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WSMR/Life 89.1 Sarasota goes dark Wednesday 8/4

T

TBradiowaves

Guest
Christian WSMR/Sarasota is going off the air at 5pm this coming Wednesday, and its license is being sold. They seem to be operating at lower power today as well; I can barely hear them in south St. Pete. It looks like the economy has taken its toll on WSMR.

http://wsmr.nwc.edu/article.php?id=387
 
TBradiowaves said:
Christian WSMR/Sarasota is going off the air at 5pm this coming Wednesday, and its license is being sold. They seem to be operating at lower power today as well; I can barely hear them in south St. Pete. It looks like the economy has taken its toll on WSMR.

http://wsmr.nwc.edu/article.php?id=387
Click to expand...
Normally from my location near the USF BayboroCampus I get a better signal out of WSMR 89.1 than the religious station in Tarpon Springs at 88.9 (even though Radio-Locator.com indicates that I should be receiving the Tarpon Springs station better!)

That being said, too bad the Sarasota Herald-Tribune decided that Radio Babe's weekly radio column was taking up too much space; she would have been on top of this!

Now getting back to Radio Locator, they are indicating that there is a CP for WSMR with the CP being granted just ten days ago (21 Jul 2010)......... same power, 50,000 watts, but moving their towers from just east of downtown Venice to the Nokomis/Laurel/Casey Key area; just east of Tamiama Trail with a tower height reduction of about 36 feet.

This is all interesting; perhaps Moody Radio would be interested in moving their 104.3 signal to 89.1 or maybe either WGCU or WUSF might want to consider having a station on this freqency as there is an NPR reception void in south Sarasota county.

There are other possibilities as well; maybe the Sarasota/Bradenton/Venice area will get some unique programming only available now on the low power FM that barely covers most of the Sarasota city limits.

drt
 
https://licensing.fcc.gov/cgi-bin/w...xt=25&appn=101376931&formid=911&fac_num=64255 -- dated 6/21/2010 from the FCC

Exhibit 4
Description: CIRCUMSTANCES REQUIRING SPECIAL TEMPORARY AUTHORITY

NORTHWESTERN COLLEGE HAS RECEIVED FINAL NOTICE THAT IT MUST VACATE THE TOWER AT WSMR'S LICENSED SITE BY JUNE 30 IN ORDER THAT THE OWNER MAY PROCEED WITH PLANS TO DISMANTLE THE TOWER IN THE NEAR FUTURE. AUTHORITY IS THEREFORE SOUGHT TO OPERATE AT REDUCED POWER FROM A NEARBY TOWER AS DESCRIBED IN THIS REQUEST. ANOTHER STATION HAS OFFERED THE TEMPORARY USE OF ITS AUXILIARY ANTENNA ON THIS TOWER. GRANT OF STA WILL ALLOW WSMR TO CONTINUE TO PROVIDE PROGRAMMING TO A PORTION OF ITS AUDIENCE RATHER THAN GO SILENT.

AN APPLICATION FOR A FULL FACILITY ON THIS SAME TOWER WILL BE FILED ON OR ABOUT JUNE 25, AND THIS LOCATION WILL BECOME THE PERMANENT HOME FOR WSMR. THEREFORE, THE PROPOSED OPERATION WILL BE TEMPORARY AND WILL ONLY BE USED UNTIL THE FULL FACILITY CAN BE AUTHORIZED AND BUILT. THE LICENSEE WILL REQUEST THE COMMISSION TO EXPEDITE ACTION ON THE APPLICATION IN ORDER THAT WSMR CAN RETURN TO FULL POWER OPERATION AT THE EARLIEST POSSIBLE TIME.

THE ATTACHED MAP SHOWS THE PROPOSED STA SERVICE CONTOUR WILL REMAIN TOTALLY WITHIN THE PRESENTLY AUTHORIZED CONTOUR.
 
It looks like WSMR is temporarily using the backup antenna for 92.1. Thats why the low power. The mismatch between 89.1 and 92.1 is not that bad and the reflected power is probably tolerable on a temporary basis. In addition to 92.1, 107.9 is also on that tower. located along US41 at the Venice connector. Looks like a 12 bay antenna, but actually are 2 separate ones for 92.1 and 107.9. The aux antennas are below the mains. Wasnt WSMR known as the Way FM at one time? Basically a satellator for northwestern college? Is there a local studio for this station somewhere? Hanging another full power multi bay FM antenna along with the 4 existing antennas, the cell phone antennas on that tower and you will have a loaded tower...
 
sbe1 said:
It looks like WSMR is temporarily using the backup antenna for 92.1. Thats why the low power. The mismatch between 89.1 and 92.1 is not that bad and the reflected power is probably tolerable on a temporary basis. In addition to 92.1, 107.9 is also on that tower. located along US41 at the Venice connector. Looks like a 12 bay antenna, but actually are 2 separate ones for 92.1 and 107.9. The aux antennas are below the mains. Wasnt WSMR known as the Way FM at one time? Basically a satellator for northwestern college? Is there a local studio for this station somewhere? Hanging another full power multi bay FM antenna along with the 4 existing antennas, the cell phone antennas on that tower and you will have a loaded tower...
Click to expand...

Just think of how much tower rent the tower owner is collecting each month.
 
Yes, WSMR has a studio at Fruitville and US301 in downtown Sarasota. In fact, they are having an open house for listeners from 9a-5p on Wednesday. 89.1 was known as WAY-FM prior to becoming WSMR some 14 years ago; they simulcasted WAY-FM (88.7) out of Ft. Myers, if I recall correctly.
 
maybe either WGCU or WUSF might want to consider having a station on this freqency as there is an NPR reception void in south Sarasota county

And that's a bad thing? :)
 
druidhillsradio said:
maybe either WGCU or WUSF might want to consider having a station on this freqency as there is an NPR reception void in south Sarasota county

And that's a bad thing? :)
Click to expand...
I can say that some people consider the NPR void a good thing and others a bad thing. I did mention two other possibilities.............. (community radio and another religious outlet); I do know when "Radio Babe" had a weekly column in the Sarasota Herald Tribune, there would be comments from time to time about the lack of NPR reception in the south Sarasota county area. (as though she had the power to change that.

Some markets have nostalgia, Americana, classical and other formats in the non-commercial band; I suppose the possibilites are endless, but the four most frequent formats in the non-commercia part of the FM band seem to be religious,NPR, community radio or college stations.

drt
 
My 2 cents: How about a music format similar to Sirius-XM's Watercolors with NPR news/features.....maybe filling both the NPR and smooth jazz voids in the area would be a viable option, especially now that WSJT doesn't make it into southern Sarasota nearly as well as it did on 94.1.
 
Re: WSMR Bought By USF

So, they are moving the classical music to 89.1. There will be a lot of ticked off listeners north of Tampa.... But it looks like several commenters here got it right.
 
Here'a a link from the Tampa Bay Business Journal on the WUSF purchasing WSMR

http://www.bizjournals.com/tampabay/stories/2010/08/02/daily28.html?t=printable ,

neither the Bradenton Herald's article nor the Tampa Bay Business Journal mention whether the purchase price includes the Brandon repeater at 103.9 FM; if so it would help listeners in the Brandon area that are probably not going to get that strong of a signal from 89.1, even after the enhancements to the signal; there is only so much the CP will do to improve coverage to the north, after all, WUFT is located on the same frequency (89.1) and they certainly would object WUSF choosing a more northern location or a higher tower height.

People in northern Pinellas, Hillsborough and Pasco that want to listen to classical music on terrestrial radio, will need to get an HD radio and given the distance from the WUSF tower in Riverview will probably need an attic antenna or outdoor antenna to lock in the HD2 signal; at least in the most northern parts of the Bay area.

drt
 
Sorry to hear that WUSF's dropping their classical programming on their main channel. Just what we needed - another talk and information station. Other than hobbyists and owners of some new cars, I've never met anybody who owns an HD radio or has any interest in it. And I've heard bad comments in the forums about signal strength.
 
distantfm said:
what about the Brandon translator on 103.9 ?.....
Click to expand...
" neither the Bradenton Herald's article nor the Tampa Bay Business Journal mention whether the purchase price includes the Brandon repeater at 103.9 FM; if so it would help listeners in the Brandon area that are probably not going to get that strong of a signal from 89.1, even after the enhancements to the signal; there is only so much the CP ..............."

None of the press releases or articles have yet mentioned the 103.9 translator; although a USF press release mentioned filling in the gaps might mean using a translator, but no details were given on if it would be that Brandon translator or not.

Nearly every newspaper in the area has had coverage about this today, except the Sarasota Herald-Tribune! I miss Dawn Squire, the Radio Babe that used to have a column in the Sarasota Herald-Tribune before they showed her the door in late 2007.

drt
 
Here in Temple Terrace, 89.1 is almost unlistenable in a car radio due to stronger signals on 88.9 and 89.3. If I was a classical listener, I'd be ballistic.( Fortunately I'm still stuck on Q105 :eek:) This brings up the usual question about any format going to a rimshot. Any chance anyone with major metro coverage over Tampa could add classical music? I think the classical station north of Pasco (91.1 ?) will cover Northern Hillsborough better than 89.1. Other than that, I would presume that internet listening of out town classical outlets will go way up or all the "eggheads" will buy I-Pods ??? I think the same organization that picketed Q105 needs to get something going at Biff Burger about this latest egrecious (?) insult to the listening audience. Please forgive any spelling errors as I was too busy not listening to classical stations in my formative years.
 
In reading the article, This is giving USF a unique oportunity to duplicate what WNYC-FM did last year.

The New York Times sold classical WQXR to WNYC on October 8,2009. Their intention was to move to an all-news on 93.9 and full-time classical to the (then) newly aquired and lower powered 105.9.

In this case, 89.7 will be all-news with a full power signal. 89.3 will be full-time classical but with a severely lessened signal for the ADI.

Jeff in Sa-ra-so-ta!
 
Seriously, the reception of 89.1 in Tampa seems worse than WJBQ or WTMP-FM. Maybe I am missing something, but how does this serve the greater metro area when 89.1 is a rimshot at best for Tampa listeners.
 
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