WPON WCXI Updates - 2020

[Ed Joseph]

Damn... I hadn't thought of WWHK/WBRB in decades either.

[CK-722]

Don McComb lived in the next sub South from the late legendary DJ Ed McKenzie, AKA Jack The Bellboy from WJBK, and who shared some of his memorabilia and memories with some of that same circle of associates you describe at his house near Don's. Ed had retired to his native Flushing, disgusted with the state of Payola and tightly formatted radio circa 1959. There's a link I found to Ed McKenzie's first painful introduction to radio, at the home of Ira Sayre at 104 Mary St. in Flushing. It was most likely in 1925, right before WCX was dropped as shared time call letters with WJR. It's quite a house for that time. Check it out on Google Street and Satellite View. Sayre passed away in 1926.

Don McComb also worked at WYSI (now WSDS) in Ypsilanti.

http://carcitycountry.com/2012/wysi-wsd ... -part-one/

Snippet from Google Books about Ed McKenzie's rude introduction to radio in 1925.

https://books.google.com/books?id=5UNKB ... CX&f=false

[CK-722]

I never saw the WBRB/WWHK 1160 application, but that sounds about right according to my calculations. It was 10000 watts Day and Night. I presume DA-2, but they probably would wait until they proofed it to get a more relaxed Day pattern, like WDRQ...WUFL 1030 did, letting out the deep nulls toward Detroit. The WUFL three tower DA rebuild toward the WSW was much more recent.

[Ed Joseph]

I would love to hear airchecks of Don's on-air work. Don just doesn't fit the mold of your typical DJ, but neither do I. I'm just *me* and some people can't deal well with that.

[SixPlusOne]

The clowns at WPON were just fined $18,000 by the FCC.

https://radioinsight.com/headlines/1730 ... -activity/.

This is the FCC's take on what MWmetalhead posted. The letter to Birach Broadcasting:

http://licensing.fcc.gov/cgi-bin/prod/c ... r_id=89353

[Ed Joseph]

It's sad that there are so many great radio people who would love to have a go at owning and operating a radio station, but just cannot pull enough strings to do so, yet owners like Birach and Henderson treat valid radio licenses like old toys. Total contempt for the FCC. It sickens me. I don't know how they get away with this crap, I truly don't.

[innate-in-you]

It's sad that there are so many great radio people who would love to have a go at owning and operating a radio station, but just cannot pull enough strings to do so, yet owners like Birach and Henderson treat valid radio licenses like old toys. Total contempt for the FCC. It sickens me. I don't know how they get away with this crap, I truly don't.

Birach went through a big hoarding phase picking up AM properties all over the place, and likely got overextended. Note that there was no real activity at the WPON/WCXI project site. They were busy building WMFN.
Only after WMFN was up and running could they take on WPON/WCXI.
Other events hint to a cash flow issue, such as one-day 30 watt short pole STAs (that noone can prove nor disprove actually occurred) and failing to maintain a fence around WCXI.

[SixPlusOne]

Extension of Existing Engineering STA -- Dated: February 8, 2019

"THE LICENSEE RESPECTFULLY REQUESTS AN EXTENSION ITS CURRENT STA (COPY ATTACHED). AT THIS TIME, THE ENGINEERING WORK ON THIS PROJECT IS STILL ONGOING. THE LICENSEE HOPES THAT THIS PROJECT AND ASSOCIATED 302-AM WILL BE COMPLETED IN THE NEXT 90 DAYS, BUT OUT OF AN ABUNDANCE OF CAUTION, 180 DAYS IS REQUESTED."

https://licensing.fcc.gov/cgi-bin/ws.ex ... _num=22045

The above referenced "current STA" which they attached with this application is here:

https://licensing.fcc.gov/cdbs/CDBS_Att ... &exhcnum=2

[Deleted User 14888]

This is to ridiculous when will it ever end, Birach TURN IN YOUR LICENSE NOW!

[SixPlusOne]

For whatever reason WPON seems to have increased their "testing and measurements" operations. I've heard them 3 times this week already including right now as I type. It's the Motown sound with the quoted announcement above just like before. You would think they were closing in on a deadline the way they have increased these testing operations.

[Deleted User 14935]

They are on the air currently testing with Motown Music, I’m in Romeo, Michigan with a low signal but better than before. On a 1-10 signal scale it’s about a 2 that’s it for now.

[innate-in-you]

For the first time in decades, I unequivocally heard WPON this afternoon after leaving work (I tentatively heard them this past fall).

Today they were stronger at Michigan and 3rd then they were at Michigan and Lonyo.

[FET-500]

It's sad. The station has a lot of history. I remember harassing the on-air talent over the country music format in the early '80's.
We would demand that Mark Farnsworth play Led Zeppelin in the middle of his set, and then pillory him for not doing so.

Mark always knew who it was; we all got our FCC licenses on the same day.

[Deleted User 14935]

Listening to 1460 right now on my Panasonic RF-2400D a little scratchy but listenable in Utica, Mi.

[CK-722]

I'm getting what I would estimate to be about 0.1 mV/m near there on the GM Delco (2003) Trail Blazer Radio. Mid Day around Solar Noon, I was getting what was probably WBNS Columbus Daytime Skywave stronger at times than WPON, on the GM Delco 2003 Trail Blazer radio.