The money The Mouse spent on Detroit O/O WFDF was astounding. They moved a daytimer in Flint ...
WFDF was not a daytimer. It has been on 860 (FRC days), 1310 and then 910 since the 30's. On 910 it was always 1 kw directional at night, and they went to 5 kw days in the 50's. It was the first station in Flint, as well.
WFDF was affected by the cyclical nature of the economy and automobile industry. The previous 3 tower facility was supposed to go on to 880 kHz from 1310 but ended up on 910 on March 29, 1941. It was apparently built for 880 kHz, along with a lot of other DAs at the time that were designed for their old frequency. It would appear that at some point after 1941 they could easily have been 5 kW day and night and went to 5 kW day in 1957. There was a tornado that brought down the towers and they went from self supporting towers to guyed towers at that time also. There was a house or two on property just south of the transmitter property that was apparently subdivided at some point, precluding the easy construction of a fourth tower which would most likely have been required for 5 kW night. I wish I had known all that when I was young or I would have pushed them to do it. If they had, they probably could have more easily been 50 kW night instead of 25 kW. It also might have made the facility more viable in later years. It also has a relitively low NIF, 5.0 mV/m at the old site, and 5.8 mV/m at the new site.
They were on several other freqeuncies, David, and I think the 860 was mainly before the 1926 frequency reorganization. My father played as a live musical performer on WFDF at night in the late 1920s and 1930s, so I know that it was on at night then. I never saw anything that indicated it was ever daytime only.
