WWJZ 640 at lower power again

[atrainradio]

I have been noticing that WWJZ has been during the day broadcasting at lower power. Trying to save money I guess. Any word on who is looking into buying WWJZ?

 

[SP447]

This station is not worth it. Especially in the winter you have to go off the air around 5pm. The electric bill is very high, If they want to sale this they need to sale cheap and turn it in to broker, Spanish, something not mayor market in order to survive. Ain't to many companies trying to buy AM stations especially if they are only day timers.

 

[Bill_W]

This station is not just a daytimer.

 

[FredLeonard]

The station's nighttime power is 950w. The electric rate is nine and half cents per kilowatt hour. So their electric bill for the transmitter at night is about nine cents an hour.

 

[davideduardo]

The station's nighttime power is 950w. The electric rate is nine and half cents per kilowatt hour. So their electric bill for the transmitter at night is about nine cents an hour.

AM transmitters are not 100% efficient. Figure it at about the double. Then add in tower lights on the directional, AC/Heating/ventilation motors, rack equipment, etc and daytime the cost is going to be around $9 an hour and at night it will be perhaps $4 an hour. At about 700 hours a month, that is going to be in the $5 thousand to $6 thousand range.

Is commercial rate power really that cheap in NJ? Your residential rate may be nine cents, but commercial rates can be higher.

 

[Bill_W]

AM transmitters are not 100% efficient. Figure it at about the double. Then add in tower lights on the directional, AC/Heating/ventilation motors, rack equipment, etc and daytime the cost is going to be around $9 an hour and at night it will be perhaps $4 an hour. At about 700 hours a month, that is going to be in the $5 thousand to $6 thousand range.

Is commercial rate power really that cheap in NJ? Your residential rate may be nine cents, but commercial rates can be higher.

Electricity is not that cheap in NJ. That might be the generation charge but, you need to add up the generation, transmission, & distribution charges now on your bill. Adding the 3 up on my PECO bill in PA, it adds up to 15.1 cents per kWh. I pretty sure when I looked at my parents' PSE&G bill, they were paying more than me. But, that is residential. I guess it is possible that businesses do pay less. Wouldn't they get volume discounts from other suppliers?

 

[joshzz]

Anyone know who is brokering this station? joshzz

 

[Unregistered]

Is AM640 off the air ?

 

[Unregistered]

why is Disney apparently having trouble sellling am--640?
asking too much $$$ for it ? Or, due to its poor night signal with 950 wattts,?

 

[Dave Garver]

It's not a great nighttime signal for sure. Partly because it's 950 watts, though it's still better than 1480 in Philly. The other part is the transmitter location. It's great for reaching part of Camden and Burlington counties, but not a lot beyond. Disney tried moving the transmitter site to Horsham Twp, if I recall correctly, and I believe that app was denied.

So, if trying to make it more of a Philly station is not going to work, could it move to Mays Landing and serve Atlantic City? Or is that part of the shore saturated with signals already? One issue is whether the station could be moved. The other is whether that would increase or lessen its value.

 

[Unregistered]

It's not a great nighttime signal for sure. Partly because it's 950 watts, though it's still better than 1480 in Philly. The other part is the transmitter location. It's great for reaching part of Camden and Burlington counties, but not a lot beyond. Disney tried moving the transmitter site to Horsham Twp, if I recall correctly, and I believe that app was denied.

So, if trying to make it more of a Philly station is not going to work, could it move to Mays Landing and serve Atlantic City? Or is that part of the shore saturated with signals already? One issue is whether the station could be moved. The other is whether that would increase or lessen its value.

If the FCC would allow am640 to move --- it would take time & $$$. Nobody likely
wants to do that for an AM station.

 

[Unregistered]

Disney will likely lower its price for 640 & sell it to a Christian or Hispanic group.

 

[Steve Green NEPA]

Fantastic daytime signal. On an average car radio, I was able to copy them between Islip Long Island and Pottsville PA. The whole route. Back then they were Standards (and iIrc they were a daytimer). The only problem they had was when the car was driving too near WFAN. This might be the most distantly-received New Jersey AM station possible.

Big signal, but we've all seen what big AM signals and distance have come to mean in recent years. WJJZ, the Orlando 990, and WQEW have massive signals in the day. Of the three, only WQEW has a nice nighttime signal.
But again: those reasonably regional/clear nighttime signals seem marginally comfortable only for baseball teams to use. The fate of such stations might have been decided when WKBW decided to try Oldies once more on 1520 and were greeted by thousands of people who didn't bother tuning in.
Any American music format on 640 .... Contemporary Christian, traditional country, Smooth Jazz, 50s-60s Oldies, southern gospel, Beautiful Music, Standards, Classical, A/C, Disney ..... will not be reaching its intended demo or audience. Those trains have already sailed.

Foreign language, brokered, hour-long Vitamin E extravaganzas, maybe even re-runs of Wolfman Jack's record offers from Uncle George's Record Shop in Hollywood : some or all of that is bound to be 640's resigned legacy. If anyone knows how to cut losses, it's Scrooge McDuck.

The guess here is a Spanish format of some form.