Re: WCRN

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

>Dan Strassberg wrote:
<snip>
>Even with 50 kW, WCRN will not be a factor in the city of
>Boston, and WEEI's signal drops off to the west fairly quickly. 1440 is more
>or less a simulcast of WEEI already, isn't it? 830 and 850 as a combo would
>be a better facility than WBZ--albeit without the 38-state reach at night.
>

        But even in the local groundwave area, the nighttime combined
signals on 830 and 850, which will be the same as now, do not equal WBZ.
We've had many threads about WEEI's night signal limitations. From many
trips along I-84 in northern Connecticut and then east on the turnpike, at
night, I can say that WCRN's signal is worthless beyond the state line and
only interference-free to the parking lot of the seemingly permanent but
allegedly temporary restaurant in Sturbridge, at best. It is true that WCRN
more or less reaches far enough east, even at night, to sort of fill in
there until you get within range of WEEI's nighttime signal, which is,
being optimistic now, around Framingham. And that area out to I-495 and a
little beyond is where WEEI could use some help.

>>Sean Smyth wrote:
(snip>
>>And 830 could have a solid reach even into Springfield during the day and
>>possibly reach down toward Hartford, winning the battle for listeners in the
>>Sturbridge/Southbridge/Stafford area from WPOP (1410).

        I don't know about Springfield, but forget Hartford. Days,
WRYM/840, which has a strong signal for just 1 kW, will wipe it out near
the city, especially as Dan reports the signal will be about the same as
now. The WCRN night signal around Hartford is just the loudest murmur in
the mush, except when the Canadian station is on top instead.

        As for WPOP, even their daytime signal doesn't get up there to the
northeast so good, certainly not past Stafford. So I can't figure how they
are or could be any factor there. According to Arbitron, they're no factor
in the actual Hartford market, for openers. I believe a DOT TIS came in
ahead of them in the last book :-)) And, again, at night, forget WPOP
anyhow. Going out of Hartford east on I-84, I'd say WPOP's signal is usable
until around Vernon, maybe. In real life, on radios I use, I'm not sure its
nighttime interference-free contour goes out as far as to cover all of
Manchester.