• 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

WVOK-AM 1580 nighttime service

tomservo

tomservo

It was pointed out to me today by a friend that WVOK-AM 1580, licensed to Oxford, is shown as a two site operation. The day site is just south of I-20 in Oxford but the night site is shown in Talladega with very low power. It appears the Talladega coordinates point to an old run down looking studio with a STL in the back, but no sign of any kind of AM tower. Anyone know what the deal is WVOK? I know it was Talladega-licensed up until the 80s but it seems odd to keep the night service there when the COL is now Oxford.
 
Don't know about the night license in Talladega but they definitely operate from a site in Oxford. If there's anything that's not correct I suspect it is simply a failure to update some old records, and most likely the failure occurred at the FCC. The Woodards are great examples of broadcasters that still do everything the right way to the very best of their abilities.
 
I am not sure if it would be legal except with an STA, but I could take 2 cloths line poles and a couple of glass insulators and come up with an antenna system that can handle 21.8 watts. If you look at the FCC's info:

http://transition.fcc.gov/fcc-bin/amq?list=0&facid=73608

I can't find an antenna # but it showing an antenna system ID number. Is there something that looks like a "CB" whip antenna around or on the building*? I can find any STA's so there might be a contract engineer lurking around on this board who has done work for this station who could tell you. Most engineers keep up with who is legal and who is not.

* I have seen advertising (http://www.kintronic.com) for very short (telephone pole height) antenna systems. I am not up on what the FCC requires for a "real" AM antenna, but it seems all the FCC cares about now is proper signage, fencing, at tower and paperwork.
 
secondchoice I'm afraid the Google Street View was too blurry to really discern a lot of details. There's an obvious STL type stubby tower in the back and it could have something strung off it, but the resolution is simply too low to tell for sure.
 
Zach said:
secondchoice I'm afraid the Google Street View was too blurry to really discern a lot of details. There's an obvious STL type stubby tower in the back and it could have something strung off it, but the resolution is simply too low to tell for sure.
Click to expand...

That tower is the station's transmitter.
 
whitfm said:
Zach said:
secondchoice I'm afraid the Google Street View was too blurry to really discern a lot of details. There's an obvious STL type stubby tower in the back and it could have something strung off it, but the resolution is simply too low to tell for sure.
Click to expand...

That tower is the station's transmitter.
Click to expand...

Wow. It doesn't look to be more than 50-60 feet tall. There's definitely a microwave dish on it, pointed towards downtown Talladega.
 
Zach said:
Wow. It doesn't look to be more than 50-60 feet tall. There's definitely a microwave dish on it, pointed towards downtown Talladega.
Click to expand...

Are you sure you're looking at the right facility? Their transmitter site is in the middle of a field. Street View wouldn't capture it.
Their old studios had a really short STL beside the building, which was right by the road. Perhaps that's what you're seeing?
 
whitfm said:
Zach said:
Wow. It doesn't look to be more than 50-60 feet tall. There's definitely a microwave dish on it, pointed towards downtown Talladega.
Click to expand...

Are you sure you're looking at the right facility? Their transmitter site is in the middle of a field. Street View wouldn't capture it.
Their old studios had a really short STL beside the building, which was right by the road. Perhaps that's what you're seeing?
Click to expand...

I'm looking at the coordinates for the night facility, which is in Talladega. That must the old studio you're referring to? It is visible on street view. The day coordinates are in a field and aren't visible with street view or really even with satellite, but Bing's Bird's Eye View has a great look at it. I've linked to the street view for the night facility and the bird's eye view on the WVOK data page on my site.
 
Zach said:
I'm looking at the coordinates for the night facility, which is in Talladega. That must the old studio you're referring to? It is visible on street view. The day coordinates are in a field and aren't visible with street view or really even with satellite, but Bing's Bird's Eye View has a great look at it. I've linked to the street view for the night facility and the bird's eye view on the WVOK data page on my site.
Click to expand...

Yes, that's an old site. Last time I drove by the building, it still had "WTDR-FM" (Thunder 92.7) painted on the front door. To my knowledge, it has sat vacant since Thunder moved its broadcast facilities to Oxford.
 
Hey guys,

Whit and Chris have it right. The only tower for 1580, day and night, is the one in Oxford in the field that has been referenced.

Jock

PD @ WVOK
 
Status
This thread has been closed due to inactivity. You can create a new thread to discuss this topic.


Back
Top Bottom