SPRINGFIELD RADIO

[kentuckymedia]

I just wanted to pose a question about the future endeavours of business in Springfield Ohio. It truly is a great market, it has the urban population as well suburban and rural. Is there the potential for Springfield to again have its own radio stations (AM/FM Combo)?

WKSW is a service to the area, however its still trying to play in Dayton. Once it moves to 101.5...will it remain country? About 1340, Clear Channel could care less if they own that or not. Could Mainline purchase the station and actually try to harvest more cash out of the Clark County metro?

My thoughts is keep 101.5 WKSW a country station. Utilize the moniker "101.5 THE WOLF - SPRINGFIELD'S OWN COUNTRY"

Then on the AM band at 1340, you could try Urban Oldies "JAMMIN 1340 WIZE" or slide on a Nostalgia format as "1340 WIZE - UNFORGETTABLE FAVORITES"

 

[kirkiefan]

Somebody needs to get WIZE out of CC's claws and bring it home to where it rightfully belongs. Teaming up with WKSW also sounds good...so how 'bout it Mainline? .........or maybe a NEW local company....Cyber Trails Communications(inspired by former owner Great Trails)..a partnership of local business people teamed up with Northern Lights Media out of St. Paris.

Oldies would be a serious option,otherwise a mix of locally originating news/talk and 60s/70s and current music (ala WTTF up in Tiffin) Put Eli's midday talk program on as well after WULM commences Radio Maria programming.

I mentioned this once before...but how about considering as another option Radio Disney?....much better than the morbid stuff on "the X" for the younguns don't you think?

 

[nmoore6676]

Somebody needs to get WIZE out of CC's claws and bring it home to where it rightfully belongs. Teaming up with WKSW also sounds good...so how 'bout it Mainline? .........or maybe a NEW local company....Cyber Trails Communications(inspired by former owner Great Trails)..a partnership of local business people teamed up with Northern Lights Media out of St. Paris.

Oldies would be a serious option,otherwise a mix of locally originating news/talk and 60s/70s and current music (ala WTTF up in Tiffin) Put Eli's midday talk program on as well after WULM commences Radio Maria programming.

I mentioned this once before...but how about considering as another option Radio Disney?....much better than the morbid stuff on "the X" for the younguns don't you think?

As a former resident (most of my young years) of Springfield I would love to see local radio there again, however we have the WULM experiment to show how likely it will be to actually happen.

WKSW has an application for change of COL to Enon, from Urbana, with the proposed antenna to go onto an existing structure in Huber Heights, not much hope there.

I don't know how valuable WIZE is to CC, I think it is mostly to fill in some bad signal areas for WONE but who has the money to offer them. Urban Light purchased WBLY for a lowball figure because Ron Yontz wanted to keep it local. The only taker was Urban Light and nobody would give them another shot with their track record.

I think maybe the economic situation makes it too hard to sustain but an FM would have a better chance but does anyone know if there are any available allocations left?

 

[KFodor]

I just wanted to pose a question about the future endeavours of business in Springfield Ohio. It truly is a great market, it has the urban population as well suburban and rural. Is there the potential for Springfield to again have its own radio stations (AM/FM Combo)?

WKSW is a service to the area, however its still trying to play in Dayton. Once it moves to 101.5...will it remain country? About 1340, Clear Channel could care less if they own that or not. Could Mainline purchase the station and actually try to harvest more cash out of the Clark County metro?

My thoughts is keep 101.5 WKSW a country station. Utilize the moniker "101.5 THE WOLF - SPRINGFIELD'S OWN COUNTRY"

Then on the AM band at 1340, you could try Urban Oldies "JAMMIN 1340 WIZE" or slide on a Nostalgia format as "1340 WIZE - UNFORGETTABLE FAVORITES"

Don't forget, Ky...that WIZE has a heritage in the Top 40 format of the 60's and 70's. A well done oldies/classic hits format could be done that could play the heritage card...no need to go back to the nostalgia era. That era reaches people age 70-80 these days...classic hits could take you down to about 45...I think the business community (who are all around 50 or so, would be supportive if it was done right with a bent toward local news and community information".

 

[kentuckymedia]

Springfield is still a very viable market. The saddening part is that once WKSW moves onto the wonderful Huber Heights tower...there really are now no true Springfield FM's.

The only other option/alternative is that they could potentially see 106.3 WJYD be spun off to a local owner. Im sure Radio One is chomping at the bit to get one of the new FM move in's for Columbus to place its gospel format on. 106.3 has a decent city grade over most of Clark County. Maybe a 106.3/1340 combo?

 

[gr8oldies]

Actually Kiss Country does not target Dayton..they brand as Clark and Champaign County's Hometown Country station every break. Radio One obviously would have made the 101.5 move into Dayton as an urban station of some sort, however mainline is a different company and I could see them staying in Springfield. I don't know honsestly if Springfield can truly be its own independent radio market; the Dayton stations blast in and Id venture to guess most Springfield residents venture to the greater Dayton area for shopping and entertainment frequently.

 

[nmoore6676]

Actually Kiss Country does not target Dayton..they brand as Clark and Champaign County's Hometown Country station every break. Radio One obviously would have made the 101.5 move into Dayton as an urban station of some sort, however mainline is a different company and I could see them staying in Springfield. I don't know honsestly if Springfield can truly be its own independent radio market; the Dayton stations blast in and Id venture to guess most Springfield residents venture to the greater Dayton area for shopping and entertainment frequently.

WKSW does not target Dayton, because they have virtually no signal in Dayton. They were originally licensed, while I still lived back there, to Urbana and it still is. The transmitter eventually moved south closer to Springfield, they now have a construction permit to change city of license to Enon with the transmitter to be in Huber Heights.

Whether or not they remain country after the move is yet to be determined. When the permit to move was applied for they were under Radio One and are now Mainline. With the move they will lose the Champaign county coverage and a lot of Springfield and Clark county.

As to the past WIZE faded when top 40 radio moved to FM. WBLY, under Smilin' Bob did better because there was WAZU on the FM side (and Smilin' BoB). When the FM was sold off and there was only the AM things got hard. Though Ron Yontz is probably nice as a person, he is not his dad. I think Urban Light had not a clue and they hired a lot of good and devoted people but with out a dedicated leader directing the herd they failed miserably. Maybe if they had stayed with the local sports emphasis and kept a news talk base as well they might have done better, but it still would have needed good leadership and good sponsorship from the community as well.

I doubt that any AM alone would do it and WSKW is shifting toward Dayton so there is not much chance of any further commercial presence in town. There is still WEEC which could add some local issues emphasis and maybe put on a community forum like "Speak Out" or like Smilin' Bob's old morning show. Perhaps even Ron Yontz could be dragged out of retirement to host. If someone had the $$$$ they maybe could wrest WIZE out of Clear Channel's stable but then it is AM at 1KW class C so where would that go. If WULM didn't fly how high would that get?

 

[pbr]

WKSW does not target Dayton, because they have virtually no signal in Dayton. They were originally licensed, while I still lived back there, to Urbana and it still is. The transmitter eventually moved south closer to Springfield, they now have a construction permit to change city of license to Enon with the transmitter to be in Huber Heights.

I see no indication that the WKSW's Dayton move-in proposal has been approved by the FCC. There is no record of them having a Construction Permit. There are many many objections on file, and I suspect that the FCC will look at this scheme closely before rendering a decision.

 

[nmoore6676]

WKSW does not target Dayton, because they have virtually no signal in Dayton. They were originally licensed, while I still lived back there, to Urbana and it still is. The transmitter eventually moved south closer to Springfield, they now have a construction permit to change city of license to Enon with the transmitter to be in Huber Heights.

I see no indication that the WKSW's Dayton move-in proposal has been approved by the FCC. There is no record of them having a Construction Permit. There are many many objections on file, and I suspect that the FCC will look at this scheme closely before rendering a decision.

You got me, I misspoke, senility is a terrible thing. ;D Anyway the FCC generally rubber stamps these kinds of application and it has been in for a year. The original owners knew the drill because they applied for Enon, which has no "local" radio voice, rather than Dayton.

If there were to come forth interested parties who could make an offer and buy the station they could keep it where it is. Also community leaders could protest the move, likely Urbana which is technically losing a local voice might have a better chance on those grounds. If the FCC denies the move the present owners might be more easily persuaded to sell.

In any event unless the move is protested by somebody with an actual interest (community interests or other stations who can make a case for interference) the FCC will, as I have said, just approve it and it will be done.

 

[kentuckymedia]

The problem is that most "local" citizens dont understand whats going on. Thats the real issue, and thats because Radio One never wanted to leak it and The Springfield Sun being owned by Cox doesnt want to give their competition any recognition.

It would be terrific to see a community effort raise enough money to buy WKSW and WIZE, but once again...how, where, who?

There is so much potential, its just not being done right now. WKSW has a TON of potential to make an even larger impact then what it is...but most people I know in Clark County still listen to K99. However with the demographics, I bet if someone went in there (WKSW) and really made a true effort to be everywhere and be well known in Clark County, the perception would change.

 

[nmoore6676]

Some local content could still be provided with WIZE under Clear Channel, if there were local interests to sponsor it. In your area WKFI breaks from the triplecast with WBZI and WEDI to cover Wilmington College athletics. WIZE could from a technical perspective do the same for Springfield high school and or Wittenberg University if, and this is a big if, local businesses came forward with $$$ in hand to pay for the time as sponsors.

WHIO could also if sponsors came in to do a weekend show like WULM's Speak Out if there were advertisers to pay. Eli Williams can likely get his shows on WEEC if he goes to them and his organization donates some money. They might even do it as a community service as well as part of their religious commitment but they are a donation sponsored noncommercial broadcaster.

Kentuckymedia is right though, the community probably doesn't know, though the News Sun did run a story about WULM being sold. Most newspapers don't do too much radio coverage anymore though. In my area only The Orange County Register covered the KFI tower collapse (the new one being built) or the Fullerton airport protest over rebuilding it at all.

If anyone on here who is local were to write letters to the editor they might get published and if any local leaders got through to their constituencies then there could be a saving for WKSW by stopping the move. Like I said the FCC usually rubber stamps moving a facility, especially a class A FM, when there are no challenges submitted with supportable reasons not to do it. AM's are different though as here in the LA area, KGIL moved COL from San Fernando to Beverly Hills but the transmitter stayed in Mission Hills where it had always been. They got an increase though to 20 thousand watts (from 5KW) I guess to get the necessary signal coverage. I don't believe they got much more directional, they always had to mostly protect a co-channel in San Francisco. Even that might not have flown if they had asked for Los Angeles, asking for a smaller city and one with no presently licensed station is usually a winner in Washington.

 

[gr8oldies]

I could see Mainline withdrawing the application, because it could make more business sense to be a strong presence in Clark County than the #20 rated station in Dayton. Remember, WKSW is not licensed to Springfield, it is in itself a move-in from Urbana. As part of the frequency swap, WDHT would be relicensed to Urbana, even though the tower would stay right where it is. So the "local service" Urbana would lose would be replaced with another signal, so the argument that Urbana listeners would not have a strong signal will not wash.

I just don't see Springfielders turning off WHIO, K99.1, Lite 99.9, Mix, Fly, etc. for a Springfield station. If Springfield was where Lima was, maybe. And let's face facts, except for a strip along N. Bechtle Avenue you might as well turn off the lights as far as retail business is concerned. On the other hand, the upstart"Springfield Paper" seems to be doing well with free distribution and maybe that group (who also own/run low power TV 55) would be the ones who could pull it off if it is to be pulled off at all.

"Crossing Over" on WEEC? Don't hold your breath

 

[Flying-Dutchman]

Most people I knew turned off AM radio more than 25 years ago. !02.9 left town because their was a bigger market in Dayton.
101.7 is going for the same reason.

If Brad and the others at WULM could have been on FM they would have made it a success. With AM only the deck was
stacked against them.

I came from Springfield. I have owned FM stations for almost 20 years. I did OK. But not even I could have made an
AM fly.

Blame the decline of AM radio listening. WULM gave it their best shot.

 

[nmoore6676]

Most people I knew turned off AM radio more than 25 years ago. !02.9 left town because their was a bigger market in Dayton.
101.7 is going for the same reason.

If Brad and the others at WULM could have been on FM they would have made it a success. With AM only the deck was
stacked against them.

I came from Springfield. I have owned FM stations for almost 20 years. I did OK. But not even I could have made an
AM fly.

Blame the decline of AM radio listening. WULM gave it their best shot.

You, as an owner and operator, have the inside info, however I am not sure that WULM got the best shot either. I do not believe that what they (Brad and all) were doing would have flown on FM either. When I could listen on line it was all pretty pitiful sounding (there must have been some severe rumbling at Smilin' Bob's gravesite).

What if they had continued with a local sports emphasis covering the high school and Wittenberg athletics, could they not have done better? AM radio IS (I have to admit) nearly dead as evidenced by the failure of Saul Levine to get any kind of traction with AM-1260 here in Los Angeles. He bought a station licensed to San Fernando (in the valley) much like 1600 to Springfield, dominated by the bigger LA stations, like Dayton does there. Sometimes I have to wonder what was he thinking, he had reasonable success with his classical FM, KMZT which is now Go Country KKGO (some format flip, yes?). At least he is an experienced small owner but I assume from what you have said you wouldn't have touched it with the proverbial ten foot pole.

The problem I see is that in case of a major emergency, AM radio is easier to keep on the air because you can radiate off of long wires (not efficiently but adequately if needed) even if the towers are gone. FM and TV need those tall towers to get anything out. For Springfield there aren't too many options open if they want local radio. WIZE is rebroadcasting WONE/WCKY. WEEC is devoted to religious content and apparently not committed to being a community voice. WUSO is a low power college station. WSKW will be moving south and west to Enon and WDHT is "moving to Urbana" but has for the last nearly 20 years in reality been a Dayton Station.

My point being that if people want certain programming that they want to hear, they will seek it out wherever it can be found, with streaming internet and satellite as evidence. If the community business leaders in Clark County had been truly concerned they should have come up with the sponsorship to keep the lights (and the transmitter) on. The horse is nearly gone and nobody seems to care that the barn door is standing wide open.

 

[radioboymark]

Bruce - Did you grow up in Springfield? I didn't know that.. We don't know each other, but I have a lot of respect for what you were able to do with WKLU. Come on, let's buy WULM and the 101.7.. I'll run it for you (Hell, I can live with my parents for a while) and we'll show them how to kick ass with a local station.

 

[Flying-Dutchman]

Hi Mark! Wow! Strange Thing! I was thinking of your name just a couple days ago. You see,
I remember listening to your show on WIZE. And, your brother Jeff and I were friends at Springfield
North High School. Last time I saw Jeff was in 1994 at our 20th reunion. He was doing the Discovery
Channel in CO.

I called you at WIZE once in the 1970s. I was visiting North West Indiana, not far from Chicago.
WIZE was blasting in well over 200 miles from Springfield. That was strange too because many
other stations were on 1340 much closer to me.

The FCC is looking at some rule changes right now that may put some new channels in springfield
in the future. I may be interested.

Congrats on all you have done!!! Bruce

 

[radioboymark]

Bruce - sent you a private message. Would really enjoy getting to know you a little. Thanks for your kind comments. Mark

 

[gr8oldies]

Can't imagine where you could squeeze anything else onto the Springfield FM dial. Seems like the last couple of spots are religious translators.

 

[Flying-Dutchman]

A quick search of Springfield frequencies shows that 2 low power FMs can be licensed to
Springfield. 100 watts at 97.5 MHz and 10 watts on 105.3.

100 watts could provide a better signal to Springield than 101.7 ever did and much better than the comming
101.5 licensed to Enon.

Here's what 100 watts can do. http://radio-locator.com/cgi-bin/pat?call=WUSO&service=FM&status=L&hours=U

The FCC is also considering giving the 12 MHz of Channel 5 & 6 TV for an expanded FM band. If this
happens, there will be more high powered stations.

 

[techie2]

I remember Urban Light Ministries and Springfield City Schools both applied for LPFM's on 97.5 during the window. Urban Light's app became moot when they purchased WULM, and the schools gave up on the project.