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1070 WKMB now broadcasting 24/7?

S

satech

Either 1070 WKMB in Stirling, NJ (studios in Plainfield) has been granted a full-time license, or someone is asleep at the switch, because they stayed on the air all night last night playing Gospel music, and again tonight it's well past sunset and they're still on the air at full power.

The last record in the FCC's database for WKMB was a license renewal in 2006. As of yet there is no record of an application or STA for full-time broadcasting. And even if WKMB could get a full-time license (maybe now possible since the Canadian CBC station on 1070 kHz went off the air), it would likely be for a very low wattage, not the full 250 watt daytime power which they're using as I type this.
 
Even though CBA is gone, there's still supposed to be protection, as if another 1070 in Moncton could go on the air with 50kW tomorrow. Same way that 690 & 940 Montreal are still protected. Stations just cannot go nighttime willy-nilly.

cd
 
The station does not have authority to be on at night. This is what happens to any station when they don't have a FT engineer. Mark Emanualle is there contract engineer these days. I'll let him know. ;D
 
Deeman1710 said:
The station does not have authority to be on at night. This is what happens to any station when they don't have a FT engineer. Mark Emanualle is there contract engineer these days. I'll let him know. ;D
Click to expand...

I spoke with Mark a couple of weeks ago. It looks like a WHOLE BUNCH of people there were Not Paid / Checks Bounced and then the landlord evicted them from their studios by calling the police to get them out of there!!! He said he was no longer going out there to fix anything until they pay him the money that they owe him, since he hasn't been paid for over a year and the last check they gave him bounced!!! He even had to threaten them with the police for them to make good on that check. Some fine religious organization...

It looks like they have no control of the transmitter because it keeps going up and down with a dead carrier sometimes, programming sometimes, and the power is all over the place from very low to what must be way more than 250 watts since I was able to hear it all the way down in Yardley, PA. Last night I heard someone just repeating the "F" word over and over again, so I guess maybe the studios have been abandoned, or there is a mic open somewhere. Then again, maybe there is a pirate taking over the freq. at night.

:eek:
 
I heard the F word along with the C word and others this afternoon. Sounded like a bit from South park. That station has been going on and off the air everyday. One day I heard it playing great oldies from the 60's. It's always on at night lately at sporatic times. That Gospel stuff is horrible. I remember KMB when it was a great little country station. I just turned on my radio now and its on saying ----, Shit, ------, Ass, ----, everyword you can think of. It's Cartman in a repeating loop. :eek:







[NOTE-language filter enacted]
 
It sounds like another NJ AM that was started in the 60s and 70s may be about to fade to silence forever, joining Plainfield's WERA, Dover's WRAN and Washington's WCRV.

It's absence might make it easier to follow ESPN radio when transiting NJ and listening to 1050 out of NYC and 1040 out of Flemington.

In fact, if ESPN were not thinking about getting an FM signal in NYC, a cheap fire sale purchase of WKMB might make a lot of sense for them.

It might even make more sense for Disney to buy WKMB and fill some of the gap Disney Radio has between its New York and Philly stations. WKMB's signal does cover about a million people, and most of them are very upscale. Disney could be justified in making a cheap purchase and hooking up a satellite feed to reach that area better. It has lots of well off professional young married with little kids.

The founding owners of WKMB, Alice and Herb Michaels, were nice people who poured a lot of their lives into their dreams for that station. They knew they started an AM just as FM was kicking in big time, but they still kept it sounding good and on the air for decades. It is too bad it has declined to the point of loops of obscenities.
 
TimeIsTight said:
It's absence might make it easier to follow ESPN radio when transiting NJ and listening to 1050 out of NYC and 1040 out of Flemington.
Click to expand...
1050's signal in central NJ is actually a lot better since they rebuilt their transmitter site.

And it's a shame WKMB is going through such problems lately, because they could be an effective community voice for Plainfield as the city struggles with gang violence. But it seems Rev. Kirkwood hedged too much of the station's operations on his church's goodwill, and goodwill can only get you so far when you're not paying the bills.
 
Cannot confirm any of the above, such as the supposed indebtedness of the owners/operators of WKMB or the status of their 120 West 7th Street studios in Plainfield. The one thing I can tell you is that this evening (10th November) heard them playing "True Oldies Channel" programming with a (near) top of the hour ID close to 10:00 p.m. of "WPLJ and WPLJ HD-2, New York." I'm in North Plainfield, and this signal is stronger than KMB's typical daytime signal here in this neck of the woods. A friend over in Dunellen was able to hear it, too, with near full quieting, so this isn't a one-watt pirate down the block. It is nosw approaching 10:40 p.m. local and there is still a reasonably strong (now unmodulated carrier) on 1070. If you want my opinion, I think poor old Bob Balfour is clanking his chains over at 120 West Seventh Street and having a little fun (although his choice wouldn't have been rock'n'roll -- it'd be theatre organ music!) Any other signal reports out there?
 
Strange stuff indeed... it's 11:00 PM and WKMB is on the air with full daytime power (or maybe even more?) playing Oldies!
 
I heard the "WPLJ / WPLJ-HD2" True Oldies Channel ID, and now a canned Scott Shannon just intro'ed an Elton John song. The audio is dull but clean and correctly processed. I know WKMB's transmitter is a BE 500A, so chances are they've got it cranked all the way up to 500 watts. After all, if you were going to say "Screw the FCC!" and fire up a daytimer at night, would you care about abiding by the station's legally licensed daytime power (250W) either? :)
 
All very sad. This is what can cost you a license. BTW cranking WKMB's power to 500 watts from 250 will achieve very little. It is a 3dB gain and wouldn't even be noticed. Ever since the Michaels family turned over the keys it's been a disaster. I go all the way to to listening to "Musicleader 1070" when KMB was top 40 and the last few years have been very sad to hear on 1070. Herb Michaels never upgraded thinking that no one would listen at night and he was probably right but the daytime signal used to be very good. I know quite a few people that used to listen to "that little country station in Stirling."
 
WKMB's carrier has been on all night for over a week now after they sign off, and on as of this post at 1:20 AM. You would think with the FCC on there ??? they would be more concerned. :eek:
 
Well if you state that they were/are running a "dead carrier" in the UNLICENSED OFF PEAK HOURS, perhaps they can incorporate this into their Public File somehow as a "public service" (if they have one...) compared to the daily offerings... when they are actually on the air that is. For them "Radio Silence" might actually be a more desirable format for the area.

One question I have is if this has been going on for as long as some state on this thread HOW IS THE FCC ALLOWING this to continue? I've seen much smaller infractions incur a LARGE unnecessary fine (in my opinion) and yet they seem to coast along unscathed. Class D station or not, certainly doesn't seem fair in the least. Perhaps the FCC should make a NIGHT of it and catch Streetz 106.5 (still using the old Streetz 96 imaging mind you), the Spanish Pirate on 107.9 AND WKMB's "Whenever they feel like complying Broadcast Schedule." Has the station EVER been in FULL-compliance post country days??

I would agree with VeteranPD, What a WASTE indeed of a relatively great stick otherwise in the densely populated North-Central part of the state...

:'(
 
WKMB is up to their old tricks again! Last night they were on the air around 7:30 PM broadcasting what sounded like a tape of a preacher being played way too slowly, and they're back on again tonight with a dead carrier.
 
A very sad state indeed. While many enjoyed WKMB's country format in my opinion they were even better as a top40/AC STATION prior to that. They had a news department, covered local meetings at night, had a community based midday talk show, Mutual network news, sponsors from the immediate Stirling area, plus Summit, North Plainfield, Short Hills and Bernardville. Ron Leslie did kick ass production and all the jocks had a very professional sound. IT WAS LOCAL RADIO AT ITS BEST. Now? Why would anyone even listen?
 
Well, tonight Leo the Lion is back, or at least it sounds like it... I guess they either have an old analog tape that garbaged, or something is running REAL SLOW!!!!!!! but they are on with what sounds like Quite a bit of power at 9:30 PM!!!!1 FCC: Where the heck are you???
 
radiogeek2010 said:
Well, tonight Leo the Lion is back, or at least it sounds like it... I guess they either have an old analog tape that garbaged, or something is running REAL SLOW!!!!!!! but they are on with what sounds like Quite a bit of power at 9:30 PM!!!!1 FCC: Where the heck are you???
Click to expand...

Where is this station vis a vis KYW 1060---and doesn't KYW run IBOC 24 hours?
 
cd637299 said:
radiogeek2010 said:
Well, tonight Leo the Lion is back, or at least it sounds like it... I guess they either have an old analog tape that garbaged, or something is running REAL SLOW!!!!!!! but they are on with what sounds like Quite a bit of power at 9:30 PM!!!!1 FCC: Where the heck are you???
Click to expand...

Where is this station vis a vis KYW 1060---and doesn't KYW run IBOC 24 hours?
Click to expand...

They're in KYW's null to the northeast. Some coverage maps may show them with overlapping fringe signals, but in real life...I don't think so.
 
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