Mobile translator move

A quick post about a translator move going on down in Mobile.  W278AP is currently licensed to Daphne, with 25 vertical-only watts of non-directional power on 103.7 MHz.  The parent station is listed as WSTF out of Andalusia.  It just received a construction permit for a move to the WKRG-TV tower, with a change of city to Spanish Fort.  The power will increase to 99 watts both H&V, with a highly directional antenna towards downtown Mobile.  The height will increase from a paltry 26 feet above ground level to nearly 650 feet, giving the translator a great line of sight into downtown Mobile across the bay.  

The parent station is changing to WBHY-AM.  This is WBHY's second FM translator, after W295BB 106.9 MHz in Fairhope.  That translator is not currently on the air and hasn't been on the air for months.  The existing W278AP license has never been on the air either as far as I know.  The location is on the grounds of Daphne Middle School, and there is no tower or other outward appearance that any facility was ever built there.

WGBZ "The Beat" debuts in Anniston

Anniston has lost an adult contemporary format this week to music that hasn't had much presence in the city before: hip hop.  AM 1490, WSYA has been heard on a translators at 104.3 in the Anniston and 99.1 MHz in Oxford.  The trimulcast is the first hip hop/urban station targeting Anniston directly on FM.

That's not to say it's the only urban signal in town, though.  WHOG, licensed to Hobson City has been blasting away with 500 watts of monaural power for a while now with rap music, but it's just a small AM daytimer.  It'll be interesting to see if WHOG tries to battle it out against the FM competition or go off in a different direction.  Previously, Annistoners have had to DX V-103 from Atlanta, 95-7 Jamz or Hot 107.7 from Birmingham.

Auburn transator update

A move-in from Union, Georgia has finally made its way to Auburn.  Station W234BQ on 94.7 MHz is said to be relaying WGZZ (Wings FM), although it's probably actually carrying Wings' HD-2 feed of AM talker WANI.   This puts the number of FM translators carrying WANI at three.  There's also one on 98.7 and one on 106.5 MHz.

The W234BQ translator was formerly W238BZ, licensed to Union, Georgia and on 95.5 MHz.  After it migrated to Alabama, it was located in the Hatchechubbee community, but may not have ever air from that location.

Tuscaloosa translator update

The license to cover has come through for the move-in from Demopolis on 105.1 MHz.  W286BV has 200 watts and is said to be rebroadcasting AM station WTBC.  WTBC recently dropped talk for classic hits as "The River" to coincide with being rebroadcast on FM.

WKRE Argo is on the air.

The license to cover permit just came through last week.  WKRE is owned by "Taking Back The Airwaves Ministries" based in Irondale, who also run the online Revolution Radio format.  WKRE seems to have come on for testing back around the 17th of March.  The 4 kW signal (vertical, with a whoppin' 1 watt horizontal) appears to be something of a disappointment to people who have been keeping up with the station's progress.

The station's going to have a tough road to hoe if it wants to be heard in Birmingham.  Although silent, Bessemer is home to the construction permit of WSJL, the more-off-than-on religious barker for western Jefferson County's population of armadillos and the occasional miner at Jim Walter.  6 kW from Bessemer will certainly preclude the signal from moving closer in or being heard at all in Birmingham or points west.

University of Alabama to buy Spring Hill College's WHIL in Mobile

Mobile's Fox 10 news is reporting the pending sale of Jesuit-run Spring Hill College's public radio station, WHIL, to the University of Alabama.  Terms have not been disclosed.

The University of Alabama currently owns and programs stations in Tuscaloosa, Florence and Selma, and is heard on translators in Decatur and Huntsville.

It is unknown if WHIL's programming will change to mirror the APR network.  WHIL carries more classical and NPR news programming than APR, which has more jazz, blues and PRI/APR news/entertainment programs.

Mobile is a fairly well saturated market for public radio.  Besides WHIL, most residents can hear the Mississippi Public Broadcasting station from Biloxi, plus the University of West Florida's WUWF in Pensacola.

W25DR Jasper's license deleted by FCC

W25DR, LPTV outlet for Trinity Broadcasting Network in Jasper, has had their license deleted by the FCC.  It is unknown if the station is still broadcasting or has ceased operation.  The listing has been deleted from the LPTV listings.