There's no point in an expanded FM band if there are no receivers that can hear it
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Good Karma buys WMVP (1000)
- Thread starter tvnut
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Overall, that will probably happen. But as we saw in Indy, frequency and power don't matter anymore. If most of the listeners are on FM, then the AM will probably die unless someone(s) can finally figure out what to do with them. The need for 50 kW stations to cover large areas of the country ended at least 30 years ago.
With ATSC 3.0 ramping up, the low-VHF band is supposed to become viable for DTV, which it isn't right now. The FCC has made it clear for years that the FM band will not be expanded. FM-HD receivers should have been made mandatory a decade ago, because HD-2 and HD-3 are the only way to stuff more stations into the FM band in large markets. Too bad few people buy standalone radios anymore.
If you don't have a dream,
How you gonna have a dream come true?
Happy Talk
South Pacific Soundtrack
People talk about needing to have a vision, that's what I presented.
How you gonna have a dream come true?
Happy Talk
South Pacific Soundtrack
People talk about needing to have a vision, that's what I presented.
Both WBBM and WFNI (WIBC) had similar sites right next to an interstate highway, and thus attractive to warehouse operators. That's what's going up on the WBBM site and is the likely prospect for the WFNI site. WLS is similarly adjacent to an interstate and WGN is about a block off the same one as WBBM.
The WSCR/WBBM site (originally Westinghouse's KYW, and likely the oldest tower site in Chicago) is on a main highway but not near an interstate. It's the safest site of the Chicago blowtorches.
The WSCR/WBBM site (originally Westinghouse's KYW, and likely the oldest tower site in Chicago) is on a main highway but not near an interstate. It's the safest site of the Chicago blowtorches.
I believe the former WIBC site is going to be a mix of offices, retail and housing
Actually they're about a mile and a half apart, with WGN being further north.
The WSCR/WBBM site is along Army Trail Rd. in Bloomingdale. It's an arterial street, but not a highway (unless DuPage County has numbered it since I lived there). I used to live about a mile south of there in the late '70s. One time in 1978, the transmitter failed during a Sox game, but the exciter was running and they were still able to cover a couple of miles and I could still hear the game. This was when they were WMAQ, of course.
I didn't know KYW used that site. As they moved to Philly in 1932, I wouldn't think something that far west would have been viable in those days. There was little to no suburban housing in the area then.
Scott Fybush tells the KYW/WMAQ transmitter site story (from a 2008 post) here:
Then in 2019, he summarized the WBBM/WSCR diplex and reprinted his WBBM site tour:
Site of the Week 6/14/19: WBBM Chicago, Before the Move
As WBBM in Chicago moves to its first new transmitter site in 77 years, we look back at its longtime home
www.fybush.com
A lot of the VW imports as well as Tesla are not providing AM radios in their cars anymore. Both do provide a HD FM Radio making the HD2 alternatives to WSCR, WLS and ESPN 1000 available. WBBM has the analog /HD equivalent on 105.9. WGN is the odd man out in this instance.
In addition you can use Apple Car Play and Android Auto which are now part of the infotainment units to stream any AM or FM station you want from anywhere provided your phone is able to receive the cell phone carrier's 4G or 5G signal. No worries about losing your favorite station at sunset due to power down or being on the wrong side of the night time pattern.
Of course, over the air is free, phone streaming is dependent on your cell phone carriers signal and whether your data plan in unlimited or not.
Back around 1968, WGN Continental Broadcasting wanted to purchase WFMT. There was a fuss made over this at that time because of the Tribune's size and influence. I believe it was blocked due to the multiple ownership rules at that time because of the news paper, TV and AM radio station having common ownership.
In addition you can use Apple Car Play and Android Auto which are now part of the infotainment units to stream any AM or FM station you want from anywhere provided your phone is able to receive the cell phone carrier's 4G or 5G signal. No worries about losing your favorite station at sunset due to power down or being on the wrong side of the night time pattern.
Of course, over the air is free, phone streaming is dependent on your cell phone carriers signal and whether your data plan in unlimited or not.
Back around 1968, WGN Continental Broadcasting wanted to purchase WFMT. There was a fuss made over this at that time because of the Tribune's size and influence. I believe it was blocked due to the multiple ownership rules at that time because of the news paper, TV and AM radio station having common ownership.
One would think but interestingly enough it's very common in weekly PPM data to see more listening coming from the AM than the FM. AM listening is still very strong in this market compared to most others. Hard to break people's habits that have been ingrained for decades.
That being said the future of the News format is absolutely 105.9 FM and streaming. It's rare to hear any reference to 780 on the air anymore.
Actually WGN was trying to reacquire 98.7, as they had owned it as WGNB up until 1954, when it was sold to WFMT, which had occupied 105.9 from 1951-54. Apparently the 98.7 facility at the time was superior to 105.9, thus the frequency move.
WFMT's beginnings go back to the purchase of WOAK 105.9 in 1951. WOAK had originally started out on 98.3 a few years earlier before moving to 105.9.
Yep, look at WLW...
WLW???? What's happening with that? That Blaw Knox should be on the Register of Historic Places! Rent from Uncle Sam.
It's true -- the land around the towers and the building are being developed as a commercial property. The site isn't moving, though. They're building around the towers and buildings.
Work Starts On $30 Million Development Under Iconic WLW-AM Tower
The big ones are gone. The huge trees which lined the driveway to WLW-AM's tower and transmitter were removed this week to make way for a $30 million…
www.wvxu.org
IHM sold the land under the tower....its being developed as a business park..wow, I'm shocked you didn't know about it...it was major news when iHurt sold off their major AM sites....KPRC 950 Houston is another...was sold several years ago...now iHurt is moving 950 to a TRIPLEX with 1320 that they bought and both are moving to 790 KBME site.
There are no truly unlimited data plans that I know of. My Verizon plan is probably the closest. If we're going to transfer the entire on-air audience to streaming, that has to be solved. What's it ultimately going to cost to eliminate free radio for 100% pay radio? What about lower income folks on prepaid plans? Not to mention the data charges to broadcast these stations?
Very true. The WBBM announcers say "News Radio 105.9 FM" more often than "News Radio 780 AM." When you ask people to turn on WBBM in the car, they're probably going to turn on 105.9 FM. That was a very smart move for CBS radio to move the all news format to 105.9 in the early 2010s. It had a really strong brand in Chicago, and maintains their strength to this day.
Furthermore- It's interesting how the WBBM brand is most connected with the WCFS FM station, rather than the television station channel 2 or 96.3 FM with the flagship call letters. Both 780 AM and 96.3 FM are placed on the same location with a standard analog dial. Their formats couldn't be father apart!
B96 has been a successful station for 40 years. No need whatsoever to blow it up.
Some stations did try to pick an FM frequency that closely matched the AM slide rule dial position on an AM FM radio. But every radio is/was different. I imagine with enough trimmers in the oscillator and RF sections, it could be done closely. I don't know if that would sacrifice other quality issues, and cost a lot to design and manufacture. It would be an extension of the idea of aligning the RF and Oscillator sections on AM radios with differently shaped capacitor plates, and the OSC capacitance smaller to tune it 455 kHz higher, having less plate area and numbers, which was necessary for single knob tuning. Previously, early superheterodyne radios required one knob to tune the OSC section and one to tune the RF section. Tuned preset buttons even continued that way until Delco GM came up with a mechanical preset solution. Take a look at a really old one. A lot of car and radio enthusiasts have them unhoused in their home garages. You'll see how the mechanical stops work.
Up near the other end and the other side of the Lake, near where David our Administrator used to take vacations, I stayed several times at Crystal Lake, West of Traverse City, fairly close to Lake Michigan. My AM/SW transistor radio didn't get WTCM, then a Class IV on 1400 with 1000 watts Day and 250 watts Night, very well in the Daytime and almost impossible most Nights, about 20-25 miles away across sandy soil. I noticed that someone had a radio in their window at that resort, that Day and Night, WTCM blasted in on without interference. They had it on every Day when there was Detroit Tiger Baseball, where everyone else near there listened to WJR 760 for their games at Night (and possible but difficult even on a GM Delco car radio with the telescoping antenna fully extended in the Daytime). I didn't realize that it was actually WTCM-FM, which had recently signed on 103.5, and the dial positions matched fairly closely on their radio.
Speaking of WJR, their AM FM dial positions closely matched also. WJR is 760 and WJR-FM was 96.3. Back when Mike Joseph made WBBM-FM 96.3 Hot Hits around 1982, it was coming in on tropospheric conditions in Genesee County, capturing WJR-FM 96.3. So I knew what was coming when WJR-FM 96.3 became WHYT, a nearly identical Hot Hits format, a few months later.
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One of the first Hot Hits Charts for WBBM-FM 96.3.
WBBM_1982-11-20_1.jpg
One of the first Hot Hits Charts for WHYT-FM 96.3 (Formerly WJR-FM 96.3)
WHYT_1982-11-04_1.jpg
The roll out on both stations was about the same time, but WBBM-FM was first, and rolled out the shorter playlist more gradually, based on ARSA review.
There may have been immediate negative reaction to very short playlists. The longer playlists may have given the whole WBBM-FM research list, but certain day parts may have been effectively shorter.
WBBM_1982-11-20_1.jpg
One of the first Hot Hits Charts for WHYT-FM 96.3 (Formerly WJR-FM 96.3)
WHYT_1982-11-04_1.jpg
The roll out on both stations was about the same time, but WBBM-FM was first, and rolled out the shorter playlist more gradually, based on ARSA review.
There may have been immediate negative reaction to very short playlists. The longer playlists may have given the whole WBBM-FM research list, but certain day parts may have been effectively shorter.
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