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WMIT in Ratings
- Thread starter wncmacs
- Start date
I think it has something to do with WMIT classified as non-commercial. Because one would also think that stations like WNCW would show up in Asheville and/or Charlotte; WDAV and WFAE in Charlotte; WLFJ(His Radio) in Greenville, etc. Arbitron numbers help advertisers determine on which stations to advertise and also for stations to determine ad rates--since non-comms cannot advertise, they don't show in Arbitron. (I believe I'm accurate in everything I just stated). However, surely there is something that guages listenership for non-comms. Maybe listenership is solely based upon donations from its audience and is only available from each station. It would be nice to see how they rank among the commercial stations, though.
Eric
Eric
Noncoms are rated. I don't know if we can post a link to the site here or not, but I will. If it gets removed PM me for the link. Radio Research Consortium provides Arbitron data - www.rrconline.org
Oddly enough WMIT does not show up at all in Asheville, only WCQS, WLFJ, WLFA, and WNCW.
Oddly enough WMIT does not show up at all in Asheville, only WCQS, WLFJ, WLFA, and WNCW.
The great thing is as long as they have the support they need WMIT doesn't have to worry about ratings. That must be a nice position to be in!
One thing that has affected WMIT's signal strength in the Charlotte Metro is the changes they made to their antenna system about a decade ago. When they did that, they abandoned the "grandfathering" of their signal and dropped TPO to 34 kw.
That change allowed WIOZ-FM (now WFVL) in Southern Pines, NC to move to the 106.9 frequency with 50 kw...not enough to gain listenership in Charlotte, but enough to cause receivers in the Charlotte Metro area to "wink out" as the capture effect occasionally changes the station.
Most people will tolerate a station going to static better than they will a dial position that continually flips between two formats. Sort of like when WXRC-95.7 was airing Howard Stern, and people in Salisbury, Statesville and Hickory who regularly listened to BBN on WHPE-95.5 occasionally got a few "choice words" drifting over their inspirational music.
Later....
Matt Smith
WGSR-TV
That change allowed WIOZ-FM (now WFVL) in Southern Pines, NC to move to the 106.9 frequency with 50 kw...not enough to gain listenership in Charlotte, but enough to cause receivers in the Charlotte Metro area to "wink out" as the capture effect occasionally changes the station.
Most people will tolerate a station going to static better than they will a dial position that continually flips between two formats. Sort of like when WXRC-95.7 was airing Howard Stern, and people in Salisbury, Statesville and Hickory who regularly listened to BBN on WHPE-95.5 occasionally got a few "choice words" drifting over their inspirational music.
Later....
Matt Smith
WGSR-TV
I don't notice any signal problems around Charlotte for WMIT but then I don't listen all the time. However the station does seem to have a good following here.
There is a country station on 106.1 which causes problems for WNMX once you get north of Harris Blvd on I-77, it's very annoying!
Mike
There is a country station on 106.1 which causes problems for WNMX once you get north of Harris Blvd on I-77, it's very annoying!
Mike
I'm a regular listener to WMIT, and I have followed the ratings books for 25 years (more closely when I worked in radio 14 years ago). I just know that the station used to have decent numbers in the Charlotte book, and they have a nice ad campaign that has been running in the market (MediaTech, I'd love to know who your graphic designer is...he did a great job with those boards). I just don't understand how they fell off the chart so to speak, and that's why I posted my original comment here.
wncmacs
wncmacs
There seemed to be "things" happening at WMIT right around 2000 -- give or take a year. Many longtime announcers seemed to "drop like flies" over a relatively short period. I think John Belensky and Louis Grant are the only two heritage announcers remaining. I also know the chief engineer left during this time period. It was also during this time that the programming was modified...the music "moderned-up" and became more contemporary. I, too, am also a fairly regular listener to WMIT and have differing opinions on these changes but still listen about as much as I did prior to these changes. Though I am still troubled (from a Christian perspective) that so many good people left in a short time frame. I just wonder though if these changes may have alienated a good chunk of listeners, resulting in the ratings discusssion which started this thread.
As far as the former announcers, whatever happened to Colin O'Brian, Charles Twitty, and Lisa Johnson? John Baker was pastoring a church on Sugar Hill Rd in Marion; Jay Michael Sumner is at 1380 WKJV.
Maybe MediaTech can elaborate on my thoughts...
Per the antenna changes that Matt Smith referenced, I do remember that the old (may or may NOT be THE original W41MM tower which is pre-WMIT in the 1940s) tower was replaced around 2000 but I don't any changes in ERP resulted. For great reading on the history of WMIT and W41MM, check out the articles here:
http://www.ggninfo.com/article.htm
Eric
As far as the former announcers, whatever happened to Colin O'Brian, Charles Twitty, and Lisa Johnson? John Baker was pastoring a church on Sugar Hill Rd in Marion; Jay Michael Sumner is at 1380 WKJV.
Maybe MediaTech can elaborate on my thoughts...
Per the antenna changes that Matt Smith referenced, I do remember that the old (may or may NOT be THE original W41MM tower which is pre-WMIT in the 1940s) tower was replaced around 2000 but I don't any changes in ERP resulted. For great reading on the history of WMIT and W41MM, check out the articles here:
http://www.ggninfo.com/article.htm
Eric
WMMY "Highway 106" in West Jefferson. Very annoying for me too. Or at least it was. Now WNMX isn't worth hearing but I've found another station which is.Mike Sheridan said:
You should ask Mark Washburn of the Charlotte Observer because his recent article about ratings had all the non-commercial stations. WMIT, WDAV, WFAE, etc.wncmacs said:
I had a chance to hear WMIT briefly for the first time in the summer of 1995, and
noticed more "traditional" christian music, and i'm sure was blended in with radio
ministries; Then eight years later, in the fall of 2003 while traveling through the
western part of North Carolina, i noticed a billboard on Interstate 40 east of
Asheville about them, and decided to tune in and liked what i heard!, I continued
to listen to Morganton, going up toward Grandfather Mountain, then into Blowing
Rock, south into Hickory and Gastonia, and did not lose them until i got south
of Matthews, there is no doubt 106.9 "The Light" has a very strong signal and
doesn't surprise me they touch six states.
That year after returning from vacation, i got broadband internet and learned
WMIT was streaming online, i was very happy about this and continue to listen
occasionally to them.
The "Billy Graham Evangelistic Association" should be commended to having
this kind of station serving not only there areas they cover over the air, but
on the world wide web.
noticed more "traditional" christian music, and i'm sure was blended in with radio
ministries; Then eight years later, in the fall of 2003 while traveling through the
western part of North Carolina, i noticed a billboard on Interstate 40 east of
Asheville about them, and decided to tune in and liked what i heard!, I continued
to listen to Morganton, going up toward Grandfather Mountain, then into Blowing
Rock, south into Hickory and Gastonia, and did not lose them until i got south
of Matthews, there is no doubt 106.9 "The Light" has a very strong signal and
doesn't surprise me they touch six states.
That year after returning from vacation, i got broadband internet and learned
WMIT was streaming online, i was very happy about this and continue to listen
occasionally to them.
The "Billy Graham Evangelistic Association" should be commended to having
this kind of station serving not only there areas they cover over the air, but
on the world wide web.
There was someone who sent me a e-mail regarding where i caught WMIT on
the internet, it's here in Wilmington, North Carolina; In addition, he had some
interesting comments regarding the station, and i do agree they play the same
songs quite often, but now that they have a program director who was based
in Columbia, South Carolina at WMHK that has changed a few programming
elements, but the one they do need to adjust is the music, but i hope in the
process, they continue on the path of being Christian AC.
the internet, it's here in Wilmington, North Carolina; In addition, he had some
interesting comments regarding the station, and i do agree they play the same
songs quite often, but now that they have a program director who was based
in Columbia, South Carolina at WMHK that has changed a few programming
elements, but the one they do need to adjust is the music, but i hope in the
process, they continue on the path of being Christian AC.
Thanks for this. I went to Wikipedia and summarized this article and another one which mentioned W41MM that I found doing a search on the Internet.eacalhoun1 said:
Speaking of the old tower...
When Gordon Gray (owner of the Winston-Salem Journal & Sentinel) put WMIT on the air (and its city of license was Winston-Salem (no joke)), he had authority to broadcast with up to 1,000,000 (yes MILLION) watts of power from the site. When they used that kind of power, it was said the station was heard as far west as the Mississippi. But, I'm sure that power wasn't used very long, as the power bill would have been astronomical.
It was still running an ERP of 200 KW from its original tower for many years, but was forced to back down to 36,000 watts ERP in the 1970s. I don't know why that happened, however.
I'd be curious if the new tower location has helped or hurt WMIT's signal, plus I'd like to know why they moved it. I've been to the site (and I have pictures). That whole mountain is amazing. There are only 2 or 3 spots on the entire mountain that are "safe" for extended exposure to RF. At any time, 2,000,000 watts of RF pours off that hill. While on my trip, an engineer held a fluorescent tube in the air and it LIT BY ITSELF from all the RF.
Also, in the late 1980s, Isothermal Community College somehow managed to get space on the mountain for WNCW, where it resides today. 'NCW broadcasts 18 KW ERP from the mountain. I'm sure others have tried to get up there, but I am still suprised that Billy Graham allowed a public radio station on the mountain.
When Gordon Gray (owner of the Winston-Salem Journal & Sentinel) put WMIT on the air (and its city of license was Winston-Salem (no joke)), he had authority to broadcast with up to 1,000,000 (yes MILLION) watts of power from the site. When they used that kind of power, it was said the station was heard as far west as the Mississippi. But, I'm sure that power wasn't used very long, as the power bill would have been astronomical.
It was still running an ERP of 200 KW from its original tower for many years, but was forced to back down to 36,000 watts ERP in the 1970s. I don't know why that happened, however.
I'd be curious if the new tower location has helped or hurt WMIT's signal, plus I'd like to know why they moved it. I've been to the site (and I have pictures). That whole mountain is amazing. There are only 2 or 3 spots on the entire mountain that are "safe" for extended exposure to RF. At any time, 2,000,000 watts of RF pours off that hill. While on my trip, an engineer held a fluorescent tube in the air and it LIT BY ITSELF from all the RF.
Also, in the late 1980s, Isothermal Community College somehow managed to get space on the mountain for WNCW, where it resides today. 'NCW broadcasts 18 KW ERP from the mountain. I'm sure others have tried to get up there, but I am still suprised that Billy Graham allowed a public radio station on the mountain.
wncmacs said:
If they've been on the air continuously since their 200kw days, I don't understand why they cut back to 36kw. They would have been "grandfathered" with the 200kw, just like nearby 99.1 WSLQ in Roanoke which is still 200kw today.
wncmacs said:
I am sure that Blue Ridge Broadcasting gets plenty of rent/lease $$$s from its many mountain tenants, including WNCW.
Eric
When the FCC put limits on ERP, grandfathered stations could still use their previous "superpower" ERPs until they modified their tower or antenna; then they had to meet the current rules. For instance, if you were running horizontal polarization only and added vertical, then you had to reduce power to the new limit. WRAL was a 250 kW station at one time.
A
audiomusiclover
Guest
ncradioeng said:
Okay, for the non-engineers out here. Will someone explain the whole horizontal and vertical polarization power outputs thing? I have read the dual power readings for years and thought I sort of understood it, but what does having different power values horizontal and vertical get you? How does having one rating much higher than the another, or the absence of much power output in one, effect the amount of area sq mile coverage? Thanks ahead of time for the EE 101 requested lesson....
Using the water-wave analogy, if you can picture a radio wave in space leaving the antenna with the crests and dips aligned vertically (like ripples on the surface of a pond) you would be seeing what is termed as linearly-polarized vertical electric field of the electromagnetic wave. If you flip that picture 90-degrees, you have horizontal polarization. In the beginning, all FM and TVs were required to have horizontal polarization, that's why TV antennas have the elements horizontal - to pick up the electric field. Somebody noticed that car antennas were vertical (AM stations use vertical pol.), so the FCC began to authorize vertical pol for FMs as long as the power in the vertical pol. didn't exceed that of the authorized power in the horizontal pol. Actually, most FM transmitting antennas are circularly polarized, but the effect is the same. You have to put twice as much power into a dual polarized (vertical and horizontal) antenna to achieve your ERP since the antenna divides this power into the two polarizations. This supposedly gives better mobile coverage. Hope that clears things up somewhat.
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