Citing sky-rocketing taxes - WPRX threatens to leave New Britain (again)

[MarcB]

Oscar Nieves is getting ready to move the studios of his WPRX AM 1120 again. Citing sky-rocketing taxes he's threatening to leave the city of New Britain again.

http://newbritainherald.com/articles/2011/07/08/news/doc4e16563431585176510633.txt


I just want to mention this. Have you ever heard of any business (or radio stations) moving so many times in 17 years?

In 1993 Nieves bought the station - then WBIS and moved it from 47 Bradley Street in Bristol to 610-620 Main Street in New Britain.

Several years later he moved the station to 10 Main Street in New Britain. He was evicted a short time later. The landlord decided he wanted a restaurant in that store front. (It's now Pepino's Pizza).

Then he ended up in an office building at 81 West Main Street in New Britain.

Around 2000 he moved the station to 21-27 Sargent Street in Hartford.

For several months in late 2004/early 2005 under a brief LMA with the now-defunct Freedom Communications of Connecticut studios temporarily moved to 330 Main Street in Hartford with WLAT 910, what was then WKND 1230, and what was then WNEZ 1480.

After the short-lived LMA with Freedom Broadcasting the station went back to Sargent Street.

In 2007 WPRX moved back to New Britain in an old Factory building at 321 Ellis Street.

 

[KML0224]

Exit 25 from CT Route 9. Last time I checked, they were up there on the 4th floor or whatever. I just wish this station would cease operations and just get it over with. Their signal is crap a mere 1/2 mile west of that studio.

 

[MarcB]

Me too Kevin. I live not too far from their tower in Bristol. I get that thing splattered across the AM band.

 

[BobRadil]

Oscar Nieves is getting ready to move the studios of his WPRX AM 1120 again...

Marc,

Your history is pretty close. The move to Hartford was October, 2002. The move to Ellis St. New Britain was February 2007. This was a factory building on the ground level on the north side of the street. This was supposed to be temporary. The departure from Hartford was, shall we say, rushed! The move to the current location on 5th floor on the south side of Ellis St. was in early 2008. I did the wiring on most of the moves.

For reasons way beyond the scope of this posting I left the station a couple years ago. I was not replaced. More recently it appeared that those ''reasons'' were resolved and that I would be returning to straighten things out and restore them to a normal operation. It now appears that is not the case.

This is the first I heard of any moves. If a move does come to pass it won't be me who does the wiring unless those ''reasons'' really go away. I have no idea who else would want to do it.

 

[BobRadil]

Me too Kevin. I live not too far from their tower in Bristol. I get that thing splattered across the AM band.

It has to be in your radio. WPRX bandwidth is in NRSC compliance as of last October and I have the spectrum analizer printouts to prove it. I'm not aware of any more recent changes.

 

[N1WVQ]

What's more interesting is that their license is still canceled but operating under an STA.

 

[KML0224]

He probably picks up 1120 AM on dead spots of his radio. Sometimes, most of my radio's dial will be wiped out from 1400 AM and above during the day with WPOP-AM 1410. It was really a pain back when the Rock Cats had their baseball games on the Buckley network. WDRC-AM 1360 of Hartford didn't carry every game. WMMW-AM 1470 of Meriden usually carried every game, but that 1,000 watt signal doesn't exactly carry into New Britain's south end well (then and now).

 

[reelyreal]

What's more interesting is that their license is still canceled but operating under an STA.

Right?? I think I'd be more interested in getting that "D" removed from my call letters in the FCC database and operating my station with a legit license than moving my studios.

 

[necrat123]

What's more interesting is that their license is still canceled but operating under an STA.

Right?? I think I'd be more interested in getting that "D" removed from my call letters in the FCC database and operating my station with a legit license than moving my studios.

They can only wait on the commission on that one. They may want to move to save money, and quickly too, seeing how the FCC is most likely going to end up giving them a NAL (Notice of Apparent Liability aka a fine) for operating after license expiration. However, their authority to operate may currently not exist. The FCC granted them 180 day STA to operate on 11/09/2010. They filed for an extension in April of 2010, which has yet to be granted. Ironically , and relative to this post, their reasoning for not filing a renewal was that they didn't get a notice, as they were moving studios at the time.

 

[w9wi]

They filed for an extension in April of 2010, which has yet to be granted.

I'm an engineer, not a lawyer, but... in general if you've filed a complete application to renew a license in a timely fashion, your authority to operate continues until the FCC acts on that application.

(IOW, since they filed to extend that STA before it expired, I *think* the STA remains valid until and unless the FCC denies the extension request)

 

[MarcB]

Marc,

Your history is pretty close. The move to Hartford was October, 2002. The move to Ellis St. New Britain was February 2007. This was a factory building on the ground level on the north side of the street. This was supposed to be temporary. The departure from Hartford was, shall we say, rushed! The move to the current location on 5th floor on the south side of Ellis St. was in early 2008. I did the wiring on most of the moves.

Bob,

It's not like I'm a stalker of that station. My mom subscribes to The New Britain Herald and saves the articles for me since she knows I'm interested in radio, but seriously though it seems like every time someone at WPRX "farts" it's in the newspaper.

 

[MarcB]

It has to be in your radio. WPRX bandwidth is in NRSC compliance as of last October and I have the spectrum analizer printouts to prove it. I'm not aware of any more recent changes.

On my Walkman and Boombox I can get traces of the station from 1110-1200. If I want to listen to WMRD 1150 on my Walkman I have to stand on my head and have one arm tied behind my neck. The car radio obviously is different.

I'm about 3 or 4 mins from their tower. I live over off of Church Street near the Board of Education. Their tower is on Sherbooke Street, which can be reached from both Willis Street and Union Street. I pass by both those streets on my way home everyday.

 

[WPHA]

Everyone keeps referring to WPRX's "tower" in the singular... what happened to their 3-tower array? I was involved with their move from 1400 non-D, to 1120 with a 3-tower array back in the early 90's. It was about 1/2 way up a rather large, steep hill.

I saw that station go from a busy, bustling place with at least a dozen people working in the studio/office site, to just their tiny cinderblock transmitter building housing everything, including a ramshackle little "studio" near the door. That "studio" was used only for a few hours each morning. Everything else was automated.

I was back at that now-abandoned studio/office only a few months later. It was all torn apart, with various pieces of flotsam & jetsam scattered about. All those people, out of work, just like that. I never forgot it... it really bothers me, even to this day. :'(

What amazes me, is that it was a DAYTIMER back when it was a busy, happening place. Somehow, they were able to afford to PAY all of those people! Then, it had expanded hours to 24, but dumped all but ONE of that staff.

 

[MarcB]

Willie,

You mean 1440, not 1400. Anyway I used to correspond via email with someone who worked there from 1976-1986 (whom I have not heard from in 2 years). He told me it was a neat little station to work at over on The Avenue next to Burger King. He mentioned to me that before the station was sold to James? Huber that paper work was filled out for 2500 watts day/1000 watts night on 1120, but the paper work got lost and that new paper work was filed for just 1000 watts day and 500 at night.

Anyway towards the end of its life in 1993 things got a little shady at that station. One day they decided to do a random phone dialing contest and they reached my dad. The question: "What fast food chain using the slogan 'Have it your way?'" My dad correctly answered "Burger King." I swear on my father's grave that this is true - they wanted him to pay $20 to pick up the prize.

Oscar Nieves got his start leasing a few hours to play Spanish Music every Saturday Afternoon. (I'm not sure what year this started). Then in 1993 he began LMAing the station from James Huber. In February 1999 Nieves along with a partner bought the station outright from James Huber for $725K. (I got the date and year from http://www.bostonradio.org/nerw/yir-1999.html#sales)

 

[WPHA]

You mean 1440, not 1400.
(SNIP)
I used to correspond via email with someone who worked there from 1976-1986 (SNIP) He told me it was a neat little station to work at over on The Avenue next to Burger King.
(SNIP)
paper work was filled out for 2500 watts day/1000 watts night on 1120, but the paper work got lost and that new paper work was filed for just 1000 watts day and 500 at night.

Anyway towards the end of its life in 1993 things got a little shady at that station.
(SNIP)
they wanted him to pay $20 to pick up the prize.
(SNIP)
In February 1999 Nieves along with a partner bought the station outright from James Huber for $725K. (I got the date and year from http://www.bostonradio.org/nerw/yir-1999.html#sales)

Thanks for the correction on the frequency. Yes, you are right. My bad.

Yes, it was a neat place! My memories of it are VERY clear! Seeing people running back and forth, with live-read copy, freshly recorded carts, etc, in and out of the air studio, as the on-air guy worked all those elements into his show. It was a BUSY and THRIVING place!

Then to see that SAME facility, empty and desolate, literally choked me up! :'(

My friend Terry and I had gone there to remove a handful of items to bring up to the transmitter site, and to make sure power & water was off, and to lock the place up for the final time. (I was able to keep a handful of basic wall-mount speakers, which I still have and use in my own basement studio! )

Even as I helped with some engineering work there in that transmitter building, with the automation and satellite chugging away, all I could think of were those people who used to work for the place. It really bothered me, and like I said, STILL does! Automation should be our SERVANT, not our MASTER!

As for losing the paperwork... GOOD GRIEF! That was a pretty significant upgrade, yet they settled for that much less? Sheesh!!

Pay $20 for the prize?! Are ya KIDDING me?! I presume he said, "Keep it!"
I sure would have! I may even have sent a note to the FCC, because that is just plain WRONG!

$725K?! WOW!!! I can't picture it even being worth that much!

 

[MarcB]

$725K?! WOW!!! I can't picture it even being worth that much!

Yeah well even lowly AMers were over-priced back then. That same year then-WNTY 990 Southington sold for $825K and they're 2500 watts by day and only 80 watts at night. And that 80 watts on a car radio makes it as far as the Mobil Station next to the Queen Street Walmart (at least at sunset when they switch to 80 watts). 5 years later Davidson Media Group paid $1.4 Million for 990!!!!!!!! They really overpaid for that place. I don't care if it does comes with a building, some land, and 2 towers. Although 990 is not officially for sale someone I know inquired about the station 2 years ago and was told DMG wants $700K for it.

 

[DToTheJ]

That "someone" was you, wasn't it, Marc? :

 

[MarcB]

That "someone" was you, wasn't it, Marc? :

Joe, no it was not me. If is was me I'd be man enough to admit it. Admit to it? Like it's a crime to ask about how much it would cost to buy a radio station. Just like a certain other person was quoted as saying "I've done some brokered radio in the past. I admit it." Like it's a crime to do brokered radio. As for me I never said I admit it. I said it proudly that I used to pay WXCT "X" amount of money to do a show every week. "X" amount of dollars no pun intended.

 

[RonTheEngineer]

It has to be in your radio. WPRX bandwidth is in NRSC compliance as of last October and I have the spectrum analizer printouts to prove it. I'm not aware of any more recent changes.

Yes... but what do the other two towers do? ;D