I listen to Kool 101.7 from time to time - it's def not a typical "classic hits" mix and is very focused on Newark (which it should despite it's tower site near New Albany). WNKO's owners seem still focused on running local radio - they also have a translator in Newark that airs a country format at 107.7 and recently purchased the Radio U Newark Translator at was at 105.5 and has a CP to re-locate to 94.3 and be fed from a WNKO HD channel.
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BAS sells WQIO/WMVO to Total Media
- Thread starter NorthcoastRadio
- Start date
Preaching to the choir. I have the ability to forget what I'm doing while I'm doing it.
Haven't tuned that way in a while I will have to check tomorrow and see if they are still dead air. Their web stream seems to be up and running and oddly I just noticed it appears they switched away from "Infinity Sports" to "Fox Sports" for their syndicated programming. (I wonder when that happened).
I have a friend within range who's told me it's been dead air for months but I of course can't verify
Well at least BAS shut off 1300 a few years ago. 🤷‍♂️
Yeah well apparently their story on that one was they could not figure how to fix it's tower so it was cheaper for them to just turn in the license and feed the translator for WMVO via WQIO HD-2.
Agree, and same dating to the days that I worked in Newark. I do find their local focus on Licking County, which I like, at odds with the occasional New Albany references. Having worked quite a bit in New Albany in my previous job, I don't know one person there who considers 101.7 their radio station. Plenty of people in Licking County do consider it theirs, though. That kind of thing is way more important at a practical level than being the latest rimshot.
It sounds like they've bit off more than they can chew with all these acquisitions if multiple stations are sitting off the air or blowing dead air for long periods of time. My understanding is that they run most of them out of the Jackson mothership as a common thread seems to be blowing out the local staffs. They just canned the two staffers at WVNU and comments on their social media are reporting lots of dead air so it's probably on the "cloud delivered radio" system now.
I can't get WATH at my location but did indeed hear a dead carrier from WXIC.
I can't get WATH at my location but did indeed hear a dead carrier from WXIC.
Yes they did.......... and did not have a choice as maintenance on the transmitter, line and tower were not properly done over the years. The cost to get 1300 back on the air would not have been worth it!.
Here's portion of the letter about 1300 WMVO,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
Date: May 1, 2023
Over the last several years 1300 AM WMVO has experienced major engineering issues. In fact, 1300 AM has been on low power (25watts) for over two years. We spent tens of thousands of dollars consulting with multiple engineering firms conducting field work and extended research. We received multiple solutions costing hundreds of thousands of dollars to correct. Even after making the investment these firms could not guarantee 1300 AM WMVO would be back on the air at full power and within FCC rules and regulations. This put us at a crossroads. As you may know 1300 AM (parent) shares programming with 100.9FM (translator) both delivering the WMVO brand programming. There is a solution, but it required us to go HD. This meant turning 1300 AM off but keeping the same great programming on 100.9FM. The next step is to now share that same programming with both 100.9 FM (translator) and 93.7 HD-2 WQIO (new Parent). How does this work? WQIO has a new digital transmitter allowing us to broadcast multiple signals on the same frequency.
Date: May 1, 2023
Over the last several years 1300 AM WMVO has experienced major engineering issues. In fact, 1300 AM has been on low power (25watts) for over two years. We spent tens of thousands of dollars consulting with multiple engineering firms conducting field work and extended research. We received multiple solutions costing hundreds of thousands of dollars to correct. Even after making the investment these firms could not guarantee 1300 AM WMVO would be back on the air at full power and within FCC rules and regulations. This put us at a crossroads. As you may know 1300 AM (parent) shares programming with 100.9FM (translator) both delivering the WMVO brand programming. There is a solution, but it required us to go HD. This meant turning 1300 AM off but keeping the same great programming on 100.9FM. The next step is to now share that same programming with both 100.9 FM (translator) and 93.7 HD-2 WQIO (new Parent). How does this work? WQIO has a new digital transmitter allowing us to broadcast multiple signals on the same frequency.
Interesting about WVNU - I just noticed they posted about a 'fiber issue' on their page a few days ago and some people were not happy. Given WVNU is now running a music log similar to Mix 96 WKOV (just localized with different imaging/ads) it would mean that TM switched WVNU away from the syndicated satellite format that it previously aired and likely running it's playout from Jackson.
From a business standpoint it makes sense to centrally house as much of the broadcast gear as possible even if they do maintain local studios (i.e. 100.9 Hank FM has a studio in downtown Chillicothe where they do the morning and drive shows) and I believe they still do have some form of a studio(s) in Athens and Portsmouth for those clusters.
The "playout" software they use has the ability to be controlled via a laptop/web browser. I know their "high school sports" folks run their own ads via a laptop remotely controlling the station. I remember listening to HS Football last season on WXIC and the PBP talent talking about starting his commercials and how at one of the schools they had poor cell hotspot coverage so they kept loosing connection.
They may not be perfect but I give them credit for trying to keep these signals alive. I wonder how many of the signals they have purchased would have went dark if they had not taken them over. My understanding when they took over WXIC/WXIZ/WXZQ the stations were running on technology from the 1990s and needed much updating.
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Once average listeners start noticing, there begins to be an issue. In these little markets, your advertisers are your listeners.
playout one pro! so so great for small town stations and staff@!
I voicetrack for a WY station using it, from Alaska. and its soooooooooooo smooth swift quick easy and user friendly.
I've even gone live from Alaska on the WY station and it was.. flawless.. using starlink on this end.
Paul Walker
“I was raised in Connecticut but I’ve spent 15 years working in radio all over the country. Everywhere from the Florida Space Coast to the middle of nowhere in Alaska. I’m a little weird but I love…
myhits106.com
Yep PO1 is what they are using.
As I recall, several of BAS's stations were Clear Channel/iHeart castoffs. Hmmm "get local/regional owners back in, they said. All the jobs will come back" they said.
Yes WQIO was previously owned by Clear Channel and sold to BAS. Looking at on air talent on the WQIO website they are running a local morning show from what I can tell and then the rest of the talent is syndicated. Example if you search for their midday guys name and add radio after it you get a lot of results with almost the 'same' bio =) They don't really even try to make these people 'local' anymore. In fact the same syndicated talent on WQIO mid days is the same talent on BAS's WCPZ 102.7 in Sandusky. (in fact after mornings WCPZ runs the same exact on air talent list as WQIO). I guess as long as the listener is 'fooled' that is all that matters (interesting though because there is some signal overlap of 102.7 and 93.7 in Northern Ohio).
All BAS stations run programming from Local Radio Networks. Both WQIO and WCPZ have local morning shows and the same LRN programming for the rest of the day. There’s really only signal overlap between 93.7 and 102.7 near Mansfield, though I doubt many listeners there are tuning into either station. BAS’s WLEC and WMVO also run the same LRN oldies format.
In the Mid-Ohio region, iHeart also runs the programming between WNCO-FM and WMRN-FM, WMAN-AM/FM and WMRN-AM and WYHT and WYNT during parts of the day.
TM is aware btw - they are having some issues with it's STL.