• Get involved.
    We want your input!
    Apply for Membership and join the conversations about everything related to broadcasting.

    After we receive your registration, a moderator will review it. After your registration is approved, you will be permitted to post.
    If you use a disposable or false email address, your registration will be rejected.

    After your membership is approved, please take a minute to tell us a little bit about yourself.
    https://www.radiodiscussions.com/forums/introduce-yourself.1088/

    Thanks in advance and have fun!
    RadioDiscussions Administrators

What happened to Coast 100 in Fort Walton?

P

Poledo

WNCV Coast 100.3 was set to move down the dial to 50kw 93.3 on August 1st. 100.3 had been running promos for the swap for the last week or so. 93.3 was on the air broadcasting silence all weekend. The WNCV.com website was updated on Monday to hype their new frequency and name "Coast 93.3".

On Monday 93.3 went back off the air. Now it's August 2nd and 93.3 is still off the air. Coast 100 is still on 100.3 and I don't hear them playing any promos for frequency swap.

Did someone break something? Did the deal fall through?
 
Looks like I jumped the gun on this...

Sometime in the 6 O'clock hour a hard switch occurred. A/C is now exclusively on the new 50,000 watt signal, Coast 93.3. There was no simulcast. The new Coast 93.3 now has a strong signal all the way to downtown Pensacola.

100.3 is now THE Classic Rock station. I'm about 20 miles from 100.3 and the signal is real bad. I don't know if 100.3 is on low power or if there is some strong tropo going on, but something isn't right. There's an oldies station fighting for the 100.3 frequency.
I haven't heard any commercials, DJs, call letters, or station IDs, just a few mentions of "THE Classic Rock station" between songs. Around 7:30 100.3 disappeared... it may have gone off the air.
I like Classic Rock, so if 100.3 is on the air tomorrow, I'll be listening.
 
Star Broadcasting's new station on 100.3 is called "K-Rock, The Classic Rock station" and is carrying Jones Radio Network's Rock Classics format. Nothing local so far.
 
K-Rock is advertising their new local morning show will start on Monday.
They sure are playing an awful lot of 80's Hard Rock for a classic rock station. If I hear another Aerosmith or Guns n Roses song I'm gonna puke.
 
Listening from Alabama I hear the following:

The old WPGG now at 101.1 has a weak signal in the previous aera it covered.

The new coast 93.3 is washed out by Q-93 in New orleans. Question: with the new signal is it stronger in FT walton ? What markets gained and lost signal wi the switch?

Now that 100.3 is on the WTKE tower is the signal worse or better in Ft. walton. What about WTKE where is the tower at now, and what town does WTKE city grade.

Thank for the reply.

???
 
The old WPGG 93.3 Evergreen covered areas north of I-10 including Milton and Crestview, but it did not reach Fort Walton or Pensacola.
The new WNCV 93.3 Covers areas just west of Panama City to the Alabama state line on the north and west, including excellent coverage of both the Fort Walton and Pensacola markets. WNCV 93.3 should start showing up in the next ratings book for Pensacola.
93.3 is broadcasting from the same tower as WTKE in downtown Fort Walton, just north of US 98. Even though WTKE is 100kw and WNCV is 50kw, they are on a short tower and cover about the same area. WTKE may have some extra fringe coverage of Panama City and Alabama communities bordering Florida, but it's not significant.

WRKN 100.3 is still on the same tower it has been on for years. It covers Fort Walton and Destin and areas of Okaloosa, Walton, and Santa Rosa counties south of I-10. It is only a 3000 watt station, after all. 100.3 reaches Pensacola on a car radio, but it's squeezed between 100.7 and 99.9 so picking it up indoors is difficult.

-------------------------

Fort Walton and Destin gained a Classic Rocker with 100.3.
Pensacola gained an AC with 93.3. (our 5th!, along with WMEZ, WJLQ, WMXC, and WCSN)

Alabama just plain lost out on both 93.3 and 98.1. Surely someone will be able to fit a new station in south-central Alabama now. I'm thinking WMLV 93.5 from Butler might be able to upgrade to 100kw and/or a new class A could sign on 98.3 or 97.9 in the Monroeville/Thomasville area.

-------------------------

Now here's my question: Is the new 93.3 in Fort Walton causing interference with 92.9 from Mobile? 93 BLX is/was the only urban station reaching Fort Walton and is usually in the top 10 of the 12+ ratings .
And what about WRJM 93.7, are they still clear in FWB?
 
I have forgotten or been confused by all the plans by Ron Hale. He now has 98 and 100.3. He flipped 93.3 to Cumulus. Right?
Why would he trash a great signal for a weak signal? Just because Cumulus paid for his station(s) 98.1 and 100.3--- hence --- he's
possibly close to debt free on 98.1 and 100.3. Still, then where does the 92.1/Quantum fiasco stand? How does he pull
this stuff off and stay in business?

Will 98.1 stay sports with such lousey ratings? Classic rock from Jones. Oh my god, how dreadful 100.3 must sound.
 
You're right, Jones on 100.3 is the worst Classic Rock I've ever heard!

I'm just going by what the documents on the FCC website say. He's got the same deal set up with 98.1. Cumulus will pay the $900k to close the sale with Clear Channel and give 105.5 to Hale for his "proffit".
At the same time, Pensacola will loose it's only sports station, we can't even DX one! There doesn't appear to be another station available to pick up sports in Pensacola.

Listening to the radio from Santa Rosa county and Pensacola, this all sucks. The 93.3 deal gave us our 5th AC station, not including Top 40 stations WABB and Z96. When 98.1 picks up country from 105.5 we'll have 6 damn country stations: 95KSJ, Cat Country 98.7, WXBM, Kicks 104.1, WAAZ, and 98.1.

Can you tell us anything about the 92.1 fiasco? That was Hale's first and only station for a long time, right?


Tibbs2 said:
I have forgotten or been confused by all the plans by Ron Hale. He now has 98 and 100.3. He flipped 93.3 to Cumulus. Right?
Why would he trash a great signal for a weak signal? Just because Cumulus paid for his station(s) 98.1 and 100.3--- hence --- he's
possibly close to debt free on 98.1 and 100.3. Still, then where does the 92.1/Quantum fiasco stand? How does he pull
this stuff off and stay in business?

Will 98.1 stay sports with such lousey ratings? Classic rock from Jones. Oh my god, how dreadful 100.3 must sound.
Click to expand...
 
My dealings were minimal and I'll just say my intuition told me to "GET OUT." I have never
been made so uncomfortable by business dealings like I was. I am glad I never had any involvement with K 92's
previous [to Hale's] ownership team headed by Tim Fulmer either. Flushing the money down the toilet would
have been a hell of a lot easier.than buying that thing. As for what happened after Hale took over what was once the #1
station in Destin/FWB I will only say everything that should not have. Scary and surprising.

BTW - 98-1 Classic Rock was THE best CR station I have heard in America when it was on it's game. Remember any of that
era?
 
Re: What happened to Fort Walton?

The new WRKN just sucks compared to The Rocket from Mobile. I had high hopes for WRKN since their main competetion is WWAV. What's the deal with the K-Rock name? Last time I checked, Fort Walton was east of the Mississippi River!

I completely missed out on WXCR. Around 1991, after Radio 1-2-3 (WTKX-AM) went off the air, I just quit listening to radio for several years. I didn't start listening again until 1995 when I discovered great radio existed on WRAS, WREK, WUOG, and the now dark "Mountains Lake Radio" WMLB 1170 in Atlanta.


I assume I have delt with Hale before. I'm convinced that the name "Gulf Breeze Media" was used to lure Pensacola advertising money. Could there be any other explanation for that name? 92.1's signal dies about 10 miles east of Gulf Breeze and 15+ miles east of Pensacola. When I told the "Gulf Breeze Media" salesman that I couldn't pick up 92.1, he didn't care... he just went on with his sales pitch. He came back and tried to sell me adds 5 or 6 more times before he gave up.
 
I would say the word gut instinct took a new meaning when he tried to get me involved with K-92. I listened to his line
of BS and said I needed to go to the bathroom and walked out the door and never looked back. I will never forget what
I heard (and even more what I saw) that day. It was a cheap lesson compared to your husband. I missed the chance
to buy K-92 because he wormed his way in with owner Tim Fulmer to "buy" it. I think it was God on my side that I never
revisited that nightmare in the making. I don't know whatever happened to Tim Fulmer, Skip Anderson and hear 'great'
things are in store for Ron. I'll believe it when I see it. That he would hang his wife and sons out before money is sad.
Is he still married to Jennifer, who seemed okay to me at the time? The stories never stop, it's sad that he spends his
time scheming instead of working the right way. He'd been a multi-millionaire by now.

On the otherhand, Steve Riggs, the man who originally bought WWSF and began the flip to WXCR (98one Classic Rock)
--- who to this day I call a man of integrity and kindness everyday --- gave me a chance to get ahold of one heck of
a rough signal with a rockin' format that sadly lasted just a short time (over a year) and was one of the best times and
experiences of my life. Despite all obstacles with signals, hurricanes and 99 Rock...98one goes down as the coolest
sounding radio station, with a then-great team and nothing but fond memories...and total bliss as a result of de-$$$-
regulation.

A story of Heaven and Hale.... Sorry, you guys went through that nightmare. Somehow, it will be made up to you
many times over. Sadly, also, it's just one of a many similar stories, I am sure.
 
Thanks...I appreciate that! We had a brief experience with Tim Fulmer. First of all, A CPA should never own a radio station! My husband was doing mornings there and was the Ops Mgr, turned that station around from last in the market to #1 in 1 book. It was a great time for all of us. I'll never forget when Tim bought the station and my husband shows for his show and Tim is there and tells him he is no longer needed, 2 weeks severance after being there for 2 yrs! The artings immediately tanked and they have never recovered. I love stories like that...when they think they are doing the right thing (when their whole objective is to save money) and it turns out to be the worst decision. I don't know if Ron and Jennifer are still married or not, don't know why she would stay with someone like that...but that's her choice. She seemed like a nice lady, but I really didn't know her. How long ago was your experience with Ron? Wish my husband had the same as you, would have saved us a lot of heartache.
 
I was stuck in traffic last week on Hwy 98 in front of the Star Broadcasting building. I got to stare at it for a couple of minutes. They've really cleaned that place up. It even has a new coat of paint.

The only time I paint a building is when I'm putting it up for sale. Hummm...
 
K-Rock was on 92.1 now it's hip hop crap. They target the destin audience. I have no desire for it. The 100.3 I enjoy it. It's a much stronger signal then WWAV. (yes, it's a satellite driven station with local flavour from time to time)

I would like to see them do something with 98.1 and put the sportz on a 10KW AM station.

Rob
 
Status
This thread has been closed due to inactivity. You can create a new thread to discuss this topic.


Back
Top Bottom