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“World’s Last Chance” broadcasts on WBCQ have ended

M

Mediafrog+

Being reported on Glenn Hauser’s World of Radio forum that the World’s Last Chance organization is bankrupt and has ended its broadcasts via the 500kw WBCQ transmitter on 9330 kHz. That facility is now available for lease. From the WBCQ website:

“One of the most powerful and versatile shortwave stations is now available for your lease. The Monticello Maine Superstation operating on 9.330 MHz with up to 500 KW of power with its fully rotatable antenna system can put a shortwave signal anywhere in our world. Contact WBCQ at (207) 889-0039 for this unique opportunity.”

We’ll see if anyone steps forward to fill the airtime. The loss of the WLC income is likely a huge blow to the overall WBCQ operation, and I would assume transmitter time for such a powerful unit would not be cheap. Wonder if construction costs for the facility had been paid off? It went on the air just a few years ago.
 
This message was posted to WLC's web site last week:

Beloved of Yahuwah, The Non-Profit WLC Ministry is currently facing growing financial challenges, which have unfortunately led to the suspension of several projects. If this ministry has touched your life and you wish to see its messages continue to reach others, we kindly ask you to consider making a donation.
Click to expand...

The website also suggests that WLC is pivoting to marketing its ministry through billboards. If you see a billboard that denies the Holy Trinity, it's probably placed by WLC.
 
I have already sent an email to WBCQ to see what an hour of airtime would cost on 9330.. I'll report back.

I know what airtime on SW via Sofia(300kw), Issoudun (300kw), Wooferton(300kw) and Armenia costs (300kw and 1000kw). I also know what WBCQs regular 50kw and WRMI's regular 50kw rates are as well so I'm curious what WBCQ would cost at 500kw.
 
SomeRadioGuy said:
I also know what WBCQs regular 50kw
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The “regular” WBCQ transmitters aren’t running anything near 50kw, judging by the horrible coverage and signal levels. Most likely a few kw. The 7490 kHz transmitter is the best of a bad lot, the others (3265, 5130, 6160) are barely audible, don’t get out at all, or are mostly off the air. These are museum piece units in gasp and wheeze mode.
SomeRadioGuy said:
and WRMI's regular 50kw rates
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Most of the WRMI transmitters are 100kw.

With WRMI, WWCR and WTWW struggling to sell airtime, I have to wonder if we are seeing the death rattle of WBCQ.
 
Mediafrog+ said:
The “regular” WBCQ transmitters aren’t running anything near 50kw, judging by the horrible coverage and signal levels. Most likely a few kw. The 7490 kHz transmitter is the best of a bad lot, the others (3265, 5130, 6160) are barely audible, don’t get out at all, or are mostly off the air. These are museum piece units in gasp and wheeze mode.

Most of the WRMI transmitters are 100kw.

With WRMI, WWCR and WTWW struggling to sell airtime, I have to wonder if we are seeing the death rattle of WBCQ.
Click to expand...
i can see WTWW going bye bye. WWCR will scale back a bit more and WRMI maybe scaling back... but WWCR WRMI and WBCQ will hold steady for a little while longer
 
Mediafrog+ said:
Being reported on Glenn Hauser’s World of Radio forum that the World’s Last Chance organization is bankrupt and has ended its broadcasts via the 500kw WBCQ transmitter on 9330 kHz. That facility is now available for lease. From the WBCQ website:

“One of the most powerful and versatile shortwave stations is now available for your lease. The Monticello Maine Superstation operating on 9.330 MHz with up to 500 KW of power with its fully rotatable antenna system can put a shortwave signal anywhere in our world. Contact WBCQ at (207) 889-0039 for this unique opportunity.”

We’ll see if anyone steps forward to fill the airtime. The loss of the WLC income is likely a huge blow to the overall WBCQ operation, and I would assume transmitter time for such a powerful unit would not be cheap. Wonder if construction costs for the facility had been paid off? It went on the air just a few years ago.
Click to expand...
It was their last chance, apparently
 
SomeRadioGuy said:
i can see WTWW going bye bye. WWCR will scale back a bit more and WRMI maybe scaling back... but WWCR WRMI and WBCQ will hold steady for a little while longer
Click to expand...
I’ve posted about this before, but it is again worth noting that the owner/operators of private shortwave outlets in the U.S. are starting to get up there in age. For instance the “staff info” section of the WRMI website mentions that a number of key people have been at the facility for 40+ years.

While WRMI/WWCR/WTWW/WBCQ might hang on for a few more years under current management, Father Time is undefeated and you have to wonder if there are new generations that have the desire and money to keep these stations going.
 
SomeRadioGuy said:
I have already sent an email to WBCQ to see what an hour of airtime would cost on 9330.. I'll report back.
Click to expand...
A poster on Glenn Hauser’s forum already reached out and was told WBCQ is seeking long term leases for the 500kw transmitter in 12 hour blocks.

Glenn has also raised the question as to who now controls the 500kw unit, as the World’s Last Chance organization apparently financed most of its construction cost.
 
Mediafrog+ said:
you have to wonder if there are new generations that have the desire and money to keep these stations going.
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There are some video tours of WRMI on Youtube, two of which are very recent:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=65pd37pj9Eo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AMBbp5ryiK4 (15:36+)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rKlic5e47ek

And a brief tour of the WTWW transmitters as of three years ago, when they still had music:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=19_K24s-9vg

I can't imagine anyone twentysomething, especially coming out of university with diploma in hand, looking to work in environments like that. These stations are living museums.

SomeRadioGuy said:
i can see WTWW going bye bye.
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WTWW is still airing Brother Stair repeats and it continues to sound grossly distorted. I caught their signal on 9930 during one of their TOTH IDs last week, and the audio issue is definitely not originating from the ministry. It sounds like dying equipment at the station itself -- as if someone has an EQ shoving 200 Hz into heavy tube saturation at all times.

Mediafrog+ said:
The “regular” WBCQ transmitters aren’t running anything near 50kw, judging by the horrible coverage and signal levels. Most likely a few kw. The 7490 kHz transmitter is the best of a bad lot, the others (3265, 5130, 6160) are barely audible, don’t get out at all, or are mostly off the air. These are museum piece units in gasp and wheeze mode.
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Thanks for this. It explains a lot. In Los Angeles, I rarely hear 7490, and almost never the others. I always figured it was my location -- until now. Apparently Allan's ever-increasing electric bills are hurting him much more than he has let on during his broadcasts. :(

PTBoardOp93 said:
The website also suggests that WLC is pivoting to marketing its ministry through billboards. If you see a billboard that denies the Holy Trinity, it's probably placed by WLC.
Click to expand...
They're flat earthers ... flat earthers who were leveraging our spherical ionosphere to distribute themselves via shortwave.

I'm already waiting to see if their upcoming billboard campaign makes its debut on the Las Vegas Sphere.
 
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Mediafrog+ said:
The “regular” WBCQ transmitters aren’t running anything near 50kw, judging by the horrible coverage and signal levels. Most likely a few kw. The 7490 kHz transmitter is the best of a bad lot, the others (3265, 5130, 6160) are barely audible, don’t get out at all, or are mostly off the air. These are museum piece units in gasp and wheeze mode.

Most of the WRMI transmitters are 100kw.

With WRMI, WWCR and WTWW struggling to sell airtime, I have to wonder if we are seeing the death rattle of WBCQ.
Click to expand...
Whatever they're running, 9330 managed to punch through the stucco in my HOA apartment and get through. Never super strong but it made it which is impressive. Usually on a whip I have trouble getting anything reliably. Eveh WWV is hit and miss on any frequency
 
Shortwave is dead. DOA. Flatlined. Now we know that even WBCQ can't survive. Except for amateur radio bands, which still have 3,000,000 hams strong in the USA. Listen to the 20-meter band during any weekend, or the 80-meter band nightly, and you'll hear tons of ragchewing and CQ CQ CQ DX. Field Day is still immensely popular, DXpeditions to exotic islands are still happening, and contests (CQWW, WPX, IARU) are still alive and well every year.
 
crainbebo said:
Now we know that even WBCQ can't survive.
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You forget not only was WBCQ a religious station they were a highly niche station. By all reports they were flat earth believing doomsdayers. WWCR and WRMI are still going strong, China radio is all over the place and the shortwave-info website shows dozens of other active stations. The death and virtual death of former big names such as VOA, BBC, Voice of Russia etc just give the smaller stations a fighting chance. I've even heard North Korea coming in. Shortwave is not dead at all. Just different players
 
KC8UOK said:
You forget not only was WBCQ a religious station they were a highly niche station. By all reports they were flat earth believing doomsdayers. WWCR and WRMI are still going strong, China radio is all over the place and the shortwave-info website shows dozens of other active stations. The death and virtual death of former big names such as VOA, BBC, Voice of Russia etc just give the smaller stations a fighting chance. I've even heard North Korea coming in. Shortwave is not dead at all. Just different players
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But in reality, who is listening to North Korea on SW? I'm sure the regime has its devotees in the West, because there's a small audience for any old nonsense, but they're more likely to be consuming the content online these days.

The same goes for China. Their English SW programming is so boring. If it was interesting insight about China, I might listen from time to time (with eyes open that it's the government line) as the signal is good where I live. But it's dull, dull filler - a lot of the time it sounds like presenters trying to fill airtime talking about nothing. China is one of the most high-tech societies on the planet nowadays, so it's baffling that they persist with stone-age SW. Perhaps they genuinely believe we're listening as we're so far behind them in tech.

WBCQ's 9330 signal reached me in the UK on a good night, and was occasionally audible on a standard SW receiver with its inbuilt antenna, without any fancy antennas or gear. The creepy programming was (and still is) available on-demand online, so I don't know who would be making the effort to tune into it on SW. WWCR and WMLK make it to me fairly regularly in winter as well, but none of the others make the trip.
 
KC8UOK said:
Shortwave is not dead at all. Just different players
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As to listenability, availability of radios and interesting content, those that are still there are best described as pallbearers.

When knowledgeable short wave organizations such as HCJB pull back except for limited content in Asia, you know that for Europe, Africa, the Americas and most of Asia shortwave is indeed dead; the few listeners remaining must have an average age of 80 or so.
 
Mitch Brewer said:
Atheists don't try to sell what they believe.
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I suppose you mean that atheists don't try to sell what they *don't* believe, something on which I would agree. That said, I don't think it's only Christians who are trying to sell their religion to others. One of the people next door to me runs a conservative Jewish group with a sign outside that reads like that of a fundamentalist Christian body. If it had the money, it might have taken interest in the WWCQ offer...
 


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