Re: More Western Mass radio

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

>Joe Ross wrote:
<snip>
>Later on, I listened in my car to WARE (They ID Ware-Sturbridge) at
>1250 AM, still doing oldies.  And it occurred to me, how did it
>happen that WARE is at 1250 and WHAI is at 1240, so close together?
>I listened to WARE as I was driving up from South Deerfield to
>Greenfield, and it didn't fade so much as break up from co-channel
>interference as I approached Greenfield.
<snip>

        Another case of escalating signals. When WARE went on in 1948, it
was 1 kW daytime only and WHAI was 250w, like all the Class IV/local
channel stations (unless for some reason it had lower power). WARE very
soon got some night power. I forget the exact history, but it wasn't very
long before it had 1 kW at night from two towers, aimed due south. It
stayed that way until at least the late 1970s. Somewhere along the way
(very late '50s?), the Class IV stations were allowed to go to 1 kW day,
staying 250 night. WARE now is 5 kw/2.5 kW, DA-2. Meanwhile, the FCC let
virtually all the Class IVs go to 1 kW fulltime. WARE probably bothers WHAI
less at night than in the day, as the night pattern remains bascially the
same--to the south.

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