The Niles Star

WGTO AM to increase to 6,000 watts

By Staff
CASSOPOLIS – On Jan. 29, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) issued a Construction Permit that will allow WGTO AM (910Khz Cassopolis/Dowagiac) to increase its transmitter power from 1,000 watts to 6,000 watts.
WGTO originally went on the air as WLLJ in 1988 and has always operated with 1,000 watts daytime.
The relocation of WFDF radio which also operates on 910 from Flint, to Detroit, along with improved techniques for measuring actual coverage, allowed WGTO chief engineer and owner Larry Langford to show that a power increase to 6,000 watts could be accomplished within the current regulations of the FCC.
The engineering and application process was done over a period of years. "A major part of the process is driving to remote areas and taking very technical readings using very precise equipment to verify the current coverage of the station to be able to better predict the new coverage with higher power. This requires going to some very remote locations in Ohio, Indiana and Wisconsin. In the process you meet very interesting people who wonder who this is walking around with headphones and meters," Langford said.
"As I walked in back woods and open fields I on more than one occasion came face to face with livestock, wildlife and an occasional "distillation operation of questionable legality." But overall it was a rewarding road trip that covered a lot of territory and people."
The FCC Construction Permit gives WGTO three years to install the new equipment and provide documentation in the form of more field readings that show it performs as expected.
Raising transmitter power to 6,000 watts will make WGTO the highest power AM station in Southwest Michigan. Other high power stations in this area include WHFB AM 1060 Benton Harbor at 5000 Watts and WKZO Kalamazoo at 590 with 5,000 watts.
The higher power will put a much better signal into the South Bend area and will better compete with South Bend market leader WSBT which operates at 960 with 5,000 watts.
Coverage in Niles should show a drastic improvement.
Larry Langford hopes to have the new equipment installed and ready for preliminary testing by summer 2009. WGTO is seeking additional sales staff to handle the larger broadcast area.
The substantial investment in new equipment underscores Langford Broadcasting's commitment to serve this area with high quality local radio despite extremely hard economic times and the resulting shrinking advertiser base.
"This is the last local operation in this area and we feel that having local radio is a plus for our area, in terms of economic development and public safety. We are banking on our fellow business people to utilize WGTO and WDOW so that we may continue to serve this area," he added. "Once local radio is lost in an area it rarely is able to return."
WGTO and sister station WDOW are the only local radio stations serving both Cass and Berrien counties.