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Ernie Anastos' Radio Cluster Sold

I can tell you right now Star 101.3 probably won't change formats or anything :) I'll be keeping an eye on WVKZ, WABY and WUAM in the meantime :)

Anyone know if WDDY or WDCD-AM is on the market right now?
 
Well, the former WPTR remains silent as they "prepare to deploy a new program format and reposition its voice and identity in the community"... As for the former WOKO, looks like they're still "all ears" for the time being.
 
Under "Reason for going silent" the station selected "Other," and of course they have to specify what the reason is. So in the space provided, this statement appears:

"WDCD WILL SUSPEND OPERATIONS FOR A PERIOD DURING WHICH IT WILL DEVELOP AND PREPARE TO DEPLOY A NEW PROGRAM FORMAT AND REPOSITION ITS VOICE AND IDENTITY IN THE COMMUNITY."

What kind of nonsense is THAT? Stations change format all the time, strategizing and developing and "preparing to deploy" (onward, Christian soldiers!) behind the scenes until the Big Day arrives. "The ALL-NEW W___." Why not just swallow your pride and check off "Financial?"
 
I think it's time Crawford start looking for a buyer for WDCD-AM... the clock is ticking, if they are silent for more than 365 days the license goes poof :)
 
OK, you radio pros (which I'm not) is it time for some thinking "outside the box"? Pardon me if I seem a little biased when I see what has happened to the station that I first started listening to religiously when the late Jack Spector ruled the airwaves with the all-request show. I'm wondering if it is of any significance, despite the "inferior signal quality of AM radio", that such a blow torch radio station still cannot be exceeded in coverage by any FM signal. I don't think we're yet at the point where most of the potential audience will gladly listen to a station over the phone. Could such a powerful signal as that of the Famous 1540, at the very least, be used effectively as an adjunct to a quality internet stream? Also, although I'm not sure if there is any stereo broadcast equipment left on hand, would it be extremely farfetched to think that there could be a reverse of the changeover to FM in the 70s, with cheap AM stereo to FM stereo converters offered?
 
@JMB65: "Could such a powerful signal as that of the Famous 1540, at the very least, be used effectively as an adjunct to a quality internet stream?"

Well, we already have many AM/FM simulcasts (mostly spoken-word) emphasizing the FM signal, if not completely ignoring the AM signal. I wouldn't count out a future for 1540 AM with "_______Radio.com" as its identity.
 
Re: Ernie Anastos' Radio Cluster Sold/ WPTR

Too bad about the great WPTR---wonder if it would go with a Good and I mean Good Oldies format, not True oldies, and not the "safe" 750 hits that were beat to death....Knowledgeable jocks who know the business and the music....live and local..like it used to be. I'm one of those narrow minded souls who doesn't beleive that AM is dead. Play some oh, wow more obscure hits---b sides...WCKM had it down when they first signed on, but now is a joke. Cloutier told me that they even played stuff that was never even charted...another beat to death slogan--"think outside the box"....Oldies 98.9 in Poughkeepsie has a good variety of oldies and very little repitition......


oldies4ever ;D
 
...I'm one of those narrow minded souls who doesn't beleive that AM is dead...

Only for music (outside of Radio Disney) is the AM band dead.
 
@Dani: I may sample a classic hits or urban format on AM only if it was exclusive to the market... but - not to be a killjoy - talk/brokered/ethnic is just about the only option left for AM stations with not-so-monstrous signals. I advise you to check out the Philadelphia board and read the thread about "The Buzz 1370" for an example of a little music station that thinks it could...
 
Jmb 65 said:
..... I don't think we're yet at the point where most of the potential audience will gladly listen to a station over the phone. Could such a powerful signal as that of the Famous 1540, at the very least, be used effectively as an adjunct to a quality internet stream? .....
Click to expand...

I think so, and it could be workable even with a smaller station. Tailor the internet stream to the local market, not the world, remind people that you can still listen away from the computer with "free wireless" (an AM radio!) and promote the combination constantly ("on AM1540 and WPTR -dot-com"), especially on the fanfare-laden legal IDs.

Jmb 65 said:
..... ....would it be extremely farfetched to think that there could be a reverse of the changeover to FM in the 70s, with cheap AM stereo to FM stereo converters offered?
Click to expand...

Yes, it's a real long-shot. I'm rooting for a C-QUAM AM stereo comeback, but it would have to be a nationwide, coordinated effort among Ibiquity's many detractors.
 
Donald Crawford, Jr. has until September of 2013 to power up again or else watch the license go away. (The FCC lets you shut up for 18 months before shutting you up for good and putting your license up for grabs.) I'm sure he'll get it back on the air again, if only to simulcast something else a few hours a night to keep the license alive. But he must be thinking of making it pay better than that.

If I were him, and I planned to keep operating it myself, I'd start by negotiating with the Ernie Lombardi family to persuade them to move Toronto's CHIN off the 1540 frequency to give both stations a little more interference relief--the 1470 frequency is now open across southern Ontario and would probably work just fine for a directional AM in Toronto from Lombardi's current TL. The CRTC is always interested in making stations more technically viable and less interference-prone, and a move to 1470 for CHIN (where the closest co-channel signal is a 5 kW day/1 kW night DA-2 signal from Ithaca and the next closest is a 1 kW DA-2 from Toledo) would get that done.

1540 in Albany isn't the best AM signal in town (WGY is and always will be) but it can be second best, especially if there's no one else on the channel east of Waterloo, Iowa or north of the Bahamas. Maybe he could even sell it to someone like Paul Vandenbergh, who's really working to make his WGDJ a player in the city against 'GY.
 
Bob1370 said:
Donald Crawford, Jr. has until September of 2013 to power up again or else watch the license go away. (The FCC lets you shut up for 18 months before shutting you up for good and putting your license up for grabs.) I'm sure he'll get it back on the air again, if only to simulcast something else a few hours a night to keep the license alive.
Click to expand...

I thought a STA -silent was for a max of 12 months.
 
Is it possible to file a six-month stay of execution, er, extension on the license if need be?
 
Bob1370 said:
1540 in Albany isn't the best AM signal in town (WGY is and always will be) but it can be second best, especially if there's no one else on the channel east of Waterloo, Iowa or north of the Bahamas. Maybe he could even sell it to someone like Paul Vandenbergh, who's really working to make his WGDJ a player in the city against 'GY.
Click to expand...

The 6 county market has 926,000 persons. 1540 puts a 10 mV/m over approximately half of them in the daytime. At night it is worse.

WOFX covers about the same population daytime, while WGY comes close to putting a 10 mV/m over the whole market population.

1540 is loaded with stations including a 50 kw in Philadelphia. Most are daytime on this Bahamian clear channel. Nights don't really matter since nearly none of radio revenue comes from nights; except for sports very little AM listening happens at night due to noise, interference and such.

WGDJ covers less than 250,000 persons with a usable in-home or at work signal. It does miracles in getting around a 2 share 12+, but at around 18th in 25-54, it only bills about $15 k a month per the best industry source, while WGY does about 18 times that.
 
MHVRadiofan said:
Bob1370 said:
Donald Crawford, Jr. has until September of 2013 to power up again or else watch the license go away. (The FCC lets you shut up for 18 months before shutting you up for good and putting your license up for grabs.) I'm sure he'll get it back on the air again, if only to simulcast something else a few hours a night to keep the license alive.
Click to expand...

I thought a STA -silent was for a max of 12 months.
Click to expand...

There are quite a few examples... and Mr Fybush can probably name 'em all... of stations off for years and years due to things like... property condemnations under eminent domain where a suitable alternative site can't be obtained or the permit process takes a long time and results in legal cases... or hurricane damage where the city of license virtually disappeared... and so on. The FCC will be understanding in many such cases.

I seem to recall that an upstate NY station on 560 would come on once a year to keep the license, and that ruse went on for a number of years.
 
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