Was listening to them last night. A great mix of oldies and real old oldies. I first thought I was listening to two stations. Then I heard another station on frequency playing rock. Was unable to identify them. WABF is good in my book. Wish we had more like them!
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Mobile WABF Odies/adult standards
- Thread starter Mike in Destin
- Start date
This station is ran by my friend Lori Dubose. She's worked for some great radio stations in the Mobile market.
K.M. Richards
Program Director, The Eighties Channel™
I just finished saying something along the lines of this in the Atlanta forum ...
Enjoy these stations while you can. The Oldies/Standards format is on its last legs, because it largely appeals to an older demographic which is literally dying off. The only stations where it works are ones like this, where a local owner has built up a loyal audience and can use that loyalty to sell local advertisers. Still, these stations are for the most part surviving on the edge financially, and thus there's no incentive for owners to create "more like them".
A standalone AM with no translator is an endangered species now, and it's very likely that WABF and its sister station WERM (diplexed on the same towers since 2017, the real estate value of tower sites having become another factor for a lot of stations) are staying afloat by following the "loyal audience" sales model. I note that WERM apparently still runs an urban Gospel format, which I imagine also has a loyal following, and that certainly helps the overall strength of the pair. (As I understand it, these are the only two stations under the current common ownership, and neither has a translator.)
But there is still a limit as to how long it can last, and it's certainly not a situation that anyone starts from scratch to emulate.
Enjoy these stations while you can. The Oldies/Standards format is on its last legs, because it largely appeals to an older demographic which is literally dying off. The only stations where it works are ones like this, where a local owner has built up a loyal audience and can use that loyalty to sell local advertisers. Still, these stations are for the most part surviving on the edge financially, and thus there's no incentive for owners to create "more like them".
A standalone AM with no translator is an endangered species now, and it's very likely that WABF and its sister station WERM (diplexed on the same towers since 2017, the real estate value of tower sites having become another factor for a lot of stations) are staying afloat by following the "loyal audience" sales model. I note that WERM apparently still runs an urban Gospel format, which I imagine also has a loyal following, and that certainly helps the overall strength of the pair. (As I understand it, these are the only two stations under the current common ownership, and neither has a translator.)
But there is still a limit as to how long it can last, and it's certainly not a situation that anyone starts from scratch to emulate.
Eternity Media Group has struggled with the stations they've had outside of the Mobile market, losing WLNO New Orleans, and stations in Greenwood, MS and Lake Village, AR. But they still have an FM in Louisiana, an AM in Augusta and an AM with translator in Hattiesburg, so maybe this smaller portfolio of stations will allow them to stick around longer. I suspect their Mobile stations are probably some of the best performing just because it's now the largest market they have since WLNO got deleted in February.
Also, they did at least try to get an FM translator for one of their stations in Mobile, applying for 102.3 at one point, but it was rejected for improper forms filed or something like that. I'm not sure how it would have ever been approved anyway with WQUA one click away.
Also, they did at least try to get an FM translator for one of their stations in Mobile, applying for 102.3 at one point, but it was rejected for improper forms filed or something like that. I'm not sure how it would have ever been approved anyway with WQUA one click away.
K.M. Richards
Program Director, The Eighties Channel™
If they're that small an operator, then they probably tried to file without professional engineering or legal help, and translators have to be at least second-adjacent from nearby signals.
K.M. Richards
Program Director, The Eighties Channel™
Presuming the translators were not applied for under the misnamed "AM Revitalization" process (and tied to their parent AMs) that is always an option.
To respond to esdx's question: Yes, 92.1 was originally WABF-FM, 1966 as I recall. I was working at another Mobile area station (WLPR 96.1) at the time. It was automated, in monaural, at night after the AM signed off. Antenna bays were on one of the two AM towers. Later , briefly, it became FM companion of WGOK AM 900. It was also at one time religious, WHSP (Holy Spirit Power). A move of the transmitter site to a tower on Pollard Rd in Daphne didn't help much in getting its Class A output to get across the bay with a competitive signal. Finally, upgrade to C3, with antenna atop the FNB Bldg downtown Mobile made it viable.