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Rumor Alert! Is WSVM going dark in June?

E

eacalhoun1

I heard a rumor that 1490 WSVM in Valdese will be going dark in June or by June -- which could mean May 31. I did tune in today to hear that there was no "Trading Post" which has been a station staple for as long as I can remember. Anyone have any details?

Eric
 
I heard about two weeks ago that they were pulling the plug on May 31.

It's a shame for the town and the history of the station, it could be a great small town station.
 
It seems as if the Jerry Clegg show that preceeds the Trading Post hasn't been on either. Certainly does not look good.
 
The Rev Wayne Matthews is still doing a weekday gospel music program (live) from Noon - 2pm. I've listened to him some, but he's not mentioned anything about the station going off the air.
 
WSVM will cease broadcast operations Monday May 31, 2010 at 2:00pm.
I am told the reason is politics, not economics.
It seems that the powers that be in Valdese, Morganton, and Burke County don't want a REAL radio station, they want a jukebox. Complaints to company headquarters about the WSVM Speaks editorial by the minnions of Mayor Hatley & Jeff Morse brought GHB to the point that they had “had it that town”. Hence, the decision to just turn it off.
 
jerry7242 said:
WSVM will cease broadcast operations Monday May 31, 2010 at 2:00pm.
I am told the reason is politics, not economics.
It seems that the powers that be in Valdese, Morganton, and Burke County don't want a REAL radio station, they want a jukebox. Complaints to company headquarters about the WSVM Speaks editorial by the minnions of Mayor Hatley & Jeff Morse brought GHB to the point that they had “had it that town”. Hence, the decision to just turn it off.
Click to expand...

Jerry...I wish you could get that printed in the "Useless Herald" as a Letter-to-the-Editor. I know you and the station have been critical of the paper, particularly its school board coverage. I can't say I disagree with you -- one reason I let my paper subscription lapse about 2 years ago. I thought I may miss the paper delivery, but I have not. Ironic you mentioned Morse...I saw him at breakfast today in MORGANTON -- why's Morse not eating breakfast in VALDESE? Anyway, I really considered asking him about WSVM's fate when I saw him. But, I decided not to.

Eric
 
Eric, there are a lot of reasons and more than just two people involved here. The whole story WILL be made public, and perhaps civil rights and anti-trust lawsuits may be forthcoming.
The Mayor and the Town Manager have for the immediate future caused the loss of at least four jobs in Burke County....I wonder how that figures in the economic development and recovery of Burke County. I think it's time for the good ol' boys to be put out to pasture....and that includes the News Herald front office. If you, and all of Burke County, knew how Sharon McBrayer gets her Valdese stories, you would probably be surprised, because they aren't news...they are Jeff Morse press releases....
Enough for now....it's bye, bye Monday @ 2pm.
 
When did politics start to dictate what a radio station can do?, is this going to be a trend?, i hope not, maybe the FCC needs
to conduct a probe of the ones who are complaining, is this a case of the "First Amendment" rights being violated?
 
If you feel your Civil Rights, or those of others has been violated, after Monday @ 2pm....if the station goes off the air, file a complaint with the FBI over Civil Rights violations. Some others have indicated that they may do the same. The Nearest FBI Office is in Charlotte.
 
So .,.. no more Rutherford College Report?

The last time I went through Morganton, we had WMNC-AM on. I didn't even bother to ask the people I was with to see what WSVM was doing. But for two years--I'm not sure which two years--before that, the music sounded good and we had The Rutherford College Report both times we went through. And on Sunday too.
 
As promised, WSVM went dark at 2pm today. I listened and heard Jim Reeves' "May the Good Lord Bless and Keep You". I believe that was intentionally picked as the "last song" -- well-picked I might add. That was followed by a legal ID and a very quick kill of the transmitter. Very unfortunate it had to end this way.
 
GREAT video. Jerry is one of the last TRUE radio men left.
 
Since it has been reported that WSVM went dark for political (WSVM's editorials) and not financial reasons, I sent the email below to Valdese town manager Jeff Morse and cc'd the town mayor. I wanted to get a reply to hear the town's side of the story. I have yet to hear a reply. I also wanted to inform the town of GHB's financial investment in the station facilities, something I witnessed during a station visit 2 days after it left the air. Here's the email:

Hi Mr. Morse,

I am saddened that WSVM is no longer on the air, both as a lifelong Burke County resident and as a former employee (late 80s and early 90s) of WSVM. I have also worked at a number of other area stations over the years and simply have a heart for the broadcast business. Due to modern technology and I suppose the simple "changing of the times", terrestial radio -- especially stations on the AM band -- have begun to struggle over the past decade. My first radio job was in 1985 at the former WUIV in Icard, which was owned by Jim Jacumin. By 1990, AM radio certainly was seeing an overall nationwide decline although "talk radio" led by Rush Limbaugh was helping revive AM radio. Still, many AM stations began going dark during the 90s and the sad trend continues today. Now WSVM has become a statistic, but according to what I've heard the reason is due to politics and not economics. Apparently, the town of Valdese and WSVM's parent company GHB are at odds. Is this true? Can you comment? I have heard this is the reason that GHB decided to turn the station off -- politics. I believe that WSVM has been (as Bill O'Reilly puts it), "lookin' out for the folks" with the editorials it has broadcast. If you opposed any of these, I believe WSVM invited opposing views and I believe you, the mayor, or ANY individual would've been given the opportunity "set the record straight", if necessary. I'm not 100% positive, but if the station made this offer for an opposing view then they refused to provide that air time, I think you may have a case with the FCC. However, you may have just thought WSVM has been "politically incorrect" with its editorials -- I don't know. I visited WSVM this week, 2 days after it left the air. I wanted the opportunity to visit the place -- an old radio friend -- before the doors are locked for good. Having only been by the station about 3 times since I left in the early 90s, I had not seen the improvements GHB had made to the facility. New transmitter, new state-of-the-art equipment in the control room, and many other improvements. GHB and its engineering resources also took the time and effort to fix a problem at the tower base, which has resulted in a degraded station signal for 30-some years. For as long as I can remember, the weak signal was always blamed on the nearby water tanks. GHB's engineer finally disputed that "myth" by bypassing a once-defective (now obsolete) piece of equipment at the tower base. For the first time, the signal is now more efficient meaning more coverage with the same power. GHB also expanded WSVM's reach by streaming on the internet. I was truly impressed at how GHB had a heart for reaching out to the Valdese community by the financial investments made in this little station. I really don't know of many owners today with that kind of vision for a small-town station. Ultimately, a radio station serves its entire community, not just a small group, not just a government body -- it's there for the whole. No, not everyone may like the content or the format -- the FCC does not regulate formats -- but WSVM certainly made an effort over the past 2 years to provide programming during different parts of the day that would appeal to all of its demographics. I think they made the most of their small signal. So, again I ask, what role did the town of Valdese play in the silencing of this true gem and piece of Valdese's history? I look forward to your reply...

Sincerely,
Eric Calhoun

PS - For further reading on the demise of WSVM, you may like to visit this radio discussion forum. Here's the link -- http://boards.radio-info.com/smf/index.php?topic=168753.0
 
Kudos for Mr. Calhoun for writing these government officials in Burke County, i hope a resolution will take place and that WSVM can return to the air, i'm sure many others here have voiced their complaints, this should have never
happened in the first place, listeners are being deprived of local service.
 
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