[BC] Re: Early FM

[r j carpenter]

I was the technical co-founder of WHFS 102.3 Class A, Bethesda, MD, in 
1961. We were the first FM Stereo station in the Washington,DC, market, 
but with 1kW at 250ft didn't cover very well. We were LOW budget, 
couldn't afford a processor! Our transmitter was "Composite", HH Scott 
stereo generator, RCA Iron Fireman exciter, 1kW final that Maj Armstrong 
and given/lent WASH to get their Wheaton site on the air. We had a 
varied format from MOR to classical to jazz.  Even an "Emphasis on Fi" 
program.

Our money ran out after a couple of years and we sold for $25K or 30K 
_before_ bankruptcy.  The next three(?) owners did get to or near 
bankruptcy. The station eventually moved to a taller tower and Class A 
got the power increase to 3kW. (6 if circular)  By the mid-70s Jake 
Einstein had a fabulously successful alternate rock station. He sold for 
$2million to the people who then owned WTOP(AM).  I think they were the 
people who moved the transmitter to the tower at American Univ, which 
solved the coverage problems.  Two years later they bought WASH(FM) and 
had to sell 102.3. They sold to Radio-One for about $7.5million, more 
than they expected.  It has been a license to mint money for Radio-One, 
always showing up in the top-three in ratings. The WTOP folks sold WASH 
before Bonneville took over (I think), a VERY bad move.

Curious side note: I was was looking back through Broadcasting Yearbook 
and noted that Dave Garner was CE of WTOP & 102.3 during the period of 
co-ownership. He's still DOE/CE of WTOP, WTWP, etc, at Bonneville's 
Washington cluster.

bob carpenter