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WABV Abbeville?

J

jefflaurence

I have read a lot of much much older posts about the old WABV. According to Radio Locator this station is now SPORTS...on our way from Newberry, SC (a wonderful old South town with an awesome old opera house..and home to Powell Way!) we saw the abandoned site of WABV. Sad sad looking place with an abandoned dually truck filled with dilapidated equipment and weeds growing through the floorboards..half of an old C-band dish, and an unpainted tower..electric service disconnected. Clearly the station is off the air. A fellow named Hellinger owns it, with pipe dreams of moving the station's presence to Nevada. What does he want for this station? From the old website URL it's Asian!

http://www.wabv1590.com/

The small community could still have a station if the right person ran it as a labor of love and foolishness..but. I'm curious.
 
WABV has been off the air more than ON since Hellinger has owned this station. He never tells the FCC it is off the air, and at one time had been off for more than 2 years.


Powell
 
Jeff:

I did a little research and found that Mark Hellinger is in very ill health. He is in Jasper, GA. I don't know him, or know much about him. He apparently bought WABV in the mid 90s.

WABV apparently does not have a working transmitter on site. I have seen some (I am assuming fairly recent) pics and the inside doesn't look much better. It's a shame, because the station has quite an interesting history, dating back to its original air date of 1956.

Guess it would take a lot of TLC to get her back on the air and probably would have to be a labor of love.
 
I know a lot about this station and its status. I've even posted recent pictures on my FB site. It is one of the worst situations I've even seen in 35 years in the business.
 
I hear that Hellinger may be in Hospice. Someone looking at the station took pictures inside. OH MY! I have never seen such a mess.

Powell
 
I was informed that someone purchased the land WABV is on at a tax sale. Don't know any more than that.


NOT GOOD ! !
 
Mr. Hellinger passed away over the summer. All of his stations are off the air, presumably waiting for disposition by his estate.
 
His stations are off the air, but he is still alive. He lives in Jasper, GA. He is terminally ill.
 
Meant to also add that he has a Facebook page, and has posted as recently as Dec. 10. He has written a lot about his past in radio, TV, and his health issues.

I don't know him personally, but we have corresponded a time or two.
 
DudeFan said:
I recall that I had read an obituary for him.
Click to expand...

I think you may have read the obit of another man who lives in Florida who was named Mark Hellinger. (That obit had a picture and some of the typical family members listing. It was NOT the Mark that we are discussing here.) After reading these posts, I went looking for info and the obit people are reporting.

I live near Mark and had some conversations with him a few years ago about the possible purchase of one of his properties. I'm kind of tied in knots today for time but in the next day or two I will try to track down some reliable information. He went through some very serious health issues 10 or 12 years ago if my memory is working correctly.
 
Here is what I have learned about Mark Hellinger, who previously owned WABV.

As of today, he is still alive, living in Jasper, GA where previously owned WYYZ. He indeed is approaching the end of life. The local newspaper in Jasper ran this article about him this week. It is a "good read" even if you have no interest in the radio station in South Carolina. Seldom do we come across someone who can be quite this candid in these circumstances. This is a link to the newspaper article:

http://pickensprogressonline.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=2131:dying-mans-open-house-draws-people-from-near-far&catid=42:news&Itemid=18

After Mark sold WYYZ in Jasper, he acquired the license for a not-for-profit F.M. serving Jasper. Sometime recently he personally did something of a farewell broadcast and then shut the station down. He has placed a YouTube recording and you will see and hear him introducing the two hours of audio. I haven't listened to the audio all the way through yet, but my friend Alan McCall said: "It reminded me how much fun radio used to be."

You can see and hear the recording at <www.markhellingerbroadcasting.com>




PostScript: I just attempted to link to the recording and it is not currently available. Maybe it will return after some maintenance at the website.
 
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Couldn't pay for it... or wouldn't pay for it.

When you let someone begin operating a station before closing the deal, you always run the risk the new owner will realize that the thing isn't going to work as planned, and may fail to close.

I don't know his ability to pay.
I know what the announced sale price was when he sold the A.M. in Jasper.
Based on that, I would suggest we are all "whistling in the dark" trying to paint him one way or the other.

xxxxx said:
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My Mama was one of those people who trained her kids: "If you can't say something nice, maybe you shouldn't say anything at all."

There is at least one attorney watching, maybe involved in this conversation. I suspect his advice.... if you were paying for his advice... would be: "If you are going to say something that is not nice, you may not want to publish the script of 'not nice' in a public forum. And certainly not during a period of time when family members are emotionally distressed and sensitive."
 
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