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WKHQ/Traverse City market tower downed by ice
- Thread starter Huff
- Start date
Actually, Petoskey is just about 70 miles and an hour and a half drive from Traverse City.. This is one of those Nielsen markets where no station comes even close to covering the whole thing.
When I was 16, I had a girlfriend just outside of Petoskey, and I was at Omena. It was a 2 hour and 15 minute drive at best to get there.
When I was 16, I had a girlfriend just outside of Petoskey, and I was at Omena. It was a 2 hour and 15 minute drive at best to get there.
If we use 50 dBu and not 60 dBu, WKHQ, WMKC, WSRT and WLXT do cover the entire market or at least 90 percent of it with just one stick.
In the area around Traverse City, the Charlevoix and Emmet county based signals perform remarkably well signal strength wise. Indoor reception can be touchy but car reception is excellent. I used to be able to pick up WKHQ decently on a boom box near Cadillac some 30 years ago, a good 70 miles south of their TX site.
The counties along the highway M-55 corridor were removed from the MSA some time ago. Even Benzie County was removed.
Some brands in the market use two or more signals to simulcast, resulting in full market coverage. Examples include 105.1/95.5 (Real Rock) and 97.5/93.5/96.7 (WKLT).
For a few decades, WKLT programming was simulcast on the signal formerly known as WJML-FM (98.9), which became WKLZ.
As a result of a series of sales in Northern Michigan recently, WKLT was sold to the parent company of WTCM AM & FM, WKLZ was sold to EMF, and KLT's new owner decided to dump its simulcasts of WTCM-F from 93.5 (Petoskey area) and WATZ-F from 96.7 (Rogers City area) to repurpose those signals as WKLT simulcasters.
The following towers in northern lower Michigan have been completely destroyed:
WKHQ
WLXT
WMJZ
The following tower suffered significant damage:
WFUP-TV
(I think some FM stations may be on this same tower)
In the area around Traverse City, the Charlevoix and Emmet county based signals perform remarkably well signal strength wise. Indoor reception can be touchy but car reception is excellent. I used to be able to pick up WKHQ decently on a boom box near Cadillac some 30 years ago, a good 70 miles south of their TX site.
The counties along the highway M-55 corridor were removed from the MSA some time ago. Even Benzie County was removed.
Some brands in the market use two or more signals to simulcast, resulting in full market coverage. Examples include 105.1/95.5 (Real Rock) and 97.5/93.5/96.7 (WKLT).
For a few decades, WKLT programming was simulcast on the signal formerly known as WJML-FM (98.9), which became WKLZ.
As a result of a series of sales in Northern Michigan recently, WKLT was sold to the parent company of WTCM AM & FM, WKLZ was sold to EMF, and KLT's new owner decided to dump its simulcasts of WTCM-F from 93.5 (Petoskey area) and WATZ-F from 96.7 (Rogers City area) to repurpose those signals as WKLT simulcasters.
The following towers in northern lower Michigan have been completely destroyed:
WKHQ
WLXT
WMJZ
The following tower suffered significant damage:
WFUP-TV
(I think some FM stations may be on this same tower)
Last edited:
That WFUP tower holds WTLI 89.3, WBLW 88.1 and WGFM 105.1 along with W22EL and W20DT
WTLI is back on already according to the Smile FM FB page... from near Harbor Springs
The filing with the FCC says that its at the same location they used under STA when WFUP did the digital transition and WTLI had to move to stay on the air.
Could it be an STA on one of the Traverse City towers?
Possibly. The other thoughts that crossed my mind were the WSRT tower or the WQHN tower (much shorter tower right down the street from the WKHQ tower).
If the collapsed tower was replaced in the span of a week, especially with the weather northern Michigan has been having, that would be truly incredible. Someone from the station on the 106 KHQ Facebook page did mention something about help from engineers who flew in as far away as California.
One thing is clear, KHQ has a lot more fans (and is evidently given more attention) than sister station Lite 96.3!
If the collapsed tower was replaced in the span of a week, especially with the weather northern Michigan has been having, that would be truly incredible. Someone from the station on the 106 KHQ Facebook page did mention something about help from engineers who flew in as far away as California.
One thing is clear, KHQ has a lot more fans (and is evidently given more attention) than sister station Lite 96.3!
98.9 also lost its tower - EMF filed an STA quickly!
Midwestern Broadcasting (owner of WTCM AM/FM, WKLT, etc.) is the only reason the MSA ever included any of the M-55 counties (especially Manistee County).
Of the Traverse City market's commercial stations, only 103.5 WTCM-FM puts a 60dBu signal over all of Manistee County.
The following stations are the only commercial ones in the market that have a 60dBu signal over any of Manistee County:
92.9 WJZQ
95.5 WGFE
98.1 WGFN
107.5 WCCW
94.3 WFCX (now WCMV) and 101.9 WLDR used be in the above group. 101.9 lost its tower site and has been mostly off the air for the past several years while 94.3 is now a noncommercial station, but still qualifies signal-wise.
Midwestern Broadcasting (owner of WTCM AM/FM, WKLT, etc.) is the only reason the MSA ever included any of the M-55 counties (especially Manistee County).
Of the Traverse City market's commercial stations, only 103.5 WTCM-FM puts a 60dBu signal over all of Manistee County.
The following stations are the only commercial ones in the market that have a 60dBu signal over any of Manistee County:
92.9 WJZQ
95.5 WGFE
98.1 WGFN
107.5 WCCW
94.3 WFCX (now WCMV) and 101.9 WLDR used be in the above group. 101.9 lost its tower site and has been mostly off the air for the past several years while 94.3 is now a noncommercial station, but still qualifies signal-wise.
We can add 100 kW 90.5 WPHN to the list of destroyed towers:
Ice Storm — The Promise FM
www.promisefm.com
The WMBN STA is on the WSRT tower, 15 kW into WSRT Antenna. Not sure it is fully spaced to all stations there to be a permanent facility. The WSRT facility antenna is also not as high above average terrain than the WKHQ tower..
It is short-spaced to 105.7 WZTK in Alpena (which is only 107 km from the WSRT tower; the required fully spaced distance between a Class A and a Class C1 on first adjacent channels is 133 km).
Also, WLXT couldn't move to a new tower at the WKHQ site or to the WSRT site full time as it would be short-spaced to 96.3 WKLA.
Ah, WMBN: "Michigan's Beautiful North" (except from October to April and you have to drive to work).
Hits 106 KHQ is using 15 kW ERP from the WSRT antenna right now. WSRT was actually taken off the air so WKHQ could use its antenna. The reason only 15 kW is being used is because the WSRT site is roughly 15 miles SE of the licensed WKHQ site; this measure is necessary to keep the temporary 60 dBu signal entirely within WKHQ's licensed 60 dBu contour.
WSRT will return to the air once an antenna diplexer is able to be installed.
WSRT programming continues to stream online.
WSRT will return to the air once an antenna diplexer is able to be installed.
WSRT programming continues to stream online.