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WDUR Returns

N

ncairguy

I listened to the station on 40 yesterday from just East of Burlington to Wade Avenue in Raleigh. Elevator music with automated time and temp. Good processing. The station has had a lot of changes in the last decade or so. The only thing I see working is something hyper local. Rhythmic Oldies, Real Oldies, or Classic Country might work.

Given that Clear Channel sold it for over a million some years ago, it would be interesting to see the recent price paid. It was no doubt nowhere near a million.
 
Heard this yesterday and checked their FCC records. WDUR has a "remain silent" authorization that expires August 1st. Due to the "placeholder" nature of what they're airing, this may be more to keep the license alive in accordance with CFR 73.1750 than an imminent return of regular operation. If I remember correctly, didn't ownership revert back to the Zarzour family from Prieto last year due to non-payment?
 
RadioDaze said:
Heard this yesterday and checked their FCC records. WDUR has a "remain silent" authorization that expires August 1st. Due to the "placeholder" nature of what they're airing, this may be more to keep the license alive in accordance with CFR 73.1750 than an imminent return of regular operation. If I remember correctly, didn't ownership revert back to the Zarzour family from Prieto last year due to non-payment?
Click to expand...

Gotta love those loopholes - fire up the tx, throw on some audio (surely with a routine legal ID) for xx hours, and shut down the tx. And if nothing major happens with this operation, rinse, lather, repeat this again in 6-12 months.
 
WDUR still stunting...

... if you can call it that. Today is August 1, however, so stay tuned to see what happens next...
 
New today is FCC authorization [8/1] to return to the airwaves. Is WDUR on the air today? Alas I am too far away to hear 1490.
 
Does anyone know who is operating WDUR? It is Not Zarzour - and certainly not Filberto Prieto. There may be a translator at 92.7 involved.
 
I don't see a 92.7 translator for Durham, or anything readily apparent that could be used as a WDUR FM translator. However, Educational Media Foundation (a.k.a. "K-Love") has applied to build a 13-watt translator at 104.7 MHz on WDUR's quarter-wave tower at the end of Nixon Street. This translator application lists K-Love's WKVK 106.7/ Semora as the proposed parent station, and, as a new translator, couldn't be used for AM-to-FM anyway as FCC policy currently stands. At any rate, WDUR's owners can collect a bit of revenue from renting tower space.
 
As of this morning, nothing on 1490 (it sounds like the signal's not coming through. As for translators, the 101.9 translator that was discussed on another thread here also seems to be non-operational... any updates on either 1490 or the 101.9 translator?
 
Nothing on 1490 again today. As pointed out in an earlier post, the recent transmission on WDUR probably was just to keep the license active. Perhaps the operator is awaiting approval of a FM translator. I'd hate to try to make a profit with a stand alone 1000 watt station on the frequency of 1490 without a FM translator ... even in a city the size of Durham. I'm sure it could be done but you likely would need deep pockets to make it happen.

Perhaps Curtis bought the station. 96.9 does not cover Durham well. A 1490 simulcast may help convince advertisers that the station fully covers the Triangle.
 
That station lost it's butt back in the 70's when it was WSSB and John Woods drove it into the ground.. Also has been a loser! ::)
 
ncairguy said:
Nothing on 1490 again today. As pointed out in an earlier post, the recent transmission on WDUR probably was just to keep the license active. Perhaps the operator is awaiting approval of a FM translator. I'd hate to try to make a profit with a stand alone 1000 watt station on the frequency of 1490 without a FM translator ... even in a city the size of Durham. I'm sure it could be done but you likely would need deep pockets to make it happen.

Perhaps Curtis bought the station. 96.9 does not cover Durham well. A 1490 simulcast may help convince advertisers that the station fully covers the Triangle.
Click to expand...
I doubt Curtis Media bought the station; he's already had to spin off WKIX 102.9 to McClatchey in order to stay within the limit of the number of radio stations a company can own in one market. Here's an idea, though: Why not Capitol Broadcasting buy WDUR and simulcast 99.9 HD-3 (The Ticket) on it? Capitol only has four stations (Mix 101.5, 99.9 The Fan, 620 The Buzz, and WCLY 1530 (the latter of which is supposedly affiliated with ESPN Deportes).
 
As I understand it, each band has ownership limits according to market size. It may be that Curtis is not over the limit for AMs.

1490 has been owned by Radio One and Clear Channel so you may be on to something ... pass it on to another big player in the market (Capitol). They already have facilities in Durham. Economy of scale in action.

My guess is still Curtis. From a business standpoint, the man is pretty much a genus and seems to get what he wants (stations).
 
Delmarva Educational Foundation, which appears to be tied to the Epperson family of Salem Broadcasting fame, is trying to get a translator licensed to Chapel Hill at 92.1 that transmits from the WDUR tower and, per the application, would rebroadcast WDUR.

I doubt Curtis is interested as I think they're maxed out with 8 stations (five per one service).

When Clear Channel owned it, it was more of an inheritance that they did very little with until they spun it to Triangle Sports Broadcasters to rebroadcast the ill-fated sports talk format on WTSB 1090.

Radio One never owned WDUR, as it remained with Clear Channel when WFXC, WFXK, WNNL, and WQOK were spun off to them. WDUR would complement Capitol's ESPN Deportes WCLY 1550 very well.
 
WDUR and WFXC (107.1) were sister stations for many years, from 1983 until Clear Channel divested its urban-targeted FMs around 2004. WFXC's original sister station, however, is 1410 AM WRJD (the former WSRC). WFXC was originally WSRC-FM when it signed on in 1965).
 
ncairguy said:
As I understand it, each band has ownership limits according to market size. It may be that Curtis is not over the limit for AMs.

1490 has been owned by Radio One and Clear Channel so you may be on to something ... pass it on to another big player in the market (Capitol). They already have facilities in Durham. Economy of scale in action.

My guess is still Curtis. From a business standpoint, the man is pretty much a genus and seems to get what he wants (stations).
Click to expand...
WBZJ simulcast. Translator on FM.
 
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