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WFLO AM/FM Farmville
- Thread starter tablin
- Start date
I figured I’d throw some memories of “FLO radio” before they throw in the towel, as I cut my teeth in broadcasting in the bustling Farmville market at 16 (working for the competition).
They have one of the few 1,000 watt daytime only stations still around with NO nighttime authority. Have to protect WWL out of New Orleans. AM simulcast the FM during the middays, played Michael Medved in the afternoon til sign off and mornings were with long-time Farmville radio guy Henry, with his bluegrass in the mornings. Francis Wood did mornings with about 10 songs/hour and local news/obituaries/weather filling up the majority of the clock.
Outside of drive-times, FLO-FM was off the bird (Jones Radio Network at the time) with what I felt was a half-baked Delilah clone at night. Bad segues going back to the bird after hourly news. Saturday’s were big band for a long time, and Sunday’s were classical music in the AM with the radio advisor for Longwood University, William Lynn. What a voice for radio!
For a long time, WFLO operated at 6,300 watts from a short tower as a class B. Their studio was a large colonial home outside of Farmville in Cumberland County (across the street from rock/Christian WXJK), hence the name Colonial Broadcasting. The AM was on the same stick as the FM, and as of 2005, still using the original Raytheon AM transmitter in the studio (circa 1947) complete with glowing tubes! In 1997, their tower fell. FLO FM took the opportunity to upgrade to a full B at 150m/50kW. Really perked up the signal to get a fringe signal in Richmond, Charlottesville, and Lynchburg. Oddly enough, WXJK’s tower across the street fell just a few years later and despite being a full class A, the rebuilt tower never covered things like the old one.
20 years ago, WFLO was king in Southside VA. They’d bill twice as much per spot as the next biggest station. This is despite sounding definitely like a “hometown station”. All liners and commercials in-house minus lottery and political ads.
I should also point out that Colonial Broadcasting was an employee owned company after the original owner passed in the early 90’s. The fact that their own employees figured it was best to cash in their chips and walk away truly shows the state of radio in 2021.
I am wondering what will become of WFLO-AM. A 1kW day timer with no translator is something EMF never touches. They also don’t need property outside of the tx site, so I’m wondering what will become of the FLO studios behind the tower.
The other two commercial stations (Country 92.9 WVHL and rock/Christian 101.3 WXJK) are probably breathing a sigh of relief. Within 10 years, two competitors go non-com CCM. I also know David Layne (owner of WXJK) used to do engineering for WFLO and himself is looking to sell his station. So it’s not too late to get into the FarmVegas radio game!
They have one of the few 1,000 watt daytime only stations still around with NO nighttime authority. Have to protect WWL out of New Orleans. AM simulcast the FM during the middays, played Michael Medved in the afternoon til sign off and mornings were with long-time Farmville radio guy Henry, with his bluegrass in the mornings. Francis Wood did mornings with about 10 songs/hour and local news/obituaries/weather filling up the majority of the clock.
Outside of drive-times, FLO-FM was off the bird (Jones Radio Network at the time) with what I felt was a half-baked Delilah clone at night. Bad segues going back to the bird after hourly news. Saturday’s were big band for a long time, and Sunday’s were classical music in the AM with the radio advisor for Longwood University, William Lynn. What a voice for radio!
For a long time, WFLO operated at 6,300 watts from a short tower as a class B. Their studio was a large colonial home outside of Farmville in Cumberland County (across the street from rock/Christian WXJK), hence the name Colonial Broadcasting. The AM was on the same stick as the FM, and as of 2005, still using the original Raytheon AM transmitter in the studio (circa 1947) complete with glowing tubes! In 1997, their tower fell. FLO FM took the opportunity to upgrade to a full B at 150m/50kW. Really perked up the signal to get a fringe signal in Richmond, Charlottesville, and Lynchburg. Oddly enough, WXJK’s tower across the street fell just a few years later and despite being a full class A, the rebuilt tower never covered things like the old one.
20 years ago, WFLO was king in Southside VA. They’d bill twice as much per spot as the next biggest station. This is despite sounding definitely like a “hometown station”. All liners and commercials in-house minus lottery and political ads.
I should also point out that Colonial Broadcasting was an employee owned company after the original owner passed in the early 90’s. The fact that their own employees figured it was best to cash in their chips and walk away truly shows the state of radio in 2021.
I am wondering what will become of WFLO-AM. A 1kW day timer with no translator is something EMF never touches. They also don’t need property outside of the tx site, so I’m wondering what will become of the FLO studios behind the tower.
The other two commercial stations (Country 92.9 WVHL and rock/Christian 101.3 WXJK) are probably breathing a sigh of relief. Within 10 years, two competitors go non-com CCM. I also know David Layne (owner of WXJK) used to do engineering for WFLO and himself is looking to sell his station. So it’s not too late to get into the FarmVegas radio game!
The FM is full-service with classic hits, and the AM is country. This town of 8,000 is going to lose a big part of their city with yet another EMF sale. Small town, full-service radio is dying very fast. And I think we can thank Facebook and the Internet for that. It's a wonder you can still find Tradio on many stations in the Midwest, with Craigslist and Ebay...
Hey crainbebo,
Farmville is a unique area for broadcasting. With the exception of certain Charlottesville stations, Richmond and Roanoke/Lynchburg stations peter out as soon as you go down the hill into Farmville. 8,000 is the population, but it is a college town with both Longwood University and Hampden-Sydney College doubling the population during the school year.
The incomes in Farmville proper are reasonably high due to the colleges, but like most of Southside VA the rural towns have been hit very hard over the past 30 years with tobacco farming decimated and textile mills outsourced. There are plenty of folks in small towns 20-30 miles from WFLO that didn’t have a local radio station of their own. Until the 90’s if you wanted radio out there, it was a distant station from one of the big towns 60+ miles away or WFLO. That was it, really.
I should point out as well after talking to a friend out there, the employees who own the station are aging. All the same players as when I left town in 2005 are still there. Henry Fulcher (morning bluegrass host on the AM) has to be over 80 by now. The GM, Francis Wood, can probably collect Social Security. Though it will be a big loss for town, they figured it was best to cut bait and get something out of their decades of work for a retirement. Had they waited 5 years, who knows?
I also pointed out that WXJK is for sale...and has been for a couple years. It’s entirely possible they sold the big-name class B for max cash to a willing buyer and someone will take their chunk (and format) to the lesser 101.3. The physical plant probably needs work as there’s a humming heard on their web stream and on-air, but it could be a win-win. Folks who want to retire can do so, and anybody who wants to take on the torch (and callsign) can do it for much cheaper.
Christianity, even fundamental Christianity, is not a race, not a nation... it is a belief. Their belief set happens to differ from that of many political liberals and progressives, but it is simply a variety of interpretations of the Bible.
Quite simply, they have a different value set than you obviously do. But denying them the rights to their beliefs is the worst kind of cancel culture. And, no, I don't listen and do not agree. But I defend their rights to have a different belief system than mine.
My mother-in-law lives pretty close to Farmville (and I grew up near there), so I'm down there pretty often, and I'm glad I'm not the only one who's noticed the hum. It's been there for many years now.
WXJK is very unique in its playlist, and I've never heard another station that sounds like it. (The music, not the hum, though that too.) I'd hate to see it go away, but then, I'll also hate to see WFLO go away even though it was never my cup of tea.
WWWV from Charlottesville can be heard there nowadays, though that wasn't the case before WQOK moved away, and otherwise, as mentioned previously, Roanoke and Richmond signals don't really make it with any reliability. Some of the Lynchburg signals do, particularly WJJX, WYYD, and WZZU, as do WBBC and WPZZ from Crewe, and several religious stations from all around. But it's a difficult area for radio overall.
(I will say that WZZU and WXJK are both preferred by me--and by my wife who isn't a huge rock fan--over most of the radio stations in DC, Richmond, and Baltimore. So even sadder.)
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