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Smile FM buys WGVS 850

Discussion pertaining to Grand Rapids, Kalamazoo, Muskegon, Battle Creek, Big Rapids, and Michiana
Autoblemike
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Re: Smile FM buys WGVS 850

Post by Autoblemike » Mon Aug 15, 2022 9:18 pm

Bull Shannon wrote:
Mon Aug 01, 2022 12:21 pm
originalzzmfmjock wrote:
Mon Aug 01, 2022 10:10 am
From my understanding the deal only involves the license and the transmitter. The towers are still scheduled to be torn down and the property sold to developers. Smile will have to find another tower location in the Muskegon area for their signal and go through all of the signal tests, etc. the FCC will require them to do in order to re-locate the signal.
The old transmitter/studio building on Pontaluna Road has already been torn down. The towers surely aren't far behind.

Where does one buy old radio towers? Do they just get recycled?



Trophyhead
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Re: Smile FM buys WGVS 850

Post by Trophyhead » Tue Aug 16, 2022 9:17 am

I do know that WJIM sent a tower to West Central Michigan in a transaction with WDEE, Reed City/Big Rapids/Cadillac in the late 90s, 'cuz it came down in the derecho winds of May in '98. One example, anyway. WDEE had an AM signal at 1500, which has gone silent long ago. Doubt Smile will be rooting around for that one.



cckadlec
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Re: Smile FM buys WGVS 850

Post by cckadlec » Sun Oct 02, 2022 2:06 pm

A note about Smile FM:

Smile FM has a new station signing on (eventually) in Big Rapids. 98.9 with a full-power signal of 6kw on the tower a mile south of Ferris State University. It hasn't even been assigned call letters, but there's yet another Smile FM coming on the air as a full-power. If it's an open frequency, they'll find it.


[ Radio and weather geeks, beware! Coastal tropo studies, the 3-hr. Seoul AM Radio Listening Guide, 6-hr. 500 Top-of-Hour IDs, and Chinese FM at www.chriskadlec.comTuner: Grundig G8 • Location: Fremont, Mich. ]

ftballfan
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Re: Smile FM buys WGVS 850

Post by ftballfan » Mon Oct 03, 2022 7:27 pm

cckadlec wrote:
Sun Oct 02, 2022 2:06 pm
A note about Smile FM:

Smile FM has a new station signing on (eventually) in Big Rapids. 98.9 with a full-power signal of 6kw on the tower a mile south of Ferris State University. It hasn't even been assigned call letters, but there's yet another Smile FM coming on the air as a full-power. If it's an open frequency, they'll find it.
I'm surprised 98.9 could even get 6kW from Big Rapids considering it's fairly close to WLDN and WFGR (both on 98.7 and short-spaced to each other).

It would also force the 99.1 translator in Big Rapids (fed by WWBR-HD2) to move to another dial position.



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Ben Zonia
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Re: Smile FM buys WGVS 850

Post by Ben Zonia » Mon Oct 03, 2022 10:43 pm

From the application and exhibits, it appears that it is fully spaced under Section 73.207, and did not use Section 73.215. The fact that WLDN and WFGR are short spaced to each other does not impact this application. The translator is a Secondary Class D facility, and can be bumped. Normally, if the applicant and consulting engineer can find a channel the translator can move to, they will propose moving it to another channel to the licensee of the translator, although not required to do so. Blame the FCC for the rules that put them close togrther under Section 73.207. Stations all over the place are having their de facto service areas reduced, and sometimes their de jure service areas. Much of this is due to translators with very high HAAT. The very old F(50,50) and F(50,10) models break down with the super translators with very high HAAT. Longley Rice models would predict these interference areas much better. The old prediction curves are a truncated version of Longley Rice, used when computers were not widely available, and line of sight and one and two edge path obstruction propagation attenuation are involved.


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ChrisWL1980
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Re: Smile FM buys WGVS 850

Post by ChrisWL1980 » Mon Oct 03, 2022 11:28 pm

ftballfan wrote:
Mon Oct 03, 2022 7:27 pm
cckadlec wrote:
Sun Oct 02, 2022 2:06 pm
A note about Smile FM:

Smile FM has a new station signing on (eventually) in Big Rapids. 98.9 with a full-power signal of 6kw on the tower a mile south of Ferris State University. It hasn't even been assigned call letters, but there's yet another Smile FM coming on the air as a full-power. If it's an open frequency, they'll find it.
I'm surprised 98.9 could even get 6kW from Big Rapids considering it's fairly close to WLDN and WFGR (both on 98.7 and short-spaced to each other).

It would also force the 99.1 translator in Big Rapids (fed by WWBR-HD2) to move to another dial position.
Mentor Partners still has that 96.5 translator which was at one time used to relay WFGR before Rewind came along (likely to piss off Sunny 97.3). I don't know what the status of that is now (FCC databases show it being used to relay 1460 WBRN, but there's no mention of 96.5 on WBRN's website), but I would imagine they'd just move the Rewind format to 96.5.



cckadlec
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Re: Smile FM buys WGVS 850

Post by cckadlec » Tue Oct 04, 2022 2:57 am

ChrisWL1980 wrote:
Mon Oct 03, 2022 11:28 pm
Mentor Partners still has that 96.5 translator which was at one time used to relay WFGR before Rewind came along (likely to piss off Sunny 97.3). I don't know what the status of that is now (FCC databases show it being used to relay 1460 WBRN, but there's no mention of 96.5 on WBRN's website), but I would imagine they'd just move the Rewind format to 96.5.
96.5 is WBRN-AM. They tested that station for some months back in 2018 when it only had a CP and then it disappeared entirely. Then it reappeared this year again and has been on the air ever since. 107.7 is their supposedly main frequency but why would they want it when it barely gets out anywhere to the south or southeast? WMUS IBOC crushes it. Heading from White Cloud (which should easily hear it) to Big Rapids, you can't even listen to the signal until more than halfway to Big Rapids because of the IBOC. It is useless. 96.5 on the other hand, doesn't have that problem anywhere. Here in Fremont, it is pretty clear with RDS, though KLH batters it sometimes. So they have their most potent signal on 96.5 but not even advertising it.

But same deal with 99.1. All those Big Rapids stations get out far to the north and east, but in this direction, barely at all. Rewind is on 99.1 but you can barely hear the thing til about 10 miles east of White Cloud because of WMYX on the same frequency. The country on 100.9 is regularly walloped by WKKV's HD where I live where it can be hard to get a clear signal from about April to November. I know 100.9 has HD but it too barely gets out.

As far as anywhere to the southeast, those Big Rapids stations really don't pick good frequencies. But where I live, most people don't go to Big Rapids for anything anyway, so it's probably not a big deal.

And as for 96.5 rebroadcasting WFGR, I'm not sure who was responsible for that. WFGR told me back then that they had nothing to do with it! But why complain about a free translator? :)


[ Radio and weather geeks, beware! Coastal tropo studies, the 3-hr. Seoul AM Radio Listening Guide, 6-hr. 500 Top-of-Hour IDs, and Chinese FM at www.chriskadlec.comTuner: Grundig G8 • Location: Fremont, Mich. ]

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Ben Zonia
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Re: Smile FM buys WGVS 850

Post by Ben Zonia » Tue Oct 04, 2022 3:32 pm

NEW 98.9 CP Big Rapids, MI:

Clears WFGR 98.7 by 0.77 km
Clears WLDN 98.7 by 10.37 km
Clears WAWM 98.9 by 6.43 km


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ChrisWL1980
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Re: Smile FM buys WGVS 850

Post by ChrisWL1980 » Tue Oct 04, 2022 5:29 pm

cckadlec wrote:
Tue Oct 04, 2022 2:57 am
ChrisWL1980 wrote:
Mon Oct 03, 2022 11:28 pm
Mentor Partners still has that 96.5 translator which was at one time used to relay WFGR before Rewind came along (likely to piss off Sunny 97.3). I don't know what the status of that is now (FCC databases show it being used to relay 1460 WBRN, but there's no mention of 96.5 on WBRN's website), but I would imagine they'd just move the Rewind format to 96.5.
96.5 is WBRN-AM. They tested that station for some months back in 2018 when it only had a CP and then it disappeared entirely. Then it reappeared this year again and has been on the air ever since. 107.7 is their supposedly main frequency but why would they want it when it barely gets out anywhere to the south or southeast? WMUS IBOC crushes it. Heading from White Cloud (which should easily hear it) to Big Rapids, you can't even listen to the signal until more than halfway to Big Rapids because of the IBOC. It is useless. 96.5 on the other hand, doesn't have that problem anywhere. Here in Fremont, it is pretty clear with RDS, though KLH batters it sometimes. So they have their most potent signal on 96.5 but not even advertising it.

But same deal with 99.1. All those Big Rapids stations get out far to the north and east, but in this direction, barely at all. Rewind is on 99.1 but you can barely hear the thing til about 10 miles east of White Cloud because of WMYX on the same frequency. The country on 100.9 is regularly walloped by WKKV's HD where I live where it can be hard to get a clear signal from about April to November. I know 100.9 has HD but it too barely gets out.

As far as anywhere to the southeast, those Big Rapids stations really don't pick good frequencies. But where I live, most people don't go to Big Rapids for anything anyway, so it's probably not a big deal.

And as for 96.5 rebroadcasting WFGR, I'm not sure who was responsible for that. WFGR told me back then that they had nothing to do with it! But why complain about a free translator? :)
I actually visited Big Rapids shortly before the pandemic started. Not for any particular reason but that a friend of mine and I just enjoy exploring smaller cities/towns. The highlight of the trip was finding a driver's license someone had lost and having to leave it in a mailbox somewhere since the police told us they didn't handle that, LOL. I also admit having kind of a sentimental attachment to WYBR since it was one of my favorite stations to listen to when I was going to college in G.R. and could pick it up in my dorm room.
Didn't WBRN also used to have a translator in Reed City? 95.1 I think?



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rugratsonline
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Re: Smile FM buys WGVS 850

Post by rugratsonline » Thu Oct 06, 2022 10:14 pm

Today it was announced that Smile FM plans on buying WGVU AM for $60.000. Unknown if WGVS AM is part of the deal:

https://www.insideradio.com/free/deal-d ... 9cf18.html



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