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WZQK 970 is Back

F

flytrap

WZQK in Brandon is back on the air simulcasting WQST Real Country if anyone is interested. It sounds like they tweeked the audio on 970, but whats the deal with WQST? It sounds like a telephone. I'm not sure where the AM 970 towers were moved too since I haven't noticed any going up around Brandon the last I looked, Anyone know? The station still has that annoying skip every once in a while. Kinda like that old joke, "Yo Mama so fat when she walks across the floor she makes the record player skip...At the radio station!

Disclaimer: Yes I know it is a 1000 watt small town radio station and I promise not to mention anything about low power TV channel 49 and 53 being off the air. So please don't flame me.
 
It pains me to say it, but why? I am afraid that AM is over...keep my AM on the air primarily because I am emotionally attached to it( and I know that is a NO NO in business) but it is a fact and as Shakespere penned " to thine own self be true". I wish them the best and they will need all the help they can get...Thanks
 
WZQK is probably using a dedicated streaming feed from WQST. The internet stream will hiccup occasionally which causes the skip in the audio. The new tower is still in Brandon... about a mile or so from the original site. It's a single short tower (less than 200 feet), so it isn't very noticeable unless you know exactly where it is. I'm not sure if they will be able to run WZQK at 1000 watts since it is a single non-directional tower instead of the original 2 tower directional array. Daytime operation may only be 250 or 500 watts. Nighttime power will be even less.

I agree with J. Boyd... establishing what is basically a new AM station is going to be tough in a market like Jackson, MS nowadays when you have to compete against all the existing FM (and the established AM) signals already available. That being said... they may find enough local business (mom and pop stores, high school sports, swap shop, etc.) to keep the bills paid. It'll be hard to do, but it's not impossible.

RFB
 
Why didn't they put up both towers? Is the one of the originals or is it a new one? I picked it up on the way home driving down I 20. The signal sounded about the same. It did begin to get a little staticy down in Richland but It usually did that before anyway. They must have signed off around 5 oclock. When they used to run low power at night, I listened to them in south Rankin County with their 90 watts or so, and I could pick up a fair signal.
 
flytrap said:
Why didn't they put up both towers? Is the one of the originals or is it a new one? I picked it up on the way home driving down I 20. The signal sounded about the same. It did begin to get a little staticy down in Richland but It usually did that before anyway. They must have signed off around 5 oclock. When they used to run low power at night, I listened to them in south Rankin County with their 90 watts or so, and I could pick up a fair signal.
Click to expand...

The original towers on 471 were taken down.
 
flytrap said:
Why didn't they put up both towers? Is the one of the originals or is it a new one? I picked it up on the way home driving down I 20. The signal sounded about the same. It did begin to get a little staticy down in Richland but It usually did that before anyway. They must have signed off around 5 oclock. When they used to run low power at night, I listened to them in south Rankin County with their 90 watts or so, and I could pick up a fair signal.
Click to expand...


Moving a directional AM is a very expensive project. It is easier (and cheaper) to put up a single non-directional tower and take whatever power level the FCC will approve.

RFB
 
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