[BC] WTOP

[James Snyder]

>At 08:30 PM 7/9/2005 -0500, Stan wrote:
>>Was in Washington this past week and as usual I head for WTOP for news and
>>information.  But it is really a struggle to pick them up in so many places.
>
>Their signal reminds me of the old WMEX in Boston-- you could get it 
>at night in Canada but you couldn't hear it five miles down the 
>road. The joke was that the station was #1 in 18-24 trees and fish. 
>Btw, I can get WTOP at night here in Boston fairly well.  How's 
>their night signal in greater DC?

WTOP is famous in the Washington area for not actually being 
receivable in most of its city of license (Washington, DC).  When I 
came to Washington for college at George Washington University, my 
dorm was in downtown DC 2 blocks from the White House.  I could 
barely get WTOP on the 7th floor with a clear view of the National 
Mall.  That's why I got my news from the Great 98, News/Talk WRC 
(than an NBC O&O radio station...remember those?) and Bud Steele on 
the Noon Report on WMAL.

I'm now in Alexandria and get a weak 1500 AM, but listen to 107.7 FM, 
the 4th iteration of WTOP-FM.

The 'WTOP Radio Network' is WTOP-AM 1500 Washington, DC; WTOP-FM 
107.7 Warrenton, VA (for the No. Va. suburbs); WXTR-AM 820 Frederick, 
MD (for the outer MD suburbs in the Minneapolis null); and W282BA-FM 
104.3 Leesburg (formerly W282AM-FM, which for an FM station struck me 
as both funny and a breathtakingly stupid assignment by the FCC).

The only spot I get WTOP gangbusters is in the Maryland suburbs.  But 
then, their transmitter is in Wheaton, MD.

I knew their ancient engineer for quite a few years, Granny Klink 
(employed by WTOP from 1937 to 1999).  The DA has to protect 
Minneapolis/St. Paul, which makes for an interesting pattern.  Granny 
was never very happy when one pointed out that the station could 
barely be heard in the city of license!

However, when I vacation in the White Mountains of northern New 
Hampshire, I get WTOP likes its just down the block.  Now that's a 
pattern!

I don't really listen to WTOP now except for top of the hour news and 
the traffic/weather reports.  The folks at Bonneville have embraced 
the news-by-pun and 'funformation' philosophies and the quality of 
the writing and reports have fallen stunningly in the last few years. 
WRC is gone in Clear Channel hell, and WMAL has evaporated into an 
ultra-right cheerleader, including its news department.  The only 
quality news in Washington is WAMU and WETA, but neither is 24/7.

And finally, some history trivia questions:

1. When did the station gain the call letters WTOP and how?
2. What did the previous call letters stand for and where was the 
city of license?
3. What are the current call letters of the original WTOP-FM, and 
what call letters did it first sign on with and when?
4. What is the oldest continuously-operating radio station in 
Washington, DC, and what are its current call letters?
5. Washington, DC was assigned the final 3 letter call ever assigned 
to a broadcasting station.  What were the call letters, and what year 
were they assigned?

Enjoy!

James Snyder