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WQQK

J

jwhite6069

Am I correct in thinking that the only thing keeping WQQK from a major signal upgrade is WTKY-FM in in Tompkinsville, Ky? I had heard that the owners of WTKY had past away and the family put the Whittimore broadcasting empire up for sale. This makes me think WTKY-FM is probably worth more gone than it is on the air.


Any Insight?
 
Probably true.

In any case, deleting the WTKY license wouldn't free up the channel. It would remain in the FM Table of Allocations, and sooner or later it would be auctioned to some other applicant. WQQK would be required to protect the vacant allotment in the interim.

A quick check suggests WQQK *could* be upgraded to C3 (roughly 4x increase in power) if they moved about 8 miles to the south. They've got a fair bit of leeway until they run into the 92.1 station down by the Alabama line. Actually, the big problem for a WQQK upgrade is not WTKY, but WAPX at Austin Peay in Clarksville. 92Q is 8 miles too close to WAPX to upgrade to class C3.

Now, I haven't done the math on the city-grade contour but suspect WQQK couldn't provide a city-grade signal across Goodlettsville from a site that far south. They'd have to change the city-of-license, and then get some other station to change *its* city to Goodlettsville. Luckily, WSM-FM would probably do the trick.

Now, I can assure you Cumulus has engineers who are far better than I at spectrum allocation! I think one can assume, from the fact that 92Q hasn't already been upgraded, that either:

- I missed something and an upgrade really wouldn't be that easy, or:
- They agree it's possible but have decided it isn't $$ worth the effort.
 
Nothing has really changed in the allocation situation for some time, so I don't think the trust has anything to do with it. (they could have done the upgrade long before multiple-ownership issues came into the equation)
 
92.1 has been studied many, many times over the decades. No upgrade and little wiggle room also 10.6/10.8 IF issue to the south as well.
 
Watt Hairston said:
92.1 has been studied many, many times over the decades.
Click to expand...

I remember a detailed "study" from Angelo Ditty regarding legal ID and studio location!
 
Yes sir, and if you recall the GM at the time initially refused to change it. A.R.D. wanted to hear the new one before he left....
 
Chris - Speaking of nostalgia . All this makes me pine for the days of the old WBYQ Hendersonville.... ID. And more...

Watt - as a world class engineer, did you find it interesting that Crums decided to sell off 97.1 vs. Selling 92.1 to EMF and moving the Q over to 97.1's signal? Maybe it really doesn't matter when you are counting listenership zip codes and PPM, but every potential ear, even in the burbs could push a number up or down.
 
Tibbs2 said:
Chris - Speaking of nostalgia . All this makes me pine for the days of the old WBYQ Hendersonville.... ID. And more...

Watt - as a world class engineer, did you find it interesting that Crums decided to sell off 97.1 vs. Selling 92.1 to EMF and moving the Q over to 97.1's signal? Maybe it really doesn't matter when you are counting listenership zip codes and PPM, but every potential ear, even in the burbs could push a number up or down.
Click to expand...
Perhaps from a technological and local branding standpoint; however, given the nature of the whole deal and the net-sum-gain of picking up a big signal in another market, it did make sense... IMHO as always...

Merry Christmas.

wh
 
Merry Christmas back, good sir. I always forget the WABB deal. I would guess that EMF specified they would want RQQ vs. QQK for signal. Win-Win. Yep.
 
EMF does deals based on potential listeners it can reach. By trading down in Mobile, they had to make up those extra heads in Nashville. 92.1 wasn't enough of a signal to make that happen.
 
Before all the engineers took over this thread, my point was that I would not be particularly interested in listening to 92Q under its current format. However, if someone were to put together a station like WRBO in Memphis, I might be interested in listening.

Now before someone else has the chance to tell me, yes, I realize that we had that format on two different stations (104.5 and 106.7), simultaneously (1999) no less. But what I am saying is that if that format were to return to Nashville on a decent signal, I would give it a spot on my presets.
 
The current version of 103.5 in Memphis is a lot more like today's 92.1 than 1999's 104.5 or 106.7.

103.5 was all classic soul and R&B but now they mainly play music from the 1990s and up with about the same amount of gold as any urban AC.
 
briancraig said:
The current version of 103.5 in Memphis is a lot more like today's 92.1 than 1999's 104.5 or 106.7.
103.5 was all classic soul and R&B but now they mainly play music from the 1990s and up with about the same amount of gold as any urban AC.
Click to expand...
I looked at their website just this week, and they were still classic soul. If they have changed recently, they will have the same problems with attracting rural listeners that 92Q would have.
 
The terrain in the rural areas surrounding Memphis is very different from that surrounding Nashville.

And, it appears, so are the demographics. I'm an engineer, not a programmer, but I'm not thinking you can make predictions about 103.5's rural audience based on numbers from Nashville.
 
w9wi said:
The terrain in the rural areas surrounding Memphis is very different from that surrounding Nashville.
And, it appears, so are the demographics. I'm an engineer, not a programmer, but I'm not thinking you can make predictions about 103.5's rural audience based on numbers from Nashville.
Click to expand...
Wouldn't their signal strength be the determinant of that? If they don't get out, no one can hear them. (There are also "urban" stations in the Jackson area.)
 
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