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WKIX

ctl said:
I grew up in Brennan-land (WVOK/WBAM), and I'm 99.9% certain that they never used "Channel XX" tag lines.
Click to expand...

I'm trying to figure out who you might be! Did you work at BIG BAM? Bill Brennan was a classic and Dan Brennan in my book was a great PD.. Cyril was a great guy too..And Billy Bennis couldn'be beat! Did you know Ike Lee, Engineer or work at the Orginal FLI WFLI at Lookout Mountain???

I am checking all my tapes but I still don't remember any Channel 69 jingles
 
I'm an E.E. and native of Montgomery who traveled around the state a lot during the 60's. I never worked in radio, but I did visit the WBAM studio/transmitter site many times (4740 Radio Road). Sadly, the building was torn down not long ago; the station had moved to another site long ago.
 
Good to hear from another "Oldtimer" Thanks for the Memories....hmmm who said that?? Red Skelton??
 
XTalker said:
I don't think WKIX (850AM) was ever WYLT. That was the FM (96.1) which had previously been WYYD. Both, Wasn't WYLT gone by then?
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No, in 1994 WKIX and WYLT traded letters when 96.1 FM went country. The WYLT letters fit better on 850 AM given that they were the only ones still doing 'Lite' music, though they were doing Sinatra, Perry Como and The Carpenters rather than Celine Dion, Sting and Bryan Adams. When WYLT gave up music they became "The Buzz" and took the letters WRBZ.
 
The "Channel 69" jingles were Series 18 but were sung on the same session as the Series 38 Ape jingles. I was told they were used (probably briefly) on the weekends. No need to check the tapes. Follow the link below and hear for yourself.

http://www.mediafire.com/?lmvy1wmmoyn

BIG APE said:
ctl said:
I grew up in Brennan-land (WVOK/WBAM), and I'm 99.9% certain that they never used "Channel XX" tag lines.
Click to expand...

I'm trying to figure out who you might be! Did you work at BIG BAM? Bill Brennan was a classic and Dan Brennan in my book was a great PD.. Cyril was a great guy too..And Billy Bennis couldn'be beat! Did you know Ike Lee, Engineer or work at the Orginal FLI WFLI at Lookout Mountain???

I am checking all my tapes but I still don't remember any Channel 69 jingles
Click to expand...
 
ctl said:
About the "Channel 85" tag: UHF TV stations originally had channels 14-83. I suppose that AM stations at 840 kc/s (I'm that old!) or higher could have called themselves Channel 84, Channel 92, Channel 109, etc. Did any other station do so? or was WKIX unique with the Channel xx tag?
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I know of at least one other station.. WYCL (Now WBZK-AM in York SC) was Known as "Channel 98" back in the 60's before it become K99 (to pair with a FM station on 99.3) in the 70s... this was long before I worked there, but there was still some old stationary and other stuff laying around the station (this being 15 years ago)
 
Did someone say on his board that they are picking up Channel 85-WKIX-AM up in Winston-Salem? I can`t pick it up anywhere here!!!!
 
MaxGM said:
The "Channel 69" jingles were Series 18 but were sung on the same session as the Series 38 Ape jingles. I was told they were used (probably briefly) on the weekends. No need to check the tapes. Follow the link below and hear for yourself.

http://www.mediafire.com/?lmvy1wmmoyn

BIG APE said:
ctl said:
I grew up in Brennan-land (WVOK/WBAM), and I'm 99.9% certain that they never used "Channel XX" tag lines.
Click to expand...

I'm trying to figure out who you might be! Did you work at BIG BAM? Bill Brennan was a classic and Dan Brennan in my book was a great PD.. Cyril was a great guy too..And Billy Bennis couldn'be beat! Did you know Ike Lee, Engineer or work at the Orginal FLI WFLI at Lookout Mountain???

I am checking all my tapes but I still don't remember any Channel 69 jingles
Click to expand...
Click to expand...


God, Thanks Max..When I'm wrong I'm wrong and will admit it...I had forgot about that entirely and I did find it also.. Thanks so much for that memory and I'll save it for future use!! haha
 
GoodTimesandGreatOldies said:
Did someone say on his board that they are picking up Channel 85-WKIX-AM up in Winston-Salem? I can`t pick it up anywhere here!!!!
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Yes. In 1994 and 1995 my father and listened to it there. I guess his car's radio antenna was really good.

I picked it up in March out in the country nearby but not in May, even with the air conditioner off.
 
GoodTimesandGreatOldies said:
Did someone say on his board that they are picking up Channel 85-WKIX-AM up in Winston-Salem? I can`t pick it up anywhere here!!!!
Click to expand...

Daytime, you should have no problem picking it up. Nighttime, different story.
 
I can get them as far north as Bedford, VA at times during the day. In the car, south of Altavista on 29 they come in fine. Carried them down 220 to the SC line easily. Great signal.

MaxGM, your link did not work for me.
 
Daytime last week, a good signal into Southern Pines. Interesting thing is at night, there is a sharp null from the antenna pattern in the direction of the Leesville Road exit on I-540 in north Raleigh. I can usually hear sideband distortion when driving through this null.
 
I do not understand why this happens...

I live in Chapel Hill and have no problems receiving WKIX during the day. However, when I leave Duke (National Champs ;)) around Midnight, their signal fades in and out all the way to my abode in Chapel Hill. I would think the station would still come in since they are just 30 or so miles away.

KDKA from Pittsburgh comes in clear.
WBZ from Boston comes in clear.
WOWO from Fort Wayne also comes in clear. WKIX should be clear!!! (Ape, please fix this, thanks ;D)
 
Stuart Greenberg said:
I do not understand why this happens...

I live in Chapel Hill and have no problems receiving WKIX during the day. However, when I leave Duke (National Champs ;)) around Midnight, their signal fades in and out all the way to my abode in Chapel Hill. I would think the station would still come in since they are just 30 or so miles away.

KDKA from Pittsburgh comes in clear.
WBZ from Boston comes in clear.
WOWO from Fort Wayne also comes in clear. WKIX should be clear!!! (Ape, please fix this, thanks ;D)
Click to expand...


according to radio-locator, Chapel hill is in one of the tight nulls at night that WKIX has, during the day they are omnidirectional, sending an equal signal in all directions, but at night they have to protect certain stations (not sure which), but either way, most of their power is being funneled towards the southeast at night...
 
Yeah, Stuart, AM stations often use directional antennas, especially at night, because AM signals travel much farther at night (you're not hearing WBZ or KDKA at noon).

WKIX's directional pattern protects KOA, Denver (the primary station on 850), WKNR, Cleveland, WEEI, Boston and WRUF, Gainesville, FL.
 
KDKA from Pittsburgh comes in clear. WBZ from Boston comes in clear.
Click to expand...
That's just how AM radio is. KDKA and WBZ have been on the air since the 1920s and are "Class A clear channels" per the FCC. They also use the maximum permitted power output of 50 kilowatts, even at night. Consequently you can hear them over a very wide area.

WKIX originally signed on 850 as WNAO (News and Observer) in 1947. By that time, AM frequencies had become congested. Outside of the clear channels, the FCC strictly limited night-time power and required directional antennas to limit signal overlap. The vast majority of AM stations have limited night-time coverage.
 
Stuart Greenberg said:
I do not understand why this happens...

I live in Chapel Hill and have no problems receiving WKIX during the day. However, when I leave Duke (National Champs ;)) around Midnight, their signal fades in and out all the way to my abode in Chapel Hill. I would think the station would still come in since they are just 30 or so miles away.

KDKA from Pittsburgh comes in clear.
WBZ from Boston comes in clear.
WOWO from Fort Wayne also comes in clear. WKIX should be clear!!! (Ape, please fix this, thanks ;D)
Click to expand...

Gee, maybe this is some form of discrimination against southern radio stations. After all if KDKA, WBZ, and WOWO (can you still pick up WOWO at night?), and all are hundreds of miles North and Northwest, its just logical you should be able to pick up WKIX which is only 30 miles or less from the beautiful village of Chapel Hill. This apparently has to be something the Bush administration thought up to punish North Carolina for participating in the Civil War. I know it can't have anything to do with all of those towers at the WKIX transmitter site. And this also gives credence to the term DA, and I don't mean directional antenna. But it is time for change and since Obama carried NC, I'm sure he will make things right and you should be able to listen to the Big 85 at night soon.
 
ctl said:
Daytime last week, a good signal into Southern Pines. Interesting thing is at night, there is a sharp null from the antenna pattern in the direction of the Leesville Road exit on I-540 in north Raleigh. I can usually hear sideband distortion when driving through this null.
Click to expand...

The radio-locator map doesn't show it as well, but their nighttime signal has the same issue you describe around the US 70 end of Leesville/Page Road/TW Alexander area...very unlistenable. As stated below, this null is likely protecting Boston's WEEI and, probably WTAR in Norfolk (formerly WRAP and WNIS).
 
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