When Was The Tower For WAZX 1550 Moved?

[IT_Guru]

Earlier today while driving past Belmont Hills I noticed the four tower array for WAZX 1550 was gone. After looking in the FCC database, it appears that their transmitter is now slightly east of Powder Springs licensed to run 50,000 watts day and 150 watts night. Does anyone know when they moved?

 

[the_widows_son]

It was moved during the summer. It is a very nice installation. No columns on the dog houses or path lighting out to the towers but nice.

 

[jal41]

They had to move out because of the planned redevelopment and TAD (tax allocation district). The Cobb County school board is holding up the project because of their distaste of TADs. (Go to the Marietta Daily Journal or AJC websites and search for "Belmont Hills")

No one wants ugly radio towers in an upscale development, so they had to move. I have not been by in a while, but I do remember the towers basically being a focal point. I am shocked that the FCC would allow AM radio towers in a shopping center due to the hazards and dangers (but then again, a shopping center was built around the WSB-AM tower).

 

[littlejohn]

One doesn't 'have to move' if one was there first... WSB being a good example.
However, in many instances, ongoing development makes what was a field in the country very valuable as a developable tract. In fact, the value is often sufficient to purchase a site further out, do the engineering, rebuild the array, and put some money in the onwer's pocket in additon. Witness the old WPLO site. I'm not privy to the numbers involved, but I bet a profit came out of its move, and a new RF plant in the bargian.

 

[the_widows_son]

One doesn't 'have to move' if one was there first... WSB being a good example.
However, in many instances, ongoing development makes what was a field in the country very valuable as a developable tract. In fact, the value is often sufficient to purchase a site further out, do the engineering, rebuild the array, and put some money in the onwer's pocket in additon. Witness the old WPLO site. I'm not privy to the numbers involved, but I bet a profit came out of its move, and a new RF plant in the bargian.

Plough certainly walked away with a bag of profit. Back in 1985 they sold 590 for $6,850,000. I do not know how much they got for the land the where the towers were located but they paid very little for the tract where it is now, an acre in West Cobb was going for 6 - 10k then I doubt WAZX got that sweet of a price.

 

[taylorengineer]

Yes....the 590 site was moved to a swamp. I understand a piece of heavy equipment sunk on that site during construction. They left it there and tied it to the ground system. The land was cheap because it was not useable for much else. It does have a nice fishing lake.....something the FCC should require of all licensed radio facilities!
590 had a dominate signal from the Druid Hill Rd. site. It was as good in the daytime as WSB...nights were...well....they were nights with nulls. But they destroyed a great signal(at least daytime) with that move.
Today, 590 is a waste of electricity. It hasn't a good signal anywhere. And the 610 allocation in Grayson kills any chance of bringing that signal back.
7 Million $$$ seemed like a smart move at the time....and had the station been moved in a way which preserved it's signal it would have been smart. But alas, everyone was ready to throw away AM then....that was the period where WSB allowed a shopping center to be built around it's tower. Bet they wish they had that real estate back now!

 

[BarryATL]

According to the coverage maps for WAZX on radio-locator.com, it appears the station lost coverage with the move. The patter is very, very different.

 

[the_widows_son]

According to the coverage maps for WAZX on radio-locator.com, it appears the station lost coverage with the move. The patter is very, very different.

try this.

http://fjallfoss.fcc.gov/prod/cdbs/forms/prod/getattachment_exh.cgi?exhibit_id=308901

 

[Art Sutton]

Yes....the 590 site was moved to a swamp. I understand a piece of heavy equipment sunk on that site during construction. They left it there and tied it to the ground system. The land was cheap because it was not useable for much else. It does have a nice fishing lake.....something the FCC should require of all licensed radio facilities!
590 had a dominate signal from the Druid Hill Rd. site. It was as good in the daytime as WSB...nights were...well....they were nights with nulls. But they destroyed a great signal(at least daytime) with that move.
Today, 590 is a waste of electricity. It hasn't a good signal anywhere. And the 610 allocation in Grayson kills any chance of bringing that signal back.
7 Million $$$ seemed like a smart move at the time....and had the station been moved in a way which preserved it's signal it would have been smart. But alas, everyone was ready to throw away AM then....that was the period where WSB allowed a shopping center to be built around it's tower. Bet they wish they had that real estate back now!

 

[BarryATL]

According to the coverage maps for WAZX on radio-locator.com, it appears the station lost coverage with the move. The patter is very, very different.

try this.

http://fjallfoss.fcc.gov/prod/cdbs/forms/prod/getattachment_exh.cgi?exhibit_id=308901

That clearly shows a loss in daytime coverage. Also, they had a good throw at night down the I-75 corridor and now they have nothing. Why could they not duplate the pattern at the new site? Not enough land? Or money for the towers?

 

[the_widows_son]

The pattern could not be duplicated because many of the stations on and around 1550 made changes or came on the air after WAZX was licensed at the Belmont Hills site. The new array had to be designed so its pattern would fit inside the existing contours of these stations so no interference was created.