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What Should Be Done With WALE-990

J

Joseph_Gallant

Guest
When WALE-990 goes back on the air, it should adopt an oldies format based mostly on 1955-72 music.

They should try to lure back Bruce Palmer from Worcester for mornings, another good personality for afternoons, perhaps a third personality to be on-air part time on weekends (six hours each on Saturdays and Sundays), and use (at least to start) Scott Shannon's "True Oldies Channel" network the rest of the time.

Were I programming WALE as an oldies station, I would look into getting some kind of radio news network service for hourly newscasts around-the-clock.

But before WALE returns to the air, regardless of what format is broadcast, they should bring-in an engineer to try to fix their signal woes.

There are some good engineers who could be hired to do this, like Providence's own Craig Healy, Boston's Grady Moates, and perhaps our own Peter George. I'm sure any of these three men can figure-out what's wrong and get it fixed so that the 990 signal finally reaches it's full potential. Based on Radio-Loactor.com's coverage area maps, WALE should have a very good daytime signal through the Providence market and a good nighttime signal through the immediate Providence area.

Then, once the signal is "straightened-out", should WALE resume regular broadcasting.

"This Is Radio Ten, WALE Greenville/Providence, 990 On Your AM Dial!"
 
> When WALE-990 goes back on the air, it should adopt an
> oldies format based mostly on 1955-72 music.
>
> They should try to lure back Bruce Palmer from Worcester for
> mornings, another good personality for afternoons, perhaps a
> third personality to be on-air part time on weekends (six
> hours each on Saturdays and Sundays), and use (at least to
> start) Scott Shannon's "True Oldies Channel" network the
> rest of the time.
>
> Were I programming WALE as an oldies station, I would look
> into getting some kind of radio news network service for
> hourly newscasts around-the-clock.
>
> But before WALE returns to the air, regardless of what
> format is broadcast, they should bring-in an engineer to try
> to fix their signal woes.
>
> There are some good engineers who could be hired to do this,
> like Providence's own Craig Healy, Boston's Grady Moates,
> and perhaps our own Peter George. I'm sure any of these
> three men can figure-out what's wrong and get it fixed so
> that the 990 signal finally reaches it's full potential.
> Based on Radio-Loactor.com's coverage area maps, WALE should
> have a very good daytime signal through the Providence
> market and a good nighttime signal through the immediate
> Providence area.
>
> Then, once the signal is "straightened-out", should WALE
> resume regular broadcasting.
>
> "This Is Radio Ten, WALE Greenville/Providence, 990 On Your
> AM Dial!"
>
Hi Joseph,
The key is the transmitter. I`ve been told 200,000 plus to make it
right!
I was hoping Paul Arpin would spend the money,but that never happened.
Typical R.I. inaction. Pretty sad..
Tony..
 
> The key is the transmitter. I`ve been told 200,000 plus to
> make it right!


A complete replacement would cost quite a bit less though something
really solid would cost about that amount with any allowance for
labor.

Of course the antenna/ground system would need to be thoroughly
checked; it has been there since 1959 with who knows what maintenance.

Still, WALE is what it is. As I recall, a 6-tower array designed to
dump 49,998 of the 50,000 Watts out to sea. Nothing is gonna change
that without somebody with very deep pockets buying up the several
co and adjacent channel AM's and deep-sixing them.

Even when everything in Burillville was brand new the signal sucked.
Agencies weren't overbright in those days; they went foor the 50-kW
power hook-line-and-sinker. Remember, the original call, WLKW, was
meant to represent the roman numberal "L"...for Fifty...plus KW for
KiloWatts. When the original engineering was done for the station it
was determined that 990 could be used in Providence in either of two
ways: The 50-kW directional monster that was built or 250 Watts on
a rooftop downtown. I think the second scheme would have been more
cost effective and might have had potential for an upgrade to 500
Watts or maybe even a kilowatt as rules were thrown to the winds.

I'd be hesitant to condemn whoever has done the engineering (if anyone)
in the last few years...they were trying to get a turkey to fly!


<P ID="signature">______________
"environmentalism is collectivism in drag."
--George Will (or won't)</P>
 
I agree with Les. One station that would need to go dark would be the 980 in Groton. Then, you have the co channel now-sister station in CT. Should that go, too? When the place was known as WEAN, Grady Moates told me he'd tried to convince then owner Harold Bausemer to try for a new transmitter site in Centredale. Grady figured with a 4 tower array and 10 kW, the station would put more field strength over Providence than from Burrillville with 50 kW, due to the horrible ground conductitity in B'ville....


Dave Gardiner

WVCH 740/WNWR 1540

Philadelphia
 
Ask Steve Conti...

> I agree with Les. One station that would need to go dark
> would be the 980 in Groton. Then, you have the co channel
> now-sister station in CT. Should that go, too? When the
> place was known as WEAN, Grady Moates told me he'd tried to
> convince then owner Harold Bausemer to try for a new
> transmitter site in Centredale. Grady figured with a 4 tower
> array and 10 kW, the station would put more field strength
> over Providence than from Burrillville with 50 kW, due to
> the horrible ground conductitity in B'ville....
>
>
> Dave Gardiner
>
> WVCH 740/WNWR 1540
>
> Philadelphia
>
Hi,
Steve Conti worked as hard as he could on 990 s transmitter in Buriville
He has in fact said 250 grand easy to bring it up to standards.
If the FCC EVER went to check it, there`d be fines galore.
I believe Tony is right. Paul Arpin and Edward Catucci own WALE and WARL.
They just want to dump it and wash their hands of it.
Ive heard they want millions.
Too bad WALE has been miss used for so long. What a waste.
My best to you,
Chatty.
 
> When WALE-990 goes back on the air, it should adopt an
> oldies format based mostly on 1955-72 music.
>
> They should try to lure back Bruce Palmer from Worcester for
> mornings, another good personality for afternoons, perhaps a
> third personality to be on-air part time on weekends (six
> hours each on Saturdays and Sundays), and use (at least to
> start) Scott Shannon's "True Oldies Channel" network the
> rest of the time.

Bruce is full-time on Worcester's top rated station, and also does fill-ins on WODS Boston, a high-rated major market station. Who at WALE is going to have the money to make a salary offer that would lure him there for a new format that hadn't yet gotten off the ground?

I could see it if the station was part of a cluster that had other successful stations and had money to invest in starting up a new format, but I don't see how WALE, in their situation, would be in a position to start paying competitive professional host salaries on spec for a new format startup.
 
More than anything, the WALE call letters/moniker HAS to be dropped. As someone on this board said a few years back, the call letters are "poison" in the Providence market. My dream for WALE is an all-news format, but as someone pointed out below, there would not be the budget for such a dramatic overhaul.
 
Re: WALE

Thanks for all the comments.

Hopefully, there will be new management who will make the necessary investment to improve the station's signal and programming.
 
Sister Station in Hartford? WXCT is owned by Davidson Media Group. At this time, Davidson does not own 990 in Providence.



> I agree with Les. One station that would need to go dark
> would be the 980 in Groton. Then, you have the co channel
> now-sister station in CT. Should that go, too? When the
> place was known as WEAN, Grady Moates told me he'd tried to
> convince then owner Harold Bausemer to try for a new
> transmitter site in Centredale. Grady figured with a 4 tower
> array and 10 kW, the station would put more field strength
> over Providence than from Burrillville with 50 kW, due to
> the horrible ground conductitity in B'ville....
>
>
> Dave Gardiner
>
> WVCH 740/WNWR 1540
>
> Philadelphia
>
<P ID="signature">______________



</P>
 
> Sister Station in Hartford? WXCT is owned by Davidson Media
> Group. At this time, Davidson does not own 990 in
> Providence.

Isn't there some kind of connection though? I remember some people here were thinking that WALE's programming was going to be simulcast on 100.3 WKKB. Don't they also share the same address?
 
I think Davidson was going to buy it, but I guess the deal fell through. From Scott Fybush's NERW 2004 Year in Review under May - Davidson Media Group paid $2.6 million for Providence's WALE (990) in a bankruptcy sale from Cumbre Communications.
 
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