1520 WLGC goes 80's?!

[Mike]

They seem to be running 80's music on the AM, with generic stripped "WLGC" sounders (probably clipped from the FM) and no commercials.

I wonder what they expect to get out of putting music on an AM?

[sportsvoice]

Something to hold the license?

[Mike]

Something to hold the license?

I don't know why they don't just take that station dark anyway. It's off the air more than it's on, and it's pretty useless.

[sportsvoice]

If they need cheap filler to keep the license alive, they could just simulcast co-owned WNXT-FM on it. Maybe they are banking on picking up a translator for it via STA. I think when you do that with a daytimer you are allowed to run the programming on the translator 24/7.

Otherwise, why not just lease to the God Squad again to get some cash? On the other hand, it's hard to broker out your station when you can't keep the transmitter working.

[Lester]

I kind of like the idea...

[Force Commander]

Maybe they are banking on picking up a translator for it via STA. I think when you do that with a daytimer you are allowed to run the programming on the translator 24/7.

You are correct sir!

[Mike]

I kind of like the idea...

Took a day off work today (I usually take opening day off)... And their selection is pretty eclectic. Could use someone who knows the music better choosing it though. The imaging sucks, just an occasional sung "WLGC!" liner. Needs some more 80's clips inserted.

They are playing some late 70's and some early 90's. Funny thing is the selection pretty much mirrors what I listened to through graduation

I miss AM mono. Sounds a lot like WIRO 1230 from back in the day. Except it doesn't have the old warm hummmmmmmmmmmm.

Except for some promos for Greenup sports, no commercials at all. A definite plus.

[Mike]

If they need cheap filler to keep the license alive, they could just simulcast co-owned WNXT-FM on it. Maybe they are banking on picking up a translator for it via STA. I think when you do that with a daytimer you are allowed to run the programming on the translator 24/7.

Otherwise, why not just lease to the God Squad again to get some cash? On the other hand, it's hard to broker out your station when you can't keep the transmitter working.

If they get a FM translator I should be able to easily pick it up here.

Wish they'd broadcast in AM stereo though, my car radio can do that (as can most Fords). I'd love to hear what 80's music sounds like in C-Quam.

[Mike]

Any FM translator would have to be within the red circle, right?

[Mike]

Finally heard some imaging... "The Tri-State's Classic Mix, the 80's Station WLGC"

Guess it's being formatted as an 80's companion to WNXT-FM.

Hint: Guys, put this on the FM and you won't be the #3 country station in Huntington or the #2 in Portsmouth anymore.

Update: ID is sung, as "WLGC Greenup, Ashland, Huntington" 1520 when working right actually comes in decently in Huntington. Most of the time in the past decade it's been malfunctioning though... I'll be impressed if they manage to keep it on the air given it's history. But then at least they've finally started doing something unique with it at least. Kinda funny how AM used to be the conservative band, it wasn't where album rock debuted (that was what made FM), for example (and still is conservative when you think of what makes money on it) but these days with a signal like this you can try stuff you'd never try on a FM...

These days FM is where you play it safe.

[Mike]

Hearing Poison "Unskinny Bop" in AM mono... wow.

Come on guys, start streaming this. And stream out of the AM processing, not the stereo feed.

Play Van Halen's "Jump" in glorious AM mono (which I've not heard since WIRO in 1984) and you're my new favorite radio station

Edit: OMFG... Talking Heads "Once in a Lifetime" in glorious AM mono... Again not heard since WIRO.

[Mike]

Follow up Stevie Nicks "Stand Back" with Taco "Puttin on the Ritz" then Technotronic "Get Up!"

This wasn't music meant for AM.

Who programmed this thing?

[Mike]

Advice to WLGC management: More people might listen to your station if you can keep the transmitter on the air for more than 20 seconds.

[Force Commander]

Any FM translator would have to be within the red circle, right?

There currently are no rules for AM on FM translators. The NAB has a proposal before the Commission to change the rules and allow AM on FM TX. The FCC has been quietly allowing some AM's to rebroadcast on FM translators. They issue an instrument called Special Temporary Authority (STA). With this background in mind, when they pass an STA the FCC does appear to use the proposed NAB boundaries. Which is the 60 dBu TX contour must not extend beyond a 25 mile circle from the AM transmission site, or beyond the 2 mV/m the AM station radiates, whichever is less in size. With the high dial position and low ground conductivity I suspect the AM coutour of WLGC-AM is less than 25 miles.

As far as the Radio Locator maps. Several years ago I spoke with the guy that ran it (forgive me his name is escaping me). On AM, the red circle is meant to show the FCC theoretical contours of an approximation of the stations 2.5 mV/m. He told me the FCC theoretical shows more for AM than a station normally produces, while it underestimates the performance of FM stations.

I hope you enjoyed this interlude of useless information. Pitts off! (man I miss Gary)

[Mike]

I was surprised today how well WLGC 1520 could be heard in Huntington. Of course there was the annoyance of power lines, etc, but the signal was surprisingly strong given how far away the tower is from Huntington.

I've not really listened to that station much since the old "1 on 1 Sports" days and Papa Joe Chevalier, most of the time it's either been a FM simulcast (and as much as I like Mark Justice, I can't stand country music) or off the air. There definitely seem to be transmitter problems, there are popping sounds every so often. I wish the FCC site showed details of PSA and PSSA, which I understand that WLGC has both pre and post sunset authority. For those who don't know, WLGC 1520 is on the same channel with 1520 WWKB in Buffalo, NY, and can't have a full nighttime signal as a result, though I recall it basically doesn't have to sign off for a couple hours after sunset.

I say leave it on 5KW, there isn't anything on WWKB that wouldn't be better off being blasted away by some 80's music.

[Ace Purple]

If they run into a roadblock with 1520 on an FM translator, couldn't they launch an HD2 channel on 105.7 WLGC-FM and then simulcast *that* on the translator? I know there is extra cost involved with that, but that would be another option.

[GlenBrannon1]

Hey Mike,
What is with the WIRO stuff?? LOL The 1000 watt blowtorch of Ashland played the same stuff when it was a current. I was there!

If done right music on AM still sounds great! Good luck to Mark on getting this going. There is a man who CAN git-r-done.

[Mike]

Hey Mike,
What is with the WIRO stuff?? LOL The 1000 watt blowtorch of Ashland played the same stuff when it was a current. I was there!

If done right music on AM still sounds great! Good luck to Mark on getting this going. There is a man who CAN git-r-done.

When I was a kid my first radios were AM's only. In fact I didn't get my first FM radio of my own until 1980!

So the earliest radio stations I listened to were WIRO, WCMI, and WGNT. I never much cared for country so WTCR and WHTN weren't much on my radar. Once I got FM I added WAMX, WCAK, and WKEE. I always prefered WAMX to WKEE, it was always more rock oriented while KEE was more the "girls" station. Somewhere around 1986 or 1987 I found "FM-105" (which is today "Rock 105).

Of all our local AM stations, WIRO of course lasted by FAR the longest playing music with live DJ's... It lasted all the way to 1995! As I recall the last real format it had before the last couple months when they were basically playing whatever music the DJ brought with him was they picked up the dropped classic rock format of WCMI-FM.

Music CAN sound very good on an AM... If you have one of the FEW good receivers made. Unfortunately most radios made since after the 80's have an AM section that is an afterthought. Also, most AM stations have suffered a LOT of neglect over the years, especially the smaller ones. Even WIRO's paint is faded and the signal doesn't get out like it used to. The only AM in the Tri-State that sounds like the engineer gives a damn about how good it sounds is ironically WRVC (which probably suffered the MOST from neglect post-Stoner ownership), which sounds fantastic in stereo.

WLGC-AM is a case in point... It clearly needs some serious love if this is going to work. After listening to it as much as I could over the past day or so it has some serious issues with the transmitter or transmission system or both. The sound isn't too bad, really, and when it's working the signal gets out probably better than most 5kW AM's around this region. But they need to fix it up. I'd love to see AM stereo added... As those of you who remember my fandom of the former WZIO 94.9 and it's crazy hard rock format know, I have a soft spot for broken down stations where some risks are taken with programming The imaging, etc, and presentation of WLGC sounds like something I did recycling imaging from another station (they obviously used WLGC-FM's) so it sort of sounds like something tossed together in an afternoon. The music selection is actually not bad, there are some deep cuts in there.

[sportsvoice]

I was surprised today how well WLGC 1520 could be heard in Huntington. Of course there was the annoyance of power lines, etc, but the signal was surprisingly strong given how far away the tower is from Huntington.

I've not really listened to that station much since the old "1 on 1 Sports" days and Papa Joe Chevalier, most of the time it's either been a FM simulcast (and as much as I like Mark Justice, I can't stand country music) or off the air. There definitely seem to be transmitter problems, there are popping sounds every so often. I wish the FCC site showed details of PSA and PSSA, which I understand that WLGC has both pre and post sunset authority. For those who don't know, WLGC 1520 is on the same channel with 1520 WWKB in Buffalo, NY, and can't have a full nighttime signal as a result, though I recall it basically doesn't have to sign off for a couple hours after sunset.

I say leave it on 5KW, there isn't anything on WWKB that wouldn't be better off being blasted away by some 80's music.

The only PSRA/PSSA info that shows are the February 2008 update letters. Those show a range of flea power PSRA/PSSA authorizations (2-3 watts on some of them!) for WLGC. That information isn't valid, however, because the FCC rescinded those and went back to the previous ones due to errors in the calculations.

[contracteng]

If my memory is correct I think the night time power for them is 8 Watts and 250 the first 2 hours after sunrise and the last 2 hours before sunset.