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Losing An Affiliate for America's Best Music

Gregg. said:
Thanks for the tips to get ABM on the iHeartRadio app. The funny thing is, you have to know what you're looking for. Typing in "America's Best Music" will only get you WNAM.

-- Gold Rush Radio -- This is 590 KHAR Anchorage although putting in those call letters won't find the station for you. You need at least "Gold Rush." No newscasts. It does carry traffic reports during drive time in Anchorage.

-- 94.5 Glass-FM -- This is WXKR-FM-HD2 Toledo. Those call letters will help you find it in the search engine, although you've got to know to click "Glass-FM." Clicking the call letters will get you the Classic Rock station on HD1. I don't think this station runs news. Why they call themselves "Glass-FM" is unclear to me.

-- 92.9 KVRE -- Uses the slogan "Central Arkansas' Best Music." Located in Hot Springs Village, Arkansas. It runs ABM nights and weekends but has local programming weekdays. I think they also play a classic country song, maybe once an hour, that isn't from ABM. Maybe they insert it where a commercial break would go? They just played a Kitty Wells song that I am unfamiliar with. You can find KVRE on iHeartRadio using the call letters.
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You forgot KRIB 1490/96.7 Mason City, IA, they are a 24/7 ABM affiliate....type in KRIB on the iHeart radio app.
 
KilowattKat said:
K-Star has been around for at least 25 years. They used to be an ABM affiliate, but went their own way, except the music, which is as close to ABM as I've heard. No news, except updates in the morning, and John Tesh mornings. KFLG-AM plus 3 translators. Kingman, Bullhead City, Lake Havasu City, AZ.

From the recently played:

Tom Jones - It's Not Unusual
Neil Diamond - Yesterday's Songs
Toto - Africa
Bob Welch - Sentimental Lady
Dusty Springfield - The Look of Love
Phil Collins - You Can't Hurry Love

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I don't think "Africa" is on ABM but I could be wrong. I hope I am. "I Won't Hold You Back" is but I don't like that one either.
 
KilowattKat said:
You forgot KRIB 1490/96.7 Mason City, IA, they are a 24/7 ABM affiliate....type in KRIB on the iHeart radio app.
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You're right! OK, here's the updated list:

-- KRIB 1490 & 96.7 -- In Mason City IA. This station calls itself "America's Best Music" but putting that slogan in the iHeart search engine doesn't get you here. You've got to know the KRIB call letters. There are some local newscasts and a reading of obituaries in mid-morning.

-- Gold Rush Radio -- This is 590 KHAR Anchorage although putting in those call letters won't find the station for you. You need at least "Gold Rush" in the search engine. There are no newscasts. It does carry traffic reports during drive time in Anchorage.

-- 94.5 Glass-FM -- This is WXKR-FM-HD2 Toledo. Those call letters will help you find it in the search engine, although you've got to know to click "Glass-FM." Clicking the call letters will get you the Classic Rock station on HD1. I don't think this station runs news. Toledo is the home of Owens Corning and is known as "The Glass City."

-- 92.9 KVRE -- Uses the slogan "Central Arkansas' Best Music." Located in Hot Springs Village. It runs ABM nights and weekends but has local programming weekdays. I think they also play a classic country song about once an hour, that isn't from ABM. Maybe the station inserts it where a commercial break would go? KVRE just played a Kitty Wells song that I am unfamiliar with. You can find KVRE on iHeartRadio using the call letters.

-- 1350 WNAM -- in the Appleton-Oshkosh, Wisconsin, market. It runs ABM with hourly ABC News. But it goes dark at 12 a.m. CT on Wednesday night.
 
WNAM last day update - It sounds like although not a special they are doing short remembrances today or playing older shows and I don’t think they are playing ABM as I’ve heard KC & Sunshine Band and Chic in the past hour.
 
KilowattKat said:
Not anymore. WDEA is Classic Hits.

wdea.am

WDEA AM 1370 – A Downeast Tradition – Bangor Classic Hits Radio

WDEA AM 1370 radio, a Townsquare Media station, plays the best classic hits music in Bangor, Maine on WDEA-AM.
wdea.am wdea.am
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Their mix of classic hits is older leaning than most, playing pretty much 60s/70s. They appear to do quite a bit of local sports, but without an FM translator I'm thinking Townsquare will probably end up taking them dark sooner or later.
 
Larry said:
WNAM last day update - It sounds like although not a special they are doing short remembrances today or playing older shows and I don’t think they are playing ABM as I’ve heard KC & Sunshine Band and Chic in the past hour.
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They're airing a three-hour retrospective of old air checks a few times on the 31st, including the final three hours till midnight. Recording the final two hours now. Very nostalgic. And wistful.
 
I listened to a bit of it too, and I must say that it's actually relatively well done. There's a few spots where they obviously "descoped" the airchecks, where the first second or two of the song is mono, then it suddenly goes to stereo and the sound quality changes slightly, but I don't see that as a problem, and overall it works perfectly, especially in mono (nobody would likely notice over the air on AM).

And the the energetic and engaging presentation in those airchecks is a far cry from WNAM's dry and almost sterile modern sound. A sign of the times (and Cumulus' cost cutting), no doubt.

May WNAM rest in peace. I barely knew it, but these past few days I feel like I've been listening for years.

c
 
I'm listening to its final 25 minutes of existence.

Is anyone local enough to pick up WNAM over the air? CFMB has completely dominated 1280 on every SDR I've tried.

Also, what's going to happen to the stream after 12 AM CT? Will it just fall back on endless ads, or will they do the Internet equivalent of switching the transmitter off by just pulling the plug?

c
 
I thought it was excellent. I was expecting a little more on the history of station and programming over the years, from the special you’d think station started in the 1970s. That said, I really enjoyed it and glad the ownership took the time to put it together and air it.
 
I wonder what this year will bring for AM. Will a major-market signal with no FM way out go dark for lack of a willing buyer, or will the shutdowns continue to be in smaller markets and rural areas? And will the FCC, which, after all, derives income from licenses, send one last lifeline to the struggling AMs with another translator window?
 
Larry said:
WNAM last day update - It sounds like although not a special they are doing short remembrances today or playing older shows and I don’t think they are playing ABM as I’ve heard KC & Sunshine Band and Chic in the past hour.
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Oh, well, if you're not playing standards, those are good too.
 


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