http://www.aggieathletics.com/pressRelease.php?PRID=11397




not sure how i feel about this. two low-wattage AM stations?

so long as they quit playing sip ****, then I guess it's ok

Aggie 96 shoots out pretty far (can get it occasionally as far as Killeen).

It would nice if more stations outside of B/CS would pick up the basketball games...

Those of you who aren't baseball fans might not be aware that WTAW on 1620 AM can be picked up a long way from BCS at night. The frequencies above 1610 were added to the AM spectrum by the FCC only a few years ago, and there are a limited number of stations on those frequencies. Living in Wichita Falls, I can often pick up WTAW at night, the chief interference being from a station in Omaha, which I can eliminate using a directional antenna. There is a guy in Colorado who regularly picks up WTAW listening to Aggie baseball. This is good news, and an indication that switching from Clear Channel may result in better coverage.

I knew there had to be some reason Louie softened his tune about a week ago on his morning show and started kissing ass and making excuses just like Liuuci. That’s why I stopped listening to the Beliucci Hour two months ago. I guess I will have to stop listening to the First Word as well. As programming director Louie has sold out too.


¤ YEAR 4 ¤
• 1992 R.C. Slocum 12-1 7th
• 1985 Jackie Sherrill 10-2 6th
• 1975 Emory Bellard 10-2 11th

Don't these stations already carry Aggie athletics?

Bryan Broadcastung only had baseball and women’s basketball and softball. Football and men's basketball--the big money sports--were on Aggie 96.

¤ YEAR 4 ¤
• 1992 R.C. Slocum 12-1 7th
• 1985 Jackie Sherrill 10-2 6th
• 1975 Emory Bellard 10-2 11th

Louis kissing ass? Please.

He's said all along he's giving Fran 4 years and he's been pretty consistent. I have a feeling he's going to unleash this December if we don't come up big. It's been building for four years.

I am not sure, but they might broadcast the games on the KZNE.com website.

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He's said all along he's giving Fran 4 years and he's been pretty consistent. I have a feeling he's going to unleash this December if we don't come up big. It's been building for four years.

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yup, louie never really wavered from that stance... he laid out his 4 year time period from the moment Fran arrived, and I too expect some venom from Lou if we have a botched season.

Louie is more positive now, but the reason isn't something an all out hater like TCGCT would understand or would even care to understand right now.

I never said Louie wavered from his 4 year stance. Show me where I said that he waivered from it. Let's see the quote. Try again Franatics.

A month ago right after the spring game with Louie it was-- the schedule is pathetic-- we could win 9 games without beating a single ranked team-- 9-3 without a win over at least one of the big 3 and Fran should be fired.

This morning with Louie it was --yes, I have said we have the worst schedule in the the Big XII but this is the kind of schedule A&M should be playing right now becuse we don’t even have the talent to beat UTEP-- I can’t see Fran getting fired unless he goes 7-5 or 6-6.

What has happened in the last month? We haven’t played a single game--haven’t even had a practice-- haven’t signed any new recuits-- haven’t hired any new coaches in the last month. What happened?

The only thing that has happened is that the station that Louie is the programing director of has had a boat load of potential advertising revenue dangled in front of them and subsequently handed to them.

He sold out.

¤ YEAR 4 ¤
• 1992 R.C. Slocum 12-1 7th
• 1985 Jackie Sherrill 10-2 6th
• 1975 Emory Bellard 10-2 11th

[This message has been edited by TGCGT (edited 5/9/2006 8:42p).]

It will be great IF they have free live online streaming radio.

3GA: They have had live streaming for most of the baseball games on WTAW. The one time I recall there being a problem, it was on Yahoo's end.

he didn't say HE DOESN'T WANT fran fired for 7-5/6-6, he said HE DOESN'T SEE fran getting fired

I hope they stream everything, or at least start putting everything on AUA.

WTAW has for all of baseball, 1150 has done some softball but not all games.

Aggie 96 did stream basketball so hopefully WTAW will do that also.

You don't need to worry about 1620, that station is audible almost all the way to Houston and Austin. 1150 also has really good reception, though not as good as 1620.

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The frequencies above 1610 were added to the AM spectrum by the FCC only a few years ago, and there are a limited number of stations on those frequencies.

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I am pretty sure that the 1600 band has been on the air at least a decade, but I think it might be closer to 15 years.

[This message has been edited by BigAg95 (edited 5/9/2006 11:59p).]

Recognizing that there are all sorts of wacky factors that go into night time broadcasting . . . You can hear 1620 some nights here in Lubbock. It's a little like listening to Radio Free Europe, espcially since it's impossible to find any A&M broadcast eminating from a 150 mile radius.

Now if they could find a better station for the DFW area...

The expanded AM band has existed for only 5 years. All stations from 1610 to 1700 broadcast at 10,000 watts daytime, 1,000 watts nighttime.

The frequency 1600 is part of the original AM band. Some of the 1610 and 1620 frequencies had been used for airport information or local weather information before the expanded band was created.

WTAW was chosen to migrate to the expanded band and was assigned 1620 in 2001.

The coverage area from an expanded band AM station can be much better than an FM station broadcasting at 50,000 watts. The power does not equate between FM and AM due to the way the signal is delivered. FM is straight line from the top of a tower while AM is more like a geyser or sprinkler.

Having the three major men's sports on a decent AM signal in central Texas is a good thing for A&M.

I live near Conroe, and couldn't catch 96.1 for crap. I can get 1620 pretty easy, however.

I certainly hope WTAW is going to buy significantly more bandwidth for football internet streaming, and basically get their act together for this side of broadcasting. Earlier in the baseball season, when there were more listeners, I was never able to enjoy a complete game without either the stream being maxed-out or what I was listening to cutting-out in the 6th inning. There were technical problems at some of the baseball fields for some of the games, but they were exceptions.

CP -

Expanded Band opened up in the mid 90's, not 5 years ago. I think the first stations were operational in 1997 or 1998.

Aggie 96 streaming wasn't free for football last year was it?

BA95, ....you are correct in one sense. The FCC began the process of expanding to 1610-1700 in the mid-90's. There were a number of false starts and continuing issues with the FCC. The first stations to migrate went in 1999-2000.

I'll take your word for it!

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Aggie 96 streaming wasn't free for football last year was it?

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yes it was

So what does this mean for the rest of us who listen to Aggie games? Who will carry the games in San Antonio?

I would assume the network would stay pretty much intact. The flagship just changes.

Lets burn bridges here...

First we tell one of if not the richest Aggies to take his golf course and stick it. Then, we tell the CEO, and rich ass Aggie, to take his radio stations and stick it.

This makes a lot of sense.

Exactly. My question is, not so much why they picked WTAW but why the break from Clear Channel? A falling out or would Clear Channel not cover what A&M wanted?

Byrne says he can get WTAW all the way to Dallas and Houston. I can believe Houston, but I am skeptical about Dallas. Look at the daytime and nighttime coverage maps.




I hope that there are more stations than these two.

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First we tell one of if not the richest Aggies to take his golf course and stick it. Then, we tell the CEO, and rich ass Aggie, to take his radio stations and stick it.

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I'm sure they took the highest offer. Plus the CEO and his rich ass hasn't given much to the athletic department anyway.

Dumb question...My radio dials only go up to 1600AM. Do newer radios have these higher frequencies on them?

Bill Hicks, owner of Bryan Broadcasting, is the brother of Sip (Tom) Hicks.


Congrats to Dave South on setting our broadcasting back another 10 years.

[This message has been edited by bigbear95 (edited 5/11/2006 9:49a).]