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Unbuilt 96.9 translator, W245BY Mobile moving to BFE

P

Poledo

This was a shocker. Zack at ABMP posted this morning that the unbuilt 96.9 translator is doing the 250 mile dance over to Bay Saint Louis, Mississippi.
This takes a signal off the table for translating a FM-HD2 in Mobile. Is there any chance another translator can be moved in to replace it without having an AM host?
 
As I said in my previous posts. Some would move in the 250 mile AM rule. Mobile is not a great market for translators. It is too spread out, and the atmospheric ducting is severe. A translator must have primary FM to work, and no one has been interested in the existing frequencies available.
 
One thing that's surprised me is that Wilkins has paired a translator with 1270 WIJD, and I kinda thought they'd do the same for WASG on 540. Instead they put 540 up for sale as a standalone, and for probably 5x what's it's worth. They're getting one for 960 WLPR now, though.
 
I remember your previous predictions and I believed you... I just never believed an existing translator CP located so close to a high population suburb of Mobile would go to an out of market AM when HD2 FM feed options were available locally. I really thought iHeart and Cumulus would buy some translators and lease HD2/3 signals to other companies (religious) to feed the rest of the existing unloved Mobile translators.

No new translators allowed to simulcast HD2 signals will ever be allocated to Mobile, right?

I'll try to stop thinking.
 
WIJD = small signal that needs help
WASG = big signal that can hold its own. The only Mobile AM that reaches Pensacola.

I assume.

I'm also thinking when WLPR goes live on FM they'll add the 106.9 Fairhope translator and create a nice simulcast.
 
I spent a few hours up around University Mall or whatever it's called now and heard 540, 660, 840, 1000, 1310, 1360 & 1410 fairly well. But it was also cloudy this afternoon so that may have helped.

I also was surprised at how strong the AM from Crestview was. I am going to add it to the Mobile page later tonight. No trace of 1140 from FWB, so it's either silent or they haven't built out their CP like I thought.
 
The only landmark left at the former site of University Mall is the Cat Country studios (aka the old Bennigan's).

I'll correct my statement, 540 and 840 are the Mobile AMs that normally reach P'cola. The other Mobile AMs are rare and random. 660 seems to be there frequently now, but it was never on the dial as WDLT-AM.

I've never heard WNWF on any frequency, even in Navarre or FWB. I even tried to tune it in a decade ago as I passed a billboard for it as a business talk station... and I got nothing.
WJSB always has a weak signal in Pensacola. It's probably pretty strong in Milton.
WFTW can be heard near the water in Gulf Breeze/P'cola but not inland.
FWB's 1400 has a pitiful 5 mile range, just like their 94.3 translator.
 
seedless said:
WIJD = small signal that needs help
WASG = big signal that can hold its own. The only Mobile AM that reaches Pensacola.
Click to expand...

WASG will have a hard time selling as a daytime standalone. The odds might of been better with a translator (for another religious broadcaster) but not by much. WIJD has a slightly better situation, but with the market so spread out the translator is marginal at best.
 
There's another Mobile translator that looks to be taking itself out of the game, or is being put in some sort of cryogenic holding position.

W243CY 96.5 is a new CP licensed to Tillmans Corner. The current CP shows 240 watts from the Hand Avenue tower near I-65 but they filed an amendment the other day to move it to the WZEW tower and drop the power to just 50 watts. It'll basically cover nothing of consequence from that tower space if it were to be built.

IIRC this is one of the translators that listed WZEW as the parent feeder but EMF didn't actually ask anyone at WZEW for permission to use their station in the app. Now they're applying to use the 'ZEW tower as well? How odd.

I can't help but wonder if they're just buying time or trying to get it on the air temporarily for cheap while still hoping it'll be sold to a far flung AM somewhere.
 
After reading the app on the FCC website I still can't figure out what channel, tower, and wattage the new WASG translator plans to use.
I assume they'll use the WIJD tower.

Also, EMF sold W245BY to Bay St. Louis for $50k. Wilkins brings W279AS to Mobile and only pays $28k. That's some strange math. Will W279AS use 96.9 too?
 
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tomservo said:
I didn't see any information at all as to what Wilkins plans to do with the translator they bought. Just off the top of my head I can't think of any good open frequencies left. Maybe 106.1? 96.9?
Click to expand...

Looks like WASG's new translator is going to squeeze in with 250 watts on 106.1.

But there's something strange in the application. It's apparently going to be diplexed with a mysterious 97.9 translator from the WIJD tower.

97.9?
 
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I had a chance to follow up on my own question. WIJD's existing translator, W239AP, is moving from 99 watts on 95.7 to 250 watts on 97.9.
I little close to WCPR, isn't it?
 
seedless said:
I had a chance to follow up on my own question. WIJD's existing translator, W239AP, is moving from 99 watts on 95.7 to 250 watts on 97.9.
I little close to WCPR, isn't it?
Click to expand...

Not sure why they couldn't get 250 watts on 95.7. Surely the K-Love station in Navarre is less of a threat than CPR in Biloxi. 95.7 is a good second adjacent to the Rocket so it should be harmless. Unless someone else is hankering for that frequency, but I can't imagine who or why.
 
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