Re: WCOP, WMEX, etc

[Dan Strassberg <dan.strassberg@worldnet.att.net>]

At 07:48 AM 7/15/97 +0000, you wrote:

>WLAW had at one time been CBS, if
>memory serves me well. Their signal into Boston had problems, according to
>some stories I have read, and that may explain why two stations carried ABC
>programming.  I can certainly check more into this, as I have lots of
>clippings and articles from the 40s.   
>
WLAW could esily have had signal problems in Boston when it was 5 kw and
operated from a TX in Andover. Clearly, there were no more signal problems
in Boston proper or on the South shore, once the station moved to Burlington
and increased to 50 kW. Aside from changes in audio processing, the
nighttime signal today is the same as it was from the beginning of the
Burlington site. The day signal _has_ changed, but you'd never notice it in
Boston. Sometime in the 60s, (then) WNAC switched from DA-1 to DA-2. The
current day pattern provides some null fill-in to the west-southwest, which
is really quite effective in the western suburbs and MetroWest. Listen to
WRKO at night in Wellesley or Sudbury. Not too great; a lot of competition
from CBF on 690 (will go away soon, but another signal will move in in its
place, CKAC? CKVL? My guess is CKVL, but that's a topic for another
posting.) The day signal used to be the same--minus the splatter. But since
the change in the day pattern, the day signal in that area been great. The
day pattern has a weak null to the east-northeast. However, I doubt whether
anyone in Massachusetts notices that. It does make some difference in NS. In
fact, for a while, the station in Dartmouth NS (now CKXX 780) was on 680
with 50 kW-D/5 kW-N DA-2. They were taking advantage of that null.

BTW, before CBS bought WEEI (1937?), they had been negotiating to buy WLAW.
It just might be that WLAW's TX move and power increase were byproducts of
that failed negotiation. For example, CBS might have made an offer that was
contingent on the FCC's granting of the power increase. What might have
happened was that the FCC granted the increase but the negotiations broke
down and WLAW decided to move forward with the construction anyhow.

- -------------------------------
Dan Strassberg (Note: Address is CASE SENSITIVE!)
ALL _LOWER_ CASE!!!--> dan.strassberg@worldnet.att.net
(617) 558-4205; Fax (617) 928-4205

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