WZUM 1590

[Parttimer]

Urban didn't work on 1550 twice, as WCKG when Benns Communications owned it (sister station to Y97), and later when Inner City had it for a while. That's a better signal than WZUM.

 

[kenhawk1160]

Maybe one option would be to lease your evening hours at half-lightbulb power to the sorts of
people who might ordinarily be tempted to start a pirate station. So long as they did nothing to
put your license in jeopardy and paid at least enough to break even on the light bill, there are
probably a few more Frankie Day types who would take you up on that.

Now that's hard to control. But I like the overall premise. The thing to do is form a communicatios program partnership with a local vo-tech or community college and open the station at night as a "lab" for students to hone their skills. They're told to adhere to a strict format like a real radio station, none of this free-form college garbage you find in the non-comm end of the band. They don't show up fo their shift, they're out. It's the same program at Titan Radio at Westminster College. Very strict.

 

[FreddyE1977]

is it any riskier than handing over your airtime to a medical infomercial quack who might
broadcast advice that could kill someone?

I like your idea about partnering with a college though. Point Park and Robert Morris would
appear to be ideal partners for someone out there.

 

[PHIL Z]

Urban didn't work on 1550 twice, as WCKG when Benns Communications owned it (sister station to Y97), and later when Inner City had it for a while. That's a better signal than WZUM.

True but they were going Against WAMO AM and FM, Who already had the R&B Markek tied up. Plus WCXJ had bad Talent, Jack Daniels in the Morning, and the Girl Following him, Neither one knew the Music. The only one worth listening to was Mike Payne the PD and Evening Host, Who Came from WAMO. Now we have no R&B Stations in This Market.

Maybe one option would be to lease your evening hours at half-lightbulb power to the sorts of
people who might ordinarily be tempted to start a pirate station. So long as they did nothing to
put your license in jeopardy and paid at least enough to break even on the light bill, there are
probably a few more Frankie Day types who would take you up on that.

Now that's hard to control. But I like the overall premise. The thing to do is form a communicatios program partnership with a local vo-tech or community college and open the station at night as a "lab" for students to hone their skills. They're told to adhere to a strict format like a real radio station, none of this free-form college garbage you find in the non-comm end of the band. They don't show up fo their shift, they're out. It's the same program at Titan Radio at Westminster College. Very strict.

Thats What WZUM did in it's day ,They got Students From Pitts [WPGH ]Carrier Current Station.

 

[10th Dimension]

Jimmy Psihoulis, aka Brotherhood, aka Jimmy Pol was quite a promoter. He had many revenue streams. WZUM, WWIZ, WNIO, International School of Broadcasting, Concerts at towers grove (the field surrounding the 3 directional WZUM towers) rock and polka concerts at the civic arena and three rivers stadium, Jimmy's own band including songwriter & recording artist & record promotion. During the top 40 days, WZUM ranked #3 in teens. Jocks were Greg Scott, Ken Maverick, Robby Dee, Jeff Michaels, and Jay Holiday.

 

[hypwr]

Jimmy was a true character. One of the last times I saw him was when we both took the Iron Horse to Chicago for the NAB convention. That had to be in the early seventies. I ran into him in the club car and we talked radio for over an hour. I loved his accent! He couldn't speak one sentence without at least one 4 letter word.

 

[PHIL Z]

Jimmy was a true character. One of the last times I saw him was when we both took the Iron Horse to Chicago for the NAB convention. That had to be in the early seventies. I ran into him in the club car and we talked radio for over an hour. I loved his accent! He couldn't speak one sentence without at least one 4 letter word.

I was told That Jimmy was a Sales Rep for RCA Radio Transmitter Div. in the Meadowlands, That is why WZUM had all RCA Equipment.

 

[PT]

What do you think the $$$ for it would be in today's environment?

 

[hypwr]

I don't recall that he was with RCA. However, in the summer of 1958 he became the manager of WCNG. I had left that station for KQV and they asked me to do some fill-in work on the air. I was doing an afternoon polka show and Jimmy had sold so many spots that I could hardly keep up with them. They were all live reads.

That was one of the reasons that I decided to give up on-air work.

 

[cingram]

What do you think the $$$ for it would be in today's environment?

There's almost certainly a difference between what it's worth and what it would sell for. The new owners paid $25,000
in cash, $75,000 in a note, and the remaining $700,000 in a tax certificate. How much is a high-end dial-position 1,000
watt directional daytimer in a large (but not major) market worth, and just as importantly, what do you DO with it once
you have it? There are a limited number of options. I have one or two that might work, but even if they succeed, you
end up with a one share. Maybe.

Eddie Edwards negotiated a $500,000 deal for WPYT 660 that never went through, and that's a better signal than 1590.

C.

 

[hypwr]

One would have to have nerves of titanium to pull off running a 1KW on a bad freq. You would also require a ton of money since no bank (even the "lend to anyone" idiots who tanked our economy) will make a loan to purchase a radio station. Plus, you would probably require enough cash to operate for at least 18 months.

 

[PT]

It's an interesting paradox (doubtless repeated nationwide) that a station can be simultaneously on the verge of going dark and having its license returned to the FCC yet still be worth $500k.

 

[Boss Radio]

This thread gathers the last 10 people on Earth who care what's on 1590 AM in Pittsburgh, PA.

 

[Parttimer]

Folks on there boards just have a strange fascination with obscure AM stations.... there's a thread on the Orlando board about 1060 in Melbourne that's been going for months, 455 replies and 21,000 views.....

 

[hypwr]

This thread gathers the last 10 people on Earth who care what's on 1590 AM in Pittsburgh, PA.

Let's make that "the last 9 people", because, I really don't care what happens to that station. It should die the natural death it deserves.

 

[cingram]

Looks like WZUM's owners have more to worry about than the overdue rent:

http://www.fcc.gov/eb/FieldNotices/2003/DOC-295595A1.html

C.

 

[hypwr]

I think they are.....how do you Americans say it?.....Screwed.

 

[dB]

Some of those violations would seem to be pretty minor (missing a station ID one time, for example). I would think (not being all that familiar with the FCC's enforcement of the broadcasting rules) the EAS drills and the ones dealing with technical transmitter details (field strength measurements, etc.) would be the more serious.

Or am I completely clueless about this?

 

[gimmus]

The EAS is a biggie. Not being able to control your transmitter and not having a working phase monitor are deal killers. All of these together are enough to make an undercapitalized entity go under. The monitoring points were just throwing the kitchen sink at the phase monitor and TX control issue. They had no ability to tweak the monitor point without the phase monitor..

There are some things ya just gotta do..

 

[kenhawk1160]

Tsk tsk tsk...the shameful thing about all this is that they could have been compliant if they were willing to spend less than $10,000. Now they're in for maybe $50,000 or more depending on how much the FCC wants to enforce this.

And I believe they will. The FCC wants it off the air.