RE: WTIC (AM) anniversary broadcast

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

>Mike Fitzpatrick wrote:
>I might be totally out in left field on this one, but isn't the reason the
>WTIC-AM transmitter site up on AVON Mountain (Deercliff Rd.) because the
>property was owned by travelers at the time. That is why WTIC-FM exWTIC-TV
>(now WFSB) were all located on the same parcel. They wanted to consolidate
>all their transmitters into one location.

        I don't know about whether Travelers owned the land and that's why
they stuck the AM antenna out there. I'd guess that back then they could
have bought the land for almost nothing in any event. I also would bet that
the site was chosen because someone thought it was a good idea, not because
it was cheap to do. That station always was run as a Cadillac operation. It
was operated way beyond what its market size ought to have supported. It
originated shows for the NBC net. It had a symphony orchestra. It was
started and owned by one of the richest U.S. corporations as a showcase.
        They put the AM station there around 1929-30, around the time the
Russians <g> were just inventing mechanical TV and Armstrong was maybe just
thinking about thinking about inventing FM. So, IMO, they just got lucky
later on that they already owned the high ground for the FM and TV
antennas.

>WTIC-AM isn't the only AM'er up on that hill either. Down the range further,
>across Rte 44, is where WCCC-AM (1290 Hartford) is located (co-located with
>WCCC-FM). They moved their AM stick up there when the old Whitney Ave
>studios were sold.

        As they used to say on late night TV, I did not know that. It would
explain why WCCC (AM)'s former 500 watts is now listed as some odd number
like 460 or something. It also would explain why its signal is so much even
more worser and bad than it used to be, and why they don't bother to use
whatever few watts of nighttime power they have been assigned. It would
never even make it down the hill to West Hartford. Its original transmitter
site at least was close to downtown Hartford. You have to figure they must
be, or at least ought to be, just keeping that on the air while trying to
sell it to some ethnic or religious broadcaster.