[BC] Another one bites the dust in Washington, DC

[Gary Blau]

Having worked 8 years at WGMS way back in the RKO days, (and later 3+
years at 104.1), I never would have imagined it could come to this!  
Isn't the classical also being simulcast on 103.9 in Frederick (worked
once there, too)?  
That's equally mind blowing.

Not sure what classical fans in Montgomery County are going to be able
to hear.
Or the ones inside govt. office buildings in DC.  I remember we used to
have a dedicated EQ'd phone circuit to the Pentagon so the then Sec.
Def. could listen reliably in his office.  
104.1 has far less building penetration downtown than 103.5, so they're
going to be getting a lot of complaints from at-work listeners.

Wonder why they didn't first try putting the all news on 104.1/103.9,
instead of crippling their #3 12+ classical franchise?  

g  

 -----Original Message-----
> From: James Snyder [mailto:broadcastlist at dtvexpress.net]
> Sent: Wednesday, January 11, 2006 1:39 AM
> To: broadcast at radiolists.net
> Subject: [BC] Another one bites the dust in Washington, DC

> ...Another milestone is the loss of classical music at 103.5 FM in
> Washington, DC.  From the day the FM station went on the air as WQQW
> in 1946, 103.5 has been playing classical music.  At the time
> classical was known as "good music", and the station would assume the
> call letters WGMS (Washington's Good Music Stations) in the late
> 1950s.  Again at midnight tonight, the call letters WTOP-FM have
> moved from 107.7 Warrenton, VA to 103.5 Washington, DC.  It is the
> fifth incarnation of WTOP-FM
> 
> WGMS-FM will move to 104.1 Waldorf, MD/Washington, DC on Monday.
> WGMS-AM departed the scene in the 1990s to become WTEM....
>