WDQN-AM 1580 DuQuoin, IL

[PaulBWalkerJr]

With 170 Watts into a 300 foot-ish tower, they've got a great signal and are LIVE and LOCAL 6am to 8pm SEVEN DAYS A WEEK!! No computer automation, all the music and commercials come locally, off 2 CD players. They have a Gates Yard 2 board, a Senheiser MD421U BOard and a Nautel transmitter.

Pics (allbeit Sideways) are here:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/25118063@N07/

I'll have an aircheck or two!

They aren't always the most polished sounding place, with some dead air and late joins of network news, etc.. but I'd listen to WDQN ANY DAY over some big city corporate station!

[BroadcastDoc]

Paul:

Not being a "Big City-Corporate Owned" station does not always equal better programming. I can point you to just as many crappy local station as I can big corporate ones.

[PaulBWalkerJr]

Paul:

Not being a "Big City-Corporate Owned" station does not always equal better programming. I can point you to just as many crappy local station as I can big corporate ones.

I see your point, maybe what I posted should be rephrased a little.... Im just excitedoverjoyed/thrilled to see local programming

[BroadcastDoc]

Don't get me wrong, I completely share in your enthusiasm...it's great to see a station locally owned, operated, and programmed (I helped some friends of mine build a small class A FM and they're completely local), on the other hand not all big corporate stations are evil. There are large corporate stations that do a great job of serving their communities and are still local despite having a big owner.

The flip side is that there are just as many small stations completely on the bird.

Good radio is good radio, no matter what the size of the station!

[Deep Thought]

WDQN has always had their heads screwed into the local market. In fact, most of these small-town Southern Illinois stations have always been very local. That's the only way to survive. I grew up around there and remember WDQN-FM from before they went stereo. They would flash the stereo light with program audio which extended to 20 KHz...

I did morning sign-on for a summer at WHCO over thirty years ago. The only thing not local was the Cardinal baseball games.

And yeah, 170 watts into a half-wave tower on great conductivity does fine even on 1580...

There still are a lot of little stations in little markets doing their thing completely under the industry radar. They are the ones to emulate, not the Clear Channels who got us into the mess we're in now.

[PaulBWalkerJr]

WDQN has always had their heads screwed into the local market. In fact, most of these small-town Southern Illinois stations have always been very local. That's the only way to survive. I grew up around there and remember WDQN-FM from before they went stereo. They would flash the stereo light with program audio which extended to 20 KHz...

I did morning sign-on for a summer at WHCO over thirty years ago. The only thing not local was the Cardinal baseball games.

And yeah, 170 watts into a half-wave tower on great conductivity does fine even on 1580...

There still are a lot of little stations in little markets doing their thing completely under the industry radar. They are the ones to emulate, not the Clear Channels who got us into the mess we're in now.

WHCO now owns WINI 1420 in Murphysboro and the 100.7

[Deep Thought]

Yeah I know...saw that in one of the area papers. I also remember John from when he about 5 and was hanging out with his dad at the station. (now I really feel old)

[PaulBWalkerJr]

Yeah I know...saw that in one of the area papers. I also remember John from when he about 5 and was hanging out with his dad at the station. (now I really feel old)

And the people who owned WINI are working for us in Marion. I made friends with someone who was at WINI in 1978 and 1979.