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102.7 manistee

Covers all of Northern Lower Michigan (from Ludington to Tawas northward), as well as the Straits Area and Soo Region.
hunterw
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102.7 manistee

Post by hunterw » Sat Jul 09, 2022 11:14 am

Was listening to 102.7 and they were talking about interference during the morning hours in the summer and was suggesting to listen online. Lol. Sounds about right cause your station(WRVM) is knocking out WMOM completely on this side of the lake. Wisconsin booming in almost every morning during the summer.



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Colonel Flagg
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Re: 102.7 manistee

Post by Colonel Flagg » Sun Jul 10, 2022 9:58 pm

This is a sticky situation. Personally, I would have been inclined to let the tropo/skip conditions pass, and not call attention to it. In a small market, it's too easy for people to blow things out of proportion that are just a natural occurrence.


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

since16
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Re: 102.7 manistee

Post by since16 » Mon Jul 11, 2022 11:29 am

Colonel Flagg wrote:
Sun Jul 10, 2022 9:58 pm
This is a sticky situation. Personally, I would have been inclined to let the tropo/skip conditions pass, and not call attention to it. In a small market, it's too easy for people to blow things out of proportion that are just a natural occurrence.
Absolutely. We don't talk about the interference at all that happens because it is so random and I am not sure if I am misunderstanding hunterw in his post that maybe Wisconsin was the one talking about it on the air...? Not sure. But, we are never going to win that battle, they have 10 antennas at 900 feet on a 100,000 watt station, we have 4 at a 3rd of that height and a fraction of their power.

Part of the reason we don't talk about it is because listenership is quite a bit up. Here is raw data I just pulled from our streaming as an example (which, by the way, every hour we push our online listening as part of our standard programming). It makes sense too.

Online listening in general is up 92% same time over last year. IOS device 126% over last year, smart devices 150% over last year and even desktop listening up (along with every other - there is no numbers that are down). Desktop is up 25% over last year.

Below shows the data each year broken up in percentages since it's an interesting thing to dive into...

Last year raw data:
Image

This year raw data:
Image

In reference to Manistee, frankly we don't focus much on Manistee other than a weather check and occasion news stories. We really focus on Mason, Oceana, a portion of Lake County (a small portion of the southern part of Manistee County) and a bit of Muskegon County. 100% of revenue comes from those areas. When we launch the new station that will expand and the combination of the two stations will, well, compliment each other in the right ways.

So in general, we accept there is interference with the signal, have for sometime, but certainly have been working on something to combat that a little (remains a secret until ready to unveil) and second, with the growth of the station digitally ( shown above) and also through social (as an example, when we bought the station we had about 2,700 fans, 3 years later we are closing in on 9,000 fans). In fact, we posted a contest there just the other day with over 1,200 ORGANIC responses, which tells us the audience is engaging and that's not just a rare occasion either. During our Square Pool promotions, the phone rang here at the station 52,000 times over the course of the two weeks. Within a 90 second time period we would track 500 to 700 phone calls. I think overall things are going well for the audience we are focusing on.



hunterw
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Re: 102.7 manistee

Post by hunterw » Mon Jul 11, 2022 4:59 pm

I was referring to WRVM 102.7.
WMOM does a decent Job with its signal in Manistee even though the interference is inevitable as “since16” mentioned and the terrain challenges downtown.



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Re: 102.7 manistee

Post by cckadlec » Mon Jul 18, 2022 10:42 pm

Yes, there is never going to be a battle won against WRVM in this neck of the woods, especially in Manistee.

But keep in mind that WMOM Is a serious thorn in the side of WRVM throughout the summer too. WMOM regularly takes over their 90.9 repeater in Sheboygan, rebroadcasting WMOM on 90.9 in Sheboygan, Manitowoc, Plymouth, etc. as well as on their 100.5 and 95.3 translators too. Not only is there simply a signal, but you can see WMOM's RDS on 90.9 as well. It's very common to hear WMOM on 90.9 throughout Oceana County. For a full-power rebroadcaster of WRVM, this has got to be frustrating for them, though the method of rebroadcasting on 90.9 is clearly the fault of WRVM to leave it so open to WMOM right along the water.

I first reported on this back in 2020, but it's a very regular occurrence even now. WMOM is very easy to hear along most of that stretch on 102.7 as well and having spoken to their engineer, it's on their radar and their feeling is similar; it's a nuisance, but hey, they're okay. There are other means to tune in, their audience is fine (with a bazillion freaking translators everywhere and plenty of full-powers too), and their revenue isn't affected. They have also spoken on-air about interference to their signals.

Image

And a video of it as well, though this one only includes 90.9 RDS (another with WMOM RDS on 90.9 was taken last week but isn't as good). 88.5 at the end is //WRVM and is what should be heard on 90.9.

Video here

Here in Fremont, WMOM has a decent signal but is still taken out now and then by Suring and Chicago. At Ludington Rest Area and Hart Rest Area, WMOM is walloped by Chicago even as close as 5 miles from the tower, but so are 98.7 and 96.3 at 4 miles.


[ 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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Re: 102.7 manistee

Post by ftballfan » Tue Jul 19, 2022 5:50 pm

88.5 would be a much easier pickup option for 90.9/95.3/100.5 in Sheboygan, but there just happens to be an Air 1 drone on 88.5 in Sheboygan!



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Re: 102.7 manistee

Post by cckadlec » Tue Jul 19, 2022 7:26 pm

ftballfan wrote:
Tue Jul 19, 2022 5:50 pm
88.5 would be a much easier pickup option for 90.9/95.3/100.5 in Sheboygan, but there just happens to be an Air 1 drone on 88.5 in Sheboygan!
I quite often hear the 88.5 Air1 in Hart and Ludington as well! Those little drones can get out well over the water. Sheboygan and Manitowoc is like a little translator hellhole. Too many over there.


[ 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. ]

hunterw
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Re: 102.7 manistee

Post by hunterw » Wed Jul 27, 2022 9:20 am

Looks like WMOM is getting new antennas installed today. 4 antennas to 6 antennas. signal will be off. Maybe I’ll listen to WRVM, 🤮
No change in ERP from what I heard. Hopefully it will help with reception gaps in City of Manistee.



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Colonel Flagg
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Re: 102.7 manistee

Post by Colonel Flagg » Thu Jul 28, 2022 11:47 am

hunterw wrote:
Wed Jul 27, 2022 9:20 am
Looks like WMOM is getting new antennas installed today. 4 antennas to 6 antennas. signal will be off. Maybe I’ll listen to WRVM, 🤮
No change in ERP from what I heard. Hopefully it will help with reception gaps in City of Manistee.
Don't bet on it. It is what it is.

In any event, there's very little revenue to be had in Manistee, and if you do get a client or two, you are faced with the long drive up there to collect.


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

since16
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Re: 102.7 manistee

Post by since16 » Thu Jul 28, 2022 12:32 pm

Colonel Flagg wrote:
Thu Jul 28, 2022 11:47 am
hunterw wrote:
Wed Jul 27, 2022 9:20 am
Looks like WMOM is getting new antennas installed today. 4 antennas to 6 antennas. signal will be off. Maybe I’ll listen to WRVM, 🤮
No change in ERP from what I heard. Hopefully it will help with reception gaps in City of Manistee.
Don't bet on it. It is what it is.

In any event, there's very little revenue to be had in Manistee, and if you do get a client or two, you are faced with the long drive up there to collect.
Received message from inside Munson from one of the healthcare workers thanking us because they could listen to MOM FM clearer than previously this morning, Was a good feeling right out of the box.

We are not covering Manistee for the revenue. Shocker, I know.



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Colonel Flagg
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Re: 102.7 manistee

Post by Colonel Flagg » Thu Jul 28, 2022 9:40 pm

since16 wrote:
Thu Jul 28, 2022 12:32 pm
Colonel Flagg wrote:
Thu Jul 28, 2022 11:47 am
hunterw wrote:
Wed Jul 27, 2022 9:20 am
Looks like WMOM is getting new antennas installed today. 4 antennas to 6 antennas. signal will be off. Maybe I’ll listen to WRVM, 🤮
No change in ERP from what I heard. Hopefully it will help with reception gaps in City of Manistee.
Don't bet on it. It is what it is.

In any event, there's very little revenue to be had in Manistee, and if you do get a client or two, you are faced with the long drive up there to collect.
Received message from inside Munson from one of the healthcare workers thanking us because they could listen to MOM FM clearer than previously this morning, Was a good feeling right out of the box.

We are not covering Manistee for the revenue. Shocker, I know.
Great news on your signal. I am surprised.

I didn't know Munson had taken over the hospital in Manistee. That's how far out of the loop I am.

Chuck Hedstrom was an old friend of mine. Always enjoyed trading radio stories with Chuck. Great guy to work for back in the glory days of broadcasting.


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

ftballfan
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Re: 102.7 manistee

Post by ftballfan » Fri Jul 29, 2022 7:14 pm

Speaking of Munson, their Manistee campus is roughly 30 miles from WMOM's stick in southern Mason County



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MWmetalhead
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Re: 102.7 manistee

Post by MWmetalhead » Sat Jul 30, 2022 8:43 am

Congrats to the MOM-FM crew on the successful antenna replacement!

Will be interesting to see how much the signal's improved when I head up north in early October.



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Re: 102.7 manistee

Post by MWmetalhead » Mon Oct 10, 2022 5:04 pm

WMOM's signal is noticeably better compared to one year ago near my deer hunting grounds, about 10 miles SE of Baldwin. Came in clear as a bell and was noticeably stronger than 96.3, 98.7 and 101.5.

WMOM even seemed stronger than WWKR, whose audio was quite muddy sounding. Was still easily listenable on the outskirts of Reed City along U.S. 10. When I tuned in again about 10 miles east of Reed City, the noise level was finally too severe to comfortably listen.

For a Class A that isn't even using a full 6 kW / 100 meters equivalent signal, I thought the signal performance was impressive.

It does seem 96.3 finally fixed its crappy processing sometime within the past year; station sounds decent now. WMOM's on-air programming is better, however.



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