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(D)WVOM 1450 KCS

It's a shame to see another AM go ... yet another sign of the band's ever quickening death. It would have been nice, for example, to see the license donated to a community group.
 
ncairguy, your suggestion sounds really nice but if you think about it. it radio pros can't figure out a way to cover the bills on the station how might a community group without radio experience and possibly not the manpower and revenue to take on the FCC responsibilities and fixed monthly expenses. It seems about 1/3rd of LPFM stations, restricted to non-profit groups with mostly no radio experience, go off the air within the first 3 years. An LPFM is extremely low cost compared to a full power. I hate to sound negative but I suspect some AM stations have no value to virtually everyone given the cost of operation and legal requirements.
 
WVOM 1450 also had an FM translator. WVOM’s translator 95.1 W236DO Rockland, which was permanently tied to the station, was also deleted. Too late now, but Does EMF have coverage in the Rockland area?
 
ncairguy said:
It's a shame to see another AM go ... yet another sign of the band's ever quickening death. It would have been nice, for example, to see the license donated to a community group.
Click to expand...

Who says theyd want it? AM's have technical and legal responsibilities that many groups wouldnt take for free.... and can be expensive ti maintain and operator.
 
This was the former WRKD AM 1450 which signed on back in 1950s. They added an FM on 93.5 back in 1972. It was a truly local station back in its' heyday. They had studios right on Main Street in Downtown Rockland, and you could actually watch the announcer thru the front windows.
 
Does anyone know the reason the license was turned-in? Busted transmitter, radials ... etc? Good points have been made .... I suppose it could just be that a 1kW AM at 1450 just can't make it in small town Maine.
 
It likely was a lack of revenue. There are a number of AM stations in smaller communities that struggle to bill $3,000-$4,000 a month on the high end. I know more in the $2,500 a month range. All either barely break even because the owner doesn't take a paycheck and has no payroll or are losing cash monthly. I can't say this is the case here but it is the most likely. And yes, a major repair can kill such a station because you'll never cover the repair in billing.
 
ncairguy said:
Does anyone know the reason the license was turned-in? Busted transmitter, radials ... etc? Good points have been made .... I suppose it could just be that a 1kW AM at 1450 just can't make it in small town Maine.
Click to expand...
It was kind of redundant. It was simulcasting WVOM out of Bangor which is also on the old WKCG in Augusta, both have decent signals in the area. Blueberry has all their brands covered in the area, so it was always an outlier.

You're last line is spot on. You just can't do much with a 1kw AM with FM translator outside of a focus city.
 
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