"Left, right, whatever" talk station gone in D.C.

[Dave Doherty]

60+ acres of Bethesda, hard by the Beltway at 270, would be worth far more 
than the radio station if a buyer could develop it.  It would be interesting 
to see how that land use battle would shape up. I wonder if there is still 
enough uncommitted land in the northern part of Montgomery County to provide 
the TDRs that would be required to offset that development.

-Dave Doherty
 Skywaves Consulting LLC



----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Scott Fybush" <scott@fybush.com>
To: "Dan.Strassberg" <dan.strassberg@att.net>
Cc: "BostonRadio Mailing List" 
<boston-radio-interest@rolinin.bostonradio.org>; "Bob Carpenter" 
<rcarpen@comcast.net>
Sent: Monday, August 11, 2008 3:59 PM
Subject: Re: "Left, right, whatever" talk station gone in D.C.


>
> Dan.Strassberg wrote:
>> But the link says nothing about what happens to WFED 1050, the station
>> at which Bonnerville originated the federal news format. Bonneville
>> has (I believe) been granted a CP to increase WFED's day power from
>> the current 1 kW ND to 3 kW ND. The night power will remain a few tens
>> of watts unless/until Bonneville or a new owner finds a site where it
>> can construct an approptiate DA to protect WEPN and KYW and commits
>> the necessary $$$ to the project.
>
> WFED has now powered up to 3 kW daytime. Word is that Bonneville will put 
> it up for sale. There's nothing they really need it for now.
>
> As for the claim that 1500 is "the best AM signal in Washington," not 
> hardly. WMAL 630 and WTEM 980 both reach more population by day, and WMAL 
> also reaches more population within the market at night. 1500 is a classic 
> example of an AM whose market utterly outgrew its signal. The population 
> growth is deep into Montgomery County, Maryland and northern Virginia, all 
> areas that are deep in 1500's nighttime null. WMAL serves most of that 
> area adequately, and even 980 does better at night in that area than 1500 
> does.
>
> And of course the combination of NIMBYs, expensive land and protection for 
> Dulles Airport flight paths pretty much prevents any of these stations 
> from moving to more suitable locations. (WMAL could afford it, at least; 
> its transmitter site sits on a big piece of some VERY valuable land near 
> the I-270/Beltway interchange, just down the street from the famed Burning 
> Tree golf course.)
>
> s
>
>
>