THE CKLW-AM 800 KILOCYCLES TRANSMITTER COVERAGE
_______________
When this CKLW daytime coverage pattern card was published in the early-1980s, CKLW was picked up clearly as far off as Toledo and Cleveland (where it was consistently a highly rated station during its Top 40 days), Lansing, Michigan, and even the outskirts of Cincinnati, Ohio.
It has been reported the CKLW night-time reception was picked up (E.; S.; S. mid W.) as far off as Toronto/Oshawa, Ontario; Hartford, Connecticut; Pennsylvania; New York City; Little Rock; Des Moines, Iowa; and San Antonio, Texas.
By the late 1960s, it was reported that CKLW could be heard in at least 23 states and 4 Canadian provinces.
During CKLW’s Top 40 heyday, because of its nighttime directional pattern, the station was frequently heard in Scandinavia, but was often rendered unlistenable just a few hundred miles to the west and south of Detroit because of interference from the Juarez and/or Bonaire stations.
At one time, before end of 1970, with its massive 50,000 watts of transmitted power, the Windsor, Ontario 800 AM station was the third most listened to Top 40 radio station in all of North America. Behind WLS in Chicago and WABC in New York City.
— A VIEWING TIP —
ON YOUR PC? To fully appreciate this CKLW transmitter map in larger detail click on image 2x and open to second window. Click image anytime to return to NORMAL image size.
Click your server’s back button to return to MCRFB home page.
ON YOUR MOBILE DEVICE? Tap on chart image. Open to second window. “Stretch” chart across your device screen to magnify for largest print view.
I remember CKLW when it was a country station in the early 1960s, before they adopted the Drake top-40 format for which they became famous as, “CKLW, the Motor City”. Living close to 810-WGY, I always heard a loud 10kcs. “whine”, and some “splatter”. But the worst interference arrived in 1964, from Trans-World Radio on the Island of Bonaire. But, in more recent years, they were obliterated by WGY’s digital sideband for “high definition”. Thankfully, WGY recently ceased that, and 800 and 820 can be heard once again! Now, if only we could rid the Medium Wave of the all-digital 820 in Washington, D.C., and make them analogue again! Same goes for the 1230 in White Plains. It’s evil enough to have so many “daytimers” now operating 24 hours — but this digital broadcasting makes listening difficult, to say the least! (Anyone paying heed at WPHT?). Curious matter of late: 680 kcs. at night used to be a Raleigh, N.C. station, with Toronto mixed in, since WRKO dumped their 50,000 watts out off the coast. But now, suddenly, WRKO BLASTS in here: what’s up with THAT? And, speaking of powerful stations sending their signsl out to sea, I still temember WLKW-990 in Providence, rarely heard here (way under Winnepeg), and very weak in nearby Boston. I suppose that folks on cruise ships enjoyed it 500 miles out to sea on their way to Europe!