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WSUN (AM)
WSUN was the call sign used from 1927 until 1999 by a St. Petersburg, Florida radio station that broadcasts to Tampa Bay Area, Florida. After 1999 the station continued to operate under different callsigns.
WSUN was first authorized in October 1927, joining an existing station, WFLA, on 590 kHz, with this station now assigned a dual call sign of WFLA-WSUN, under shared ownership by the Clearwater and St. Petersburg Chambers of Commerce. WSUN made its debut broadcast on November 1, using the slogan "Why Stay Up North".
In 1927 WFLA-WSUN moved to 580 kHz, then to 900 kHz the next year. In 1929, radio frequencies for stations in Florida were reallocated, and WFLA-WSUN moved to 620 kHz.
The station's transmitter site was originally on the north side of the Courtney Campbell Causeway near Clearwater.
WFLA-WSUN's move to 620 kHz resulted in a nighttime interference complaint from another station on that frequency: WTMJ in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. WFLA-WSUN was ordered to reduce powers from 1,000 watts night and 2,500 watts day to 250 watts night and 500 watts day.
Station manager Walter Tison began an investigation into whether there was a way that WFLA-WSUN could increase its nighttime power to a more acceptable level. Working with T. A. M. Craven, a British engineer, Raymond M. Wilmotte, was engaged in 1932 to construct a then-theoretical antenna system that would reduce the signal sent toward Milwaukee. The idea that a directional antenna would resolve the issue was somewhat controversial, with some doubters stating that fluctuations in the ionosphere would cause issues, while others believed that instead of going directly to Milwaukee, the WFLA-WSUN signal was actually travelling west through the Gulf of Mexico, then turning north through the Mississippi valley.
The directional antenna installation, the first in the United States, consisting of two 200-foot (61 m) towers, was successful. As an example of its effectiveness, engineer Wilmotte noted that at one point a telegram was sent from regulators in Washington asking why WFLA-WSUN was off the air, because an inspector located in Atlanta was not receiving the station when it employed the directional antenna. Ultimately WSUN was allowed to operate fulltime with 5,000 watts.
In 1937, the joint ownership of WFLA-WSUN was severed, with the two stations continuing to operate on 620 kHz using a common transmitter, but separately licensed on a time-sharing basis. WSUN was allocated full-time use of Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays, and shared hours on Sundays.
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WSUN (AM)
WSUN was the call sign used from 1927 until 1999 by a St. Petersburg, Florida radio station that broadcasts to Tampa Bay Area, Florida. After 1999 the station continued to operate under different callsigns.
WSUN was first authorized in October 1927, joining an existing station, WFLA, on 590 kHz, with this station now assigned a dual call sign of WFLA-WSUN, under shared ownership by the Clearwater and St. Petersburg Chambers of Commerce. WSUN made its debut broadcast on November 1, using the slogan "Why Stay Up North".
In 1927 WFLA-WSUN moved to 580 kHz, then to 900 kHz the next year. In 1929, radio frequencies for stations in Florida were reallocated, and WFLA-WSUN moved to 620 kHz.
The station's transmitter site was originally on the north side of the Courtney Campbell Causeway near Clearwater.
WFLA-WSUN's move to 620 kHz resulted in a nighttime interference complaint from another station on that frequency: WTMJ in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. WFLA-WSUN was ordered to reduce powers from 1,000 watts night and 2,500 watts day to 250 watts night and 500 watts day.
Station manager Walter Tison began an investigation into whether there was a way that WFLA-WSUN could increase its nighttime power to a more acceptable level. Working with T. A. M. Craven, a British engineer, Raymond M. Wilmotte, was engaged in 1932 to construct a then-theoretical antenna system that would reduce the signal sent toward Milwaukee. The idea that a directional antenna would resolve the issue was somewhat controversial, with some doubters stating that fluctuations in the ionosphere would cause issues, while others believed that instead of going directly to Milwaukee, the WFLA-WSUN signal was actually travelling west through the Gulf of Mexico, then turning north through the Mississippi valley.
The directional antenna installation, the first in the United States, consisting of two 200-foot (61 m) towers, was successful. As an example of its effectiveness, engineer Wilmotte noted that at one point a telegram was sent from regulators in Washington asking why WFLA-WSUN was off the air, because an inspector located in Atlanta was not receiving the station when it employed the directional antenna. Ultimately WSUN was allowed to operate fulltime with 5,000 watts.
In 1937, the joint ownership of WFLA-WSUN was severed, with the two stations continuing to operate on 620 kHz using a common transmitter, but separately licensed on a time-sharing basis. WSUN was allocated full-time use of Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays, and shared hours on Sundays.