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1600 WULM up for sale

G

gr8oldies

1600 WULM. Springfield's only remaining locally owned and operated station, is for sale. $335,000 out the door. Clears all debts and buys you the station.


The current morning duo, with one carrying three job titles and one carrying 7, worked 12 to 14 hour days to create something feasable enough to keep us afloat in the Dayton market. Without any marketing or promotions budget, in fact with no budget at all, we think we did a damn good job. Our listenership over the past few months has exploded and we've proven that small town radio/radio the way it used to be, isn't dead.

Past management and lack of ownership support led us to the point.

Rumor has it that The Barn Network is looking.
Call or email for info..

Brad Lovett [email protected] or (937)831-0202
 
"Top of the Dial WBLY"—the first station I ever heard “Lil’ Red Riding Hood” (Sam the Sham and the Pharaohs) on back in August of ’66... And right after a Scandlin-Swallens jingle to boot. ‘Guess what goes around (on the station turntable)—comes back around (on the station hard drive) nearly 40 years later. I heard it again on WULM last spring. ‘Hope you guys keep on the oldies... Nice job!

Is the “Barn Network” a handle for what I think it is?
 
I discovered this station quite by accident. Nice station. Sorry to see it go away. You guys did a hellluva job under the circumstances.
 
I worked at WULM for a short time back in 2003 shortly after their flip from talk to oldies. Bob Roberts was a great boss and supervisor. Marco Simmons, Michelle Philips, and Dale Grimm were all great people to work with. Reguardless of how bad things looked at the station Bob was always upbeat and optimistic, it really was a pleasure to work there. Hopefully it will stay in local hands. Best of luck to the current staff.
 
How close to Cincinnati could 1600 be moved? With directional patterns custom designed, besides WSRW 1590 in Hillsboro, it seems feasible to me off the top of my head.

Tom
 
major said:
How close to Cincinnati could 1600 be moved? With directional patterns custom designed, besides WSRW 1590 in Hillsboro, it seems feasible to me off the top of my head.

Tom
Click to expand...

A 1,000 watt daytimer? 34 watts at night? ............... it couldn't serve ANY city of any decent size!

Besides it's AM.

I've said this before on the Columbus board, but it seems as though radio is due for a major realignment. With the way cities are sprawling these days, 50,000 watt FM's generally don't have enough juice to give even coverage out to the suburbs. Why not realign the stations in the north? Get rid of the Class B stations, and give the big cities a bunch of 100,000 watt Class C stations on 1,000 foot sticks ....... leaving Class A's for places like Springfield and Chillicothe.

That way small towns get to keep their local service, and the larger markets can get the service they deserve.

It seems as though all of these move-ins involving Class-A's and rimshot Class A's are only junking up the airwaves. Not doing anybody justice ....... neither the big metro areas, nor the small towns left without service.
 
Dirty_Harry said:
major said:
How close to Cincinnati could 1600 be moved? With directional patterns custom designed, besides WSRW 1590 in Hillsboro, it seems feasible to me off the top of my head.

Tom
Click to expand...

A 1,000 watt daytimer? 34 watts at night? ............... it couldn't serve ANY city of any decent size!

Besides it's AM.

I've said this before on the Columbus board, but it seems as though radio is due for a major realignment. With the way cities are sprawling these days, 50,000 watt FM's generally don't have enough juice to give even coverage out to the suburbs. Why not realign the stations in the north? Get rid of the Class B stations, and give the big cities a bunch of 100,000 watt Class C stations on 1,000 foot sticks ....... leaving Class A's for places like Springfield and Chillicothe.

That way small towns get to keep their local service, and the larger markets can get the service they deserve.

It seems as though all of these move-ins involving Class-A's and rimshot Class A's are only junking up the airwaves. Not doing anybody justice ....... neither the big metro areas, nor the small towns left without service.
Click to expand...

Signal has always been an issue with ULM. In the early days of their Oldies format they were actually targeting Dayton, an unrealistic expectation with a 1,000 watt daytimer on the expanded band 25 miles away from the market. Still, in the early days especially, they gave it one hell of a shot.
 
My prayers and my heart goes out to this station...and to its staff who gave it all they got. Hope somebody whoever buys it keeps it local where it belongs. Eli Williams and his crew are to be commended and to all past and present staff members and to intern Joe Madigan who added his youthful energy on the air a couple of summers ago. This was a station on a mission...I don't care about the arbitron numbers...they were on a mission...God love em' all!
 
Back in the 1970s, Smilin Bob Yontz had a study done for an upgrade to 5,000 watts. I
recall this was directional.

Guys, I have owned stations in towns smaller than Springfield that had a dozen FMs.
Somehow, I have survived!

As for moving this station? It needs to stay in Springfield. It's the only thing local left.
Springfiled should have a radio station!
 
Its too bad someone with some cash and a memory of what use to be can't step up and do whats right! The city of Springfield deserves and needs this media outlet. If an outside source takes over you know the future of 1600 WULM will be bleek.
 
From what I've read/heard about the alleged new owners, they're local people (or at least within the listening area) who plan to keep the station local...
 
I tend to agree with Dirty Harry and Al Timiter here.

Not that I don't think Springfield deserves radio service (it certainly does), but there is a point to be made that AM (sadly) either needs to be completely revamped, or junked entirely. And that has nothing to do with Springfield. I see potential viability for 1600, and 1340 too under local owners, but it would need to be a cluster with 101.7 (or .5) to make it work financially.

AM, in my humble belief, should be a regional service with stations of no less than 10,000 watts fulltime. If you don't at least have 5K now...you shouldn't be on the air. Clear out all the small stations. Give the stations that can still prove commercial viability 10K...and get rid of everything else.

Next - realign FM. Get rid of the translators (churches and ministries don't each need 2,000 of them!), and LP-FM's. (or move such to the educational part of the band). Find a way to put Class A FM's into as many smaller communities as commercially viable. Each such area should have 2 or 3 Class A's for competitive purposes. That would cover your small town local services. In bigger towns, allow 20K and 50K stations. (Your B's and C's). They need the bigger coverage to cover bigger metropolitan areas.

OK, I admit, I'm not an engineer, so engineering types, don't be too hard on me. But, that's my general idea. If you guys would like to take that idea and flesh it out a bit, I'd love to hear your thoughts.

I hope, for the time being, a good owner is found for WULM. You guys have been through the ringer and do deserve better. I don't see any evidence of a "groundswell" of audience, but I respect what you're trying to do.
 
The application for assignment has been posted on the FCC Website.

http://fjallfoss.fcc.gov/cgi-bin/ws...xt=25&appn=101224743&formid=314&fac_num=55232


Jason Roberts said:
I tend to agree with Dirty Harry and Al Timiter here.

Not that I don't think Springfield deserves radio service (it certainly does), but there is a point to be made that AM (sadly) either needs to be completely revamped, or junked entirely. And that has nothing to do with Springfield. I see potential viability for 1600, and 1340 too under local owners, but it would need to be a cluster with 101.7 (or .5) to make it work financially.

AM, in my humble belief, should be a regional service with stations of no less than 10,000 watts fulltime. If you don't at least have 5K now...you shouldn't be on the air. Clear out all the small stations. Give the stations that can still prove commercial viability 10K...and get rid of everything else.

Next - realign FM. Get rid of the translators (churches and ministries don't each need 2,000 of them!), and LP-FM's. (or move such to the educational part of the band). Find a way to put Class A FM's into as many smaller communities as commercially viable. Each such area should have 2 or 3 Class A's for competitive purposes. That would cover your small town local services. In bigger towns, allow 20K and 50K stations. (Your B's and C's). They need the bigger coverage to cover bigger metropolitan areas.

OK, I admit, I'm not an engineer, so engineering types, don't be too hard on me. But, that's my general idea. If you guys would like to take that idea and flesh it out a bit, I'd love to hear your thoughts.

I hope, for the time being, a good owner is found for WULM. You guys have been through the ringer and do deserve better. I don't see any evidence of a "groundswell" of audience, but I respect what you're trying to do.
Click to expand...

I agree with your proposals except that there should remain the original 50KW clear channel stations which were originally intended to allow coverage of the country with a few stations in event of a major crisis. There is no rational reason for low power FM stations and translators should be limited to legitimate extension of stations into dead zones, not to increase coverage into areas not part of the designated coverage area.

Most of the recent 50KW assignments are super tight directional and have to reduce night power drastically so they should go back to 10KW full time with directional patterns to maintain minimum interference. 1KW and 5KW stations can serve small communities. I think that FM stations should be assigned power and height based upon engineering studies as to what is actually needed to serve their main community. The creeping of class A's toward nearby larger metropolitan areas should cease. What happen is that they link them into simulcasts to cover the larger city.

In order to make any of this possible would require engineering studies to get it right and AM might have to go completely digital instead of hybrid. If not that then go back to regular AM with 10KHZ response to get reasonable fidelity.
 
Don't know yet for certain at the moment if the Miracle Mile studios will be used for RM since it is essentially a network of repeaters (an AM plus 2 FMs in Louisiana, an AM in Texas and the Anna FM transmitting from Botkins)simulcasting originator KJMJ(AM) in Alexandria Louisiana by sattellite but the potential is there for programs originating from Springfield's Catholic community as RM continues to gradually grow..it's way to early to tell. There are some programs which at present eminate from Dayton over telephone lines. It is my hope that Miracle Mile (or some other local studio) can and will remain in Springfield. It is also way too early at the moment if the WULM call sign will remain or if it will change. This will help fill a need for RM's listeners in Springfield,Dayton,Urbana,Bellefontaine,Troy,West Milton,Eaton and east towards Columbus and surrounding areas which cannot pull in the Anna/Botkins FM.

WULM has struggled through different formats and a next to nothing operating budget to lure advertisers and listeners from the get go up to this point despite a dedicated skeleton staff as I have said in a previous post.

The good part here is that AM-1600 can finally junk the old worn out transmitter for a much better one (with better coverage)under the new owners.

Dear Jas:
As smaller commercial FM stations continue to be aquired by corporate clusters and moved to bigger markets(WDHT was originally WBLY-FM and the resurrected WHIO-FM calls on the original WPTW-FM)...the only ones left will be the struggling small market AMs (WBZI,WPTW,WBLL,WCSM, etc)and even more so the LPFMs who are dedicated to serving their local communites. WSWO-LP in Huber Heights and WRPO-LP up at Indian Lake are excellent examples of remaining local despite low power and being non-commercial operating on donations so please leave those little guys alone.
 
Jason... Thru conjecture – I assume [hopefully in an accurate way] that you are a well-seated corporately-employed radio Program Director... I AM NOT a “fan” of “corporate radio”, BUT I AM NOT attempting to “label” you or assume that your intentions are without virtue. I have heard your endeavor, and it bears merit! I will join you in provisional agreement and admit that I would love nothing more than for the AM band to be cleansed – we may disagree on “how we get there, though!

I have a few questions; and understand that they do not relate to the exemplary operation of 1290 WHIO or “sister” WSB in Atlanta. I assume you work for Cox Communications – a company I HAVE NEVER ATTACKED for the all-too-typical mortal and business transgressions of contemporary corporate radio.

This is 2008 – nearly a decade post-TelCom, and a time that finds MOST originally-assigned FM allocations to smaller communities closely-located to large markets – “creatively” REMOVED from their intended Communities of License. The last eight years on the FM band resembles a “hamster dance” motivated-by and intended-for ONLY the interest of mega corporate radio—an elaborate attempt to enhance their metro clusters AT ANY COST – and with total disregard to the local interests of those residing in smaller sub-politan or ex-urban communities. You can offer NO rebuttal to that FACT – do we fully understand each-other as we move forward in this discussion? The TRUTH is NAKED and easily documented... IE: 100.3 WIFE-FM Connersville, IN as the most outrageous recent example – moved over SIXTY MILES and downgraded to provide “first service” to “the underserved and non-urbanized city of Norwood, Ohio (encapsulated by Cincinnati)"... LMOL... OH MY GOD WHAT A RUSE - and one that set a distorted and HORRIBLE president that cannot be casually dismissed or defended by ANYONE with a arbitrary legal mind - even one who believes a bureaucracy is pliable by simple creative perspective.

The cogent point having been made – now you come to this forum and wish [sic] for small AM stations to be cleared for “regional services”... WHERE would those “regional services” go under your plan, Jason? ...To Springfield [or a move into a larger market]... To Connersville, Indiana [pop 17,000 and a county seat left-only with a 250-day/FIVE-WATT-night “service”] or to metro Lexington, KY or Indianapolis. Seriously, I’m NOT going to assume your answer – I merely ask the question, and will respect your answer!

I agree... The AM band needs pruning... Let’s start in the LARGE MARKETS where few IF ANY of these stations remain “viable” – running “flank” formats with a 0.7 share [1360] or brokered out 24/7 to anyone with cash at the door to run Christ or “Colon Blow”. WHERE would you like to begin, Jason? ...In Springfield, Connersville, or metro-ANYWHERE?
 
hipporadio said:
Jason... Thru conjecture – I assume [hopefully in an accurate way] that you are a well-seated corporately-employed radio Program Director... I AM NOT a “fan” of “corporate radio”, BUT I AM NOT attempting to “label” you or assume that your intentions are without virtue. I have heard your endeavor, and it bears merit! I will join you in provisional agreement and admit that I would love nothing more than for the AM band to be cleansed – we may disagree on “how we get there, though!

I have a few questions; and understand that they do not relate to the exemplary operation of 1290 WHIO or “sister” WSB in Atlanta. I assume you work for Cox Communications – a company I HAVE NEVER ATTACKED for the all-too-typical mortal and business transgressions of contemporary corporate radio.

This is 2008 – nearly a decade post-TelCom, and a time that finds MOST originally-assigned FM allocations to smaller communities closely-located to large markets – “creatively” REMOVED from their intended Communities of License. The last eight years on the FM band resembles a “hamster dance” motivated-by and intended-for ONLY the interest of mega corporate radio—an elaborate attempt to enhance their metro clusters AT ANY COST – and with total disregard to the local interests of those residing in smaller sub-politan or ex-urban communities. You can offer NO rebuttal to that FACT – do we fully understand each-other as we move forward in this discussion? The TRUTH is NAKED and easily documented... IE: 100.3 WIFE-FM Connersville, IN as the most outrageous recent example – moved over SIXTY MILES and downgraded to provide “first service” to “the underserved and non-urbanized city of Norwood, Ohio (encapsulated by Cincinnati)"... LMOL... OH MY GOD WHAT A RUSE - and one that set a distorted and HORRIBLE president that cannot be casually dismissed or defended by ANYONE with a arbitrary legal mind - even one who believes a bureaucracy is pliable by simple creative perspective.

The cogent point having been made – now you come to this forum and wish [sic] for small AM stations to be cleared for “regional services”... WHERE would those “regional services” go under your plan, Jason? ...To Springfield [or a move into a larger market]... To Connersville, Indiana [pop 17,000 and a county seat left-only with a 250-day/FIVE-WATT-night “service”] or to metro Lexington, KY or Indianapolis. Seriously, I’m NOT going to assume your answer – I merely ask the question, and will respect your answer!

I agree... The AM band needs pruning... Let’s start in the LARGE MARKETS where few IF ANY of these stations remain “viable” – running “flank” formats with a 0.7 share [1360] or brokered out 24/7 to anyone with cash at the door to run Christ or “Colon Blow”. WHERE would you like to begin, Jason? ...In Springfield, Connersville, or metro-ANYWHERE?
Click to expand...

You have brought up a lot of valid considerations, however I feel as I think Jason does as well that AM lends itself more to regional coverage and FM to localized. The problem with LP FM is that while there are likely many valuable operations like the ones you have cited, the plain facts are that running a broadcast service is hard work. Once the initial fervor of having a 'local" voice dies down they either fade into silence or to the hands of the God Squads. The fact that they are limited to non commercial operation and may not be owned by persons or organizations with other media interests dooms most of them eventually. Non commercial generally equates to no pay and if you have all non paid volunteers the level of support ebbs and wanes constantly unpredictably.

AM as I know from living in Los Angeles has problems because of clutter and noise. In more rural and less densely populated areas it still works pretty good. When I go back to the Midwest I still get stations pretty cleanly even with the IBOC hash. Properly powered FMs with towers of adequate height could better serve larger metro areas.

As I stated before it would take some considerable engineering study and modeling to come up with a workable scheme to improve the situation. I fell quite strongly that id radio is to survive it has to be done. HD radio will not be the answer so long as the receivers are so expensive for so little choice. Digital TV is getting a big boost because they are killing off analog next year. Digital radio might need some similar to plan to get off the ground. However I am not convinced that hybrid operation in the medium wave bands is a good thing. It should be all or nothing if it is to work and be an improvement.

As to the case for WULM, it was doomed once it left the Yontz family and unfortunately Ron did not have the business acumen and community devotion of his late father. On the other end of the spectrum WBZI in Xenia seems to be getting along quite well with a dedicated local owner. Recently they have added additional live DJ programming on the weekends. If someone like Joe Mullins had come along instead of Urban Light it might still be a local station for Springfield. Urban Light once had applications for LPFM and that might have been their forte. Hopefully WEEC can step in to provide more Springfield programming, maybe picking up "Speak Out" and the St. John's services and "Crossing Over".
 
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