CK-722 wrote: ↑Wed May 20, 2020 7:11 pm
Are they at the same location of the original WHGR 1290 3 tower array? Also the original location for WHGR-FM/WJGS tower.
Got back to Houghton Lake a few years ago. Seems like there's a WalMart where the WHGR towers used to stand. But at the time, the studio was close by the old location.
Anybody know if WUPS and WTWS are now originating from the same studio, what with the new no studio rules? And is that studio at Houghton Lake or somewhere else?
Both WUPS and WTWS are owned by Black Diamond. The studios and offices address is shown on their website at the 125 W. Houghton Lake Dr. address in the post above. It looks to me like the original AM/FM site is near the Family Fare Spartan Store. The Wal Mart is several blocks East of there. The three towers still show on some topographic maps. The towers were in a near North South line, so given the wavelength and endfire design, the towers and radial field would have fit on about an 800' X 400' lot. That is about 7.5 acres, so the lot was probably originally about 10 acres.
Is THAT where they got the idea for the 486-SX?
Same (x, y, z), different (t)
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Dr. Sandi wrote: ↑Sun May 24, 2020 8:08 pm
Got back to Houghton Lake a few years ago. Seems like there's a WalMart where the WHGR towers used to stand. But at the time, the studio was close by the old location.
The original Walmart was at this location. When Walmart decided to carry groceries, many of the stores relocated. Now Tractor Supply, Peebles (if it's still open), a vacancy from a closed flea market, and a few more inhabitants occupy the space. I was in the flea market a few years ago, went in back to use the restroom, and saw some old Walmart stuff there.
Dr. Sandi wrote: ↑Sun May 24, 2020 8:08 pm
Got back to Houghton Lake a few years ago. Seems like there's a WalMart where the WHGR towers used to stand. But at the time, the studio was close by the old location.
The original Walmart was at this location. When Walmart decided to carry groceries, many of the stores relocated. Now Tractor Supply, Peebles (if it's still open), a vacancy from a closed flea market, and a few more inhabitants occupy the space. I was in the flea market a few years ago, went in back to use the restroom, and saw some old Walmart stuff there.
You are correct. Tractor Supply is on the east end of the strip center that used to be the first/old Houghton Lake Wal-Mart. The motel just east of the parking lot is about where the east edge of the old radio station was located back in the 80's. The AM had three towers mostly straight in a row (north/south) right behind the office/studios. I happen to drive by there 4 times over last weekend.
Later they moved the studios east to another strip center in Prudenville just west of where M-18 meets M-55. Now the studios are farther east on M-55 just a short distance west of where the old Music Box used to be located.
When some of this was getting moved around was during the time when they tried making WUPS a Mt. Pleasant radio station with studios and offices in Mt.Pleasant. I think it was still at the time the "main" studio was at the last strip center, but they actually operated from Mt. Pleasant for awhile. They tried getting CMU sports for awhile too. I guess it didn't work out because they move the studios out of Mt. Pleasant and back to (I think) where they are now.
They purchased the Harrison country station from Dave Carmine and swapped COL for WUPS to Harrison to move 92.1 to COL Houghton Lake. Both FM's are located on the big tower just south of Houghton Lake. 92.1 had to be re-licensed to Houghton Lake to have city grade over it's COL. (Harrison was to far south) With these changes, both FM's can operate legally out of the same studio location.
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Dr. Sandi wrote: ↑Sun May 24, 2020 8:08 pm
Got back to Houghton Lake a few years ago. Seems like there's a WalMart where the WHGR towers used to stand. But at the time, the studio was close by the old location.
The original Walmart was at this location. When Walmart decided to carry groceries, many of the stores relocated. Now Tractor Supply, Peebles (if it's still open), a vacancy from a closed flea market, and a few more inhabitants occupy the space. I was in the flea market a few years ago, went in back to use the restroom, and saw some old Walmart stuff there.
You are correct. Tractor Supply is on the east end of the strip center that used to be the first/old Houghton Lake Wal-Mart. The motel just east of the parking lot is about where the east edge of the old radio station was located back in the 80's. The AM had three towers mostly straight in a row (north/south) right behind the office/studios. I happen to drive by there 4 times over last weekend.
Later they moved the studios east to another strip center in Prudenville just west of where M-18 meets M-55. Now the studios are farther east on M-55 just a short distance west of where the old Music Box used to be located.
When some of this was getting moved around was during the time when they tried making WUPS a Mt. Pleasant radio station with studios and offices in Mt.Pleasant. I think it was still at the time the "main" studio was at the last strip center, but they actually operated from Mt. Pleasant for awhile. They tried getting CMU sports for awhile too. I guess it didn't work out because they move the studios out of Mt. Pleasant and back to (I think) where they are now.
They purchased the Harrison country station from Dave Carmine and swapped COL for WUPS to Harrison to move 92.1 to COL Houghton Lake. Both FM's are located on the big tower just south of Houghton Lake. 92.1 had to be re-licensed to Houghton Lake to have city grade over it's COL. (Harrison was to far south) With these changes, both FM's can operate legally out of the same studio location.
92.1 was actually owned by Xavier University when WUPS' then-owners bought it. Xavier had bought 92.1 a few years earlier from Dave Carmine
I remember WHGR circa 1960. Bob Ditmer 1 was in charge. I remember a broadcast booth in the dining room at Herm & Mike's Restaurant, at the blinker at M-18 and M-55. It was something to see a little studio right there among the rest of the tables we peasants used.
That's about when they added night time service with the extra two towers. Exciting times.
During the day, about the only station we could get on our All American 5 radio was WHGR, although WKNX 1210 in Saginaw was sort of in the background, playing the hits. More hits than WHGR as I remember.
Bob Ditmer was my short term radio hero back then. He even interviewed my dad when he was helping to set up the Rookie League boys baseball league. Teams from Sealtest and Pepsi played, IIRC. And Brown's Pharmacy of Prudenville too.
Back when Pinky Randall, Mike's Dad, owned the IGA at the Heights. And there was an honest to goodness butcher shop with sawdust on the floor. That was just north up M-18 from 'The Hub' at Prudenville. Last visit, it was a Pinconning Cheese outlet.
And who could forget Jeannie's Pizzaria. I never knew pizza existed until they came along, right at 'The Blinker'. And all of those 'politically incorrect' Indian novelty stores. We didn't know any better then, and the tribes of Japan made some really interesting stuff.
That's when Tip-Up Town had a wooden lapel pin shaped like a Walleye, I think. Good times growing up at Houghton Lake with WHGR helping inspire me to waste my life in radio.
My spouse did a fishing report on WHGR once when they stayed at Houghton Lake, in about 1965. The thing that always was interesting to me was that the Sparks owned WEXL and WOMC as well as WHGR and WJGS.
There was a poster who lived in Midland that used to post a lot on another board as HGR1290. Now the administrator of that board lives in Midland. Both had lived in Florida. He used to talk a lot about WKNX 1210. The conductivity around Houghton Lake isn't that good. My estimation is that WHGR was only about 6 mV/m at Night at North Higgins Lake State Park, in the major lobe. I don't think they used the full 5000 watt nominal power at Night. They most likely used a series limiting resistor. Most people were amazed that WOIB 1290 with 500 watts got out better than WHGR 1290 with 5000. But if they had kept it, which I think they could have finagled, they would probably have another FM Translator by now.
Is THAT where they got the idea for the 486-SX?
Same (x, y, z), different (t)
Your bullet missed my trial balloon.
RTN Price. Not guaranteed. As of 12:30, 157.71 Down 0.22.
Artificial Intelligence is a Child that needs a Parent to guide it through.
CK-722 wrote: ↑Tue May 26, 2020 9:47 pm
Dr. Sandi, do you remember a log cabin style commissary/general store near the Houghton Lake State Park? Where was that?
I draw a blank on that.
But I fondly remember a similar setup at Higgins Lake State Park, South Unit. Lots of junk for us kids like Rainbow Taffy and Pixie Stix. And a jukebox. Seems like there was hot food if you had money. As a fulltime kid, I had no money for crazy hot dogs and burgers and chips and stuff.
I remember Greenfields by the Brothers Four playing on the jukebox there one summer afternoon. The school bus took us there once a week all summer as part of the Houghton Lake schools summer 'day care' and kid camp program. It kept the rugrats out of the way while Mom & Pop made a living off the tourists. Great fun. They even had rental paddleboards at the park if you had like maybe a quarter.
