Acceptable registrations in the queue through March 16 at 11:00a ET have now been activated. Enjoy! -M.W.

Terms of Use have been amended effective October 6, 2019. Make sure you are aware of the new rules! Please visit this thread for details: https://www.mibuzzboard.com/phpBB3/view ... 16&t=48619

Z 93.5 WKQZ in 1986

Discussion pertaining to the Tri-Cities, Flint, Mt. Pleasant, and Bad Axe
matt1
Posts: 2945
Joined: Sun Apr 24, 2016 12:53 pm

Z 93.5 WKQZ in 1986

Post by matt1 » Mon Nov 07, 2022 9:25 pm

From February & March of 1986 on Z 93.5 WKQZ FM when it was located near Bullock Creek high school in Midland on Gordonville Road (near Poseyville) "Rock & roll.....I think I can rock & roll out there "Good Charlie rock 'n roll the place" (the late Eddie Money "Rock And Roll The Place" from 1979 "Life For The Taking") WKQZ Midland, Saginaw, Bay City (all right) this is where the Tri-Cities rock"!! :eek



matt1
Posts: 2945
Joined: Sun Apr 24, 2016 12:53 pm

Re: Z 93.5 WKQZ in 1986

Post by matt1 » Mon Nov 07, 2022 9:41 pm

Back in late 1987 till around 1989 when I was heading for work at 7:00 in the morning (with a "burp" also) at the top of the hour, I heard this on Z 93.5 back then!! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0q48UC3 ... nnel=JeffR



User avatar
Ben Zonia
Posts: 2143
Joined: Sat Jun 03, 2006 10:35 pm
Location: Honor

Re: Z 93.5 WKQZ in 1986

Post by Ben Zonia » Tue Nov 08, 2022 3:11 am

I didn't realize that WKQZ didn't move from 93.5 to 93.3 until 1988. The reason that the tower is located so far North is that under new rules that created new classes of stations, in this case Class C2, they had to be 105 miles from WDRQ 93.1. It barely covers Midland and most of Bay City with a City Grade Signal as predicted by Propagation Curves. Then they very soon came up with CFR 47 Section 73.215, which would have allowed the tower closer to Midland, Bay City, and Saginaw, even without an ERP/HAAT reduction and without a dreaded directional antenna like WFBE and WLAV now have . Maybe Longley Rice would predict more than 70 dBu because it is downhill to flat, but it would be even stronger still if it was further South.

But a very tall tower was already built, and now apparently it is popular further North, but don't know how much that generates in ad revenue. Now they are both owned by Cumulus. The big owners and NAB were fighting 73.215 tooth and nail, but with ownership of large numbers of stations in each market allowed now, it's very popular with the big corporate owners, especially when relocating Colonel Flagg's "Rimshots" to serve a larger population with a strong signal.

Let's just say there are peculiarities in the way Section 73.207 and Section 73.215 were written which would allow that, even if they weren't co owned.


"I had a job for a while as an announcer at WWV but I finally quit, because I couldn't stand the hours."

-Author Unknown

User avatar
Colonel Flagg
Posts: 1354
Joined: Tue Nov 18, 2008 3:54 pm

Re: Z 93.5 WKQZ in 1986

Post by Colonel Flagg » Fri Nov 11, 2022 7:46 pm

Ben Zonia wrote:
Tue Nov 08, 2022 3:11 am
I didn't realize that WKQZ didn't move from 93.5 to 93.3 until 1988. The reason that the tower is located so far North is that under new rules that created new classes of stations, in this case Class C2, they had to be 105 miles from WDRQ 93.1. It barely covers Midland and most of Bay City with a City Grade Signal as predicted by Propagation Curves. Then they very soon came up with CFR 47 Section 73.215, which would have allowed the tower closer to Midland, Bay City, and Saginaw, even without an ERP/HAAT reduction and without a dreaded directional antenna like WFBE and WLAV now have . Maybe Longley Rice would predict more than 70 dBu because it is downhill to flat, but it would be even stronger still if it was further South.

But a very tall tower was already built, and now apparently it is popular further North, but don't know how much that generates in ad revenue. Now they are both owned by Cumulus. The big owners and NAB were fighting 73.215 tooth and nail, but with ownership of large numbers of stations in each market allowed now, it's very popular with the big corporate owners, especially when relocating Colonel Flagg's "Rimshots" to serve a larger population with a strong signal.

Let's just say there are peculiarities in the way Section 73.207 and Section 73.215 were written which would allow that, even if they weren't co owned.
Thanks for the props, but my rimshot days are probably long over. If I ever do a rimshot again, it'll be on a snare drum, not on a Longley-Rice map. :smokin


"Pretty soon, every kid in America will wish he were me"

User avatar
MWmetalhead
Site Admin
Posts: 11870
Joined: Sun Oct 31, 2004 11:23 am

Re: Z 93.5 WKQZ in 1986

Post by MWmetalhead » Sat Nov 12, 2022 7:12 am

Good info, Ben.

Of course, with Club 93.7 now on the air, I take it the ability of WKQZ to move farther south no longer exists?



User avatar
Ben Zonia
Posts: 2143
Joined: Sat Jun 03, 2006 10:35 pm
Location: Honor

Re: Z 93.5 WKQZ in 1986

Post by Ben Zonia » Sat Nov 12, 2022 8:18 am

MWmetalhead wrote:
Sat Nov 12, 2022 7:12 am
Good info, Ben.

Of course, with Club 93.7 now on the air, I take it the ability of WKQZ to move farther south no longer exists?
Because WKQZ is Class C2, and not Class B, the separation requirement to WRCL is about 34 miles instead of about 43 miles. Because the Bay City Saginaw Midland area is partly in Zone I, if it went below 43 30 00, it would have to be considered Class B. But the MBS airport also has a large restrictive footprint for tall towers, if you look at the VFR Map. Enter MBS at the link below.

http://vfrmap.com


"I had a job for a while as an announcer at WWV but I finally quit, because I couldn't stand the hours."

-Author Unknown

User avatar
Ben Zonia
Posts: 2143
Joined: Sat Jun 03, 2006 10:35 pm
Location: Honor

Re: Z 93.5 WKQZ in 1986

Post by Ben Zonia » Sat Nov 12, 2022 10:51 am

From the "best" location without facility reduction or significant FAA tower height limitations, it would be a problem if it were Class B but not as a Class C2. From that location the FM Propagation Calculator would show an increase of 5.5 dB to the South.


"I had a job for a while as an announcer at WWV but I finally quit, because I couldn't stand the hours."

-Author Unknown

User avatar
MWmetalhead
Site Admin
Posts: 11870
Joined: Sun Oct 31, 2004 11:23 am

Re: Z 93.5 WKQZ in 1986

Post by MWmetalhead » Sun Nov 13, 2022 6:45 am

The only way it would make sense for WKQZ to move is if it could co-locate on another existing tower used by Cumulus, such as that used by 96.1 WHNN.

WHNN is in the Class C zone, but unfortunately, it appears to be spaced insufficiently to WRCL to allow use as a WKQZ tower site.

So, I think WKQZ will probably stay where it's at forever. That isn't such a bad thing necessarily. I suspect its actual signal strength in Saginaw County is a bit stronger than what the FCC circle plots suggest. The ratings over many years have largely been excellent when viewing its performance in the market overall. In the car, I've never had any issue with reception in Saginaw County.



User avatar
Ben Zonia
Posts: 2143
Joined: Sat Jun 03, 2006 10:35 pm
Location: Honor

Re: Z 93.5 WKQZ in 1986

Post by Ben Zonia » Sun Nov 13, 2022 9:46 am

WHNN 96.1 is now Class C0, initially brought about Roy Henderson's application to upgrade 95.9 in Fife Lake to Class C2, which license was revoked. All the other Class Cs in the Lower Peninsula, which were so problematic in the past, and preventing good upgrades in the past, but allowing new stations to squeeze in, limiting stations which could have upgraded years ago. The only Class C left is noncommercial WPHN 90.5. The rest are now Class C0 or C1, and in the case of WHTS 105.3 Coopersville, Class B because it is below 43 30 00 North Latitude.

Cumulus sold all their towers. So it would be something more like if the tower owner, Vertical Bridge Nimbus, wanted more towers, perhaps. I guess Cumulus and Nimbus fit right in with the cloudy future of radio believed by many.

WLUN 100.9 is collocated with WKQZ, but the FCC made them divest it. I don't think Pinconning has another service, so it's limited by First Local Service rules also, and the FCC has conveniently increased the requirement to WSGW-FM 100.5 from 15 to 19 miles.


"I had a job for a while as an announcer at WWV but I finally quit, because I couldn't stand the hours."

-Author Unknown

User avatar
MWmetalhead
Site Admin
Posts: 11870
Joined: Sun Oct 31, 2004 11:23 am

Re: Z 93.5 WKQZ in 1986

Post by MWmetalhead » Sun Nov 13, 2022 4:59 pm

For a class A, WLUN gets out pretty well from that site.



User avatar
Ben Zonia
Posts: 2143
Joined: Sat Jun 03, 2006 10:35 pm
Location: Honor

Re: Z 93.5 WKQZ in 1986

Post by Ben Zonia » Sun Nov 13, 2022 11:52 pm

MWmetalhead wrote:
Sun Nov 13, 2022 4:59 pm
For a class A, WLUN gets out pretty well from that site.
When tvbobn owned it as WFXZ, it was around four miles further North, and 3000 watts from 300 feet on Whitefeather Rd. It had a decent signal even with that, and it showed up well in the ratings in the Tri Cities for a while, when there wasn't a well done Top 40 closer at the time. When a better signal came along in the Tri Cities, that ended. With an FM-10 antenna and a decent tuner or receiver with good first adjacent selectivity to null out WRIF you could get Foxy 101 in Flint. Remember that before all the new stations, WRIF was one of the 10 best FM signals in Flint.

I would compare WFXZ to WKNR Keener 1310. WKNR didn't have that good of a signal in much of Detroit Metro with 5000 watts and a signal that went straight up Telegraph Rd. at Night . When 50000 watt WCAR The Giant 1130 went Top 40, and FM started to make more of an impact, WKNR dropped Top 40 and went to Easy Listening/Beautiful Music as WNIC in 1972.


"I had a job for a while as an announcer at WWV but I finally quit, because I couldn't stand the hours."

-Author Unknown

Matt
Posts: 9845
Joined: Mon Dec 06, 2004 12:18 pm
Location: Where Ben Zonia couldn't cut it

Re: Z 93.5 WKQZ in 1986

Post by Matt » Fri Nov 25, 2022 8:39 am

I assumed the idiot initial poster fucked up the frequency - I wasn't aware that Z93 was originally at 93.5...


What's more pathetic: harassing an old man who is paying to do a radio show or supporting a grifter like Trump?

Graham Wellington
Posts: 632
Joined: Fri Dec 21, 2018 4:48 pm

Re: Z 93.5 WKQZ in 1986

Post by Graham Wellington » Fri Nov 25, 2022 10:17 am

Matt wrote:
Fri Nov 25, 2022 8:39 am
I assumed the idiot initial poster fucked up the frequency - I wasn't aware that Z93 was originally at 93.5...
Back in '86, Mike picked up matt1 and I and took us to the park. We were playing frisbee and listening to 93.5mhz WKQZ on the boombox mother purchased for me from Montgomery Wards. I threw the frisbee and it hit a parked car. Just at that very moment, WKQZ 93.5mhz was playing a commercial for a car repair place, and they played the sound effect of a car crash!!! It was so funny!!! Mike thought is was funny too I think. He looked kind of annoyed, but shook his head and said "Funky regards" or something like that and just smoked his cigarette.



User avatar
Colonel Flagg
Posts: 1354
Joined: Tue Nov 18, 2008 3:54 pm

Re: Z 93.5 WKQZ in 1986

Post by Colonel Flagg » Sat Nov 26, 2022 11:30 am

Matt wrote:
Fri Nov 25, 2022 8:39 am
I assumed the idiot initial poster fucked up the frequency - I wasn't aware that Z93 was originally at 93.5...
It was WRCI. The station played "Adult Contemporary" music and was hyper-focused on Midland. I believe the studio and tower were co-located on Gordonville Rd, in my hazy memory. Ben Zonia has a better memory for this stuff. I recall visiting WRCI, but I don't recall who I was with, or my reason for being there.


"Pretty soon, every kid in America will wish he were me"

User avatar
Ben Zonia
Posts: 2143
Joined: Sat Jun 03, 2006 10:35 pm
Location: Honor

Re: Z 93.5 WKQZ in 1986

Post by Ben Zonia » Sat Nov 26, 2022 11:56 am

Colonel Flagg wrote:
Sat Nov 26, 2022 11:30 am
Matt wrote:
Fri Nov 25, 2022 8:39 am
I assumed the idiot initial poster fucked up the frequency - I wasn't aware that Z93 was originally at 93.5...
It was WRCI. The station played "Adult Contemporary" music and was hyper-focused on Midland. I believe the studio and tower were co-located on Gordonville Rd, in my hazy memory. Ben Zonia has a better memory for this stuff. I recall visiting WRCI, but I don't recall who I was with, or my reason for being there.
From what is on the History Card, it was still on 93.5 when they became WKQZ and changed the format. Given that the MacDonald's lawyers try to block competitors at every turn, I was surprised that WKQZ was allowed in the same market as WKCQ. WCFL 1000 tried to change to WWTN (WW Ten) back in the 1970s, and WGN objected and stopped it. Back in the 1940s, WTCB 600 changed to WTAC because it was alliteratively similar to WBBC 1330.


"I had a job for a while as an announcer at WWV but I finally quit, because I couldn't stand the hours."

-Author Unknown

Post Reply Previous topicNext topic