Re: Wee Eye

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

At 05:26 AM 6/17/98 -0400, you (or somebody) wrote:

>>How about New York, where WINS's signal up to recently
>> has been inferior to WCBS's, yet WINS usually beat CBS in the ratings and in
>> revenue.  Just because you don't have a 50K clear channel stick doesn't mean
>> your'e doomed to fail.
>>
In fact, even before the signal upgrade, WINS had a better signal than WCBS
in Mid-Manhattan (where the ad agency folks play). The WFAN/WCBS City Island
TX has many things going for it, but coverage of Manhattan is not one of
those things. There's a reason why all of the AM stations that used to
transmit from Long Island (WQEW and WCBS/WFAN excepted) moved to the
Meadowlands. Yes, almost all of the stations that are directional have to
beam east or southeast, necessitating TXs west of New York. But the other
reason is that no major city in the US with the exception of San Francisco
is blessed with a region of such oustanding soil conductivity right at its
doorstep and in a direction that is compatible with covering the market and
protecting inland stations. From Secaucus (or wherever) WINS has always put
a dynamite signal over Manhattan and Brooklyn. Until WOR moved north from
Cartaret to Lyndhurst, and altered its pattern to push even more signal to
the east, WINS's signal in Manhattan and Brooklyn was second to none. I
always wondered what posessed WFAN, WCBS, and WQEW to remain east of the
city. Before this era of escalating land values and restrictive
environmental regulations, all of them cou;ld have moved to the Meadowlands.
Despite WCBS/WFANs outstanding coverage of southern CT and the north shore
of LI, WABC from its TX in Lodi at the far north end of the Meadowlands,
covers the New York market better overall. And WQEW's location in Queens is
nothing short of tragic for covering the market. If WJDM 1530 ever dies,
maybe that situation can be corrected.

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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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