WMOB 1360

[K4WRF]

Minimum field for class B is 141 mv/m and the application indicates 138.6 mv/m. They list it as a class "B" but misses minimum field by a few mv's. 0.2 kw they should ask for class "D" nighttime. I recent years, FCC holds the 141 mv/m as strict value, unless things have changed. Other than that and barring possible COL coverage contour issue, its do'able...
The Commission was questioning the RMS values reported in the application.

 

[tomservo]

About AM 600 in Enterprise - WIRB AM was on 600 in Enterprise until the early 1980s I believe. It was co-owned with 96.9 FM (WIRB-FM) if I'm not mistaken, long before they upgraded to 100 kw, but I don't believe they simulcasted. WIRB, surrounded by the 600 AM stations in Memphis, New Orleans, and Jacksonville, was limited to daytimer status.I think the new station in Level Plains took the WIRB call letters.

Everything I've read so far shows they did simulcast for a while, but I haven't found out for how long yet. The Broadcasting Yearbook from '69 says separate programming. I've assembled some history of the station, gathered from what little I could find online. Like a good bit of the history on my site there's no guarantee it's totally accurate, but it's a good starting off point.

 

[rwells2265]

About AM 600 in Enterprise - WIRB AM was on 600 in Enterprise until the early 1980s I believe. It was co-owned with 96.9 FM (WIRB-FM) if I'm not mistaken, long before they upgraded to 100 kw, but I don't believe they simulcasted. WIRB, surrounded by the 600 AM stations in Memphis, New Orleans, and Jacksonville, was limited to daytimer status.I think the new station in Level Plains took the WIRB call letters.

By 1980, WIRB-FM flipped calls to WLHQ - top-40 calling itself "Q-97", and in 1989 changed to WDJR and to classic rock. Then to country early in 1992.

I think it was the early '80s when WIRB began simulcasting 96.9 as WLHQ(AM). Calls remained after the change to 'DJR, but until 1991 or thereabouts it repeated the FM. Went dark - I think (!) - right about the time 'DJR flipped to country.

The ID was interesting: "You're listening to 96-9 WDJR at 600 on your AM dial. This is WLHQ-AM, Enterprise." Weird.

--Russell

 

[J Alex Bowab]

Interesting that Enterprise had two full C class FMs allocated to it ... and if memory serves me, wasn't there a time when they were both formatted CHR (KMX being the other?) and targeted to Dothan?

 

[Poledo]

Interesting that Enterprise had two full C class FMs allocated to it ... and if memory serves me, wasn't there a time when they were both formatted CHR (KMX being the other?) and targeted to Dothan?

I never though Enterprise was too small for two full class C FMs... I think of Enterprise as the southern gate to Fort Rucker with Ozark being the Northern Gate. It makes the area seem bigger to me than it actually is but radio stations need to serve the whole base/area... I assume it takes a lot of juice to penetrate buildings on Fort Rucker. I'm also surprised that Enterprise didn't grow in to a city about the size of Dothan... I mean, they've had a Toyota dealership in Enterprise my whole life. Only big towns get Toyota dealerships.
I've always thought it was interesting that Enterprise never got a full powered TV station allotted. The market has always been missing NBC and religious TV stations.

Now back in the day when I didn't really comprehend building penetration of FM signals I thought Bainbridge deserved more than 1 FM as they covered four decent sized cities from their location (Dothan, Albany, Tallahassee, and Thomasville, not to mention easy DX reception in Panama City). Of course now I understand why it isn't an ideal location for a "Tower Farm" for the Dothan, Albany, Tallahassee triangle which causes 97.3 to struggle. Wonder why Clear Channel didn't ever sell that station off?

 

[tomservo]

Only big towns get Toyota dealerships.

Shoot, they'll give a Toyota dealership to anybody these days. Clanton's had one for as long as I can remember, so has Sylacauga. Then there's Jasper, Boaz, Scottsboro… Louisville, MS; Fort Walton Beach, FL; Marianna, FL; heck in Mississippi, Grenada (!), Oxford and even sorry-as-heck Clarksdale all had Toyota dealers.

It's as mysterious as how a small town can wind up with a class C FM.

 

[Poledo]

Only big towns get Toyota dealerships.

Shoot, they'll give a Toyota dealership to anybody these days. Clanton's had one for as long as I can remember, so has Sylacauga. Then there's Jasper, Boaz, Scottsboro… Louisville, MS; Fort Walton Beach, FL; Marianna, FL; heck in Mississippi, Grenada (!), Oxford and even sorry-as-heck Clarksdale all had Toyota dealers.

Yeah, well Enterprise Toyota used to give away a free shotgun or rifle with every pickup truck purchase. So there!
That's why I remember it... they were "blowing away high prices (bang)" in their commercials.

Guess I picked a bad reason... but farm kids did flock to Enterprise on Friday nights back in the day. Enterprise is (was?) more of a destination town than any other Wiregrass community (except Dothan). Enterprise was drawing people from a 1+ hour drive for commerce... and they didn't even have a mall. It didn't seem too much smaller than Dothan, but then again, I was comparing it to Mobile.

Also, I got to thinking after my last post that KMX didn't even reach the Florida state line back in the 80's. Were they always a full class C (on a short tower?) or did they upgrade later on like 93.7? Early on 95.5, 96.9, and 99.7 had the big signals that spilled out of the Wiregrass.

 

[Nate Wesley]

(The following isn't radio related, but darn if poledo & Zach didn't get me to think about small town Toyota dealers.)

Only big towns get Toyota dealerships.

Shoot, they'll give a Toyota dealership to anybody these days. Clanton's had one for as long as I can remember, so has Sylacauga. Then there's Jasper, Boaz, Scottsboro… Louisville, MS; Fort Walton Beach, FL; Marianna, FL; heck in Mississippi, Grenada (!), Oxford and even sorry-as-heck Clarksdale all had Toyota dealers.

It's as mysterious as how a small town can wind up with a class C FM.

My glacially moving hometown of Monroeville, AL actually had a Toyota dealer up until 1994 or so. The downtown steel building that housed it still stands vacant, and the site actually has more land acreage since the old Monroe County Jail next to it was demolished. I don't remember if Toyota canceled the dealership itself or its rights were sold/moved elsewhere, but boy oh boy did the owner wrong if it was sold: Said owner, 30 seconds away from a Chevy-Buick store, originally offered GMC...and Oldsmobile. (Do I really need to tell you they've long been out of business?)