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The new 1540 The Farm!!

W

Whiplash

There's a new "Farm" in Youngstown, Ohio

WRTK (1540) buyer Chris Lash says “my family are all farmers in and around Pittsburgh, so the format and name came from my many days working alongside my cousins and uncles, while listening to the radio in the barn.” The new format for WRTK, Niles, OH is classic country, under an LMA that begins today ahead of Lash and his wife Kathy acquiring WRTK and WANR (1570) from Beacon Broadcasting. The two stations had been simulcasting a Fox Sports Radio-based format, and WANR continues in that vein. The new “Farm” is already streaming online, continuing after the daytime-only WRTK must sign off. The stream is here at www.youngstownscountrylegends.com
 
Lash also will be hosting morning-drive on WRTK from 7am-10am, too. Talk about a "hands-on" approach! :D

Hopefully they can acquire a full-time FM translator for this format. Listening online, the music selection and presentation is very good. It's gonna be an uphill battle to attract listeners, especially being a daytimer on the AM dial, but I do wish him all the best. Looks like he's bringing his "A" game.
 
I agree, Nate...Chris has this thing sounding pretty good.

Oh, it's a bit corny...(Corn-y?)...with animal noises in the liners and the like, but it's a classic country station called "The Farm". :D

And I absolutely love that the automation continues the legal ID post-sunset. No, really, I do! Nothing like hearing "WRTK Niles" hours after the transmitter shuts down...keeps that feeling of listening to an out-of-town radio station, even if it's only on the Internet.

We'll see how competitive this can be, with a 500 watt daytime high-band AM signal in an economically-challenged market. But Chris is gonna have some fun with it. :)
 
Thanks guys! We have shakin the trees a bit. Some interesting things going on and being talked about in the market the past few days. All I can say is "I've come to play."
 
Chris, assuming that is indeed you...you might want to talk to the folks at RadioTime or Wunderradio to get WRTK's new stream into the database.

Wunderradio uses that on the iPod/etc., and RadioTime populates similar apps on Blackberry, Android, etc. (I have the Android RadioTime app.)

The 1570 stream under Beacon is not working...I assume you'll bring that under your umbrella soon.
 
Just searched WRTK on RadioTime (on their Android app), and they are aware of the new format...it says "The Farm", but no streaming yet. Maybe they read AllAccess? I doubt they read the Mighty Blog...
 
The station is now streaming on RadioTime, which gets it now three Android apps and a bunch of iPhone/iPod Touch/iPad apps.

RadioTime just bought TunedIn, and released a free, advertising supported TunedIn app in the Android Market. I think the iPhone apps are anywhere from $2 to $6 or so.

All of 'em should now get WRTK. I've done it with both the original RadioTime app and TunedIn, as of today.
 
Really enjoyed the Video Tour..As I mentioned in a comment to Ohio Media Watch..I hope that if "Youngstown's Country Legends" really takes off, Mr. Lash would at least consider trying for a presence in the Canton-Akron area down the road...I think it would do well..
 
The video tour is intriguing, especially the comment about an FM possibily moving in at the former WNIO studios. I'm assuming Mr. Lash is not referring to WEXC, given the engineering difficulities that would be presented due to it being located next door on the dial to to WRQK/Canton. Any chance the possible buy would involve one of the other small FMs in the Youngstown area, such as WLLF or WBBG? I'm curious.
It's nice to see an independent operator with some experience moving into the market. It's been a long time since the area has seen local ownership worthy of mention. Good luck, Chris.
 
There are other ways to get FM to Mineral Ridge... I may have suggested it on these boards even before I realized Chris was around :)

Very interesting video. Of course, one of Chris' two stations was actually in a converted farm house many years ago...

And one of my readers over there noted - today - that 1570 was running Zakk and Jack in mid-mornings.
 
static_cling said:
The video tour is intriguing, especially the comment about an FM possibily moving in at the former WNIO studios. I'm assuming Mr. Lash is not referring to WEXC, given the engineering difficulities that would be presented due to it being located next door on the dial to to WRQK/Canton. Any chance the possible buy would involve one of the other small FMs in the Youngstown area, such as WLLF or WBBG? I'm curious.
It's nice to see an independent operator with some experience moving into the market. It's been a long time since the area has seen local ownership worthy of mention. Good luck, Chris.
Click to expand...

WEXC was destined all along for a different owner, along with WLOA and WGRP. I guess that's how the sale was set up, although WEXC really is stretching it by operating as a Youngstown rimshot. Any future owner would have to aim it towards the Sharon PA area.

At first blush, WRBP/101.9 Hubbard is Mr. Lash's obvious best shot at purchasing a full-market FM. That is, if Bernard Radio is wanting to give it up. Do note that said future studio once housed WNCD (then at 106.1 and WNIO's direct sister), so it clearly is ready for such a purpose.

I find the irony in suggesting a purchase of WBBG - Mr. Lash would then wind up with BOTH Niles-licensed stations back under the same roof.

And, as I would suggest again, finding a full-time FM translator for WRTK would also be a good move.
 
If Chris did an FM translator, then the comment he made in the video wouldn't apply...he talks about a studio for the FM. He can't have a standalone studio for a translator.

A translator would have to rebroadcast either AM, or he'd have to make some sort of a deal to program the HD2 channel of another full-power FM - much like EMF/K-Love does in Detroit, where they ended up with the HD2 channel of a Clear Channel outlet basically to feed their Detroit area translators. In exchange, they gave CC a translator in Minneapolis, which is currently rebroadcasting their big AM sports outlet, KFAN/1130 "The Fan".

I can't see this happening in the Valley. CC wouldn't do a deal with a commercial competitor to launch a new FM in any shape or form, and Cumulus probably wouldn't either. The Bernard stations don't do HD as far as I know, and they'd have to put that equipment in.

My bet is that he gets a translator in there, and that "studio" would actually be a place for the FM facility's transmitter/equipment.
 
You either all missed it or I heard it wrong. Listen carefully after he says my future FM station. I swear he says "ribbit"
95.1 Grove City, PA.
And that's a potent signal, even though it comes from 20 miles over the state line.
 
InsertNameHere said:
You either all missed it or I heard it wrong. Listen carefully after he says my future FM station. I swear he says "ribbit"
95.1 Grove City, PA.
And that's a potent signal, even though it comes from 20 miles over the state line.
Click to expand...

I checked out the video for a second time, and Chris definitely says "ribbit" (sp?). The plot thickens. :)
95.1 would be a good FM to go after, assuming it can be done. Forever has owned that property for several years now, and has positioned it as a western PA outlet for country. It had a respectable showing in the Y-town market Arbs during the Clear Channel era, even though it was clearly outmatched by WQXK/105.1. If not 95.1, then I'd second a bid for WRBP/101.9. In my opinion, it's been the forgotten FM of Youngstown, with plenty of untapped potential. I assume Bernard didn't pick up the station and its sister AMs with any long-term interest in the properties. Perhaps it can be had for a song. No pun intended.
 
Nate's comment about WBBG got me thinking about the history of its former (soon-to-be-again?) sister station. If I recall correctly, WNIO/1540 started out in the now-former National City Bank building in downtown Niles, circa 1964. By the early 70's the studios were located at Eastwood Mall. An old friend who did mornings for WNIO has told me that the Eastwood site was an engineer's nightmare, with frequent technical issues. WNIO moved to the Mineral Ridge location sometime later. It was certainly there by the mid-80s when I first started paying attention to local radio.

Another item that comes to mind is 1540 is essentially coming full circle with its current format. It may not be remembered now, but the station had a long-running country format that started somewhere in the mid 70's. People in the know tell me that the switch to country was made after a long battle with WHOT. WNIO was a frequent runner-up in the ratings, but was never able to knock HOT from its lofty perch as the area's Top 40 king. 1540's country format continued until about 1988. By that time, WQXK was cleaning up in the ratings game and WNIO began a long series of format flips (anybody else remember the all-comedy "Funny 1540"?) that didn't stop until about 1995 when a version of WNIO's current nostalgia format took off with Johnny Kay and Dick Thompson.
 
Hi everyone! Thanks for all the comments. I have to say I am shocked at what a stir my cheesy little U Tube video has caused in the market. But its been an interesting few days. Stay glued to what is becoming a little soap opera.
 
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