Wpop Newington

[Southtown800]

i was just in newington tonight and i got off rt 9 and i noticed what looks like an old TV or radio station and it's letters on the eold building read "Wpop" and it still looks like it has a very old tranmitter tower standing up...anyone know what it was?

 

[wesct]

i was just in newington tonight and i got off rt 9 and i noticed what looks like an old TV or radio station and it's letters on the eold building read "Wpop" and it still looks like it has a very old tranmitter tower standing up...anyone know what it was?

its not what it was... its still wpop- currently owned by clear channel corporation.
they lease it out to espn, that way they dont need a studio for the station at all.

a number of years ago, (i am not that old), the head engineer was going to put the original transmitter back on the air for the 50th anniversary of the station. he backed off at the last minute after he found out how much the tube in the final would had cost if it broke- it was in the range of $20,000.
the back wall of the building is where the original transmitter is. they built the building around it!

the station puts out 5,010 watts. if you looked closely, you will see that there is a swamp around the towers- the best ground ever.
if the owners dont cut the brush and grass around those towers, the pattern will change and the fcc will come calling as that is what happened to merv griffin when he owned the station back in the mid 70s and 80s. he paid a big fine for that.

wesct

 

[Southtown800]

dp they still use it?...it looks so beat and i never see anyone their...

 

[LedZeppelin]

WPOP was an all news station back in the 70's and 80's if I remember correctly growing up. Weren't they 1410am?

 

[wesct]

dp they still use it?...it looks so beat and i never see anyone their...

yes, that is their only transmitter building. it used to be their studios as well.
you dont see anybody down there cause the snakes will get you. the current engineer carrys a baseball bat with him if he goes in there. and i think the fire extingusher needs filling at times...
they also had a studio at the top of cedar st which is now a gospel hall.

heres a picture of augie who passed recently:

http://www.wdrcobg.com/wpop.html


yes 1410 am

wesct

 

[Southtown800]

so it's still used as a transmitter?....

 

[wesct]

so it's still used as a transmitter?....

sorry for the late response, i havent been feeling that great.

yes. i beleive the back wall of the building is where the original transmitter is. the building was built around it.

the current transmitter is all solid state.

i will search and see if i can find pictures of the interior.

wesct

 

[scottct1]

I have always wanted to stop there and go peek in the windows.

Never got the guts to do it though and I don't want to get arrested for tresspassing. A lot of historical radio was actually done there.