Re: WWZN

[Scott Fybush <scott@fybush.com>]

At 09:12 PM 7/21/2003 -0400, you wrote:
>On Mon, 21 Jul 2003 20:19:27 -0400
>  Scott Fybush <scott@fybush.com> wrote:
> >So, Dan and the rest of the gang - what could 1510 Boston do
> >if Nashville WEREN'T a factor?
>
>What if Clear Channel bought 1510 and, in addition to working
>out mutual interference agreements between WLAC and WWZN,
>wanted to beam 1200 from those towers in Waltham? Is that even
>a remote possibility? And could the ground system be repaired?
>(Weren't the radials cut when they built that office tower
>years back? Dan's mentioned this before, IIRC.)

I'm cc'ing this to the entire group to clarify the question of the radials 
being cut, since this is something I'd meant to mention
here a while back. I had the opportunity not long ago to interview Sporting 
News Radio's director of engineering and asked him
about the status of the radials at 411 Waverly Oaks.

He says that when the parking lot was built under the towers and the office 
park went up around them, that the old ground system
was indeed cut (as Dan observed), but that a new system was put in, 
extensively bonded to the steel frames of the office park buildings
themselves - and that the ground system was checked and augmented when they 
made their daytime pattern change a year or
so ago.

So whatever else is wrong there, the ground system appears not to be at fault.

That said, I don't know that Waltham is a particularly advantageous place 
to move 1200 to. Because of the protection to WOAI
at night (though, come to think of it, THAT's a CC station too), 1200 from 
Waverly Oaks would throw a hellacious null over Waltham
itself, not to mention most of Newton and Wellesley and so on. Garrett 
would never hear it at night out in Framingham ever
again (wait - that's NOT a disadvantage, at least not for Garrett!) - but 
no way could 1200 then use "Newton" as a city of license
and take advantage of being the first full-time (WNTN's a daytimer) 
commercial (WZBC's not) service to the people of Newton.

What might make more sense would be for 1510 to change ITS city of license 
to, say, Weston...and use the current WKOX site
on Mt. Wayte Avenue at night...oooh, bet Garrett wouldn't like THAT :-)

s