Major changes coming to Port Huron radio

[MWmetalhead]

This sucks royally. I enjoy Rock 105.5. All the Detroit based rock stations have shit reception in Port Huron. FM 96 from London comes in decently if CJWF is nulled.

1380, 1590, and 92.7 FM will all be leaving the airwaves.

1450 & 105.5 will become the new home of WPHM, but programming outside of morning drive and live sports will evidently match that of the current 92.7 The Hills. That means all the syndicated talk programming currently heard on WPHM will be going away.


https://radioinsight.com/headlines/3416 ... shut-down/

[ZenithCKLW]

I'm surprised the programming of WHLX (The Hills) survived over the programming of WHLS (Rock 105.5). Too bad we're losing the WHLS calls.

I am frequently in the area as our summer cottage is in Lakeport. I actually miss Cruise 1450. Rock 105.5 wasn't bad (I don't listen to that kind of rock for any significant length of time) so I would infrequently tune in. I almost always tune to Cool 106.3, Cool FM on 95.1, or 96.9 WBTI. After the change, I'll never listen to the programming moving to 105.5; it's absolutely not my cup of tea.

[MWmetalhead]

If I were them, I'd flip 105.5 to straight up classic rock outside of the morning show and sports coverage.

The music programming found on The Hills is very niche.

[edj]

Surprised 1380 never had a translator. The station was pretty uneventful otherwise. Plenty of talk stations from Detroit, Sandusky, and London available. Even WTAM can boom in during the day.

The Hills doesn't do it for me. Rock 105 is the better format by far.

I'm guessing the advertising between the three stations just isn't enough to justify AMs plus a translator. I'm only up there a handful of times a year so not enough to know their revenue streams.

[ChrisWL1980]

Color me also surprised The Hills is being deemed more valuable than Rock 105.5. Of course I have no access to local ratings/revenue info.
I'm also surprised they're not keeping the 92.7 translator for WBTI, since that station is a rimshot.

I wonder if we'll see changes elsewhere in the market (i.e. WGRT) in response to this. I get the impression WGRT is doing fine as is, but I could be wrong. I doubt Blackburn changes anything in Sarnia.

[Marcus]

This means that 1380 WPHM, 1590 WHLX, and 630 CFCO will all sign off during the same month. One issue with 1380 is that the nighttime interference is bad in parts of St. Clair County. This makes my wonder which AM transmitter site will be on its way out next.

[MWmetalhead]

I will be surprised if 1070 CHOK is still broadcasting five years from now. They'll go FM only before then.

[hb2]

Ouch. I know the 1590 signal really got out west during the day better than any of Ligget's other stations, AM or FM. These were seemingly well programmed music stations, if I were them I'd evaluate the cost of
1. Making WSAQ an HD transmitter with main intent of using it to feed translators. Also Keep WHLX and format unchanged on 105.5 FM and 1450 AM
2. Keeping 92.7 FM online and make "the hills" be on 92.7 and WSAQ HD-2(might have to modify augmentation or power?)
3. Try to sign on another translator (potentially likely to be constrained due to adjacent interference?) and put current WPHM on there as WSAQ- HD3 and the 3rd translator

I'm no executive with them so it's a shame that the stations are disappearing. I wonder if we'll someday see the day of all AM stations everywhere signing off... sad but this is the day and age we are in.

As for 1450 and 1070, I'm sure both their days are numbered too, just the timeframe hasn't been set just yet

[edj]

Paul Miller's morning show better fits The Hills than Rock 105. That could be part of the decision.

I'm assuming they're going to hand in the licenses rather than attempt to sell and create competition. 1590/ 92.7 might have a little value due to the FM covering the core area (plus the bonus of 1590 covering NE Macomb).

[MWmetalhead]

Bear in mind a translator on FM used to rebroadcast an AM station cannot change its source to an FM HD station without FCC approval.

105.5 and 92.7 are each required to rebroadcast an AM station as a condition of their respective licenses.

[ChrisWL1980]

My grandfather, who lived in Romeo, used to listen to 1590 in the '70s and '80s when it was WSMA and played Country. So that frequency has some fond memories attached to it for me. I also listened from Clinton Township during their brief period of simulcasting WBTI in the late '90s. I also have memories of coming home sick from school one day, tuning around the AM dial to pass the time and listening to what was then the full service AC format on WPHM, which I believe they kept well into the current century if I'm not mistaken.
What was then WTTH was also an important station in Port Huron history, as one of their personalities (I believe his name was Robin Busse) gave listeners the first warning of the Port Huron/Sarnia tornado in 1953 when no other warning had been issued. Karl Monk at CHOK did the same for Sarnia listeners. There's a documentary about this on YouTube (although the "airchecks" used are obviously recreations and what purports to be video footage of that tornado is I believe actually the 1956 Hudsonville/Standale F5).

[hb2]

Bear in mind a translator on FM used to rebroadcast an AM station cannot change its source to an FM HD station without FCC approval.

105.5 and 92.7 are each required to rebroadcast an AM station as a condition of their respective licenses.

Yes and I believe same is true for converting a station from analog only to HD radio as well, needs FCC approval. It would be a multi piece process but we know what is going to happen per the article. A call sign move and the plug being pulled on 3 signals in this region

[KeenerGoldv2.0]

It sounds like 1450/105.5 will only be retaining the Tigers and Lions PBP. WPHM had carried the Red Wings, Pistons, and Michigan State, and WHLS carried the University of Michigan.

UofM and MSU won't be much of a problem as WJR and WWJ are easily receivable in the Thumb, but WXYT-FM's coverage gets spotty in Port Huron, especially north of town near WBTI's stick.

The real estate factor must play in to this decision, as this reduces Radio First from four tower sites to two. The tower sites for WPHM (Range Road) and WHLX (Marine City Highway) are likely to bring in a decent amount and won't remain undeveloped for long. 1450, 105.5, and WSAQ 107.1 are all on the same stick on 32nd Street, and WBTI is out off M-25 and Gardner Line.

[audiophile]

Bear in mind a translator on FM used to rebroadcast an AM station cannot change its source to an FM HD station without FCC approval.

105.5 and 92.7 are each required to rebroadcast an AM station as a condition of their respective licenses.

Yes and I believe same is true for converting a station from analog only to HD radio as well, needs FCC approval. It would be a multi piece process but we know what is going to happen per the article. A call sign move and the plug being pulled on 3 signals in this region

92.7 is tied to 1590 and cannot be separated.

The 1590 property, I believe, is rented.

[Colonel Flagg]

Unfortunately, when Dave Barr and his wife owned 1590, Dave sold the transmitter and studio building to the owner of the greenhouses, including the AM towers At the time, I knew that was a bad idea.

1590 originally had the call sign WDOG back in the day. Not sure for how long, but it's probably in those coveted FCC history cards somewhere.