Jax AM Swaps and Changes
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Back in 1965 (IIRQ), Jacksonville had at least 3 Top-40 AM stations: WPDQ/600, WAPE/690 and WMBR/1460. Well, I found that in 1989(?), WPDQ had moved to 690 and 600 was filled with WOKV. Then, WOKV went to 690 and the 600 frequency got WSNY(?). (I think Disney was in the picture somehow.) But, before that, WPDQ had found itself on 1460 (remember IIRQ), and WMBR went into hiding.
All I know is, WPDQ is in Illinois, WMBR in Massachusetts, but the Big Ape is still a Jacksonville station - FM only.
I give up. Can someone clear this up for me (or point me to a website that can (I can't find any.))? Thank you.
And what's a WBOB?
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Title: Re: Jax AM Swaps and Changes
Post by: nfladxer on February 20, 2012, 08:09:33 AM
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Quote from: trusty on February 19, 2012, 04:46:27 PM
Back in 1965 (IIRQ), Jacksonville had at least 3 Top-40 AM stations: WPDQ/600, WAPE/690 and WMBR/1460. Well, I found that in 1989(?), WPDQ had moved to 690 and 600 was filled with WOKV. Then, WOKV went to 690 and the 600 frequency got WSNY(?). (I think Disney was in the picture somehow.) But, before that, WPDQ had found itself on 1460 (remember IIRQ), and WMBR went into hiding.
All I know is, WPDQ is in Illinois, WMBR in Massachusetts, but the Big Ape is still a Jacksonville station - FM only.
I give up. Can someone clear this up for me (or point me to a website that can (I can't find any.))? Thank you.
And what's a WBOB?
LOL! While most of these changes happened quite a few years ago, it's certainly nothing unusual in the radio industry. Dr. Tillery can probably provide us some exact timeline dates. As an example, over the years, AM 600 has had several format changes and call letter changes. During a large percentage of the '60's and '70's AM 600 was WPDQ, WAPE's arch rival Top 40 station. Then at some point in the late 70's it became Sunny 60 WSNY (Call letters were previously on 1240 AM in Schenectady, NY) an Adult Contemporary Music station, BEFORE it transitioned to News/Talk WOKV in the early '80's. Then around 1994, WOKV acquired the superior AM 690 frequency, and moved the WOKV calls and format to 690, where it has remained to this day. I'm a bit fuzzy on what happened to AM 600 in 1994 right after the 'OKV move, but eventually AM 600 became a sports station as AM 600 WBWL The Ball. That lasted for several years until Disney bought the frequency in Jax, and AM 600 became one of the many Radio Disney AM facilities around the country. Disney decided in 2010 to sell several of it's medium market stations, including Jacksonville, when on October 1, 2010 Chesapeake-Portsmouth moved their Talk formatted WBOB to the AM 600 position, where it remains today. The WBOB calls are rather new to Jax, they were used at one time in Minneapolis-St. Paul, and then reappeared in the Cincinnati market, before being moved to Jacksonville, originally on 1320AM. If this all sounds a bit confusing, well, to the casual observer or listener, it probably is! And this is only the tip of the swaps and changes that have occured in just Jacksonville. In some cases, like the WPDQ call letter moves, the AM 600 WPDQ, had nothing to do with the WPDQ that was on AM 1460 in the '80's, and the WPDQ that was briefly on AM 690 in the early '90's. Several heritage call letters have been moved around over the past few decades, because, I would guess, they were either familiar, and/or there was some sentimental value involved. I'm sure that some other keen radio observers can shed more light on some of the other Swaps and Changes over the years!
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Title: Re: Jax AM Swaps and Changes
Post by: younglee981 on February 20, 2012, 10:52:12 AM
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Its funny because now today 690 WOKV and 600 WBOB are competing today for conservative listners
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Title: Re: Jax AM Swaps and Changes
Post by: charlestondxman on February 20, 2012, 11:27:25 AM
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WBWL was around till the summer of 2002. They had one piece of the Jaguars rights, along with WOKV and 96.9 FM. They all were co-flagship stations.
They went to mainly an ESPN format in 2001, but soon after Cox sold it to Disney. Before they did, WBWL simulcasted 96.9 (then Kool, the oldies station) for a few weeks, back when it was actually a very good oldies station.
ESPN went to 1460 AM, while 1570 AM went to Sporting News Radio.
Then, they went to Radio-Disney. WOKV has been here as long as I can remember at 690 (from Charleston). When I started listening around 1999 or 2000, they still had most of the same lineup they had today, except for afternoon drive before Hannity became syndicated.
It is very confusing. Jacksonville has a lot of AMs with big influences.
WOKV for a few seasons had the Georgia rights, so we heard Larry Munson's calls on 690.
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Title: Re: Jax AM Swaps and Changes
Post by: jmtillery on February 20, 2012, 08:49:32 PM
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When the WOKV call letters and news-talk format moved from AM 600 to AM 690, the WPDQ call letters moved from AM 690 back to AM 600. While the new WOKV 690 became Jacksonville's 50,000 watt news-talk outlet, the old, yet new, WPDQ 600 briefly programmed an adult standards format. Within a year WPDQ 600 became all sports WBWL "The Ball" later becoming a Radio Disney affiliate and is now news-talk WBOB.
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Title: Re: Jax AM Swaps and Changes
Post by: nfladxer on February 20, 2012, 10:07:06 PM
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younglee981, while it IS ironic that AM 600 WBOB is now a conservative news-talk station on WOKV's orginal signal, the real funny thing is, they AREN'T really giving them any serious competition! A year or so ago, I thought maybe with WBOB's move to AM 600, they might be able to get around a 2 share, but, that has yet to happen for a number of reasons. IMO, WBOB's sloppy transition from AM 1320, to 1530 (daytime only) for a couple of months during the Summer of 2010, and then finally landing at the AM 600 position on Oct. 1, 2010, was an audience killer. Then along came the PPM ratings technology on the heels of this move. While WBOB has some strong syndicated weekday programming, they still need to develop a stronger local presence, with some sort of local morning personality/local news type presentation to kick off the day and really compete with WOKV. But without a big promotional push and at least a class A FM to go along with it, this idea would, most likely, be in vain. WBOB continues to be way less consistent than they need to be to give AM 690 WOKV any real headache. FYI - WBOB has formally applied to the FCC to upgrade both the daytime and nighttime power of AM 600, but if the past is any indication, over the past few years, Chesapeake-Portsmouth has had a habit of upgrading their AM facilities in Jacksonville, only to turn around a short time later and spin them off to religious broadcasters.
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Title: Re: Jax AM Swaps and Changes
Post by: nfladxer on February 21, 2012, 06:39:26 AM
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Quote from: jmtillery on February 20, 2012, 08:49:32 PM
When the WOKV call letters and news-talk format moved from AM 600 to AM 690, the WPDQ call letters moved from AM 690 back to AM 600. While the new WOKV 690 became Jacksonville's 50,000 watt news-talk outlet, the old, yet new, WPDQ 600 briefly programmed an adult standards format. Within a year WPDQ 600 became all sports WBWL "The Ball" later becoming a Radio Disney affiliate and is now news-talk WBOB.
Dr. Tillery, Thank you for the AM 600 timeline clarification!
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Title: Re: Jax AM Swaps and Changes
Post by: chrish on February 22, 2012, 12:45:25 AM
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Is it any wonder why AM is in the mess its in, call letters, frequencies and formats are changed almost as often as people change their sox with only big signal
survive as listeners get frustrated and confused. WJAX was Jacksonville for 75 years and basically just dissappears for all practical purposes. Every nit wit follows every other nit wit when changing a station to a sports format with "the game" or "the score" or "the fan" etc. Under the WEEI call letters (Edison Electric Illuminating since 1922) WEEI was until recently the high rated sports station in North America, there was never any need to ditch the most so prestigious and a natural. JAX appears everywhere as in JAX liquors along with every where else in North Florida....always in the public eye. Whats the first thing that comes to mind when you hear of WFXJ? probably something to do with FOX news. Dumb and dumber only these people did not even change it to something really related to sports. 930 would likely be in much better shape today if they had kept the WJAX call letters.
Phil Beckman Says:
First two cabinets are a 1kw homebrew backup. We turned it on one day. It sounded like a CB!
(PB) Correction. Those first two were part of the audio stage for the Brennan Beast. The 1kw backup was behind that wall.
Phil Beckman Says: Main output tubes. Also used by Navy tranamitters. Dangerously high voltage in here! Stories are told of the snaps, crackles and popping heard outside on foggy morning crank up.
This was one of the massive tubes in transmit mode. They generate a LOT of heat so the best way to keep them cool was with a water circulating system. The fountain outside in front of the studio was circulating that cooling water!
Far right: A storage closet door. Next door took you behind the transmitters. The first two dimly lit cabinets were the backup 1kw transmitter. All this stuff was hand built by Cyril Brennan.
Phil Beckman Says: Back view of the "Brennan Beast" homebrew transmitter. Capable of 80,000 watts.
Phil Beckman Says: Transmitter cooling pool. Ape on top. Generator exhaust pipe. The thing that looks like a pitchfork was one of the supports of the line between the transmitter and tower.
1979 - A look inside the Baldwin transmitter
Phil Beckman Says: A shot of the 10,000 watt night time transmitter in Baldwin. Also home made.The APE went 24 hours a day sometime in 1963. They originally were 25kw day only, using basically the same transmitter as the 50kw daytime one. The six-tower array throws a narrow beam!
I don't know when they went to 25kw at night.
1979 - Across the hall from the Baldwin control room. It looks messy in there. That is Dale Kirby on the phone.
Phil Beckman Says: Dale Kirby (R.I.P.) on the phone at the night transmitter site.
This was across the hall from the "control room", such as it was. Another classic Ampex, a record library... or at least space for one, and two state of the art TV sets!
1979 - WAPE STUDIO
Phil Beckman Says: Across the street in 1979. I see vehicles belonging to Dan Alexander, Paul Sebastian and Art Dellinger.
Patti Heath Says: Yep if I remember correctly Art's was the big bronco one.
(Phil B.) For some reason, I remember him driving that Suburban... Maybe that was Glasure's.
(Patti H.) No the SUV was Art Dellinger's because he always drove it over to my house when him and his family would come and hang out with us. That's why I know it was Art's.
1979 - This is the night time transmitter and antenna array just east of Baldwin, Florida on US90. aka Beaver Street. It is all still there but most people have no clue what it is these days. It still sends the nighttime signal in an easterly direction only. This is why there are six antennas to direct the signal. That reduces interference with other stations using the 690 AM slot.
Phil Beckman Says: The night site in Baldwin, west of Jacksonville. I see Dale's and my car. That 914 was a great car!
(Phil B.) It is what is now WOKV's nght time transmitter site. The building seen here is gone, so I am told. Still uses the six towers.
Dan Robertson Says: I believe this building is still there, unless it was torn down very recently. On google earth street view, you can see it. Looks like the same building as always, just without the call letters.
The mighty 690 home made Baldwin transmitter room.
Phil Beckman Says: The night site's 10kw (capable of 20 kw) transmitter.
1979 - This was the emergency control room.
Phil Beckman Says: This was used for emergencies only. A Sparta board, classic National receiver and equally classic Ampex reel-to-reel. The night time processing (part of it) visible through the glass.
Jimmy Adams, about 1970, in the WAPE control room. The coeds are from Orange Park High School. I don't know why I was wearing a tie unless I had MC'ed a show before going on the air.
Here is the WAPE Van from 1967, That was driven everyday to Jax. Beach.
Jay Thomas and Doctor X, the big time radio celebrity. This was taken on Doctor X's first broadcast with the Ape
This was the Big Ape Bouncers, Charity Fundraiser Basketball Team back in the early 70's. There were a couple of ringers on the team BUT the actual jocks pictured are Bill Burkett recently deceased, Larry Dixon, Steve Plaster, and me (Doctor X, the Big-Time Radio Celebrity) I took the picture. When i heard Bill had passed away I went looking for photos. He was a great friend and inspiration to me.
WAPE - LUCKY LIGHTS MATCHBOOK
This is what you will see now on Highway 17. The ALEGRO old folks home has taken the place of the old WAPE studio. The original antenna is still in the background of this picture. They upgraded the transmitter and moved it off the highway.
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