WOWO To Simulcast on FM

WOWO ^ | 3/16/12 | WOWO

[Erasmus]

Having worked at a daytimer long ago, it was always an experience to dump the transmitter, by remote control from the studio, at sundown. I’d usually have the studio monitor speaker/amp fed from our modulation monitor, so one or more distant full-timers on our frequency would come in.

It surprised me that the modulation monitor-outdoor antenna combination was so sensitive, because the transmitter was only about two miles from our studio, and you could have picked it up on a piece of rock salt.

Usually more than one station would come in, so you’d get a slow beat between their carriers, causing them to swoosh in and out. Because the audio was coming from a wideband detector, you’d also hear the 10 KC heterodynes from adjacent channels still on the air (back then I could actually hear 10 KC!), and some nice static from powerlines and whatever thunderstorms might be within a hundred miles or more.

It was kind of spooky, like listening to the cosmos.

[raccoonradio]

I used to work (for free) at a small AM near Boston and I’d shut off at 1 am or so. The other stations at 1570
(Montreal, NY state etc.) would then boom in over the
monitor. (This wasn’t a daytimer—maybe 85 watts at night—though, but it was a “turn off” moment)

[raccoonradio]

In Boston it was necessary to start simulcasting WEEI 850
(Red Sox, Celtics, sports talk) over WMKK (now WEEI-FM) 93.7...not only was night recep in some areas iffy, but
rival CBS started an FM sports talker (WBZ-FM 98.5; talk,
Patriots, Bruins) which soon started to beat them in the
ratings. (Entercom owns WEEI and could have flipped the switch on the simulcast a couple yrs ago but was doing well
with jockless “variety hits”. Finally, they HAD to simulcast the sports talker.)

Now as far as they’re concerned, the FM is the main station
and the AM exists to fill in certain spots where the _FM_
is weak. “You’re next on 93.7, WEEI”. Same thing happened in Philly and other cities—simulcasts of AM on FM, or
moves.