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Status of 1260 WNWK?

J

jhguthlac

Guest
Earlier this year, it was announced that the owner of WNWK was buying 1600 AM in Dover. When that took place, the license for 1260 in Newark would be turned in, allowing 160 in Washington DC, WWRC, to increase power.

The Dover sale did not work out due to the inability to get a loan. Where does that leave the 1260 deal? It is still on the air and sounding as crappy as ever (cheap phone line from his Maryland station).
 
Frankly, I wish they'd make 1260 Newark an Oldies station, even if it's from the bird with just some local newsheadlines/weather/traffic info. I realize all the reasons it wouldn't work, I just hate to see what was once a great station serving Newark and the western suburban Wilmington area going silent or remaining as it is now, a Mexican station that sounds like its coming through a tin can with a string.

But I guess reality does have to set in and unless some religious group buys the station and makes a run doing the dollar a holler preachers WNWK's days are probably numbered.

Wait I've got a great idea, if this is allowable under FCC rules. Why couldn't either WDEL, WILM,, or WWTX buy that station and simulcast their programming on it thus giving Newark decent coverage that's been a problem with any of those stations.

If per say, WWTX 1290 was hooked up with WNWK 1260, it would be much like 1410 WDOV/1450 WILM. Then the Blue Rocks games would be a far better fit on WWTX/WNWK than WGLS 89.7.

I could see that being a mini-network for WILM/WDOV/WNWK covering the top half of the state pretty well. Even WDEL has problems in the Newark area. This to me, would seem to be the best use of AM1260, as it's very doubtful that as a stand alone AM with it's limited signal, it would be able to "stand alone" and survive.
 
Mike, I believe what you're saying would be advantage but the problem is the bigger companies are running away from AM when there is no FM translator involved. Even then, it's not likely they will entertain such an idea.

AM radio stations do still have a good listenership but as you know they are difficult to maintain. With an FM, you turn it on and check it every month or two or three. With an Am it's a constant struggle to maintain even when the signal is omnidirectional.. ground system.. tuning.. tower.. etc, etc.

For a single station owner I still think there are some good buys but an experienced group owner is very unlikely to consider even if the station was free. ... Just as an example a nice AM in Baltimore recently sold for 200k pracically a give-away.

I enjoy reading your posts! Keep up the good work!
 
If 1260 has made use of their CP, then they are down to 250 watts. I can barely hear them at my house. I used to be able to hear the original WNRK even at 42 watts.

The station no longer has any value since there is not space available to construct a decent antenna system.

Mike, its over for AM in general and 1260/Newark in particular. Notice that WDEL did not act on their CP to increase power. Just not worth spending more capital funds on AM.
 
It's a shame, but time does march on. Unfortunately, that leaves the Wilmington market with fewer and fewer of its own stations. WDEL, WILM, WWTX, WJBR, WSTW, WVUD, WXHL. These last two are non-comms and not great signals to cover the county. Then the rim shots, WFAI, WJKS, WXCY, and Dover's WDSD.

So eventually the last of our AM's will disappear and the Wilmington radio market will get absorbed into the Philly market as we'll then only have WJBR and WSTW, and the two lower powered FM's. This is what happened with the Wilmington TV market back in the 50's. Our two TV outlet essentially became Philly stations (ch12, ch61.
 
Another problem in this market is the revenue base. At one time, radio was competing with the newspapers for ad revenue. Now its the newspaper and cable TV. Much revenue is going to Comcast. That has contributed to the death of the lower tier AM stations, WNRK, WAMS and WJBR-AM. Next comes WILM and WWTX. How long can CC continue to operate two losing stations?
 
Dried up revenue base for sure! For instance, Happy Harry's used to be a major advertiser on local radio.... now Walgreens spends NOTHING on local radio. Also gone from local radio are all of the family-owned hardware stores, drugstores, etc., who have been run out of business by the big box stores/national retailers. It is sad.
 
When I went back into radio in 1990, that was the biggest surprise to me. Medium sized family owned businesses simply were not there anymore. 20 years later, it is even worse. And the big corp. chains will spend little on local buys and nothing on AM.
 
Actually, Walgreens is now buying (finally).

And the new Buffalo, NY, owners of one Delaware bank went on an advertising splurge. (We'll see how long that lasts!)
 
Apparently did not last long. WDEL's hurricane coverage would most likely have been sponsored by Wilmington Trust. I heard no ads from the new bank.
 
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