What's the latest on 1550? Still playing commercial free Classic Rock?
Bet he owes a big electric bill. Even when he was broadcasting Vietnamese, there weren't very many spots. To keep a 50KW on the air you've got to have cash flow.
Where are you seeing that about 1310? I'm not seeing it in the FCC database.
Got an email from Humberto Izquiredo and he informs me that 1310 has been sold and he is unsure of what the new owners plan to do with it.
IIRC 1550 is a Canadian channel at night. Why they went NW missing a huge part of the market I find curious. IMHO a smart RF engineer could make a 25+ KW 24 hour directional pattern going mostly east and keep the Canadians happy. Most likely the COL would have to change but with 94.1 (1550’s former FM) having the same COL there was an opportunity the put a station just about anywhere in the Atlanta because you are not tied to a City of license. I can name at least incorporated cites that are not "severed" in the market. They had spend big bucks to relocate anyways.
They have 4 towers to play with and a 50kW transmitter, so technically they have what they need. The question is who they have to protect 24 hours a day, not just the Canadian station.
The day pattern is very strong to the NE, lesser so to the SW, with a big null due south. What stations exist to the south? Must be somebody for that big daytime null.
According to Radio-Locator there are three stations on 1550 in Florida. Two are also Class Ds, one is a Class B in Miami that sends most of its signal into the Atlantic (towards the Bahamas and Cuba) at night. NC also has a couple of Class Ds, as does Georgia in Augusta and Vienna.
But, yes, given the daytime pattern's strengths and limitations they probably could send a night signal due east and cover a decent chunk of the north metro. I'm assuming that these various Class Ds can't say anything about WAZX upgrading to a Class B and putting out a night signal.
The Canadian station is CBEF, in South Detroit (Windsor).
IIRC 1550 is a Canadian channel at night. Why they went NW missing a huge part of the market I find curious. IMHO a smart RF engineer could make a 25+ KW 24 hour directional pattern going mostly east and keep the Canadians happy. Most likely the COL would have to change but with 94.1 (1550’s former FM) having the same COL there was an opportunity the put a station just about anywhere in the Atlanta because you are not tied to a City of license. I can name at least incorporated cites that are not "severed" in the market. They had spend big bucks to relocate anyways.
I still feel they could have found a better and cheaper site further northwest. The taxpayers owned "raw" land in Northwest Cobb County thanks to a couple of banks.