• Get involved.
    We want your input!
    Apply for Membership and join the conversations about everything related to broadcasting.

    After we receive your registration, a moderator will review it. After your registration is approved, you will be permitted to post.
    If you use a disposable or false email address, your registration will be rejected.

    After your membership is approved, please take a minute to tell us a little bit about yourself.
    https://www.radiodiscussions.com/forums/introduce-yourself.1088/

    Thanks in advance and have fun!
    RadioDiscussions Administrators

WTNE

firepoint525

firepoint525

Trying to find out whatever I can about this station, as well as generate a new topic for discussion here. It is my understanding that WTNE of Trenton, TN, owned by Grace Broadcasting, is only authorized to operate at 250 watts daytime power, and only 6 watts at night! They are supposedly being blocked from a power increase by a station at 1490, but I don't know where that station is. Apparently, they could go directional and get a power increase that way, but that would apparently cost more than the station is even worth. Here is all that we have on them from radio locator.

http://www.radio-locator.com/cgi-bin/finder?call=WTNE&sr=Y&s=C&x=16&y=2

I knew a guy back in college who had worked there back when he was in high school, but that was 30 years ago! It's really a shame how some of these AM stations struggle to hang on these days!
 
Grace was doing Southern Gospel on it at one time, but I think they're silent now.

I think that Grace ended up with it as part of the deal to get 97.7 in Trenton and 93.7 in Atwood/Milan. They sold 93.7 to a group that kept the CCM format with more local sports, and eventually traded 97.7 for 105.3 where they're running the Dove CCM format now. I'd guess that with all those deals they just shut WTNE down.
 
Years ago, WTNE 1500 was co-owned with WWEZ 97.5. I don't know who owns what now or if 1500 is still on.

I remember WTKB 93.7 running the Hot County satellite format. They were also a St. Louis Cardinals affiliate. Their studio was in the back of a bank building (now Regions Bank) in Milan. The tower is still in Atwood.
 
I apparently was wrong about their being silent. If they were silent, they're back on. They're playing a "classic (Southern) gospel" format and going by the name 1500 Memories. That actually sounds more like a name for an easy listening station. Sorry about the mixup.
 
anotherguy said:
I apparently was wrong about their being silent. If they were silent, they're back on. They're playing a "classic (Southern) gospel" format and going by the name 1500 Memories. That actually sounds more like a name for an easy listening station. Sorry about the mixup.
Click to expand...
Which brings up an interesting issue. If they don't have an FM translator and they aren't streaming online, and you don't live close enough to them to pick up their signal, then they are "silent" to you.
 
firepoint525 said:
anotherguy said:
I apparently was wrong about their being silent. If they were silent, they're back on. They're playing a "classic (Southern) gospel" format and going by the name 1500 Memories. That actually sounds more like a name for an easy listening station. Sorry about the mixup.
Click to expand...
Which brings up an interesting issue.  If they don't have an FM translator and they aren't streaming online, and you don't live close enough to them to pick up their signal, then they are "silent" to you.
Click to expand...

When I checked yesterday I was in Jackson and the signal was weak but listenable. But considering the format is older Southern Gospel, how many people want to hear it, even among SG fans, compared to what they're doing on 93.1? Grace did something similar on 1150 in Selmer when they bought it as part of the deal to get 93.9 there. I don't know if it's still on or not. They were extremely weak in Jackson the last time I checked. I get the impression they're just putting something on to keep the station on and legal. They probably don't want to waste money on a translator for them.

If they were doing classic CCM and Christian rock, I'd be listening.  :D
 
anotherguy said:
When I checked yesterday I was in Jackson and the signal was weak but listenable. But considering the format is older Southern Gospel, how many people want to hear it, even among SG fans, compared to what they're doing on 93.1? Grace did something similar on 1150 in Selmer when they bought it as part of the deal to get 93.9 there. I don't know if it's still on or not. They were extremely weak in Jackson the last time I checked. I get the impression they're just putting something on to keep the station on and legal. They probably don't want to waste money on a translator for them.
Click to expand...
If what you describe is accurate, then the AM station in Selmer is serving as a "loss leader" for them. I suspect that WTNE is doing the same thing for them. It is sort of like having to eat your vegetables in order to get dessert! ;D
If they were doing classic CCM and Christian rock, I'd be listening. :D
Click to expand...
Therein lies the quandary for most AM stations. Such a format would obviously skew much younger than southern gospel, but how many teens and young adults would listen to AM radio nowadays, regardless of the format?

You and I are "radiophiles" and DX listeners, but for the average listener, if a signal is covered up in static, they won't listen to it regardless of format. And if the same or very similar format is already also available on the FM dial, why wouldn't they tune in on FM to hear it?
 
I was joking in the way I said it, but what I meant was classic CCM from the 70's and 80's, which isn't likely to have much of an audience in this area other than possibly me. :D
 
I listened on and off this weekend while mobile, and the "distant" coverage listed on the coverage map was pretty close to where I was listening along the way including Atwood, Greenfield and Milan.

I don't remember hearing any commercials, just some liners here and there thanking town X and town Y for listening to 1500 Memories.
 
AMFMKYTN said:
I listened on and off this weekend while mobile, and the "distant" coverage listed on the coverage map was pretty close to where I was listening along the way including Atwood, Greenfield and Milan.
Click to expand...
Next time you are in that area, see if you can get your seek/scan button to stop on them.
 
Where were you when you attempted to listen to it? If the radio-locator map is to be believed, you would need to be in an area covered by the Trenton zip code, or zoned to Peabody High School, in order to be able to listen to it. You might be able to receive it from as far away as Gibson County High School (daytime), assuming that they were still on the air.
 
At the time back in April, I heard them in Atwood, Greenfield and Milan while mobile during the day. Maybe they're currently operating at nighttime power which would explain it. I wasn't close enough to Trenton if that's the case.
 
Last time I heard it, was a couple of months ago in Humboldt. Haven't heard it lately.
 
AMFMKYTN said:
At the time back in April, I heard them in Atwood, Greenfield and Milan while mobile during the day. Maybe they're currently operating at nighttime power which would explain it. I wasn't close enough to Trenton if that's the case.
Click to expand...
I should clarify what I posted yesterday. I was referring to their local coverage area (within the red circle on the radio-locator map). The three towns that you mentioned all fall within their distant coverage area, meaning the purple circle on that map. You should be able to pick up the station from those areas (assuming that they are on the air, and operating at daytime power, that is), but it might not be a strong enough signal for your car's seek/scan button to stop on it.
 
Status
This thread has been closed due to inactivity. You can create a new thread to discuss this topic.


Back
Top Bottom