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Did WQMS 1500 in Quitman Drop Dead?

P

PaulBWalkerJr

Guest
It's one year limit on staying silent came up on 8/29/06 If I Recall Correctly.

Does anyone down there know if they returned to the air or filed for another STA?
 
hey is your friends station a sat feed?? it sounds like one..music is good however.conway is on now.
 
My friends station, "WITM" is programmed locally as far as I know, Glad you like it. Drop him a line and let him know.
 
A document was filed with the FCC stating WQMS returned to the air on 8/28/06 with reduced power. Can anyone verify? Format?
 
I don't see that anything was filed.

How much power are they running, 10? 100?250??
 
What does it matter? WQMA, WQMX and a whole host of other stations like this, represent a complete waste if good radio spectrum, realestate and capital resources.
 
It matters because there are of of us who truly care and see the radio station not as an investment to make money but as a connection to the community.

Those same people don't look at themselves as owners per se, but friends of the community who can use their talent, abilities and whatnot to help others. (At least that's HOW I view small town stations)
 
I think for those owners who are willing to work hard, put in lots of elbow grease and work long nights sometimes.. it's very possible to make a small town station very successful.

I'd be happy to give the names of 3 very successfull SMALL TOWN station owners if you don't beleive me.
 
There is a station in Murfreesboro tennessee that has a good blue print. They run a real good service minded station and there are many more as well. This day and time, it is a hyper up-hill battle. Not to say it was ever easy in the past, its just a lot harder now.
Ah the radio business! back-stabbing, dog-eat-dog, man-killing, cut-throat, rate-slashing. There is also a dark, down side to the business.
LOL!
 
Radioking:

Ah, thank you!!

I sent off an email that should provide me with an answer to our unanswered question(s) about WQMS. I'll let y'all know what the person says when I hear back from them.
 
I'm going to have to agree with Paul. I have been in this business for over 37 years, most in small markets. I have and do now work at a small town station that does a lot more than just pay the bills. Not everyone wants to hear the "All music, No talk" big market radio. If that's all they can get, they might as well go i-pod and just get their favorites all the time. Small market programming [local sports, local news, local weather, local traffic problems, even funeral announcements and other info like this] is still important. People want to hear it...and the advertisers will pay good rates to get their message to these people. I've always said, professional radio is not doing what everyone else is doing, but it is giving your listeners what they want to hear! If everyone sounds the same, has the same music, and the same programming, why would you pick one station above the others to listen to?
 
In small town radio it's about that all important connection, relationship and friendship with your listeners.

I can guarentee anyone whos ever worked at some small town station has an old lady bring him/her cookies or been invited to a listeners BBQ at least once. Why? Because to the listeners, that small town "jock" is their friend that just happens to be on the radio.

The reason small market radio CAN be successful if you work at hard it is ebcausr the advertisers ALSO realize you are the listeners friend.. and with that real connection(and maybe a live read), they will sell alot more when it's just one friend talking to another.

FOr those of you who dont think small market radio is profitable, good.. stay in the big markets so those of us who truly enjoy the community can do what we do best.
 
There are a lot of small markets where the stations are billing large market numbers. I know of a cluster in a town of 4,000 in the midwest that is billing upwards of $85,000 a month on average. Another in the south, an AM/FM simulcast was cash flowing over $600,000 a year. All because of the small town service that it provides. Given the right situation, it can work. I promise you that if you sold me an AM/FM combo in a town of between five and ten thousand, and put me at least fifty miles away from the nearest metro area, I could make a damn good living doing the small town stuff that we all started out doing.

Unfortunate corporate radio is invading just about any market of over 10,000 people. And things like local sports, the swap shop, severe weather coverage and obituary announcements are nothing but extra work for some out of work DJ type that couldn't make it in the nearest rated market. You know the type I am talking about.

Paul, I am with you all the way. The small town daytimer shouldn't go by the wayside. People just have to have the commitment of time, energy, and work ethic to make them work. It isn't all about having the station positioning statement and executing a flawless format in these smaller markets. It's about making sure the kids names and the birthdays and the feud over the widening of the highway because it cuts down too many trees gets on the air.
 
I agree that some small market stations can bill VERY well. I can think of 1 station just outside Connecticut that bills VERY well. It's a smaller community based format and is consistently sold out on remotes.

"It's about making sure the kids names and the birthdays and the feud over the widening of the highway because it cuts down too many trees gets on the air." I couldn't agree more. Just because you're a small market station, doesn't mean you hafta sound it.. but listeners are not looking for perfection.
 
WQMS has again filed for silent station status. From the filing:

"STEPHEN C. HELLINGER RECENTLY (ON MAY 27, 2006) ASSUMED OWNERSHIP OF THE STATION, AND RESUMED OPERATIONS (AT REDUCED POWER) ON AUGUST 28, 2006. SINCE RESUMING OPERATIONS, HOWEVER, IT HAS BEEN LEARNED THAT THE ANTENNA AND TOWER ARE IN NEED OF REPAIR, AND INSULATORS ALSO ARE WORN AND IN NEED OF REPAIR, NECESSITATING RESUMPTION OF SILENT STATUS. MOREOVER, SOME INVESTIGATION IS BEING MADE FOR WQMS TO CHANGE TRANSMITTING LOCATIONS.

IN ORDER TO ALLOW TIME FOR THESE OPERATIONAL CHANGES TO BE ASSESSED AND ACCOMPLISHED, SILENT AUTHORITY FOR SIX MONTHS RESPECTFULLY IS REQUESTED. "
 
radioking2 said:
WQMS has again filed for silent station status. From the filing:

"STEPHEN C. HELLINGER RECENTLY (ON MAY 27, 2006) ASSUMED OWNERSHIP OF THE STATION, AND RESUMED OPERATIONS (AT REDUCED POWER) ON AUGUST 28, 2006. SINCE RESUMING OPERATIONS, HOWEVER, IT HAS BEEN LEARNED THAT THE ANTENNA AND TOWER ARE IN NEED OF REPAIR, AND INSULATORS ALSO ARE WORN AND IN NEED OF REPAIR, NECESSITATING RESUMPTION OF SILENT STATUS. MOREOVER, SOME INVESTIGATION IS BEING MADE FOR WQMS TO CHANGE TRANSMITTING LOCATIONS.

IN ORDER TO ALLOW TIME FOR THESE OPERATIONAL CHANGES TO BE ASSESSED AND ACCOMPLISHED, SILENT AUTHORITY FOR SIX MONTHS RESPECTFULLY IS REQUESTED. "
Click to expand...



Hmmmmm... I was at the site recently (within the past few months) and didn't notice any problems with the tower or antenna system. I actually powered up the AM transmitter while there. Couldn't run any audio, but the transmitter came up to full power according to the meters. I think the problem is finding another location for the transmitter site.

RFB
 
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