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WAMS is BACK!

A

ajc_trw

The melow oldies station is back, and in Kent Co. WAMS is on FM 98.3 from Smyrna and AM 1600 from Dover. It's also available online at

http://www.shoutatme.com:7030/

on a nice 192kbit mpeg stream.

Tune in and enjoy! 98.3 WAMS-FM :)
 
ajc_trw said:
The melow oldies station is back, and in Kent Co. WAMS is on FM 98.3 from Smyrna and AM 1600 from Dover. It's also available online at

http://www.shoutatme.com:7030/

on a nice 192kbit mpeg stream.

Tune in and enjoy! 98.3 WAMS-FM :)
Click to expand...
I checked the FCC database and it appears the old 98.7 from Dover moved to 98.3 (with country 98.7 from DC filling in the space) so that's where 98.3 is from. Sorry, my bad. :'-(
 
According to Radio Locator, 98.3 Dover and 98.7 Smyrna are both LPFM's for WRTX (a simulcast of WRTI 90.1 Temple Univ Classical/Jazz). However, I went to the web site you provided and it's playing some great oldies(that you'll never hear on WOGL) and the voice track did say WAMS at 98.3, so maybe WAMS has gotten a LPFM at 98.3 and WRTX is only at 98.5. Maybe WRTX/WRTI cut back on how many repeaters they have, due to the economy, and Smynra might not be an area where they've gotten much notice or donations. I say a LPFM as I can't get it in New Castle on my FM radio at work, car, or at home. So apparently it's a low powered signal, unfortunately. If WAMS-FM had a solid FM signal in the Wilmington area, my guess is that with some advertisement a real Oldies station at 98.3 would be showing in future books for Wilmington. Maybe, WAMS will eventually get a LPFM for the Wilmington market as WRTI did at 107.7 and give the radio listeners up here a break from the lack of real oldies other than online. WVLT doesn't come in all that well here, so the territory is wide open for WAMS-FM to be a smash hit.
 
Not as an LPFM it won't in Wilmington or in Dover. Has been there, done that on 1600. Still a songs and jingles "Internet" station as it was. Nice songs, yes. Nice Pams jingles. Yes. Memories (for too few to remember) for both WAMS and WFIL. But certainly not competitive with what they're doing. A carbon copy of what kept them on the air two years ago for just awhile.

You think 1380 was a horrible signal (I know, I worked there) an LPFM wouldn't make it to Maryland Avenue or Delaware Avenue, for that matter, clearly if it could find a translator. Too dense. They tried focusing on Dover, once, which unto itself wasn't a bad idea, but they had no punch behind it to get ads. In this economic climate, especially in Dover, let alone Wilmington, the pickin's will be short.


They need to own the market, not just play oldies and jingles -- as much as I like the thought of it.

Now, if they could only bring back "Memory Lane" with Bank of Delaware as a sponsor ...
 
Maybe WAMS could get back on 1380 as possibly a cash strapped state of Delaware might be willing to unload Ruth Ann Minner's State Owned Radio station, Del DOT 1380 - the only station in town that guarantees you'll get old outdated traffic information 24 hours a day. I know the state has some deal worked out with WILM as 1380 now uses WILM's tower and the signal gets out far better now than back in the day when you and I worked at WAMS.

Of course, you make some valid points. The reason the 1260 WAMS - Newark and the 1600 WAMS - Dover failed was not due to lousy programming, but to lack of do-re-mi to advertise and promote the station. Also they'd need a sales team to go and sell the station.

Which brings up the other problem and probable good reason WAMS is doomed to fail, as a radio enterprise, the advertisers don't want listeners my age (58) they want kids and kids, generally, won't listen to AM and are not interested in listening to Oldies, no matter how well its done. Even if WAMS-FM had a monster signal, that younger demo won't listen so the advertisers just won't buy time, other than possibly medicines via drug manufacturers, funeral homes, insurance companies (both life and auto), nursing homes, and maybe General Steel Buildings Company, etc.

So an online operation is probably far less expensive and with more and more people turning to the internet for their music entertainment, WAMS' best future probably is online as an internet station. The owner's problem will be how to make money with his great online Oldies station. Many online sites do have advertising, so that may be an option for the online WAMS. Maybe he could work out a deal with Delmarva or CC Delaware where WAMS could also be a HD-2 or 3 station on WSTW, WDSD, or possibly even at WJBR as hd-2. As there isn't a real oldies station in the market or in Philly, maybe WAMS could work some deal that way which might help promote his internet station.

Bottom line, is it's going to take some creative thinking for WAMS to make it. But it could be done and hopefully will be done.

Of course that brings up another question, why doesn't Delmarva put their 101.3 Oldies station from Milford on WSTW hd-2 or 3? Dump their current programming on WSTW, put graffitti radio there and put 101.3 on hd-2. They have WDEL on hd-3 already.
 
Welcome to "WAMS"

http://www.wrnonline.com/

otherwise known as Oldies Plus. :-/

I guess since XM Sirius, sat stations are OK. They're the stations you don't have to pay for. :)

But still, these DJs  ::)  :p

..and I mean that in fun / playful jest :) as always. ;-)

P.S.: How cool would it be for someone with an XM sub to drive beside you all day so you can get their FM xmitter spillover. Mega :)
 
I was there in 1987. I worked on Saturday nights, did a one hour show and board op'd Dick Bartley's Saturday Night Oldies show and later we dropped Bartley for PD Todd Halliday doing a live remote at Galluccio's.
 
radioguruusa said:
Wondering if the 105.1 in milford will ever happen?, As the 98.3 signal isnt strong enough to reach.
Click to expand...

I did take a listen today and they are on all 3 signals playing 80's music. Their calling them self's "The 80's channel." I also took note that they are renting office space on College Road in Dover.
 
From the 11/17 Taylor on Radio:

In Dover, Delaware, R&B oldies WAMS (1600) is sold, but stays in the family. Seller is Vincent Klepac of WXXY Broadcasting, and the buying entity (K-5 Communications) is himself, his wife Lorrie, plus their kids Branden, Sarah and Lily. They’ll be equal 20% partners in K-5, and the price is the acceptance of an existing note for $80,000. The technical facility has 5-kw days and 1-kw nights, and there’s an application at the Commission to change that to 3.9-kw days and 110 watts at night. The “WAMS” calls once belonged up in the Wilmington market, but this is the third time they’ve been carried on the 1600 in Dover. In the last dozen years it’s also been WXXY, WDPZ, WRJE, WKEN (three times), WIBF, WNRK and WQVL
 
So 1600 WAMS would be non-directional at 3.9Kw and would get out better than being 5Kw and directional?
 
WAMS Now has Jason Allen on from 6pm-10pm. I know he was last down at the B in Georgetown before that station flipped.
 
Can WAMS make money as an internet station? Punch up live365 and check out how many oldies stations are on the internet. Plus Scott Shannon's True Oldies Channel, WLS-FM, WCBS-FM, WCTC, WMTR, etc.

You need something really special to stand out in that crowd. And WAMS AM, FM or internet just doesn't have it. Jim Nettleton's radiophillystyle.com barely survived until Jim's death last year. Then the station died along with him.
 
During one of the times 1600 was WAMS, they carried the Geator in the afternoon. I'm sure it was primarily for the money, but Jerry Blavat in Dover? It did not help WAMS and I doubt it helped Jerry all that much.

Programming from the Hy Lit type format would make a lot more sense. It's a shame it did not work out.
 
Now that would have been great. Maybe CC Delaware will finally decide to do something useful with WWTX 1290 Fox Sports Radio with its non-ratings, and go Oldies using Sam's Hy Lit package.
 
1290 was oldies for a while in the late 70's or early 80's. That was back when WJBR-AM found the B/Ez format they were running was dead on AM and soft rock didn't work either. At the same time, we were noticing that day-time only stations just weren't attracting listeners anymore. It was always bad in the Fall when you had to sign-off at 4:45pm, but the listeners were not there in the Spring any more. So the oldies try failed.

Now they are full time with 2.5kw. It might work. But if you are looking for examples, they are few and far between. After Greater Media gave oldies a half-hearted attempt on WPEN, they launched the format on their New Jersey and NYC-area AM's. Dropped talk on WMTR, WCTC, etc. WCTC still has Jack Ellory in morning's, but then fully automated oldies the rest of the day. The ratings for that once proud Middlesex county station are far below what they were, but replacing the expensive live/local talk has apparently helped the bottom line.

Sports is still a better gamble on AM than any form of music. Your sales rep has a much better chance of selling sports with no listeners than music with a 2-share. That is because you can claim sports attracts men in the 24-54 range, while music on AM is a 55+ deal.
 
jhguthlac said:
1290 was oldies for a while in the late 70's or early 80's.
Now they are full time with 2.5kw. It might work. But if you are looking for examples, they are few and far between.
Click to expand...


WWTX-AM 1290 kHz
Wilmington, Delaware
Station Format: Sports

WWTX-AM Technical Info:
Daytime Power 2500 Watts
Nighttime Power 32 Watts

If they put up 3 or 4 more towers they could most likely bump their power up rather substantially. But it is unlikely that will ever happen with Clear Channel practically in hock due to their debt load.


1290/WHKY Hickory NC, 50Kw-D 3 towers, 1Kw-N 4 towers
1290/KKAR Omaha NE, 50Kw-D 3 Towers, 5Kw-N 4 Towers
 
What would be a good format for an AM in Delaware?

My inclination is for a business talk station. There are many business advisors ready to try to sell people on their recommended stocks, etc -- -though personally I wouldn't invest a dime in such investment vehicles- would rather put in a business like we're running now.

If Oldies Radio on AM only bring in 55+ listeners how does one reach younger people?

josh
 
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