RIP 1470

[BillyChilly]

Finally remembered to check for WFNT when I got into Flint last night, and nothing but a faint signal on the frequency from something far away. Oddly (well, not really, considering that it's Townsquare) their website and Facebook page are still being updated regularly. Their request for silent STA showed up online yesterday:

https://enterpriseefiling.fcc.gov/datae ... 0&goBack=N

[Ben Zonia]

Usually, the station that comes in is the primary interfering signal in their NIF, WMBD 1470 Peoria, IL. Over the years, WKMF/WFNT's NIF contour has decreased to a respectable 5.7 mV/m, which gives it a signal with 1000 watts with an area of service as interference free as many stations with 5000 watts or more at Night, with 2-3 times the NIF.

[Mega Hertz]

Last week, when I checked the frequency, it sounded like some kind of urban format fading in and out. Sounded secular but I could be wrong.

[edj]

The old "financial reasons" line. Odds are they shut it down permanently rather than attempt to find a buyer for a reasonable price.

[Colonel Flagg]

Last week, when I checked the frequency, it sounded like some kind of urban format fading in and out. Sounded secular but I could be wrong.

Was that within an hour or two before sunset?

You may have been hearing WVOL Berry Hill, TN (Nashville) before they switched to night pattern.

Hey, Ben Zonia, what do you think?

[Ben Zonia]

Last week, when I checked the frequency, it sounded like some kind of urban format fading in and out. Sounded secular but I could be wrong.

Was that within an hour or two before sunset?

You may have been hearing WVOL Berry Hill, TN (Nashville) before they switched to night pattern.

Hey, Ben Zonia, what do you think?

I have heard WVOL Berry Hill during that period, and I think sometimes it may not be changing patterns. Up near Pellston, I heard WFNT very clearly many Days just before Sunset, and West Bend, WI, formerly WBKV and recently WIBD, with Oldies/"Classic Classic" Rock. WFNT was buried in interference after Sunset, and WMBD rolled in and changed patterns later.

[Mega Hertz]

Last week, when I checked the frequency, it sounded like some kind of urban format fading in and out. Sounded secular but I could be wrong.

Was that within an hour or two before sunset?

You may have been hearing WVOL Berry Hill, TN (Nashville) before they switched to night pattern.

Hey, Ben Zonia, what do you think?

No, it was definitely dark and had been for a while. I want to say it was around 8, 8:30pm.

[fairbankshockeypuck]

Didn't the old 1470 WKMF run a livescoreboard for college football scores on Saturday afternoons? People would call in and ask for their favorite team score and they would read it on the air...AND if I am not mistaken I think they ran Flint Generals hockey...For homes games they would only broadcast the second and or third periods....

[sdaddy]

KMF did air Generals games, you are correct.
It was the second and third of home game and complete road games.
Carl Robertson did them.
I believe KMF, WTRX, WDEY from Lapeer, WFDF and WTAC when they were country were the stations for the Gens and Spirits.
Robertson, Hal Maas, Bob Kaser, Rich Kincaide, Matt Mc Connell and I think i'm missing one or possibly two that did Generals/Spirits games on Flint radio.
This going back to my days as a fan in the 70's.
I was a H*** Generals fan until the move to Saginaw in '85 then I rooted for that juggernaut of a team in Muskegon.
87-88 88-89 was the first Minor League team that I saw that could have beat some NHL teams with that lineup Pittsburgh sent to the Lumberjacks.
And you saw em too fairbankshockeypuck when you called games for Saginaw.

[Willie108]

Wally Shaver did the Generals games when they were on WTRX.

[sdaddy]

Yes, forgot about that one.
Thanks Willie !!

[Ben Zonia]

Didn't the old 1470 WKMF run a livescoreboard for college football scores on Saturday afternoons? People would call in and ask for their favorite team score and they would read it on the air...AND if I am not mistaken I think they ran Flint Generals hockey...For homes games they would only broadcast the second and or third periods....

Correct. Sometimes, when they played The Fort Wayne Komets, you could also hear it on WOWO. Circa 1970, Bob Dell was in the WOWO Studio when the games were on, and he would talk about Flint Radio with the people at WKMF. In an interview with Bob Dell, with his son Michael a couple of years ago, he revealed that Flint Radio was the most special time to him in all his years of broadcasting.

I'm trying to remember who did the Scoreboard Show. Was it Dick Bing, at least for a while, who did the show? At the time, WKMF rebroadcast the PBP from WUOM-FM off air, and if they left the unfiltered stereo pilot on, there would be strong sidebands 19 KHz either side of 1470. After Bob Ufer and other hosts took over in the private sector, they stopped the Football PBP broadcasts. They continued to rebroadcast Basketball PBP from WUOM. I told WKMF CE Bill Sanderson my theory about the sidebands, and he punched on the stereo pilot filter and eliminated the problem.

[48125er]

I wonder if clownsquare will turn off 1410 In Grand rapids like they did here.

[Ben Zonia]

WNWZ 1410 has a translator, and a niche Urban format (niche in Grand Rapids due to demos) and does quite well in the ratings.

WFNT 1470 would do better if they could finagle a translator, and maybe go back to Classic Country, and get the WKMF call letters back.

WWCK 1570 has a translator and is doing better because of it, with a much lower power AM than WFNT.

[SpartanAM]

I wonder if anyone will take a stab at the conservative talk format in Flint ever again. WTRX seems like the only possible candidate. If I were WSGW I'd try to get a translator in the Flint area. WFDF has a great signal in the Flint area, perhaps they should focus their marketing towards Genesee County.