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Northern MI radio observations from 10/23 to 10/26

Covers all of Northern Lower Michigan (from Ludington to Tawas northward), as well as the Straits Area and Soo Region.
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MWmetalhead
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Northern MI radio observations from 10/23 to 10/26

Post by MWmetalhead » Sat Oct 30, 2021 7:20 am

Took a trip up north to do some hunting recently.

Here are my observations with regard to local radio in the west central and NW portions of the mitt:

- Sunny 97.3 Reed City: really creepy old-timey hymnal music was playing last Sunday morning on what seemed like an endless loop. Later in the day Sunday, I heard nothing but loud fuzz (akin to a audio on a snowy channel during the analog TV era) every time I stopped by over a span of ten hours.

- Y102 and Big Country 100.9 Big Rapids: excellent audio processing and well formatted programming.

- 107.1 The Drive Cadillac: better playlist than the last time I listened two years ago. Good signal along US 10, too, now that WOOD-FM is at reduced power. Very little if any DJ chatter. Is this station mostly automated?

- 102.7 WMOM Ludington: Decent signal in SE Lake County but audio was blending down to monaural in the car. Always kept a steady stereo signal when they were broadcasting from the old site. Whereas the old signal was still perfectly listenable in the car (with minor fuzz) farther east in & around Reed City, the new signal breaks up badly there.

- 96.3 WKLA Ludington: hey, the audio has been fixed! Signal strength in my location was nearly comparable to WMOM, which ain't shabby considering WKLA's TX site was a good six or seven miles farther away.

- 94.9 The Big Dog: didn't listen too much, but audio processing was superb. Good job! Home of Michigan football, too.

- News 97.7 & 98.7: 97.7 is clearly broadcasting at reduced power. If I had to guestimate, signal strength in my location was about 10 dB weaker than usual. 98.7 is at full power but had extended bouts of dead air over the weekend.

- Memories 92.3 Frankfort area: Pretty good signal in NW Lake County. I suspect they are broadcasting at or near full power. Audio levels are way too low.

- 99.3 WOUF Frankfort area: Was able to pick up zero signal. If it is on the air, it is broadcasting at greatly reduced power.

- 103.5 WTCM-FM: sounds like Ranger Bob is doing their voiceovers now (former WSNX and WMUS-FM disc jockey who I believe is still based at WLW in Cincinnati). He also does the V/O work for Mentor's country and Hot AC stations in Big Rapids. Cary Carlson is terrific; we miss her in Detroit.

- Classic 101.9 WLDR: nice to hear this one back on the air and at full power. The satellite classic hits playlist was a little too classic rock leaning for my liking given the fact the area already has two classic rock stations (WKLT and WGFN). The Dick Bartley voiceovers are nice. Processing is a little on the flimsy side. Good signal in northern Lake County and still listenable in the Baldwin area.

- Eagle 101.5 Manistee: didn't care for the song selections this time. Comparable signal strength to 96.3 & 102.7 in SE Lake County.

- 94 K-Rock Hart: rock solid signal (as it should be) throughout Lake County. Could not tell if the station is still using satellite-fed programming or if it is now automated. Processing sounded decent and so did the music selections.

- Rock 95.5 WGFE and Classic Rock 98.1 The Bear: Anne Carlini is a talented broadcaster but she is a poor fit for Rock 95.5; she should be utilized on The Bear instead. Rock 95.5's creative values (station promos, etc.) are boring and the audio processing sounded muddy. Granted, my listening location at its closest point was still a good 50 miles from their tower, so maybe that had something to do with it. However, from that same spot, 98.1 The Bear's audio sounded really good.

- Z93 WJZQ: Signal seemed a shade weaker than I last remember. Boring stationality. Wish they would change the V/O artist. Harry Legg doesn't sound good on CHR in the year 2021.



ChrisWL1980
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Re: Northern MI radio observations from 10/23 to 10/26

Post by ChrisWL1980 » Mon Nov 01, 2021 12:32 am

Looks like 100.1 is history. I would guess 99.3 is most likely off the air too.

https://radioinsight.com/headlines/2146 ... to-boston/



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Re: Northern MI radio observations from 10/23 to 10/26

Post by since16 » Mon Nov 01, 2021 7:00 am

Let me first say that I enjoyed reading your observations. I think it shows that there are stations our there that are bettering themselves for their future. Rural radio does not have to be far off from major market radio. The difference that rural radio can be localized without feeling the pressure of corporate ding dongs

I think there is an impression that bigger is always better. It's not the size of your di... stick that matters it's who you are focusing on. Here at WMOM there is 0% focus on reaching Reed City from a listener standpoint and certainly not from the 0% of revenue we draw from there. Now if you drive from Muskegon to Manistee where we focus our efforts and Ludington to Baldwin where we concentrate our efforts than I think we are doing ok.

If we are looking to extend our reach it's through Amazon Alexa, Google Home, streaming on website, Facebook live, etc. Especially since we are still under the temporary tower location. Once we make the move back to fully spaced I am confident it will satisfy your concerns. But that isn't any time soon (refer to paragraph 2).

As for 100.1 turning license in and 99.3 maybe going away. Seems like it might have been a good strategy to aquire 99.9 FM out of Mason County 🤔.



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Re: Northern MI radio observations from 10/23 to 10/26

Post by ftballfan » Mon Nov 01, 2021 7:21 pm

With 100.1 turning its license in, that will allow the new 99.9 to inch a little farther north toward Manistee, especially since that vacant allocation is on 100.7.

Upon doing some more research, I think 99.9 could get up to C3 (25kW equivalent) in an area about five or so miles wide stretching from near Ludington and Scottville to around Thompsonville, especially if WUGN were to downgrade slightly from C0 to C1 (which would only require WUGN to drop to 96kW from 100kW).

I've said this for years, but 96.3 and 98.7 in Ludington should swap formats. Speaking of Synergy, I wonder if WKZC got a technical upgrade recently so it's actually running its licensed 17kW.



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Re: Northern MI radio observations from 10/23 to 10/26

Post by MWmetalhead » Tue Nov 02, 2021 7:31 pm

Thanks for the feedback, since16.

Programming wise, I enjoy what I hear on WMOM. Your stream on TuneIn sounds good, too

Regarding WKZC - if they aren't pumping out 17 kW, they must still be pumping out a respectable amount of juice. Signal did seem a little flimsier than a C3 in SE Lake County on the Saturday I listened but sounded good in the following days.



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Re: Northern MI radio observations from 10/23 to 10/26

Post by ChrisWL1980 » Wed Nov 03, 2021 9:15 pm

since16 wrote:
Mon Nov 01, 2021 7:00 am
Let me first say that I enjoyed reading your observations. I think it shows that there are stations our there that are bettering themselves for their future. Rural radio does not have to be far off from major market radio. The difference that rural radio can be localized without feeling the pressure of corporate ding dongs

I think there is an impression that bigger is always better. It's not the size of your di... stick that matters it's who you are focusing on. Here at WMOM there is 0% focus on reaching Reed City from a listener standpoint and certainly not from the 0% of revenue we draw from there. Now if you drive from Muskegon to Manistee where we focus our efforts and Ludington to Baldwin where we concentrate our efforts than I think we are doing ok.

If we are looking to extend our reach it's through Amazon Alexa, Google Home, streaming on website, Facebook live, etc. Especially since we are still under the temporary tower location. Once we make the move back to fully spaced I am confident it will satisfy your concerns. But that isn't any time soon (refer to paragraph 2).

As for 100.1 turning license in and 99.3 maybe going away. Seems like it might have been a good strategy to aquire 99.9 FM out of Mason County 🤔.
I'm sure WRVM gives you no small amount of headaches in the meantime. I was in Whitehall a while back and you guys were blasting in loud and clear one day but were totally covered up by the 100,000-watt Jesus freaks from across the lake the next. I did enjoy what I got to hear of you, not having access to a smart speaker at that time. No doubt Alexa et al. comes in very handy on days like that.



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Re: Northern MI radio observations from 10/23 to 10/26

Post by hunterw » Thu Nov 04, 2021 4:23 pm

ChrisWL1980 wrote:
Wed Nov 03, 2021 9:15 pm
since16 wrote:
Mon Nov 01, 2021 7:00 am
Let me first say that I enjoyed reading your observations. I think it shows that there are stations our there that are bettering themselves for their future. Rural radio does not have to be far off from major market radio. The difference that rural radio can be localized without feeling the pressure of corporate ding dongs

I think there is an impression that bigger is always better. It's not the size of your di... stick that matters it's who you are focusing on. Here at WMOM there is 0% focus on reaching Reed City from a listener standpoint and certainly not from the 0% of revenue we draw from there. Now if you drive from Muskegon to Manistee where we focus our efforts and Ludington to Baldwin where we concentrate our efforts than I think we are doing ok.

If we are looking to extend our reach it's through Amazon Alexa, Google Home, streaming on website, Facebook live, etc. Especially since we are still under the temporary tower location. Once we make the move back to fully spaced I am confident it will satisfy your concerns. But that isn't any time soon (refer to paragraph 2).

As for 100.1 turning license in and 99.3 maybe going away. Seems like it might have been a good strategy to aquire 99.9 FM out of Mason County 🤔.
I'm sure WRVM gives you no small amount of headaches in the meantime. I was in Whitehall a while back and you guys were blasting in loud and clear one day but were totally covered up by the 100,000-watt Jesus freaks from across the lake the next. I did enjoy what I got to hear of you, not having access to a smart speaker at that time. No doubt Alexa et al. comes in very handy on days like that.

Wrvm knocks out MOM-FM in Manistee. Almost every morning it’s wrvm blasting in during the summer and sometimes all day. Sure hope they can get a simulcast here soon. Miss listening to them in the morning on the drive in to work.



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Re: Northern MI radio observations from 10/23 to 10/26

Post by RockerTim » Fri Nov 05, 2021 8:55 pm

Ranger Bob - that is a name I haven't head in a long time! Wasn't he on 101.3 back in the 2000's when they started doing classic rock? Back when they had Bob and Tom as the morning show and Aris doing afternoons? Also Allison Harte and Andy O!
He was broadcasting from Indiana or something at that time and was the target of WLAV's "live and local" campaign.
I liked The Fox back then.



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Re: Northern MI radio observations from 10/23 to 10/26

Post by MWmetalhead » Sat Nov 06, 2021 12:17 am

That's exactly right; he indeed was part of the original DJ line-up at 101.3 The Fox following the flip away from classic country. He handled middays, as I recall.



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Re: Northern MI radio observations from 10/23 to 10/26

Post by Frosty » Sat Nov 06, 2021 6:08 pm

I believe Ranger Bob was purged from iHateradio a year or so ago, when iHate had one of their big purges, and is doing all freelance now.



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Re: Northern MI radio observations from 10/23 to 10/26

Post by cckadlec » Thu Nov 11, 2021 9:20 pm

hunterw wrote:
Thu Nov 04, 2021 4:23 pm
Wrvm knocks out MOM-FM in Manistee. Almost every morning it’s wrvm blasting in during the summer and sometimes all day. Sure hope they can get a simulcast here soon. Miss listening to them in the morning on the drive in to work.
WRVM is a pretty big nuisance here in Fremont as well, both before and after MOM's tower move. When they were off the air for a year, WRVM was my regular here in town, usually in with RDS. Sometimes Chicago came on the side of it.

But then you can see it the other way. WRVM feeds its main signal (at a pretty hefty distance) to the 90.9 Sheboygan repeater and with lake tropo, MOM often overtakes that signal on 90.9 as it broadcasts MOM-FM instead. I've taken video and audio of that a few times. Plus, the 90.9 has a small translator on 95.3 nearby and THAT rebroadcasts MOM as well. Both can be picked up back here on the Michigan side, hearing MOM on 102.7, 90.9, and 95.3 at times.

So while MOM has always struggled with WRVM, WRVM has its own issues over there in the summer too!


[ Radio and weather geeks, beware! Coastal tropo studies, the 3-hr. Seoul AM Radio Listening Guide, 6-hr. 500 Top-of-Hour IDs, and Chinese FM at www.chriskadlec.comTuner: Grundig G8 • Location: Fremont, Mich. ]

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Re: Northern MI radio observations from 10/23 to 10/26

Post by cckadlec » Thu Nov 11, 2021 9:24 pm

MWmetalhead wrote:
Sat Oct 30, 2021 7:20 am
- Sunny 97.3 Reed City: really creepy old-timey hymnal music was playing last Sunday morning on what seemed like an endless loop. Later in the day Sunday, I heard nothing but loud fuzz (akin to a audio on a snowy channel during the analog TV era) every time I stopped by over a span of ten hours.
97.3 very rarely has any signal problems. Now and then they do turn off for a day or so, perhaps for maintenance. In this case, I did tune in on the same day as you and I heard the same thing. A very IBOC-sounding "fuzz". I tuned adjacents and found neither 97.1 (The Drive) or 97.5 (Lansing) were at any signal level here in Fremont that would present IBOC and came to find that the signal was ON, but broadcasting that sound instead.

I'm not sure how long it was like that, but likely back to normal the following morning. They usually do a decent job there. I just wish when they would have issues like that, they totally turn the transmitter off. It's more fun that way :)


[ Radio and weather geeks, beware! Coastal tropo studies, the 3-hr. Seoul AM Radio Listening Guide, 6-hr. 500 Top-of-Hour IDs, and Chinese FM at www.chriskadlec.comTuner: Grundig G8 • Location: Fremont, Mich. ]

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Re: Northern MI radio observations from 10/23 to 10/26

Post by MWmetalhead » Thu Nov 11, 2021 10:57 pm

I can only assume the station was experiencing STL issues of some kind.

The audio disturbance was extremely loud, too. Indeed, it did sound like the sideband "hash" one might encounter from IBOC, but to me it sounded much more like AM band IBOC hash than FM band IBOC hash.



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Re: Northern MI radio observations from 10/23 to 10/26

Post by Trophyhead » Fri Nov 12, 2021 8:37 am

I do not pick up WDEE as far south as I once did, on my commute to the GR northern suburbs.

It gets grainy after entering Montcalm County, which I figure is maybe 27 miles as the crow flies from Hawkins, where I believe 97.3's transmitter to be. If you go back through this area, MWMetalhead, you can check B-103.9, which Dom Theodore put in place about six years ago, now. It may be just like 107.1 in Cadillac, as he owns both signals.



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Re: Northern MI radio observations from 10/23 to 10/26

Post by ftballfan » Fri Nov 12, 2021 7:58 pm

cckadlec wrote:
Thu Nov 11, 2021 9:20 pm
hunterw wrote:
Thu Nov 04, 2021 4:23 pm
Wrvm knocks out MOM-FM in Manistee. Almost every morning it’s wrvm blasting in during the summer and sometimes all day. Sure hope they can get a simulcast here soon. Miss listening to them in the morning on the drive in to work.
WRVM is a pretty big nuisance here in Fremont as well, both before and after MOM's tower move. When they were off the air for a year, WRVM was my regular here in town, usually in with RDS. Sometimes Chicago came on the side of it.

But then you can see it the other way. WRVM feeds its main signal (at a pretty hefty distance) to the 90.9 Sheboygan repeater and with lake tropo, MOM often overtakes that signal on 90.9 as it broadcasts MOM-FM instead. I've taken video and audio of that a few times. Plus, the 90.9 has a small translator on 95.3 nearby and THAT rebroadcasts MOM as well. Both can be picked up back here on the Michigan side, hearing MOM on 102.7, 90.9, and 95.3 at times.

So while MOM has always struggled with WRVM, WRVM has its own issues over there in the summer too!
If only there wasn't an 88.5 translator in Sheboygan! If that translator wasn't there, WYVM could pick up WPVM over the air.

Speaking of WRVM and translators, they have another Sheboygan translator on 100.5 and I've heard the Mom on that one as well. IMHO, both Sheboygan translators are redundant



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