• Get involved.
    We want your input!
    Apply for Membership and join the conversations about everything related to broadcasting.

    After we receive your registration, a moderator will review it. After your registration is approved, you will be permitted to post.
    If you use a disposable or false email address, your registration will be rejected.

    After your membership is approved, please take a minute to tell us a little bit about yourself.
    https://www.radiodiscussions.com/forums/introduce-yourself.1088/

    Thanks in advance and have fun!
    RadioDiscussions Administrators

WWGK 1540

M

MediaLover

I saw someone mention on social media that WWGK has tuned in its license and is now off-the-air.

After decades as WJMO, WABQ and WWGK, it appears to be curtains for 1540 AM.

Does anyone have some confirmation and more information? It's sad to see the station go.
 
For the record, WABQ and WJMO were, separately, targeting the Black community in most of the 1960s and 1970s. WJMO was at 1490AM with 24 hour capabilities, while WABQ was at 1540AM, as a daytimer. 1540AM never had the call letters of WJMO, unless there's something I'm missing. I used to listen to both when I was in high school. There was fierce competition between the two, and I remember some of the things that went on.

The current owners moved the WJMO calls to 1300AM, and moved the WERE call letters to 1490AM.
 
According to Wikipedia, 1540 was WJMO when it went on the air in 1947. In 1959, WJMO bought WSRS 1490, a Cleveland Hts station which broadcast 24 hours a day, and moved to that frequency. They then sold off 1540 which subsequently became WABQ.
 
skiwest said:
According to Wikipedia, 1540 was WJMO when it went on the air in 1947. In 1959, WJMO bought WSRS 1490 and moved to that frequency, they then sold off 1540 which then became WABQ.
Click to expand...
That's correct. Richard Eaton of United Broadcasting did a simultaneous deal of purchasing 1490 fulltime WSRS, Cleveland Heights, from Sam R. Segue and selling 1540 to a new group who got the WABQ call letters. WJMO calls moved from 1540 to 1490 the same day that WABQ became the new occupant of 1540.

Eaton also got WSRS-FM, 92.3 and had it renamed as WCUY for Cuyahoga County. Both 1490 and 92.3 were located at Cedar and Lee roads in Cleveland Heights, above the Ford dealership. The tower on the roof used a counterpoise system for the AM and the FM had a 4-element Pylon antenna on top.

I became a gofer there in late 1959, my first radio job at age 13.

A year or so later, WJMO's studios and transmitter moved to a location near the Severence Center, closer to the Black community and where they could have a decent ground system and taller tower. At the new location, they consolidated sales and programming; prior to that the manager, Curlett C. Courtney had his office and sales near downtown and only programming was in Cleveland Heights. At that location, I was their "token" white staff member!

The FM remained there at least until 1964 when I moved to Ecuador.
 
Last edited:
A quote from me: "... unless there's something I'm missing." Well, I guess there is. Thanks for the interesting historical update. Did WJMO always focus on the African-American community, right from the beginning?

A QUESTION FOR MR. EDUARDO: Quote: "The tower on the roof used a counterpoise system for the AM and the FM had a 4-element Pylon antenna on top". What is/was a counterpoise system and how did it work? What is a 4 element Pylon antenna and was that better than other antenna's of the day? I know of the Alternative Rock group named Pylon, but not a Pylon antenna (ha, ha).
 
johnbasalla said:
A quote from me: "... unless there's something I'm missing." Well, I guess there is. Thanks for the interesting historical update. Did WJMO always focus on the African-American community, right from the beginning?
Click to expand...
To my understanding, both 1490 and 1540 had general entertainment formats up to the 1959 switch, then both adopted black-oriented programming. WSRS was briefly the market’s ABC Radio affiliate after WJW dropped it in 1958.

@Sammi Brie and myself worked on the Wiki history of WERE 1490 almost two years ago, and it really is something (I need to go over it again with the Call and Post archives). The entire United chain had problems in some way or another.
 
fybush said:
WWGK filed a silent STA, effective 12/20, but has not surrendered its license.
Click to expand...
That would sound about right. They’re probably going to try to donate the station somehow.

Given the technical limitations and the mere fact that it’s a high-band AM with no night power and no translator… I don’t know who’d want it.
 
Nathan Obral said:
To my understanding, both 1490 and 1540 had general entertainment formats up to the 1959 switch, then both adopted black-oriented programming. WSRS was briefly the market’s ABC Radio affiliate after WJW dropped it in 1958.
Click to expand...
No, 1540 was Richard Eaton's R&B station for quite a few years prior to moving to 1490. In fact, when they made the move, the whole programming staff moved from the WABQ offices (which were at the Near East Side transmitter) to Cleveland Heights, where there were essentially no Blacks in that neighborhood.
Nathan Obral said:
@Sammi Brie and myself worked on the Wiki history of WERE 1490 almost two years ago, and it really is something (I need to go over it again with the Call and Post archives). The entire United chain had problems in some way or another.
Click to expand...
Occasionally Eaton himself would visit us on the second floor of a building with no elevator. There was always a pool betting on which of the steps the guys who carried him up in his wheelchair would trip and fall, with a double payout if he was killed.

On the other hand, you could not find a nicer staff. I was a "wannabee" and they helped me learn. They smuggled me into jazz appearances at night clubs, took me with them to voter registrations in Mississippi, would drive me home if it was raining and had me over for birthdays in their homes.

An example of Eaton's inner soul: his manager in Miami was diagnosed with terminal cancer. Eaton self-insured his staff for medical benefits. Eaton fired the manager so he would not have to pay cancer treatments.

Eaton also owned an AM in Mexico City and one in Villa Acuña, Coahuila, México through his wife. Yes, the border station was XERF.

When a skunk mated with a slug, you got Eaton.
 
I wonder how many, mostly small AM stations, go off the air because:
1. They aren't making money OR
2. Some catastrophic, and costly-to-repair technical item, forced the hand of the owner, and so it was shut down.

WJMP 1520 in Kent, Ohio, another day timer, went away rather suddenly too, if I'm recalling correctly.

Then, there's the case of day timer WATJ 1560 AM in Chardon, Ohio (Formerly WBKC which moved to 1460 AM in Painesville) who, somewhere along the line, I noticed that they weren't on the air anymore. I do recall that, at one point, they were signing off for the day at 5:00pm, even though it was spring or summer. They were airing some rather odd music.
 
johnbasalla said:
I wonder how many, mostly small AM stations, go off the air because:
1. They aren't making money OR
2. Some catastrophic, and costly-to-repair technical item, forced the hand of the owner, and so it was shut down.
Click to expand...
OR
3. They can make a small fortune by selling the property.
 
Nathan Obral said:
To my understanding, both 1490 and 1540 had general entertainment formats up to the 1959 switch, then both adopted black-oriented programming. WSRS was briefly the market’s ABC Radio affiliate after WJW dropped it in 1958.

@Sammi Brie and myself worked on the Wiki history of WERE 1490 almost two years ago, and it really is something (I need to go over it again with the Call and Post archives). The entire United chain had problems in some way or another.
Click to expand...
WSRS was a traditional MOR station with a pure suburban Cleveland Heights focus. It was the equivalent of one of those suburban newspapers that came out each week... in fact, it shared the second floor of the Cleveland Heights building with one!
 
One has to wonder how many people still listen to AM radio, especially small, low power stations. I suppose a big one like WTAM is doing OK , although they are going to take a big hit now that Rush and Triv are gone. Ratings for all the other AM stations in Cleveland are probably microscopic.
 
Last edited:
DavidEduardo said:
No, 1540 was Richard Eaton's R&B station for quite a few years prior to moving to 1490. In fact, when they made the move, the whole programming staff moved from the WABQ offices (which were at the Near East Side transmitter) to Cleveland Heights, where there were essentially no Blacks in that neighborhood.
Click to expand...
You’re absolutely right. Eaton already had WOOK in Washington, DC which had a similar format (and like 1490, operated on the graveyard C channel of 1340).

Fun note, apparently the last WSRS announcer on duty that night was Robert Ocepik, whom Akronites will remember as “Adam Jones” of WAKR’s Adam and Bob.
 
It should also be noted, if this station were ever to apply for night power, it would likely get peanuts, if any.. rendering nights useless. why? KXEL Waterloo, IA which is a 50kw, but also Zed En Ess 1, which has "rights", since 1540 is a Bahamian clear and thats why WADK in Newport, RI is a daytimer.
 
SomeRadioGuy said:
It should also be noted, if this station were ever to apply for night power, it would likely get peanuts, if any.. rendering nights useless. why? KXEL Waterloo, IA which is a 50kw, but also Zed En Ess 1, which has "rights", since 1540 is a Bahamian clear and thats why WADK in Newport, RI is a daytimer.
Click to expand...
WBTC 1540 has a whopping five watts of night power. It’s apparently close enough to reach Uhrichsville, but they explicitly brand with their FM translator at 101.9… which does more reliably reach New Philadelphia and Dover.
 
Nathan Obral said:
WBTC 1540 has a whopping five watts of night power. It’s apparently close enough to reach Uhrichsville, but they explicitly brand with their FM translator at 101.9… which does more reliably reach New Philadelphia and Dover.
Click to expand...

Their website makes mention.. clear mention of 1540.

Strict sunrise to sunset daytimers with zero night power and no translator have really outlived their profitability and usefulness.

Like this one in missisippi: WLRC RADIO ONLINE
940 watt daytimer in a small town without crystal clear grade a coverage of any big or medium sized city and no translator. I've been wondering how it stays alive.
 
I'm on air in Indiana on a 1540 that has 1 watt at night and a translator

Radio-Locator.com

Radio Station Search Engine
radio-locator.com radio-locator.com
 
Status
This thread has been closed due to inactivity. You can create a new thread to discuss this topic.


Back
Top Bottom