Status of WFME 1560?

[davideduardo]

Let's not forget the legacy of this organization having scammed so many innocent people into financial ruin after they gave up their jobs, sold their homes, and stopped investing in their children's college funds to give it all away for Camping's fake end times.

You are forgetting that Camping and the followers actually believed in the end of the world.

Now they have apparently destroyed one of the nation's earliest radio stations with no regard for its storied history, just a ruthless cash grab.

It's a terrible directional AM at the very high end of the dial. 1 kw on 550 would have better coverage.

And, if they buy 98.7, that will remove yet another commercial entertainment format in Market #1 for more awful religious dogma as the radio industry falls apart before all of our eyes, and ears.

There is a reason for those sales to religious groups: nobody else wanted those stations.

 

[Mediafrog+]

You are forgetting that Camping and the followers actually believed in the end of the world.

They were wrong. They were fools. Belief in such ridiculous and irrational ideas does not legitimize those ideas.

Unfortunately the world has no shortage of stupid people.

 

[bturner1]

Theater of the Mind: My suggestion is start talking to folks about buying a station and you might find not just the people but learn of ways you or you and a group of liked minded folks could buy a station. One way to buy is 'lease with a portion going to the price of the station'. After X number of years (on a price agreed upon at the time of the lease), and $1 will get you a station. Lease payments are doable enough because the only way a lease lasts is because you can exceed the lease payment in advertising sales easily enough to pay your part of expenses. Then you can stick it to those darn ministries buying stations. I am being serious. This is easier done than you think.

 

[bturner1]

I'll add a comment that came from a Muslim that was questioned why he didn't apologize for 9/11. He said all people claiming to be a Moslem are not and the people responsible for 9/11 are not Moslem. Camping didn't know his Bible. In Revelation it says clearly no man will know the day or the time. Perhaps he was Christian in name only but I never knew him nor read up on him or listened to his stations so I can only go with the fact Revelation told him his answer for when the end of the world would come. That answer is no man knows.

 

[Gregg.]

According to what FCCdata.org shows, they haven't turned in the license or requested a new STA yet. Their last STA from December 2023 requesting 500 watts is still listed as "pending".

Actually, FCCdata.org is not run by the FCC, if maybe that's what you thought. The FCC does have websites for AM and FM stations. The AM one is...

AM Query Broadcast Station Search

www.fcc.gov

The FCC's official AM website says nothing about a shutdown of WFME. But then, it still lists the authorized 50,000 watt daytime and nighttime facilities.

FCCdata.org is a good website, too. But if the FCC isn't updating the agency's website, I doubt FCCdata.org or Radio-Locator.com would either.

 

[Sammi Brie]

They have up to 10 days to notify the FCC they suspended operations and up to 30 (including the first 10) to file a Silent STA.

 

[RadioGuy1864]

The FCC's official AM website says nothing about a shutdown of WFME. But then, it still lists the authorized 50,000 watt daytime and nighttime facilities.

It still lists those because they were the last authorized facilities before the STA. They will continue to be listed until the station gets new authorized facilities or the license is deleted.

 

[Gregg.]

Now they have apparently destroyed one of the nation's earliest radio stations with no regard for its storied history, just a ruthless cash grab.

1560 WFME has an interesting history. But it isn't one of the nation's earliest radio stations. It went on the air in the 1930s, after the AM dial had plenty of other stations signing on earlier. Interesting fact: It began as an experimental mechanical television station. Before we got analog TV, engineers were experimenting with mechanical television, using a spinning disk to covert radio waves to visual data. General Electric and RCA also experimented with it. But it was a failure.

However, the engineers working on W2XR played classical music albums while they were conducting their tests. Listeners with conventional radios began tuning in the tests to enjoy the music. The owners decided to keep the station as a classical music outlet and got the call sign WQXR, since a cursive capital Q looks like a 2.

In 1944, the NY Times acquired WQXR and its experimental FM station, later 96.3 WQXR-FM. But I don't think the AM got its 50,000 watts and Class I-B status until the 1950s. From its TV experimental days, it was always high up on the AM dial. When AM radio expanded from 1500 kHz to 1600 kHz, the FCC set aside a few of those frequencies for Class I-B stations, including WQXR 1560.

It didn't hurt that it was owned by the NY Times and played Classical Music. I'm sure both were factors in its promotion to Class I-B status.

So here's my question: Has any other Class A station in the United States gone silent? I know it's happened in Canada and Mexico. And America has had 50,000 watt stations go off the air, including 1540 WPTR Albany. But that was a Class B. I don't think it happened to an American Class A so far.

 

[CTListener]

I'll add a comment that came from a Muslim that was questioned why he didn't apologize for 9/11. He said all people claiming to be a Moslem are not and the people responsible for 9/11 are not Moslem. Camping didn't know his Bible. In Revelation it says clearly no man will know the day or the time. Perhaps he was Christian in name only but I never knew him nor read up on him or listened to his stations so I can only go with the fact Revelation told him his answer for when the end of the world would come. That answer is no man knows.

And, leaving religion, folk tales and superstition out of the equation completely, there is plenty of evidence to support a belief that the world will end, be it at the hands of man, through the death of the sun, through changing climate, or via collision with another object in space. We just don't know when.

 

[crainbebo]

If Family Radio permanently shuts down their 1560 AM facility, perhaps that increases the possibility that they will buy 98.7 FM? After all, they did receive about 51 million dollars for their former location in Queens, NY. That would be comparable to the asking price for 98.7.

EMF will buy it out for expanded Air 1 coverage *LONG* before Family Radio gets to touch that frequency. They just had a massive fundraiser. If you were EMF, would you stick with your 96.7 with grade B/fringe coverage in NJ, or take over 98.7 where NJ is in the grade A to B contour?
They could spin off 96.7 to WAWZ or Family Life Network to expand to other parts of the Tri-State.

And yes, I agree Family Radio started its painful death when old Harold's 'end of the world' prediction did not come true. I've always thought FR was a kooky station anyway, in the likes of Brother Stair and WWCR. They may have 'changed their ways' but it's too late and with too much damage, compared to the CCM outlets.

 

[Weiserguy]

1560 WFME has an interesting history. But it isn't one of the nation's earliest radio stations. It went on the air in the 1930s, after the AM dial had plenty of other stations signing on earlier. Interesting fact: It began as an experimental mechanical television station. Before we got analog TV, engineers were experimenting with mechanical television, using a spinning disk to covert radio waves to visual data. General Electric and RCA also experimented with it. But it was a failure.

However, the engineers working on W2XR played classical music albums while they were conducting their tests. Listeners with conventional radios began tuning in the tests to enjoy the music. The owners decided to keep the station as a classical music outlet and got the call sign WQXR, since a cursive capital Q looks like a 2.

In 1944, the NY Times acquired WQXR and its experimental FM station, later 96.3 WQXR-FM. But I don't think the AM got its 50,000 watts and Class I-B status until the 1950s. From its TV experimental days, it was always high up on the AM dial. When AM radio expanded from 1500 kHz to 1600 kHz, the FCC set aside a few of those frequencies for Class I-B stations, including WQXR 1560.

It didn't hurt that it was owned by the NY Times and played Classical Music. I'm sure both were factors in its promotion to Class I-B status.
[...]

One point you missed, Craig: in its experimental phase. W2XR/WQXR had double the bandwidth of the typical AM station, 20 Khz. In an era where the 1500-1600 band was emptier than today's expanded band, that 20 Khz bandwidth allowed W2XR to broadcast their classical music with fidelity approaching that of monaural FM. I'm not old enough to have heard any of those broadcasts firsthand, but have been told it was eye-opening how good AM could sound under ideal conditions (i.e., no atmospheric static, no lightning, no RFI in that frequency range).

Also, 20 Khz at 1550 included 1560, so the frequency shift meant the shaving off of the lower 10 Khz of their allocation, not a wholesale relocation like that which occurred in 1941 with the implementation of NARBA.

 

[Schroedingers Cat]

Several of the 57 (as I recall counting circa 1969) Class I-As and I-Bs have downgraded in one way or another. I don't know of any which have been deleted. In Canada, all the former I-A and I-B stations have been preserved, including CBE/CBEF 1550 Windsor, ON and CKDO 1580 Oshawa, which are both 10000 watts DA-1. I would think that some lower power station with an antenna in the Meadowlands, for which moving to 1560 with 50000 watts Class A would represent a significant upgrade, would take over the better Clear Channel Class A protected facility. WWRL perhaps?

 

[davideduardo]

Several of the 57 (as I recall counting circa 1969) Class I-As and I-Bs have downgraded in one way or another. I don't know of any which have been deleted. In Canada, all the former I-A and I-B stations have been preserved, including CBE/CBEF 1550 Windsor, ON and CKDO 1580 Oshawa, which are both 10000 watts DA-1. I would think that some lower power station with an antenna in the Meadowlands, for which moving to 1560 with 50000 watts Class A would represent a significant upgrade, would take over the better Clear Channel Class A protected facility. WWRL perhaps?

WWRL is one that actually might benefit. But for most, 1560 is such a high frequency such poor "watts per mile of coverage" stats that nearly nobody would want it.

How many still fully successful stations above 1400 kHz are there today?

The two biggest downgrades I can think of are WOWO and KGA, both losing their B class, I believe. And now 720 in Las Vegas has downgraded, too.

 

[Schroedingers Cat]

KDWN 720 was one of the Class II-As. Originally, the II-As had quasi Clear Channel signals with usable Skywave service, though not protected. Being Directional, and some having shorter than Class I towers, had 50% skywave in the 300-400 mile range, and large areas of 2-3 mV/m or more usable skywave in the major lobe. Some of those have been broken down over the years so their skywave service is broken up, notably KBOI 670 Boise, ID, for Simi Valley, CA 670, and KSWS 1020 Roswell, NM for KTNQ 1020. WJR 760 was not broken up by a II-A, but by KFMB/KGB 760, to replace 540, which the FCC promised the owners of WJR to never let increase beyond 5000 watts Night. So much for promises.

Many of the old Class Is and other 50 kW stations are on valuable land and are threatened by land sales. There always seems to be a compromise of the signal of some sort, especially since the Class A required efficiency went down to 275 mV/m @ 1 km @ 1 kW. There are rumors of land sales all the time. But even Class IV sites are being sold. Recently, the WMBN 1340 Petoskey, MI site was sold to Meijers to expand their parking lot, and the 425 foot tower came down recently. Rumors are they paid $3 Million for it. It will be replaced by the AM equivalent of a top loaded rubber ducky on a sandy hill at their FM site.

Those newfangled short antennas can have decent efficiency, as attested to by the late Ron Rackley, but can't be used for directional antennas. The key to decent performance of these short antennas is a full ground system I have heard, regardless of how they are marketed.

 

[kevtronics]

This morning I'm hearing a weak signal with preaching on 1560, so I think WFME is back on the air today, at low power.

Last night when WFME was off, I heard Gospel music mixing with some talk/sports station, too weak and fading to make out any IDs.

 

[Ke4kls]

This morning I'm hearing a weak signal with preaching on 1560, so I think WFME is back on the air today, at low power.

Last night when WFME was off, I heard Gospel music mixing with some talk/sports station, too weak and fading to make out any IDs.

Could have been WYZD in Dobson, NC:

WYZD

WYZD Radio, located in Dobson, North Carolina, is a 4200-watt AM station with a FM Translator. The station can be heard on 1560AM and 95.3FM.

gbiradio.org

 

[crainbebo]

WGLB Milwaukee? Only 250 watts but they seem to get out well.
If WFME remains off, listen for Vietnamese programming - KGOW Houston can get out well if they leave the day pattern on.

 

[gr8oldies]

They were wrong. They were fools. Belief in such ridiculous and irrational ideas does not legitimize those ideas.

Unfortunately the world has no shortage of stupid people.

Family Radio or spinnoff organizations did a huge media and billboard campaign. There are a couple of documentaries about people who were true believers, and disappointed after the rapture didn't materialize. (I can't imagine folks who bought one-way tickets to Australia to spread the word).

 

[SomeRadioGuy]

WGLB Milwaukee? Only 250 watts but they seem to get out well.
If WFME remains off, listen for Vietnamese programming - KGOW Houston can get out well if they leave the day pattern on.

"leave the day pattern on" is a bit of a misnomer because no one is really sure what KGOW is operating with.

It was a nightly regular when i lived in SE WY.. I've heard it here in AK several times.

Clear evidence something is up with the pattern, some people local to houston have surmised based on local signals, its operating from the night site full time, but that the pattern is screwy

 

[Mediafrog+]

If WFME remains off, listen for Vietnamese programming - KGOW Houston can get out well if they leave the day pattern on.

KGOW hasn’t used its day pattern in several years as that separate transmitter site is not operational. They are on their night site full time, which is supposed to send a tight lobe to the southeast. However that array is out of whack; KGOW can be heard in DFW with almost local strength, and has been regularly heard in Alaska. That signal could be going almost anywhere at night.