WONX AM 1590 GOT THE GREEN LIGHT TO BOOST THEIR POWER

[radiotower40]

Kovas Communications got permission from the FCC today to boost their power from 3.5KW directional to
7KW omni-directional daytime for WONX Evanston AM 1590. They will be continue to use their current
facility in Skokie.

As part of the agreement they have to surrender the license of AM1600 WMCW Harvard(which already ceased
operations). I am guessing we can say goodbye to WKKD AM 1580 Aurora and WCGO AM 1600 Chicago Heights
in the very near future since they have already been granted CP's in new COL's.

 

[Link]

It will be interesting to see how Kovas handles the other two stations WKKD and WCGO that need to be moved. Personally I doubt the stations will ever move to the new markets. I think they will just be lost.

 

[radiotower40]

It will be interesting to see how Kovas handles the other two stations WKKD and WCGO that need to be moved. Personally I doubt the stations will ever move to the new markets. I think they will just be lost.

I agree with you Link I think getting the CP's for WCGO and WKKD were just to get them out of the way so they could up
the power on WONX.

 

[BobMSmith1959]

Just curious to know, what format is WONX is doing now or what type of programming is it???

 

[317C50KW]

Well, if Tom Taylor's information is correct, WONX is to be sold no doubt to settle the estate. Still with a 7KW non direction Day signal, they should do well as a time broker operation.

Mr. Kovas was one of the pioneers of FM radio and FM stereo in Chicago, owning WKFM back in the day.

 

[wtrw]

Re: WONX AM 1590

At the same time, WGBW-AM in Two Rivers, WI (also 1590) was granted
a construction permit for 10 kw days from Denmark, WI (15 miles from Green Bay)

 

[PhilJSmith67]

I don't think the move of WCGO is necessary, even with the power increase they originally wanted. What I find confusing is that Kovas just finished fine-tuning WCGO; their daytime signal is cleaner and goes farther than before, and I am quite impressed with their 23 watt nighttime signal, which I can hear 12 miles away now (it used to be completely covered by graveyard skywave).

 

[Prais]

Never underestimate Kovas. Smart and clever.

WKFM (their first) was a dump that was also a money machine. It was held together by chewing gum and bailing wire, and had only about a 500 song music library for their "semi-classical" format. Later, WKFM was the FIRST FM to sell for a million dollars (to rko). Rko Schaefer automated it and played oldies, also opening an affiliated night club (the FYR station) and did well enough to make WIND change format - from oldies to talk.

The ethnic program format is SURE money, and on a bigger stick, in Chicagoland, it will be a financial winner. The old owners of WCGO (Tony Santucci and company) and their successors couldn't hold a candle to Kovas.

I'm familiar with a few ethnic stations, some of whom (like wcev and others) have an annual "time auction" so the time block being auctioned goes to the highest bidder. "We don't need no stinkin' rate card."

 

[StevenGastreich]

how long do you think it will be, or does anyone know, when the power upgrade should be complete?

 

[dxer720]

I hope WGBW eats away at the SE Wisconsin part of WONX's coverage. Can you tell I'm still mad about Kovas taking WMCW? I'm rooting for WCGO staying on. I've heard that station & I like it's music.

 

[Ultimajock]

I hope WGBW eats away at the SE Wisconsin part of WONX's coverage. Can you tell I'm still mad about Kovas taking WMCW?

...how do you think I feel after having worked at WMCW? Would have been perfectly happy staying there had the mismanagement not reared its familiarly ugly head ;-) ...

 

[ChgoTVMan]

Just curious to know, what format is WONX is doing now or what type of programming is it???

The broadcast weekday is divided three ways- the Korean Christian Broadcast System, M-F 6am to 12 noon, a remote from Morton Grove featuring general and religious news and drama; from noon through 8 pm the format switches to Spanish language- live from the station's Evanston studios (with the exception of 5 pm to 6 pm which is a Spanish language remote from Miami FL); the third format is Assyrian, live from the Evanston studios and featuring a mixture of secular and religious programming. Saturdays is mostly Assyrian, with a helping of some Spanish language and one hour of Albanian. Sundays are mostly Haitian, but also features the long running Jewish Community Hour, Indian/Pakastani programming, and one hour of Romanian. Most weekend shows are aired live. The weekday Spanish block is repeated M-F at midnight. Two shows hail from the station's past- Jhankar!, a Indian entertainment show on Sundays began on WLTD; and The Jewish Community Hour, which premiered in 1963 over WNMP.

 

[joebob]

I for on am sad to see 1580 WKKD go away. It was my first full time on air radio gig.

 

[T2909]

I would like to know when WONX-1590 will be on the air with 7kw, and hope their new signal will be heard in Milwaukee, Wis. WONX broad casts Spanish programs during the day. I listened to WONX when I was visting in Kenosha, Wis. Does WNOX have a website?


Tom

 

[mimo]

Yes they do. You can even listen online

http://www.1590wonx.com/

 

[ddybas]

It will be interesting to see how Kovas handles the other two stations WKKD and WCGO that need to be moved. Personally I doubt the stations will ever move to the new markets. I think they will just be lost.

According to the FCC Construction Permit issued to WONX, they will not receive their license to operate at the new power level until WKKD, WMCW and WCGO are licensed at their new frequencies and locations. So those stations must be moved, built, licensed before WONX gets it's license. A pretty expensive proposition for Kovas unless those stations stations CP's can be sold. But that doesn't let Kovas off the hook...the stations still have to be licensed no matter who owns them, for Kovas to get the WONX license.

All this seems kinda silly considering a doubling of transmitter power only increases coverage about 50%, keeping WONX a suburban station.

This will be interesting to watch, that's for sure!

 

[T2909]

I am unable to listen to WONX online, because my MSNTV2 internet box doesn't have Real Audio, but it has Windows Media Player,

I checked WONX's website and didn't find any contact us link.


Tom

 

[audioguy]

I am very sorry to hear about this. First, several communities are losing important local stations (especially Harvard). Second, WONX has the worst sounding audio on the Chicago AM dial, except for possibly the Polnet stations (1330 and 1430). They all air stuff with gross amounts of distortion, hum and noise. Sometimes they just leave a dead carrier on the air for hours on end, with no station ID. In my opinion, this is a disgrace to AM radio.

Time-brokered "programming"? Here's my take on this kind of junk: "We're not responsible for anything broadcast in the following program. We just hold the license for the station. We plug it into Commonwealth Edison and then we collect the money. We don't do any actual programming..."

 

[Prais]

Well, this programming is legal, and Kovas is an innovator with a good track record.

What about the unserved and underserved people who get radio the can listern to, because of this station?

As a one-time owner of 4 local stations, I do understand about the loss in Harvard, but there are plenty of English-language stations up and down the dial. If Harvard was that essential, why was it sold? Money? Nothing wrong with that. That's what BUSINESS is!

Chicago has a rich history of brokered programming, since the mid-1920's, when wges, wcrw, whfc, wsbc, could not compete w/wgn and the rest.

I felt much like you, until, in the 1970's, I worked for Ed Jacker, now deceased, consulting engineer and 50% partner in wcrw.

This is America, where everyone can benefit from radio. Change is constant.

With respect, Audiioguy, if you feel that strongly, here is an opportunity; nothing is stopping you from buying a station.

Mr. Link, WCGO IS being built in Jenison, Michigan. They are testing there, now.

 

[ChgoTVMan]

I agree 100% with Prais. This is a business. As far as the audio quality of WONX, over the last few years there has been efforts to change that. New boards were installed. New MD and CD players. And they installed a Simian Autosystem (well that one I really don't consider an "improvement" but thats a personal opinion). The main TX has been replaced with a state of the art Nautel that can easily push out 12K and the auxillary TX has been replaced with a smaller 1K Nautel. Actually the aux TX isn't brand new, it was actually the main TX for the late lamented WMCW, but it beats by far the old RCA TX they used as a back up. That one was actually the old WNMP TX. It really belongs in a museum now. The rest of the transmitting equipment (STLs, compressors, etc.) is aging but their chief engineer, Dr. Jim White, has been working to repair, rebuild, and if necessary, replace them.
But regardless of what new and improved equipment is installed, it really boils down to the people behind the boards who run their shows (namely the brokers). Most of them know how to do a good show. Unfortunately there are still some who never watch the meters and overmodulate under the foolish assumption that the higher they bring up the faders, the farther they will transmit. Others still use poor sounding cassette tapes that bring down the sound quality. There are still NAB cart machines but thank God no one ever uses them.