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WCVH 90.5 Flemington Goes Country

M

mcmannors

Guest
I checked several pages back on this board, and did not see anything on this: How long has WCVH been doing their country format? It used to be during non-school hours, there was an automated format featuring oldies and TV theme songs. Now, there is a country music format with a professional sounding voice guy and a mix of old and new music. I haven't heard them during the school day. Do the high school kids work the country format?
 
I know Chris Purro (who used to work at WPST) recently joined the teaching staff there. Maybe he decided to voice some sweepers and program a little format for the off-hours.
 
WCVH was off the air all summer, and then reappeared in late August with the Country format and much improved audio quality (previously, their audio was out of phase!).
 
Hey guys-

We started the country format in August. We are using Scott Studios, and the students are following the country format during their afternoon shows as well. Our goal is to become the community station for Flemington and Hunterdon County, since this area lacks representation. Our voice guy is a co-worker from Maryland. We have a live stream and website that should be launching soon, and even have access to a Hunterdon Central van with station logos to roll around town. We have music meetings and do rotation changes in class, using the latest charts and whatnot. We've broadcast all of Hunterdon Central's home and away football games, and plan on continuing sports broadcasting throughout the year. Local businesses have even contacted us with a desire to advertise (they don't realize we are noncomm and must use underwriting).
The audio trouble you heard was caused by the previous automation system, but our engineer and I were able to fix our problems. The Optimod 8100 gives us a little kick but not too much to kill the range.
I may be soliciting volunteers soon to help out on the weekends; I'll definitely keep everyone posted on that. Hope you all enjoy the format.

Chris Puorro
 
There was a school station back in the 90's on 1040 AM that played new music. Is this the same school? What ever happened to 1040? I haven't been in that area in years so I can't pick up any signal.
 
Those RRRRs said:
There was a school station back in the 90's on 1040 AM that played new music. Is this the same school? What ever happened to 1040? I haven't been in that area in years so I can't pick up any signal.
Click to expand...

AFAIK, it was never a "school" station.

From Pirate Jim's website:

WCHR - 1040 AM, Flemington
After a long period of being a CP (calls were assigned back on August 21, 1987), WJHR signed on January 5, 1998, initially with a Hot AC format as "Jersey's Hometown Radio."
In 1999, Nassau Broadcasting bought the station and on May 3, it became "Chat Radio 1040," with a talk format.
However, that was short-lived, when on January 3, 2000, it became a simulcast of WHWH, 1350 AM in Princeton with a news format.
In April 2002, 1040 picked up the ESPN sports programming, previously heard on 1680 in Princeton.
On August 23, 2002, WJHR dropped the sports format and started simulcasting the religious programming from WCHR, 920 AM, in Trenton.
On September 3, 2002, WJHR continued its religious programming, while 920 AM switched to Sports.
Call letters changed to WCHR on September 10, 2002.
 
It's a shame that WJHR never got the community support it needed to survive. The station was built all-new from the ground-up in 1997 and it was amazing to hear an AM station do a Hot AC format with live, local DJs, in AM Stereo! But with either the music format or the ill-fated "Chat Radio" talk format, it was quite obvious that local advertiser support for the station just wasn't there.

As for WCVH... it's great to hear the Optimod 8100 still on the air! The audio is much cleaner and more "hi-fi" than either WCTO or WXTU. I just hope that the extensive '60s/'70s/'80s vinyl collection that the "old" WCVH had is still in good hands!
 
There were many reasons why WJHR failed in their attempt to do AC on AM. #1 would be the very tight pattern with most of the signal going north/south to protect WEPN-1050. So they had a good signal in Allentown, Pa. & even Philly but didn't cover all of Hunterdon County especially at night or critical hours. Thet also had interference from WHO-1040 at night.

#2 If you've ever been in the Flemington area and put on the FM band you would find a pretty full dial...including NYC, Philly,Trenton, Lehigh Valley etc.

As I recalll the music was very currents intensive...no real obvious formatic niche to super serve.

In central NJ all the local AM stations have been struggling...1170 in Bridgewater, WCTC in New Brunswick not to mention Trenton AM's like 920, 1260, 1350. It seems like WIMG is doing a pretty good job with gospel music.0n 1300. THe difference there is they found a niche and stayed with it.
 
Band-Scanner said:
As I recalll the music was very currents intensive...no real obvious formatic niche to super serve.
Click to expand...
1040 WJHR was run-of-the-mill Adult Contemporary for their first few months, then transitioned into Hot AC, not playing anything older than the 1980s. It may not have been the right format for AM in rural NJ/PA, but it sure as heck was fun to listen to!

Now, we have 1350 WHWH back on the air with a very strange variety of music (mostly Country) and local high school sports on weekends. I find it very enjoyable to listen to, but the lack of commercials and on-air personalities makes you always wonder about when the "real" format is going to arrive.
 
In central NJ all the local AM stations have been struggling...1170 in Bridgewater, .......


1170 AM wwtr is not struggling. It has India Format and is doing very good
 
In central NJ all the local AM stations have been struggling...1260
Click to expand...

1260 is hardly local. It is, in the sense that is programmed locally, however it is run out of a closet and has no studio or on-air talent. It's playlist has become very repetitive and tight, so the station might as well be on the bird.

For that year that it was actually on the bird, my understanding is that its ratings dropped in half. Now that WBUD music has returned, the ratings are better, but it pales in comparison to when it was known as "Great Gold" and had the enthusiastic personalities and jingles.

What a sad way to run a once great sounding radio station.
 
Frank Forte said:
I know Chris Purro (who used to work at WPST) recently joined the teaching staff there. Maybe he decided to voice some sweepers and program a little format for the off-hours.
Click to expand...

When did Chris leave Nassau? I thought he left PST to take a PD gig down in Maryland with Nassau.
 
PSTChrisP said:
Hey guys-

We started the country format in August. We are using Scott Studios, and the students are following the country format during their afternoon shows as well. Our goal is to become the community station for Flemington and Hunterdon County, since this area lacks representation. Our voice guy is a co-worker from Maryland. We have a live stream and website that should be launching soon, and even have access to a Hunterdon Central van with station logos to roll around town. We have music meetings and do rotation changes in class, using the latest charts and whatnot. We've broadcast all of Hunterdon Central's home and away football games, and plan on continuing sports broadcasting throughout the year. Local businesses have even contacted us with a desire to advertise (they don't realize we are noncomm and must use underwriting).
The audio trouble you heard was caused by the previous automation system, but our engineer and I were able to fix our problems. The Optimod 8100 gives us a little kick but not too much to kill the range.
I may be soliciting volunteers soon to help out on the weekends; I'll definitely keep everyone posted on that. Hope you all enjoy the format.

Chris Puorro
Click to expand...

Chris,

As a WCVH Listener, since you want to be a community station, this area severely lacks oldies. Please bring an oldies weekend or something like that to WCVH. I have the perfect oldies guy for you. He is very well known in the p,burg area. also classic country is missing from the area. the 50's, 60's, and 70's country :) Do something like 89.7 used to do. They would run country shows, rock and roll, oldies, one guy did a show where he would play nothing but vinyl 45's/33's. I don't beleive a solid country format would go over too well here, but i can be wrong ;-) I actually don't think any one format would go over. you need to mix it up in format blocks and print up a schedule.
 
"As for WCVH... it's great to hear the Optimod 8100 still on the air! The audio is much cleaner and more "hi-fi" than either WCTO or WXTU. I just hope that the extensive '60s/'70s/'80s vinyl collection that the "old" WCVH had is still in good hands!"

Yes, Kevin, the extensive '60s-'80s collection is here with me here in Pennsylvania. Most of what was on 'CVH was from my personal collection. Except for the TV theme song CDs...or what is left after the kids stole some of them.

Joanna
 
WCVH is doing a great job with the country format! They have a better playlist than any of the commercial stations I've heard. Keep up the great work! The commercial outlets should follow your lead!!
 
I'm curious, are there ever live, local jocks on during the day or at any point? I was thinkin on recordin airchecks, but i'd like to record something other then automation. BTW, i agree, good sounding audio.
John
(Bensalem, PA)
 
I spoke too soon. Saw a topic ware the website wcvh-fm.com was posted. LOL at least now i know what time dj's are on air.
I figgure the website is a work in progress, which is why on-air names aren't listed.
Funny, I can get it on the Yamaha T-85 Tuner (Clear mono, static in stereo), but not in the car. Now how is that possible I wonder?
I figgure first off, the Yamaha T-85 has its stereo muting defeated. Secondly, the antenna sits atop a 20 foot mass on my rooph, which is on a one story house.
I know I have a DX rig, but the car has an external antenna, too.
John
Bensalem, PA
 
The students have been on this semester for only one week. They are practicing in class and on 3-9pm with some advanced student voicetracking during the day. Maybe airchecking them further along in the semester would be fairer, because these are their first times on the radio ever! Expect a lot of talk this week about the amazing HC football 21 point second half comeback on Friday night (homecoming) against Phillipsburg.

As for the names, there are very specific rules about posting current students' pictures or names on the internet as per the State of NJ Dept. of Education. So we play it safe for now. If they have graduated, it's a completely different story.

Chris
 
I will be having a radio Show soon it will be on a Thursday 3-5pm We are not Speaking nor am i giving out names of DJ's Its a 120 minute show tune in to see it!
-International98
 
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