Worst Sounding Radio Stations (I not talking musically or program wise)

What are some of the worst sounding radio stations? I'm not talking musically or program wise.

WNTY AM 990 in Southington, Connecticut. - They are an Oldies station (60s-80s music) owned by Full Power Radio. For the past several months there has been a noticeable hum in the background. It sounds like something isn't grounded properly. The hum is also not there when they air the live Italian Show on Sundays and the pre-recorded Lutheran Church Mass on Sundays. I would say the hum has something to do with the computer that plays the Oldies Music. Also from time to time something goofy things happen to this station (and their FM translator). Last Summer for example a rap song - Bad and Boujee by Migos played just before the top of the hour on a Saturday Night during "Wolfman Jack". Then back in December their sister station from the New London market Jammin' 107.7 took over both the AM and the FM translator for 15 mins. Another time I tuned in and the AM and the FM translator were running Spanish CHR from their sister station BOMBA-FM. January 1st and January 5th both the AM and the FM translator ran dead air for most of the day. That's when the hum was really noticeable on 990.

W253BQ 98.5 Meriden, Connecticut. - This station is owned by Full-Power Radio and is part of a statewide network of Translators doing Spanish CHR as BOMBA-FM based out of WMRQ 104.1 HD2. (And in the case of their New London translator WBMW 106.5 HD4). Anyway W253BQ suffers from what I call digital burps. If they were there before they weren't very noticeable and now seem to be happening more frequently. Maybe it has something to do with BOMBA moving their studios from an Office Building to the WDRC building in Bloomfield. (Full Power Radio recently purchased WDRC). These digital burps don't seem to be there when I listen on Tune-In. I also don't think they're on the other 2 translators I can pick up on the radio in the 2010 Honda Civic - 97.1 out of Bolton and 99.5 FM out of Waterbury (but licensed to Clinton).


When my Dad was alive he didn't like the sound of WLNG 92.1 from Sag Harbor, Long Island. Depending on where you are and the conditions they blast here into Connecticut (at least on the Car Radio). He came across the station and was like "What is this dumb station (he used another word that I can't spell and perhaps is made up) with the Echo Effect and a Swap Shop Show on a Monday Morning?" - Anyway yes WLNG does (or did) have a Swap Shop Show on Monday-Friday morning. The reverb effect doesn't bother me. And I thought it was hilarious one time when they were doing a remote on a weekday afternoon from a little deli somewhere in Eastern Long Island.

There are some horrible ones out there indeed. An example would be our local AM690 out of Pueblo, Co. For years, they had a bad "phasing"? problem where it sounded like half the song was missing, usually a left or a right VU was much lower than it should be. Noticeable instruments were absent in Beatles music and other popular songs. Fortunately, they are no longer broadcasting oldies this way, because that is a huge turnoff. I even complained to them once and they never fixed the problem. What could cause such a problem? This is 2018 and such audio mishaps should not be an issue in this day and age. Or could it be cheap tech?

There were two stations that sounded horrible to me. One I worked for. The one I worked for had an old 1kw. RCA and the other had an old transmitter that looked so ancient it made the old RCA look like the latest and greatest. The second required about 45 minutes to warm up enough to power up. One was KYND in Cypress, Texas and the other was the AM in Littlefield, Texas (don't recall the call letters). I thought it odd that the Littlefield station sounded especially bad airing a CD versus playing a record. Back then the Littlefield station had their commercials on CD instead of carts. The retired pair of cart machines had the lever to engage the cart to play...old Spotmasters, I think.

Both had such a muddied sound you seemed to only hear the bass and spoken word required very intent listening to understand the words. It wasn't quite as bad as the sound of single side band but not a whole lot better. In both instances it wasn't until new transmitters on these AM stations were installed until the signals became crisp, clean and equal in volume to the other stations on the dial.

Have heard several stations with an obvious hum or buzz, sometimes quite loud. Likewise, several stations with very low sound next to other stations on the dial and even one that I describe as about like a transistor radio set in the bottom of a big metal can.

Always liked that reverb sound of a speaking as if in a long hallways, remembered fondly from the AM top 40 days.

Recently here in Sherman/Denison Texas i have noticed that KJIM-AM and its FM translator have had some problems with the audio. One moment you will hear the song then after a while it will sound like a robot every few seconds then it will go back to normal. Also KHYI sounds bad too and they also try to consider being a Dallas station even though its a rimshot in Dallas.

97chris said:

Recently here in Sherman/Denison Texas i have noticed that KJIM-AM and its FM translator have had some problems with the audio. One moment you will hear the song then after a while it will sound like a robot every few seconds then it will go back to normal. Also KHYI sounds bad too and they also try to consider being a Dallas station even though its a rimshot in Dallas.

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I'm just a radio nerd. And my radio experience is limited to being an unpaid employee at the above mentioned WNTY back 16 years ago, but from what you're describing with KJIM to me sounds like a bad internet connection. Could they be using an internet feed for the programming? The reason I ask is because from 2007 until 2016 WNTY under several different formats was using an internet feed for their programming and from time to time the audio would sound like a robot. On a really good day you could even hear the stream crash completely and then there would be dead air. In 2016 Full Power Radio installed separate computers at WNTY Southingon, WACM Springfield, and WSKP in Westerly instead of relaying the Oldies format via internet stream from WACM's studios in West Springfield on all 3 stations. The computers at all 3 stations are loaded with the same music and same voice-tracked DJs. They are now able to have local commercials and IDs on each of the 3 stations.

In Alamo, TN we have WCTA 810 AM, which has been a subject of discussion for close to 10 years on the TN board.(WOW!) They're totally automated and go between NOAA weather radio(which always sounds like a squawk box), generic filler music, and dead air, and nothing live. The local owner passed away, and it is now owned by a group in Chattanooga, and they're apparently not paying any attention to when there are problems.

MarcB said:

I'm just a radio nerd. And my radio experience is limited to being an unpaid employee at the above mentioned WNTY back 16 years ago, but from what you're describing with KJIM to me sounds like a bad internet connection. Could they be using an internet feed for the programming? The reason I ask is because from 2007 until 2016 WNTY under several different formats was using an internet feed for their programming and from time to time the audio would sound like a robot. On a really good day you could even hear the stream crash completely and then there would be dead air. In 2016 Full Power Radio installed separate computers at WNTY Southingon, WACM Springfield, and WSKP in Westerly instead of relaying the Oldies format via internet stream from WACM's studios in West Springfield on all 3 stations. The computers at all 3 stations are loaded with the same music and same voice-tracked DJs. They are now able to have local commercials and IDs on each of the 3 stations.

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KJIM isn't owned by a big company. I think they may be affiliated with "Americas Best Music" from Westwood One. KJIM normally has nice sound quality and i hear the robot sounding stuff more on the FM translator than the AM station. It's not the worst i have heard because KBBC 99.7 In Tishomingo ,OK sounds like a internet stream most of the time and on that station the robot stuff also happened at one point and it was probably weeks or months before anyone running that station noticed! KBBC doesn't have the robot sounding stuff anymore (atleast i think so) but they still sound like a crappy internet stream.

anotherguy said:

In Alamo, TN we have WCTA 810 AM, which has been a subject of discussion for close to 10 years on the TN board.(WOW!) They're totally automated and go between NOAA weather radio(which always sounds like a squawk box), generic filler music, and dead air, and nothing live. The local owner passed away, and it is now owned by a group in Chattanooga, and they're apparently not paying any attention to when there are problems.

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Don't forget that their engineer also died, unless they have since hired another engineer (which seems unlikely given the station's current sad state).

firepoint525 said:

Don't forget that their engineer also died, unless they have since hired another engineer (which seems unlikely given the station's current sad state).

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Maybe they could hire me even though I don't have any radio experience! I couldn't be any worse!

anotherguy said:

Maybe they could hire me even though I don't have any radio experience! I couldn't be any worse!

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It would definitely be a volunteer gig for you! I doubt that they have anything to pay you!

oldies76 said:

There are some horrible ones out there indeed. An example would be our local AM690 out of Pueblo, Co. For years, they had a bad "phasing"? problem where it sounded like half the song was missing, usually a left or a right VU was much lower than it should be. Noticeable instruments were absent in Beatles music and other popular songs. Fortunately, they are no longer broadcasting oldies this way, because that is a huge turnoff. I even complained to them once and they never fixed the problem. What could cause such a problem? This is 2018 and such audio mishaps should not be an issue in this day and age. Or could it be cheap tech?

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They Were probably running one channel in a mono console. So you were hearing one channel on the air.

I remember the old WHIT in Madison, WI. 1550AM 5kw, very dirctional to the nortth. Format was automated oldies, and for a period in or around the late 1980s, IIRC, every song they played cut out for 2-3 seconds. Dead air. It also happened during commercials (which were very few in number). Very annoying to listen to, and it went on for about 2 or 3. months.

WENK of Union City, TN, sounded far worse in the '70s. They had this infernal buzz that pretty much drowned out their own programming! It was like they were being jammed!

All channels of Sirius XM Such a low bit rate in favor of more channels. Hard to believe I still pay for it.

Before it went off the air a month or two ago, a translator 93.7 FM here in San Antonio sounded like poison, literally! Loud humming in the audio, and not only that the programming cut in and out toggling on and off every second. Waste of electricity and I'm glad it's off the air now if they are going to use such bad engineers.

LOL the 93.7 translator came back on the air a day or two ago. It still has the loud humming in the audio constantly, but at least it's not toggling on/off every second. Still though something seems funny about the name on their CP application. It seems like a strong coincidence that the name on it is Christian Wertz and it's Catholic talk.
https://fccdata.org/?facid=139150&appid=1734343&i=1