Worst Station You've ever heard

[eyg2181]

this is not for hating a station because of a format you dont like...but for just being plain crappy.

101.9! aka T102 pottsville pa, its the only station in pottsville that plays music and it sucks...pottsvilles 1450 am (The Phoenix)

the pheonix should be moved up to FM, and T-102 needs to be canned


idk why they call themselves T-102, because they aint 102 anything...and the play too much hip-hop, they are the worst AC station ive ever heard, im not much for AC to begin with but this just stinks...when they do play a good song, its usually an edit that cuts half the song off...ex:american pie is cut off by more than half, another brick in the wall has its begining cut out...and there #1 for 15 minute commercial breaks.

they do this joke called thursday threesomes...which is ok...IF they would do all tripple shots, but no....there is one every hour, and you cant pick your own band if you call in, they give you 3 bands to choose to have a block of, and the 3 bands usually suck...most AC stations are ok, but T-102 sucks!!!


i dont hate it b/c of its format..i hate it b/c it just plain sucks.

 

[garnet]

how about we make this about things like proccessing, jock quality...imaging...that kind of thing...i worked at wksi in greensboro in the early 90's, and the afternoon guy would get all tanked up and go into eingineering at night and mess with the proccessing, and two days later it would start to dawn on people, that we were barely audible on the left channel or something...so i would say, for a few days in the early 90's wksi in greensboro, nc, was the worst sounding radio station ever...but we were all pretty drunk at the time.

 

[PaulBWalkerJr]

I won't name names..

But there's one station I've been listneing to online.

There are NO liners or any sort of imaging elements between songs or any when the jock goes from talking into a break. They aren't even any coming out of a break going into a song(during local programming!!

The only time they do a legal id is during local programming.

During the time they use ABC OLdies Radio Network out of Dallas.... it's the same tired 4 liners over and over again that step ALL over the network's jock and the "legal id" they run is so far from legal, it doesnt even mention their CALL LETTERS.

Just cuse a station is small market doesn't mean is has to sound it!!

 

[radioman51]

Have any of you driven through West Virginia, Kentucky, Tennessee, southwestern Virginia, or western North Carolina? Talk about bad radio.....

A lot of the programming is horrendously bad on some of the local stations down there. And technically, some of them sound like they are just barely on the air. (The FCC could probably make a small fortune on fines in some of these places). This area is by far where I've heard some of the worst radio ever.

BUT...on the same token....some of these stations actually try to serve their communities with the meager resources they have. That doesn't relieve them, however, from not following even the most basic rules of programming. And, if doesn't free them from at least maintaing some sort of minimum technical standards.

With all of this in mind, my vote for the absolute worst station I've ever heard is WBCV-AM in Bristol, TN. It's not that the station is religious -- I've heard a lot of great sounding religious stations -- but this is just done badly. And their transmitter sounds on a par with their programming - bad.

 

[PaulBWalkerJr]

WBCV is now WIGN after a sale some years ago, about 2 or so I'd say... they were asking way too much.

ANd I'd agree, WIGN(WBCV) sounded HORRIBLE!

 

[radroad]

wdha in nj....used to be great! now it drove me to get sirius so in a way im glad it was so bad.....i like ysp but can barley get it in my part of jersey

 

[hipporadio]

As a crazed connoisseur of really bad radio (when my desire for “entertainment” exceeds what I can find on the “cookie-cutters”), let me offer up these CURRENT gems for your consideration and potential amusement...

First, the “atrocious audio award” goes to 1430 WNFO Sun City (Hilton Head), SC. Many years back this station used to run 500watts as a Hilton Head visitors info station with very good audio and a slick presentation—but it went “dark”—to later return with only 213watts (still into a 90-degree stick?) and a heavily-reverbed screaming regional-Mexican format that is 100% local... Oh such a delight—if only you’re fluent in Spanish. WNFO’s idea of an STL is a Microsoft Windows Media encoder into a DIAL-UP internet connection at 16kbps!!! Add in the ancient transmitter, over-processing, and over-mod, and your ears are sure to be amazed!

Then, in the “I’m begging for an FCC fine” department... Consider automated Christian Rock 1090 WHGG Kingsport, TN. 10kw day/1.8kw CH/no PSSA--and a sac-religious propensity for outright overmod. We’re not talking about just an old Volumax with a few leaky caps—this is a frequent-duty demo in cancelled carrier. To make matters worse, this station often forgets to hit the “off” button at sundown. I have observed it many times in both Charleston, SC (spiking 1110 WBT) and in east-central Indiana (spiking 1070 WIBC) as late as 11PM during the winter months!

Finally, the “all-round atrocious” award goes to 680 WCTT Corbin, KY. While this station has one of the better signals in southeast KY, it only recently lifted itself out of the “worst audio” category. The sound got SO BAD—it finally HAD to get better, but the programming hasn’t. “The Great 68” is literally a fifty-year-wide “train wreck” of homemade reel-to-reel automated 40s/50 standards, 60s/70s MOR and pop, and even an 80s pop-rocker thrown in when the owner wasn’t looking. It’s chock full of well worn disc-to-tape transfers of “On Top of Old Smoky” and “Nick-Nak Paddywack—Give the Dog a Bone”, cheesy organ instrumentals, oldies from Hell-week, one hit wonders from the 70s, and even an occasional 80s New Wave “sneak-in” courtesy of whoever was assembling the latest automation tape... And the only hourly reprieve?... ABC network news at the top. Now give me a good-lookin’ coal-miner’s daughter so I can live nearly and enjoy this one daily :

 

[FrankB-town]

i was driving down south through the hills of southern Virginia...lots of stations coming in clear...thing is they were silent!

 

[Those RRRRs]

You don't have to drive to Kentucky or North Carolina to hear terrible audio. 1360 WNJC is the WORST I've ever heard so far as audio is concerned. It's like listening to blown speakers through a cardboard box.

 

[deepstblu]

You don't have to drive to Kentucky or North Carolina to hear terrible audio. 1360 WNJC is the WORST I've ever heard so far as audio is concerned. It's like listening to blown speakers through a cardboard box.

That's kind of what 1580 WGYM, the WOND relay in Hammonton, sounded like the last time I was through there. The stuff I taped onto 3-for-$1 cassettes with a $20 cassette recorder in junior high had better sound.

 

[SoulCrusher]

Have any of you driven through West Virginia, Kentucky, Tennessee, southwestern Virginia, or western North Carolina? Talk about bad radio.....

While that area is Country Heaven (or Hell, depending on your opinion - but then again, so is South Jersey), if you are a fan of Rock formats, these areas have what you're looking for as well. While I have never traveled though these areas, I have it on good authority that there are plenty of quality Active & Alternative Rock stations, which is much more than can be said about the sorry state of affairs in Philly if you like these genres (obviously you can tell that I do).

 

[SCRHack]

MIX hands down was the worst most cluelessly confused station ever. Danny and Zack in the AM were the only saving grace.

 

[eatspaste]

That's kind of what 1580 WGYM, the WOND relay in Hammonton, sounded like the last time I was through there. The stuff I taped onto 3-for-$1 cassettes with a $20 cassette recorder in junior high had better sound.

You actually heard 1580 in Hammonton? I say that because they're usually running around 2% modulation (no, I'm not kidding).

 

[deepstblu]

That's kind of what 1580 WGYM, the WOND relay in Hammonton, sounded like the last time I was through there. The stuff I taped onto 3-for-$1 cassettes with a $20 cassette recorder in junior high had better sound.

You actually heard 1580 in Hammonton? I say that because they're usually running around 2% modulation (no, I'm not kidding).

The key phrase there is "in Hammonton"...driving down the White Horse Pike, maybe two miles from their site. The sound was so awful that I couldn't stand to stick with it for more than a minute or so.

I had a teacher in high school who said he worked there around 1967 when it was WNJH, and he wondered at times if anybody was actually listening (they'd offer some little prize on the air and nobody would call in)...got to wonder the same thing now.

 

[PaulBWalkerJr]

At one station I worked for, I decided to give away 2 CDs on a Friday afternoon. or at least TRY to give them away.

I started out by saying, "Ok folks, I'm going to give away 2 CDs row. How do you win them? just be the first caller to tell me the title and artist of the following song. I'll give you a clue, the host has a weekend show on this station and the NAME of the song is actually sung in the lyrics."

Well, after 45 minutes of no calls, I just said, "Be the first person to call me and say you're listening.ALL you have to do is give me your name/home town and you win"

Still no calls.

What was that song by the way? Disco Duck by Rick Dees.

 

[MarcB]

990 AM Southington, Connecticut back in late 2000/early 2001 when they LMA'd to BLAZE Communications and ran a hip-hop format. The format was good. Just the way it was being run was horrible. The president of BLAZE Communications wouldn't pay the light bill so the station would go off the air every couple months. For several hours. Since BLAZE Communications only LMA'd the station 6AM-6PM (no one else LMA'd it or leased time) they'd run a 45 minute long CD on repeat for 12 hours. No legal IDs, liners, or anything. So one time while the CD was playing it got stuck. So for several hours the only thing one could hear on 990AM was a loud thumping sound. One time they were on the air on a Sunday afternoon (which they weren't supposed to be) they were doing a remote broadcast from a supermarket's grand opening and in the middle of the remote the EAS went off talking about a Thunderstorm Warning. The in-studio DJ comes on and says "I'm sorry everyone. I don't know what that Thunderstorm Shi* was. I couldn't turn it off." They'd cut songs off in the middle switch to a commercial and then start the song over again from the beginning. The DJs would say stupid things like "3 people will will. We're going to take Caller 9, Caller 9, and Caller 0." (How the hell can you be caller 0?) Sometimes the DJ would giver the studio line as "Eight-Sixty, Six Twenty-One, Seventeen-Fifty" instead of "Eight-Six-Zero, Six-Two-One-Seventeen-Fifty." New management took over the station in July 2001 and terminated Blaze Communicaiton's LMA. They unsuccessfully programmed the hip-hop format in-house. After September 11th, the GM announces on-air about the BLAZE 990 World Trade Center Fund, hoping to collect money for the vicitims of the attacks. After they flipped to news-talk in February 2002 and yours truely started as an intern there, I asked the GM how much was raised and his answer was "We didn't raise a single dime." I also found out from this GM that the reason BLAZE used to cut off songs and switch to commercials is that the president of BLAZE Communications would be on the phone with a sponsor and he'd tell the DJ to put the commercial on right away. Apparently the president of BLAZE Communications also tried to sell the station several times. - (Gee I believe it is illegal to sell something that you don't own).

 

[southjerseyjon]

I agree with the NJ post re: WDHA- what a great station they used to be. music and DJ's were top notch. Really spoke to the Jersey rock fan. Now, DJ's announce wrong songs, music is horrible...what the heck happened?

 

[SoulCrusher]

I agree with the NJ post re: WDHA- what a great station they used to be. music and DJ's were top notch. Really spoke to the Jersey rock fan. Now, DJ's announce wrong songs, music is horrible...what the heck happened?

Musically, WRAT and WMMR are right down there with WDHA. Greater Media (much like CBS/Infinity and Clear Channel, they specialize in bland cookie-cutter Rock formats) owns all stations, and those who choose to drive while listening to any of these stations should have a nice hot cup of joe with them to be on the safe side. At least the jocks on The Rat and MMR are much better, though.

 

[eyg2181]

WMMR = best rock station ever

i hate greater media now though, and MMR is the only one they own that i will still listen to...

nassau i think has the best for classic rock stations

97.5 the hawk was nassaus but greater media bought them out, and now we loose the greatest classic rock station of all time to smooth jazz...get that one...greater media blows...

i still think t-102 is worse than that WDHA and WRAT

 

[eatspaste]

i still think t-102 is worse than that WDHA and WRAT

I haven't heard T102 in a while, but it is what it is. You're probably not going to find slick imaging, high paid legendary jocks, and hugh contest budgets way up in Schuylkill County. WAVT is on the air, serving the people there, with a wider format compared to something you'd hear in a big city. Is T102 worse that Rat or WDHA? Probably, if you look at it that way.