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WCEM 1240 Silent

WCEM-FM is moving to a new tower site away from the waterfront site where the AM and FM were and were the old MTS Broadcasting offices. If the land is being sold/redeveloped, is there really any value in building a new tower for an AM with little to no listenership?
 
Dialing around with WCEM silent I notice WRBS-AM 1230 is a lot stronger on the shore (duh). I also pick up Jersey's WSNJ 1240 ("Pop FM 99.9") a little bit.
 
That transmitter location was a real landmark but I get it-it has to be worth $$$$. I have a real soft spot for 1240, back to when I first discovered it in the 80s when they were "Continuous Country". (An extremely well run small market station, I felt.) When I was a high school senior I was handed a letter that WCEM mailed to the principal, seeking potential interns. I continue to kick myself for never pursuing it. I think they had a couple teenagers on the air at that point. I was really into top 40 country at that point, but had less than zero interest in the Hot AC that WCEM-FM was playing. Stupidly, I didn't even try for a spot because I didn't want to have to play songs I didn't know nor care about. Stupid.

It never made sense to me that 1240 could be considered for an FM, since they already HAD one. I'm not adept to know how this has worked elsewhere. I suppose if someone else came along and spent the cash to get a station on the air, they could maybe get the LPFM...then Draper could buy that up! In my perfect world, WHCP could get it...and then I could finally hear their programming over the air in Federalsburg. But I know it would make no financial sense to do it.

I wonder if they did anything at all on-air to commemorate the end? Somewhere, on open reel, I have the last 12 hours, give or take, of Continuous Country, with a nice segue into their new format (which I think was news/talk at that point.) They were southern gospel for a short spell and I might have a cassette with that changeover. Under Verstandig (sp) and to a somewhat lesser extent, under MTS, they really sounded like they cared.
 
Did someone trip on a wire and turn AM 1240 back on? Back on-air with CBS Sports Radio for at least 2 days.

If you ever get a chance you should post those old WCEM recording somewhere @DelmarvaDX . I've only known the station with satellite sports programming, and the few years as standards.
 
I tried 1240 around 6pm tonight but heard nothing; I'll have to try again tomorrow. I really need to teach myself how to get recordings uploaded to YouTube, or somewhere. I have a few interesting airchecks including a snippet of Troy Hill pulling graveyard shift at WCTD, bits of Country 94 WICO, Bay Country 1190 WANN, mostly really short. I also have a bunch of carts I rescued when WCEI was going digital.

I'm not sure when 1240 went country but I'm guessing early/mid-80s. Hank Cook did a morning show, "Hank and Eggs", with excellent production values for a small market. He was replaced by Todd Hurley (The Hurley Morning Show) who was in high school when he started, and the same age as me. Made me a bit jealous! Sandra Lee daytimes, a guy called 'O.J." did afternoons, Bucky Parks at night (had to wonder if his listeners could be counted in the low dozens. Essentially inaudible at my house.) After midnight they simulcast the FM. At some point in the early 90s they switched to doing satellite talk at night, from ABC as I recall, but still country during the day. When MTS bought WAAI/WTDK, since the format of 100.9 was almost identical to 1240, they combined the airstaff at the FM. It was sort of David and Goliath with 1240 being a red-headed stepchild, but more of their airstaff made the transition vs the old AAI crew. I recall listening to O.J. that first week and he made a blooper, ID'ing as "Continuous Country AM 1240" once more.

If I remember right, at that point WCEM AM became "Info 1240" expanding to news/talk all the time. For a short while they tried southern gospel with Steve Long doing mornings, then they were ESPN, then standards. Through most of the MTS era they had ABC news, decent local news, and 3 broadcasts a day from Paul Harvey. They used to have daily local fishing reports, an excellent ABC show on Sunday morning called, I think, "Perspectives", lots of local sports remotes and the powerboat races that practically took place on their front porch. At one time, a truly well-run station that was important to the community.
 
I may be a bit technically challenged, but I took a few minutes tonight and managed this; yes, still alive and kicking as of tonight!
 
I take this as great news; I couldn't access this particular article due to the pay wall but noted just a bit more elsewhere on the web. So, apparently, this would be the same Mike Powell who was running the recently burned-out (and more recently sold) WGOP. Guessing the purchase price includes a used transmitter and a frequency, and not much else? A rebirth of what Powell was doing in Pocomoke would be okay by me.
 
Poking around I see the sale did not consummate per a FCC filing in January, so Draper still has it. Pretty much still CBS Sports Radio 24/7 aside from some Sunday morning public affairs or paid programming.
 
Very interesting; I've been doing a web search every couple weeks, trying to find out what was happening. I figured, since it was still on Draper's websites, something must have been hanging it up. There was a day or two earlier this year when it seemed to be off-air but other than that it seems normal. Were I filthy rich, I'd probably do something stupid and give them a ring.
 
Noticed this one missing again, and it's another silent STA (off since Oct. 22nd). Request cites the land has been sold, tower is past the point of repair, so they're exploring their options.
 
Related to WCEM's tower loss, WCEM-FM 106.3 is now on a tower farther southwest with reduced power. Good for "Coast Country" listeners in the Blackwater Wildlife Refuge, for actual listeners in Cambridge and Easton not so much.
 
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