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WCTA 810AM Alamo,TN Dark?

radiofan4life said:
I wouldn't mind settling down in a small town like Alamo. They might have something there.
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In order to retrieve a “clean” license, many other hurdles would have to be jumped over and it looks like being silent for three years without authority is major trouble. Lack of candor is tough to overcome with the commission and there exist more than prima fascia case for this. Usually, one finds that a myriad of other issues are at play regulatory and otherwise. I know that many stations today are not in the possession of the licensee or even legal trustee. After some body digs out of all that, there then looms the very possible “performance tax” big radio problem, not to mention the current adjustment that is well underway . If this gets through the Congress and signed into law, that will be the merciful death knell of these classes of facilities and bigger fish as well. With all that, any attempt at a resurrection may be deemed a fool hearty venture.
 
The (then) PD of my first station (WHDM in McKenzie) had at one time also worked for WCTA. WHDM was silent for a couple of years in the mid '90s, although they are now back on, under new ownership and management, as best as I know now.

Since WHDM was also silent for a couple of years, we'll blame that former PD for that, and for the silence of WCTA as well. That's it! He's a jinx! ;D
 
The studio equipment is still locked up in the building downtown, although who knows what kind of shape it's in by now. The lights on the towers are totally out, which I'd think are both FCC and FAA violations. If anyone were to buy the station, they'd definitely have a lot of work to do to get it back on the air. I wonder if anything is even usable for parts.
 
they still have one of our TRN receivers...need it back but not enough
value to do legal action (and who to go after at this point?)
 
I can't believe the FCC hasn't done anything about this before now. Although I live in Alamo, I don't know about Mr. Williams's condition, other than the last I heard he was in a nursing home.

Considering that The FCC is just now sending a warining letter I wonder if it's still possible for someone to get the license and work toward getting the station back on the air, although that will probably take a LOT of work.
 
I think June 2012 is the date the FCC has to renew or they lost it.
 
I have big news about WCTA. I drove past the station's building tonight and saw lights on and someone in the studio, which can be seen through the front window. I called and found out that some friends of Mr. Williams (Who is still in the nursing home) are working to get WCTA back on the air. There aren't a lot of details, other than that they're still in the testing stage and trying to get the legal and FCC problems worked out, and that they have a Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/home.php?ref=home#!/WctaAm810 . When I find out more I'll post it.
 
WCTA was on today. They were running some generic filler music and break-ins of NOAA weather radio, and an occasional message that the new programming would be coming soon. From what I was told the programming will likely be talk because of past music licensing problems. I'm not a big news/talk fan, but I'm glad to see them getting back on the air.
 
Gonna say the same thing that I said on the Memphis board. Alamo is sandwiched between Jackson and Dyersburg, two areas that seem to be served fairly well by radio, so I'm wondering how well they will be able to do. I'm just wondering how much need (or demand) there is for an AM station, especially in a relatively small county like Crockett.
 
There was a time... back when maybe we had about 30% of the number of radio stations that we do today, that someone could take something like WCTA and create a peculiar little sound... more than likely Country Music and reach out beyond your own city and county and pick up listeners in neighboring counties and run a comfortable operation. That was back when automobile dealers were colorful and Detroit limited them to one dealership. If you could get warm and fuzzy with the dealer you could get a lot of his budget. Today big chains own auto dealers just like big chains own radio stations. You can't wander over to the next town and take the dealer out drinking and get warm and fuzzy. You get budget only if the buy with a college degree in corporate HQ three states over has a math formula that makes your station look good.

Radio used to get significant dollars from furniture dealers who were promoters and were reaching out two or three counties in every direction. Today the furniture store in corporately owned.

In Tennessee you are going to still find some IGA and Piggly-Wiggley stores, but the big ad bucks come from... let's say it all together now: chain groups like Walmart and Kroger.

I looked up the retail sales numbers on Alamo and Crockett County and my little rule-of-thumb formula said: "Oh, this county has enough sales to support a frugal little station like WCTA." But I suspect my little formula is no longer valid. When you look up retail sales things like automobiles probably show up in the county where the car is licensed and titled because the transaction is reported via the sales tax mechanism. Cars purchased in Memphis and Jackson and Dyersburg and who knows where else get reported as retail sales in Crockett County even though a local dealer did not make the sale or spend the advertising to earn the sale.

Is there a new car dealer in Crockett County, TN? I didn't find one listed as a Chamber of Commerce member.

If WCTA is to survive, it will probably have to be by using the same mentality and methodology used to operate an LPFM station, except you can run a real commercial.
 
There is no new car dealer in Crockett County, and the main grocery chain is Food Rite in Alamo and Bells, which would be about equal to IGA or Piggly Wiggly (which is what they were at one time). I'll admit that ad dollars will be hard to find unless someone wants to run ads to help support the station. I hate to say it, but the other option is dollar a holler preachers and infomercials, but I definitely hope they don't go that direction.
 
anotherguy said:
I'll admit that ad dollars will be hard to find unless someone wants to run ads to help support the station.
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There are a number of stations that fit that profile, including some small FMs. It is not JUST and AM problem. The sad thing is that anyone smart enough, clever enough, creative enough to nurse that cash out of the mom-and-pop businesses can probably provide so much more for the family by lacing themselves onto the back of some city-based corporation somewhere.

Some of the well run small town stations are run by the spouse of someone who has a job WITH HEALTH BENEFITS with the bank or a utility or maybe the best factory in town. One could make the argument that women are better at pulling together these little stations under those circumstances than us ole' "hairy legged boys".
 
I tuned in the other day as I was out and about in the area. Decent signal in the Greenfield, Atwood, Milan, Medina and Three-Way areas I was in, and into North Jackson around Oil Well Road when I quit listening. They were still running NOAA weather radio from Dyersburg with older production music as filler.
 
I caught WCTA this afternoon in East Memphis in my 2005 Dodge Caravan, which has a pretty good radio. It was staticy but you could understand it OK. They're still just doing the generic music and NOAA weather radio.
 
I just checked their Facebook page for an update. Here's a copy and paste of what they posted this weekend:

Hello there, radio-active dudes and dudettes !! It is with great pleasure that I am now able to announce the return of the Tennessee Radio Network to WCTA airwaves. After suffering some damage to our satellite receiving equipment, then completing its repair, along with other contractual and logistical necessities, we will shortly be adding the following to our weekly schedule: Monday through Saturday TRN 3-minute NEWSCASTS, at the bottom of the hour, 6:30 A.M. through 6:30 P.M., except on Saturday, when the last newscast is at 11:30 A.M.......TRN 3-minute SPORTS REPORTS, Monday through Friday at 6:50 and 7:50 A.M., also at 3:20, 4:20 and 5:20 P.M., with a 6:50 A.M.-only sportscast on Saturday.......the 3-minute ACCENT AGRICULTURE will air at 6:40 A.M., Monday through Saturday.......the MIDDAY FARM REPORT is 3 minutes at 11:35 A.M., Monday through Saturday.......and INSIDE MOTORSPORTS is presented for 3 minutes at 3:47 P.M., Monday through Friday. As we re-add regular programming, listeners can expect some of the TRN feeds to be replayed numerous times throughout the day for the time being. Although we cannot be specific yet about additional offerings, there are many elements and types being considered, including a national radio news network, local and area news, birthday, anniversary, community, church and public service calendars and announcements, a live personal item selling or trading show, perhaps a live morning program along the lines of the talk/interview/entertainment categories, local/area sporting and special event broadcasts, various music formats, church services and religious programs, as well as many more possibilities for WCTA. It is truly encouraging to see all the businesses in our home county area and we will soon reveal our solid comittment to those who choose to assist us and their bottom line by partnering with WCTA as advertisers. We are truly a work in progress and want to ultimately be listener-driven, with more and more opportunities for your input available soon, including our now-open P.O. Box 81 and soon-to-be-added e-mail address, WCTA website, live internet streaming and more on the drawing board. For now, we leave you with one of the many WCTA mottos: "We are Crockett County, that's what we know and that's what we do, period."
 
Heard them while driving through about 2 weeks ago... I thought it was quite odd hearing 80's era newscast themed music :D and NOAA weather reports. With that being said I'm glad to see them back on the air; way too many small stations bite the dust and fall into history forgotten and without rememberance.

-Travis
 
This sounds a lot like what they were doing before they went off, mostly news from TRN and some local announcements and church services. I hope they're able to get off the ground and do more, but I guess it's a start.
 
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