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WZRX AM 1590 / Jackson radio tower down

C

Casual_Observer

Hey all -

I was driving along I-220 today and noticed that WZRX 1590 AM, which usually would have three towers standing, only had two! No mangled tower seemed to be crumpled on the ground, so I assumed this was either done on purpose or it had happened awhile ago (and they would have had time to clean it up). Anyway, their FCC record indicates that ice took out the third tower in their nighttime directional array. Their nighttime signal sure improved at my house without that third tower though! Man, Phil Valentine was booming in tonight.

--- Casual Observer
 
I noticed WZRX was coming better at night too. I thought it was something to do with the weather. I've been hearing WOAD better at night as well. maybe they forgot to cut power.
 
flytrap said:
I noticed WZRX was coming better at night too. I thought it was something to do with the weather. I've been hearing WOAD better at night as well. maybe they forgot to cut power.
Click to expand...

You will hear WZRX better in some areas since they are operating non-directional at night. It'll be interesting to see if they put the tower back up or drop the other night tower and operate non directional at night. With the costs of maintaining an AM directional array, it may be more cost effective for them to take whatever night time non-D power the FCC will allow. As for WOAD - I know for a fact they are cutting power at night.

RFB
 
I just read their application for an STA to operate non-directional.

They do claim that they intend to replace the failed tower (we'll see about that -- at least being on 1590, the tower would be short and not as expensive to replace as some other stations'). They also ask for the standard STA power, 25% of authorized power. That means that they should be 250W ND right now.

DE
 
DeadElvis said:
I just read their application for an STA to operate non-directional.

They do claim that they intend to replace the failed tower (we'll see about that -- at least being on 1590, the tower would be short and not as expensive to replace as some other stations'). They also ask for the standard STA power, 25% of authorized power. That means that they should be 250W ND right now.

DE
Click to expand...

Watt for Watt, that "250 Watts" is coming in even better than the WJFN "22 Watts" nighttime signal from a few years ago (which seems to have been corrected).
 
250 watts on 1590? Does that even get out of the cemetery there?

It's been a LONG time since I saw that site. Is the transmitter still housed in that Jim Walter house? If so, what else is in the old studios there?
 
BG...Not sure. the center tower was the reference one, so it depends if it is the Northern one or Southern on that went down. If it was the center one...it's anybody's guess what has been rigged...Tnx JBI ( I would not worry...the Cemetary is rocking regardless!)
 
J. Boyd - the north tower is the one that fell. The ND tower was moved from the center tower to the south tower several years ago to get the RF field away from the building. I know the engineer who did the work, so I know it was done correctly.

RFB
 
RFB: Was not aware of the change...RF was always a major problem from day one after the studio
was put there in '65. In the early years management was engrossed in sales and promotion, and we dealt with RF as we could. Thanks. JBI
 
It's been too long. I don't recall where the towers were in relationship to the building.

There were many weird things that happened in that building late at night. That cemetery always made it creepier.

Is anything left in the office/studio area of the building?
 
BG, can't answer that question as I have not been on site in over 25 years myself...but after spending over 11 years sweating under those 3 towers trying to keep the pattern in, I DO remember their position. I am in Batesville...please stop in when in the Memphis area...my time is short. Regards...J Boyd
 
The towers, IIRC, were kinda slanted NNW to SE, the north tower was to the right of the driveway, the center tower was right outside the transmitter part of the building, and the south towers would have been due south of the control room, give or take.
 
...And though I imagine all the towers were the same height, the center tower appeared shorter from a distance. I figure it was the lay of the land that caused that anomaly.
 
Rob, I noticed on your station list that you worked at WRVR in Memphis. When were you there. I made a brief tour of WRVR before moving on to WKXX in Brimingham. That was in 1986 i believe. As for WWUN, Y-16 or whatever you want to refer to the mightly 1590 as, I never worked there but had several freinds there like Reid Reeker, Craig St. John, Gene Wooten etc... who did work there. I made a couple of visits out to the old site when visiting on the weekend.
 
I was at WRVR in 1999 - 2000 ish as a weekend part-timer, specifically to do Solid Gold Sunday. Entercom had them drop SGS, and I returned to FM100 at that time (where they would let us talk over intros).

As for 1986, I think I started the year at WMC-AM doing middays and production, and ended it back at 102.7, which in my two years away had gone from Rock 103 to Z103 to the Eagle 102.7 and back to Rock 103, and had changed calls from WZXR to WEGR. Over the next two years, I spent time as interim PD between Art Wander and Howie Castle, and I did two things which had a much larger effect that anything I would personally accomplish. I hired Zeke Logan, and helped introduce Bad Dog to Tim Spencer.
 
jboyd said:
BG, can't answer that question as I have not been on site in over 25 years myself...but after spending over 11 years sweating under those 3 towers trying to keep the pattern in, I DO remember their position. I am in Batesville...please stop in when in the Memphis area...my time is short. Regards...J Boyd
Click to expand...

J Boyd, it can safely be said that you would be one of the first people I would seek if I were visiting Mississippi again. :)
 
Hey, pobryan, by any chance is your name Phil?

I figure the odds are about 500000:1 that you are who I have in mind, but something you said got me curious.
 
I think you boat may have come in...too bad you don't have that luck in the lottery!
 
pobryan said:
Beachguy3b

My name is Phil. Who might you be?
Click to expand...

Are you from Alabama? I worked with a Phil O'Bryan at WJDX back in, what, 74? 75? Not sure if you are him or not. Big booming, rich voice.
 
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