WSB 750 And The Shopping Mall Parking Lot Lights

[Charles Kinney]

A WSB engineer told me that when any business in the shopping center wants to make any kind of electrical change, it needs to involve WSB's engineers.

When I first came to Atlanta and found the WSB tower, I was curious as to whether the businesses in the shopping center knew what it was. So I asked a cashier in Office Max , and he said, "It's a little power station."

The "developer" of the shopping center changes on a somewhat regular basis. The shopping center is supposed to adhere to the lease and let me know when they make changes. The reality is much different. The parking lot lights currently make me happy I'm not epileptic. I would imagine that they will call me when they get frustrated enough.

 

[secondchoice]

How old is that tower?

 

[Dr. Bob]

Being associated with 50 kW AMs and hearing from listeners outside the coverage of an FM when there are issues, if WSB’s management ever did decide to turn off the AM, they will hear from listeners in distant areas about the loss of programming.

 

[radiofan2023]

Being associated with 50 kW AMs and hearing from listeners outside the coverage of an FM when there are issues, if WSB’s management ever did decide to turn off the AM, they will hear from listeners in distant areas about the loss of programming.

So? Those listeners are outside of the market.

 

[SomeRadioGuy]

Being associated with 50 kW AMs and hearing from listeners outside the coverage of an FM when there are issues, if WSB’s management ever did decide to turn off the AM, they will hear from listeners in distant areas about the loss of programming.

If theyre outside the coverage of the FM, theres a better than 90 percent chance they dont matter a hill o beans to the revenue... which means too touch so sorry, SOL.

 

[Dr. Bob]

If theyre outside the coverage of the FM, theres a better than 90 percent chance they dont matter a hill o beans to the revenue... which means too touch so sorry, SOL.

Your problem is “conventional wisdom” that listeners outside the market but inside the coverage area don’t matter to revenue but they can and do. Example, one of the 50 kW AM stations I’m familiar with has good coverage of a medium city 100 miles away from the main market but is too distant for FM coverage. I have seen businesses with locations in both markets buy advertising on the AM station because it produced results for them.

 

[Mikey Radio]

Your problem is “conventional wisdom” that listeners outside the market but inside the coverage area don’t matter to revenue but they can and do. Example, one of the 50 kW AM stations I’m familiar with has good coverage of a medium city 100 miles away from the main market but is too distant for FM coverage. I have seen businesses with locations in both markets buy advertising on the AM station because it produced results for them.

Respectfully, I'm guessing that's a rarity. If true, it's likely because the far away business called on the station, not the other way 'round.

 

[SomeRadioGuy]

Your problem is “conventional wisdom” that listeners outside the market but inside the coverage area don’t matter to revenue but they can and do. Example, one of the 50 kW AM stations I’m familiar with has good coverage of a medium city 100 miles away from the main market but is too distant for FM coverage. I have seen businesses with locations in both markets buy advertising on the AM station because it produced results for them.

That case is somewhat to pretty rare these days.... 30-40-50 years ago before the internet and more media choices? id say thats possible

 

[secondchoice]

It amazes me how folks 100's or thousands of miles away who never come to Atlanta except to change planes or driving thru on their to Florida keep on posting "AM is dead and turn in the license". One thing I learned is radio like politics is local. Apollo / Cox sees value in this particular station (AM 750) or they would have sold it. If 750 was auctioned by the FCC, I would bid on it. You could duplex off of any existing AM tower inside the perimeter to get "legal" coverage of the the city of license. On paper* you could have a translator that the 60 db goes farther than the 25 mile rule thanks to 50 KW. No directional array to worry about.

I don't think it would be a top 20 station ratings wise but with the relatively few market covering FMs for a market this size, and the possible format holes in the market, Cox will keep it just to keep other operators out and not give up the 10% (lowest guestimate I have heard) of their 95.5 audience.

*I believe the FCC is very generous with their ground conductivity coverage in North GA.

 

[jabba17]

It amazes me how folks 100's or thousands of miles away who never come to Atlanta except to change planes or driving thru on their to Florida keep on posting "AM is dead and turn in the license". One thing I learned is radio like politics is local. Apollo / Cox sees value in this particular station (AM 750) or they would have sold it. If 750 was auctioned by the FCC, I would bid on it. You could duplex off of any existing AM tower inside the perimeter to get "legal" coverage of the the city of license. On paper* you could have a translator that the 60 db goes farther than the 25 mile rule thanks to 50 KW. No directional array to worry about.

I don't think it would be a top 20 station ratings wise but with the relatively few market covering FMs for a market this size, and the possible format holes in the market, Cox will keep it just to keep other operators out and not give up the 10% (lowest guestimate I have heard) of their 95.5 audience.

*I believe the FCC is very generous with their ground conductivity coverage in North GA.

You could argue that the Cox family kept the AM around for sentimental reasons. That no longer applies with Apollo. If they see a way to make a nickel or save a nickel they would do it in a heartbeat.

Of course, being a class A clear is something special, and they've already monetized the real estate. This isn't a class B directional array that happens to not be in a floodplain, ripe for re-development*, or some class C/D with minimal listenership without translators.

* How many of those are really left? Most of the class B's are in floodplains, so it seems, reducing the value of a RE play.

 

[RoddyFreeman]

You could argue that the Cox family kept the AM around for sentimental reasons. That no longer applies with Apollo. If they see a way to make a nickel or save a nickel they would do it in a heartbeat.

Of course, being a class A clear is something special, and they've already monetized the real estate. This isn't a class B directional array that happens to not be in a floodplain, ripe for re-development*, or some class C/D with minimal listenership without translators.

* How many of those are really left? Most of the class B's are in floodplains, so it seems, reducing the value of a RE play.

It probably still adds *something* to the ratings even if it's 10%. It costs them nothing additional for talent, only for the cost of running and maintaining the transmitter.

 

[tylerSC]

They don't ignore the AM, and it gets used for special programming when they split the signals. That being said, they are in the business of making money and the reality is, that people listen to FM. CK

They may not ignore the AM signal, but they certainly don't promote it anymore. Hopefully the 750-AM legacy signal will be maintained, as it still provides a valuable service for fringe areas the FM signal may not reach. News, talk, traffic, and weather information make WSB an essential service when traveling down 85 from Upstate SC into Georgia. Start with 750-AM around Clemson and switch to 95.5 about Carnesville, since a SC station also moved to the same FM channel causing interference. But I'm sure there may be many areas around Georgia the FM signal won't reach but the AM serves a larger area. Always enjoy WSB, but still miss Neal Boortz.

 

[davideduardo]

They may not ignore the AM signal, but they certainly don't promote it anymore. Hopefully the 750-AM legacy signal will be maintained, as it still provides a valuable service for fringe areas the FM signal may not reach. News, talk, traffic, and weather information make WSB an essential service when traveling down 85 from Upstate SC into Georgia. Start with 750-AM around Clemson and switch to 95.5 about Carnesville, since a SC station also moved to the same FM channel causing interference. But I'm sure there may be many areas around Georgia the FM signal won't reach but the AM serves a larger area. Always enjoy WSB, but still miss Neal Boortz.

The biggest issue is that no AM has coverage in modern homes and apartments. Between wall-warts, chargers, LED bulbs and many other kinds of RF-emitting devices, AM is unlistenable. And still roughly half of all listening to all radio is in-home, but we see it is considerably less for AM only stations that have no FM presence.

 

[jabba17]

They may not ignore the AM signal, but they certainly don't promote it anymore. Hopefully the 750-AM legacy signal will be maintained, as it still provides a valuable service for fringe areas the FM signal may not reach. News, talk, traffic, and weather information make WSB an essential service when traveling down 85 from Upstate SC into Georgia. Start with 750-AM around Clemson and switch to 95.5 about Carnesville, since a SC station also moved to the same FM channel causing interference. But I'm sure there may be many areas around Georgia the FM signal won't reach but the AM serves a larger area. Always enjoy WSB, but still miss Neal Boortz.

Did a SC FM take advantage of WSBB's move ITP from Chateau Elan?

 

[jabba17]

The biggest issue is that no AM has coverage in modern homes and apartments. Between wall-warts, chargers, LED bulbs and many other kinds of RF-emitting devices, AM is unlistenable. And still roughly half of all listening to all radio is in-home, but we see it is considerably less for AM only stations that have no FM presence.

I have a 1962 all-tube RCA stereo console that is a great DXer on AM. Problem is, it's in the same room as my computer, and I have LED lamps all over my house.

 

[secondchoice]

Did a SC FM take advantage of WSBB's move ITP from Chateau Elan?

Maybe a translator up graded. But I doubt the "Greenville FM" 95.5 WLTE (Air1) would want to move west or south away from downtown Greenville. I doubt there was a major upgrade to WLTE. Its a class A 6000 watts at 292 feet. I having trouble with the FCC site to check for construction permits for WLTE.

 

[GeoffR]

So how is it that WSB-AM's transmitter site is surrounded by a shopping center? Cox (or an earlier owner) used to own all of that land and sold it, boxing in the tower?

 

[davideduardo]

Being associated with 50 kW AMs and hearing from listeners outside the coverage of an FM when there are issues, if WSB’s management ever did decide to turn off the AM, they will hear from listeners in distant areas about the loss of programming.

The daytime usable coverage does not extend very far outside the metro. Night skywave coverage is greater, but statistically "nobody" listens to that any more.

 

[secondchoice]

So how is it that WSB-AM's transmitter site is surrounded by a shopping center? Cox (or an earlier owner) used to own all of that land and sold it, boxing in the tower?

Cox actually engineerd the ground system to hook up with the steel in the buildings. I believe they reworked the ground radials in conjunction with the construction of the shopping center too. I never really listened to 750 but my Dad who listened in Blue Ridge never noticed any decline.

 

[ThePowerCow]

I thought 750 was going the way of WOKV-AM and WDBO-AM and switch to sports and possibly grab the Braves from WCNN. The stadium is in 680's night lull. 93.7 isn't much better.