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106.7 West Lafayette the real story

F

Flying-Dutchman

This article appeared in Wikpedia for several years. It is pure fiction.
]In the mid-70's, two broadcast entrepeneurs from Chicago, Tom Jurek and Steve Klabon, did a frequency search of W Lafayette, then the fastest growing area of Indiana. Hal Munn of Coldwater, MI found 106.7. Tom and Steve bought 5 acres of land for a 300 foot tower and went to the West Lafayette Chamber of Commerce, who (because of alliances with WASK) made zoning difficult for the new station.
Then WASK filed against Tom and Steve at the FCC. They then decided to focus on Columbia City and leave Lafayette. By 1978, they doubled their money on the 5 acre land purchase and found other broadcast interests in Ft. Wayne, Rensselaer, and Portage, IN.

The truth. In the mid 1970s, 106.7 was not an open frequency in West Lafayette.
The rules in effect at the time required 155 miles from 106.7 in Chicago.
In 1984 the FCC adapted Docket 80-90. This Docket 80-90 opened thousands
of new frequencies in the US by allowing Class A stations to apply for what had
been Class B channels.

In the mid 1980s, I found 106.7 for West Lafayette and filed the Petition For
Rulemaking to allot the frequency to the community. David Stevenson, former
owner of WXUS filed comments supporting my petition.

Broadcast station owners from Richmond and Marian filed applications to build
106.7 along with Kelly Vaughan Busch.

Kelly was a friend of mine and she got the station (WGLM).

Now, Tom and Steve played no role in starting WGLM. But, there must
be a real story behind the Wikpedia article. Anyone know the truth?
 
I've seen that portion of the Wiki article appear a few times over the past couple of years, and I wondered about it myself since I always heard 106.7 was an 80-90 drop-in and came on the air in 1992 under Kelly Busch.

Didn't Tom Jurek start what is now WLQI in Rensselaer around that time? Perhaps the person who is adding that paragraph to the article is confusing the two stations.

Though I didn't write the portion of the article in question, I did write the original Wiki about 106.7 as well as a few other stations throughout Indiana. If there is any erronous information provided or gaps in the history that need filling, I encourage anyone to make the proper changes to not only WKHL's Wiki but to any of those I wrote in the past as some of the information provided to me was second hand.
 
102.9 at Delphi was the first frequency that I dropped in with the FCC. The
Quinns had come directly to Delphi from Ireland long before the Civil War and
I thought this might be a fun place.

But, three other guys also wanted to build that radio station and it went to an
FCC Hearing. FCC Hearings were like all the other legal procedings in this
country. The guy with the most money wins. The minimum cost for legal fees to get through a hearing was $150,000. So this meant if I stayed in on 102.9 I would
spend all my families money on a lawyer bill and have no money to build and operate
a radio station.

This was stupid. Docket 80-90 had opened boat loads of new FM channels. In fact,
there were more open channels than there were people able to build radio stations.

So, I wrote Petitions For Rulemaking to allot many frequencies. I thought by flooding
the FCC's Table Of Allocations in this State, I might get one.

And, this is how I came to be a radio station owner. I had to make sure there were enough frequencies so that everyone who wanted one got one. I wasn't out to
squeeze others out of station ownership.

After getting my own licenses from the FCC, I still wasn't done. After all
there were others like me who had the money to build and operate a radio station.
And like me they could not play the expensive lawyer games.

Helping others become station owners was my way of trying to make station
ownership more fair. it's not just a rich man's game.

The FCC may open new opportunities for station ownership soon.

106.7 in West Lafayette was just one of my many FCC allotments.
 
This may be the rest of the above Wikpedia Story. There were no FM frequencies
available in West Lafayette under FCC rules of the 1970s But AM was another
matter.

Tom Jurek founded 750 AM in North West Indiana in the 1980s. So, did Tom
intend to build his station in the Lafayette market? Only to be forced to put
it in the Chicago market instead?

http://radio-locator.com/cgi-bin/pat?call=WNDZ&service=AM&status=L&hours=D
 
I get it. Tom Jurek's setback in Lafayette led to the creation of a Chicago
AM powerhouse. Bruce Quinn's setback on a Delphi radio station led to the
creation of Indianapolis's WKLU.

Sometimes what you think is a setback is not a setback at all. I'd bet the
people of Delphi are proud of their boy who was on the air in Indy. They
might not be proud of him if he was still in Delphi, struggling to stay on the air,
living in a trailer, and eating peanut butter.

I'm glad Bruce started all those radio stations. Where will the next one be?
 
Gee, are you talking about me? I am so sorry that my lines aren't nice and straight like everyone
elses. But I am legally blind and I can't see this screen to well. Maybe, you think visually impaired people should not post here.

Wow, most people with my handicap are out picking up cans for chump change. Unlike them I
was taught by my family to not listen to those who put me down. Bruce
 
Flying-Dutchman said:
Gee, are you talking about me? I am so sorry that my lines aren't nice and straight like everyone
elses. But I am legally blind and I can't see this screen to well. Maybe, you think visually impaired people should not post here.

Wow, most people with my handicap are out picking up cans for chump change. Unlike them I
was taught by my family to not listen to those who put me down. Bruce
Click to expand...

I've known you since the 70s, Bruce. I know you're legally blind. I have no reason to suggest that you shouldn't post here.

I was simply pointing out a "tell" to those who might not have noticed it.

Post on.
 
I always loved WBAA. One of the best educational stations ever. It was in the
mid 1980s when I contacted the station and told them they needed to be on FM
too. I was told "No frequencies open" "The University will never go for this"
"No way" I explained that a Petition For Rulemaking could open a new channel
for Purdue. Again, I was told no way.

So, I called the University President. In just 10 minutes he was very interested
in 101.3 FM. He promised to send the GM to meet me and the FM project was
born.

I told WBAA the FCC is already expecting this petition. Just have a Purdue Official
sign here and it's done.

A few weeks later Purdue did file. And others were taking credit for my work.
I was told, you weren't important. We would have done it without you.

I called the president again. I said I donated my work to an educational institution.
All I wanted was thanks. An atourney called and asked if I wanted money. No.
Just thanks. That was all. The president wrote me a nice letter. And, that was all
I wanted.

And, I am pleased that WBAA recently got an upgrade.
 
Well Bruce,
We have not forgotten your radio station WBQR either. You had a large dog that lived
in the studio. Your dog barked on the air and you did not care. You had a stove in the studio and cooked your dinner while doing a live show. The fire alarm screamed on two FM frequencies when you burned your food. What about the cuckoo clock in the studio? It would go off during the news and community announcements.

Then, you moved to Indianapolis and put that cuckoo clock in the studio of WKLU.
I would drive through Indianapolis and the cuckoo clock would go off during the Jay
Baker show.
 
I'll have you know that clock was my grandpa's It has been in all my studios
since my prate radio days. Fortunately for me, Russ and Art didn't know it was
required studio equipment when they purchased WKLU and WBQR.

I have a new dog. Can I upload her picture here? Her name is Lucy and she's
much bigger than my last one. She can't wait to make announcements.

The stove is in the kitchen this time. But, the FM transmitter is in the dining
room.

I am building a new studio right now. Do you know of any other equipment
that I should install?
 
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