WBBX Kingston sold.

[knoxbob]

WBBX 500 watter @ 1410 Kingston gets bought by 3B Properties for $5k. They also own WIHG Rockwood and WOFE Byrdstown. At that price you would think it didn't come with any property.

 

[gr8oldies]

I never even knew of the existence of this station.

 

[knoxbob]

It when on the air in July '78 as WTNR 1410 AM 500w daytime and 1kw Dir. @ night. I don't think the dir. array was ever built. It has been mostly Gospel as far back as I can remember.

 

[Oldie919]

The WBBX callsign was originally held by a station in Portsmouth, NH (1380)..they were a 1kw 2-stick directional, protecting WSYB in Rutland, VT.

 

[Mediaace]

I used to work in the cluster (iHeartMedia) that had the WBBX operation in Portsmouth, NH as “WTMN-AM (Team 1380)” sports talk. 1380 in Portsmouth is now defunct. Has been since 2015 due to loss of the lease on the land the two-stick array was situated off Islington Street. I lived in Knoxville for a brief period. Made it weird seeing former calls show up in that area.

 

[Oldie919]

My very first (paid) radio job was "across the tracks".....at WHEB -- which was then (1971) running 1kw @ 750KHz (sounded like 5kw, with the salt-water ground system!!) and 5kw ERP on FM (100.3)...
The FM callsign at that time was WPFM....the AM went off at sunset. They were licensed as a "shared" station with WSB, Atlanta......IF WSB decided to change facilities, WHEB COULD be authorized for 50kw...
Had they been granted a license about 3 months earlier than they did, they WOULD have been able to run 50kW.....
Alas.....WHEB (AM) went "dark" in the late '80s --- WHEB (100.3) is now part of iHeart Media....the old Blaw-Knox tripod AM tower is still used as a support for STL antennas!!

 

[davideduardo]

My very first (paid) radio job was "across the tracks".....at WHEB -- which was then (1971) running 1kw @ 750KHz (sounded like 5kw, with the salt-water ground system!!) and 5kw ERP on FM (100.3)...
The FM callsign at that time was WPFM....the AM went off at sunset. They were licensed as a "shared" station with WSB, Atlanta......IF WSB decided to change facilities, WHEB COULD be authorized for 50kw...
Had they been granted a license about 3 months earlier than they did, they WOULD have been able to run 50kW.....
Alas.....

WSB was licensed and on the air a decade before WHEB. WSB was on 700, by 1924, then moved to 630 and then to 740. WHEB came along in late 1932, and was licensed as a daytimer, protecting WSB. In the NARBA reassignment in 1941, the 740 stations moved to 750.

But unless WHEB had been licensed 10 years earlier and had originally been on 700 and then 630, it would have had no claim to the frequencies that WSB originally occupied or the one it is still on today.

WHEB was granted a modification of its construction permit in July of 1932 and given until August 8 of that year to go on the air.

 

[94 Country DJ]

I remember these guys. When they signed on, I had been at WECO about 8 months. They worried WECO's sales manager to some extent as he told all of our people to be at the top of our games. WECO was country, WTNR was playing rock. Sadly, when WTNR was sold it went downhill fast. Directional array was never built and the station never operated legally at night, although a story circulated around the area that after a preacher acquired the station and the held a revival at his church, he broadcast it on the station-even though the revival was at night... and he was running 1 kW even though he was licensed for only 500 W.

 

[Oldie919]

WSB was licensed and on the air a decade before WHEB. WSB was on 700, by 1924, then moved to 630 and then to 740. WHEB came along in late 1932, and was licensed as a daytimer, protecting WSB. In the NARBA reassignment in 1941, the 740 stations moved to 750.

But unless WHEB had been licensed 10 years earlier and had originally been on 700 and then 630, it would have had no claim to the frequencies that WSB originally occupied or the one it is still on today.

WHEB was granted a modification of its construction permit in July of 1932 and given until August 8 of that year to go on the air.

David....
Thanks for the clarification.....Don't know where I got my info on the WHEB power issue.....
Probably an "old wives' tale" circulating around the station......

 

[Capt_Kirk]

The WBBX callsign was originally held by a station in Portsmouth, NH (1380)..they were a 1kw 2-stick directional, protecting WSYB in Rutland, VT.

My father worked there, in the late 1950s or early 1960s. Attached a pic of him, looks like he was doing a remote broadcast.

 

[Desktopgrass]

I worked at WTNR in the early 80's when I was in high school in Kingston. I don't recall the first owners I worked for there but I do recall Johnny Eagle had an ownership stake at one time and Vance Winstead owned the station at one point. I worked there when the station programmed country then the format was changed to A.C.
Best I remember it was a tower only without a ground screen, 500 watt daytimer. We did some night time broadcasting while I was there during election nights.