590 signal (was Re: Boston CBS affiliations of long ago)

[mwaters@wesleyan.edu (Martin J. Waters)]

>Donna Halper wrote:
<snip>
>CBS allowed WLAW to have SOME (not all, according to press releases I read)
>of its programming in WLAW's early years, largely because, as Marty
>guessed, it was originally considered a Lawrence station, and WEEI's signal
>did not cover that area very well.

        You've hit one of my little buttons--discussing the signal of 590,
the once WEEI. I did not say or suggest that its signal was or is poor in
Lawrence-Lowell. I said the opposite, and, IMO, with the facilities it has
used since 1937, its signal is great in that area. When it was 1 kW from
Weymouth, until it moved to Medford and went to 5 kW in 1937, it may have
been different. Can't say; wasn't there. But WLAW only came into existence
around 1936-37, correct? When WLAW was very low power and only duplicating
WEEI in a small part of the WEEI market, it might have made sense to give
them some CBS programs.
        I'm still waiting for a good explanation of why they bothered to
move the sports format from 590 to 850. So the sales staff could say it was
50 kW? So they could get to play a sound effect of a toilet flushing on the
air? Or was there an actual reason? 850 does better in Metro West, but it
has enough signal problems at night, (an important time for a sports
station), even in Metro West, that I'd call it even at best. These
fundamental questions were on my mind again recently one night in Duxbury
when 590 was coming in great and 850 was getting trashed by CKVL.

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