Newsweb has money left to use from the sale of Channel 50 to Fox?

In 2007 I think WKIF carried White Sox games, but I do not see the station listed as an affiliate for this year.

IMO the Headline News simulcast on WAIT and WKIF is a waste. They should go back to Adult Standards on 850 and 1470. This may not be the strongest format, but nobody else in the Chicago area is doing Standards now (except for 1180 WSQR Sycamore and the other station in Chicago Heights, 1600 WCGO, which is going to move to Jenison, Michigan at 1020 AM). It is certainly better than simulcasting the audio portion of a cable TV network.

 

[radiotower40]

I wish they would bring back the format to 850 and simulcast on 1470, even though the demo is old they can't be making any money
on those two stations right now. Like you said and I've posted before WCGO will most likely be going away soon because of the CP for
Michigan.

AM 820 is a complicated situation, First of all they applied for a CP for 1,500 watts off six towers in Joliet near Silver Cross Hospital.
That APP has been dismissed; but, they filed an engineering amendment to it and will probably have to play wait and see with the FCC
for a while on that. The other problem is that either Illinois or Will County(not sure which) has changed the law as to how high new
towers can be built, mostly because of people complaining about cell towers. The towers needed for AM 820 are to tall to fit within
the law. Their frequency at 820 require taller towers(electrically) than a station at the higher end of the dial. They are probably going
to top load them or try to get a variance to allow taller towers. If it happens it will probably take a great deal of time.

On your other question about AM 850 they are allowed to stay on(varies on local sunset) for about 1/2 hour after AM 820 with 265 watts.
In the morning they are only allowed 10 watts starting at 6:00AM in March and 500 watts in April, they are not allowed by the FCC
to operate any other month of the year before sunrise due to KOA in Denver. Even if they chose to use the March PRSA they would
get stomped on buy KOA so badly you probably would not here them clearly more than 2 or 3 miles outside of Crystal Lake. In the
winter here about 5 miles south of Midway they are barely audible with 2,500 watts when they sign on at 7:15 in December. KOA
usually does not completely fade away until around 8:00 AM