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WOCN and WKPE (Cape Cod) to switch frequencies tomorrow

S

ssetta

*Our MASSACHUSETTS news this week starts out on Cape Cod, where Sandab Communications is swapping calls and formats at two of the stations in its newly-expanded cluster.

On Tuesday, soft AC WOCN-FM (103.9 South Yarmouth) will move from its class A signal to the much more powerful class B signal of WKPE-FM (104.7 Orleans), with the "Rocket" classic rock format from 104.7 moving down to 103.9. Sandab already owns WQRC (99.9 Barnstable), and it's acquiring both WKPE-FM and WFCC (107.5 Chatham) from Charles River Broadcasting. (No changes to WFCC's classical format are expected.)

Source: NorthEast Radio Watch



So, I would LOVE to hear both of these stations switch formats. However, I don't get either of those stations where I live. It would be REALLY nice if someone could capture these 2 format changes. I know it's been done with WKLB/WCRB and back in August with WAAF at 97.7. So, if someone could do it, that would be great.
 
It sounds like 104.7 must've taken some damage during the storm. They must be on a backup transmitter and/or antenna right now, because it's much weaker than usual. I'm able to point towards Long Island and hear WMOS, and towards ME and get WHXR. Talk about bad timing! I wonder if they'll delay the change until they get this fixed?

I'm going to try to record both sides of the flip. Anyone know what time it's gonna happen? I was planning on starting Cool Edit recording at 4 AM for 6 hours.
 
When did WOCN start going more modern? It looks like it's starting to be like WPLM, and it might start competing with WQRC.
 
I'm not sure if it was a sudden change, or if it just happened gradually, but yes, it is very similar to what WPLM is now. WQRC has moved closer to being a Hot AC, but there is still some overlap I think. Just look at the artists on the top of WQRC's website... all Hot AC staples.
 
Well the change seemed to happen earlier than expected... Ocean 104.7 came on the air sometime within the last hour. 103.9 has dead air.
 
WOCN 103.9 fm was once WATB 103.9 fm own by WATD Marshfield sold to Don Moore in the mid 90ths and program by cpu the big band music but it was oldies 104 for some time when WATD lease it out before selling it. WATD was rebroadcast on WATB 103.9 and later program from the old WATD AM Studios in Marshfield as WATD am 1410 brockton studios were re built and Jack Diamond AKA JJ Shannon (WRKO) was on nights 7-10 with oldies on 103.9 WATB from Marshfield Studios and the folk music was on WATD and Friday nights was one show of oldies later Jack as JJ would be on both WATD and WATB we call WATB 103.9 where at the beach and later it would be call OCEAN 104..... I was told that the tower of 103.9 was moved early this year. Ron Dyer who is now on WATD week night mon - thurs was once on WATB Oldies 104 I liked his sound and asked Ed to hire him to replace Jack in 1993 Ron has been on WATD for more than ten years with his Saurday show 2-6pm Ron was replaced when the something Different show returned but Ron was back when that Folk Music show ended. Again I asked Ed to put Ron back on Weekend day Mon- Thurs. Radio is funny this way Later this year WATD 95.9fm will turn 30 own by one family.
 
I do vaguely remember hearing a legal ID at one time on WATD saying "WATD-FM Marshfield WATB South Yarmouth." So were they simulcasting at one point? I was quite young at the time, so its hard to remember.

You also brought up another very obscure memory. I remember seeing the radio listings from the last page of the Boston Globe TV Week TV listings where they listed radio stations listing 1410 WATD. I thought it was a typo or something. Very interesting! I actually ran into Ed Perry at a ham radio flea market a few weeks back, and I'm going to go over for a tour of the station soon. I'll have to ask him about those days!

Also.... "WKPE Classic Rock 103.9" is now on the air. I guess they are sticking with classic rock, just with updated imaging, no longer calling themselves "The Rocket." The legal (or actually illegal) ID they played was "WKPE Classic Rock 103.9 South Yarmouth/Hyannis."
 
I know I am beating a dead horse here but..........Three AC stations in the same listening area

( Plymouth) is really just too much.......
 
I listened to The Rocket this weekend, and they were id'ing themselves as 103.9 as early as Saturday or Sunday, even thought the dial was still set to 104.7.

jlehmann said:
I actually ran into Ed Perry at a ham radio flea market a few weeks back, and I'm going to go over for a tour of the station soon. I'll have to ask him about those days!
Click to expand...

jlehmann, let me know when you're coming in so I can introduce myself. Always good to meet a fellow R-I member.
 
Can anyone explain to me the difference between a class A and a class B signal? How many watts are KPE and OCN? I can't even get a clear signal for KPE in Plymouth now!!!! :'( Guess it's time to change the presets once again. Thank goodness I can still get PIXY and WZLX!! The format that WOCN has is too, too, too similar to 'PLM. Don't tell me that soft AC is where the ratings are falling these days. ::)
 
I looked it up online:
http://www.cs.iit.edu/~wan/lecture2.pdf

see chart

Class A maximum estimated radial power (I think that's what ERP means) of no more than 6,000 watts;
100 m height above average terrain; 28 km radius. Class B: 50,000 watts, 100 m HAAT, 39 km etc

from radio-locator
103.9: Effective Radiated Power 5500 Watts
Height above Avg. Terrain 104 meters (341 feet)
coverage map: http://radio-locator.com/cgi-bin/pat?call=WKPE&service=FM&status=L&hours=U

104.7: Horizontal Effective Radiated Power 50,000 Watts
Vertical Effective Radiated Power 36,000 Watts
Height above Avg. Terrain 140 meters (460 feet)
Height above Ground Level 143 meters (469 feet)

coverage map: http://radio-locator.com/cgi-bin/pat?call=WOCN&service=FM&status=L&hours=U
 
salesdawg said:
Can anyone explain to me the difference between a class A and a class B signal? How many watts are KPE and OCN? I can't even get a clear signal for KPE in Plymouth now!!!! :'( Guess it's time to change the presets once again. Thank goodness I can still get PIXY and WZLX!! The format that WOCN has is too, too, too similar to 'PLM. Don't tell me that soft AC is where the ratings are falling these days. ::)
Click to expand...

Well, Cape Cod is a relatively small market, and I think the average age down in that area is much older than it is in Boston. I mean, Cape Cod obviously has more stations geared for the older crowd than the younger crowd. I mean, they have a classical station, a news/talk station on FM, and now they have 3 AC stations (if you count WPLM, since I think that's more into the Boston market). I think WOCN has better ratings than WKPE, so I think the majority of Cape listeners are happy about the change. This is interesting, since it's basically the same as the WKLB/WCRB switch in Boston, only down there, it's the softer station that gets the better signal!
 
Well, that just doesn't make sense.........ok, let's say that the Cape has an older listening audience than here on the mainland..............you've got one station that can only be heard on the Cape, and another that can be heard up to Boston...........if the older listeners are situated on the Cape, and the younger listeners are located north of the canal, wouldn't you put the soft AC on the tower that can only be heard by that older demographic on the Cape, and put the classic rock station on the tower that can produce enough wattage to reach the younger listening audience here up north????
 
salesdawg said:
Well, that just doesn't make sense.........ok, let's say that the Cape has an older listening audience than here on the mainland..............you've got one station that can only be heard on the Cape, and another that can be heard up to Boston...........if the older listeners are situated on the Cape, and the younger listeners are located north of the canal, wouldn't you put the soft AC on the tower that can only be heard by that older demographic on the Cape, and put the classic rock station on the tower that can produce enough wattage to reach the younger listening audience here up north????
Click to expand...

What I'm stumped by is when you have the classic rock station, which pulls some of the worst 12+ ratings in a market where there is an active rock station and a classic hits station, why do you let the classic rock station even make it to 103.9 without pulling the plug and trying something that would be a good combo sell with WFCC/WQRC/WOCN, like country?
 
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