• Get involved.
    We want your input!
    Apply for Membership and join the conversations about everything related to broadcasting.

    After we receive your registration, a moderator will review it. After your registration is approved, you will be permitted to post.
    If you use a disposable or false email address, your registration will be rejected.

    After your membership is approved, please take a minute to tell us a little bit about yourself.
    https://www.radiodiscussions.com/forums/introduce-yourself.1088/

    Thanks in advance and have fun!
    RadioDiscussions Administrators

WGTK, Earth FM sold to EMF

I agree, it’s very well done. I sense that they tapped in to the very devoted following Earth FM had with the DJ’s and listeners and it’s the closest option. Very rare to mention DJ’s by name. They also said something along the lines of “the upstate’s we play everything station, including your favorite 80s and 90s throwbacks.”

Also, I have no idea how I forgot but they mentioned Lee Alexander as well.
 
101tm said:
I agree, it’s very well done. I sense that they tapped in to the very devoted following Earth FM had with the DJ’s and listeners and it’s the closest option. Very rare to mention DJ’s by name. They also said something along the lines of “the upstate’s we play everything station, including your favorite 80s and 90s throwbacks.”
Click to expand...
I think The Lake in Charlotte says "Anything". Same thing.
 
EarthFm is not done yet in their extended goodbye. The day before Thanksgiving the roof of the Bon Secours Wellness Arena will be illuminated with the EarthFm logo while the personalities fly over in a helicopter to drop live turkeys onto Fluor Field for charity.
 
101tm said:
EMF isn’t really concerned about competition. They want to get their message out to as many ears as possible to maximize donations, so WMIT is likely not a factor. They’re more worried about potential listeners to hear the message and donate.
Click to expand...
Are you suggesting this is all about money?
 
Almost a week later and the websites are still up, Earth FM’s ghost is still on 94.5-HD2 and 94.5 still has The Answer logo although they did change the PTY finally. 103.3 is completely switched over though, programming, RDS, etc all up and running (and have been since right after the flip). This may go through Christmas 🤣 I seem to recall WYAY (WAKL) and WMHK’s flips to K-LOVE being pretty immediate on everything.
 
Longest goodbye in radio history rolls on! 🤣 No K-LOVE 2K’s on 94.5-HD2 yet, still playing Earth FM recordings. 94.5-HD1 still shows the “94.5 K-LOVE / Positive Encouraging” static PAD with The Answer logo. 94.5-HD3 shows Rejoice 96.9 still. EMF is usually really good with this stuff so it has to be something on the Salem side keeping them from switching everything.
 
Radio Display just changed for the last time, a few minutes ago... 😭 Went from 80s & 90s Throwbacks...Now says, K-Love 2000s Music / Music That Takes You Back....🌎☠️
 
WGTK-HD4 went silent this afternoon. I don’t see where W275BJ / 102.9 has filed for the primary station to be changed to WROQ yet, but my guess is the sale is about to close and the “commercial” programming (Earth, Poder) needed to get off the signal since the station will change to non-commercial educational after the sale closure.

Also - 94.5 The Answer and Rejoice 96.9 sites have also been pulled with similar messages but the Salem website still shows Rejoice 96.9 as their Greenville station.
 
Last edited:
KyleAndMelissa22 said:
Radio Display just changed for the last time, a few minutes ago... 😭 Went from 80s & 90s Throwbacks...Now says, K-Love 2000s Music / Music That Takes You Back....🌎☠️
Click to expand...
Is there any noticeable difference between K-Love and this format?

I doubt I would care but I did find out I actually Liked "El Shaddai" by Amy Grant, which isn't really "contemporary".
 
Technically, there is still a station known as
"WGTK / The Answer" on 970 WGTK-AM,
(Also on 93.5 FM / W228EO)
Owned by Salem Media in Louisville KY.

I'm still surprised that Salem Greenville was sold when there are even smaller markets that may have been a better choice to sell.
 
Last edited:
I find it surprising it was sold primarily for the sense Salem has so many AM stations in large cities that don’t match their political ideologies and get very low ratings. I believe Greenville, Little Rock, and Louisville are/were among their smallest markets, but it seems they would be better markets for their political programming. But they needed the money, and Greenville-Spartanburg was a hole for EMF and honestly, it was a very easy way for EMF to get in GSP with their 2 main formats. Air1 is on rimshots or translators in a ton of markets. 103.3/95.5 are quite good signals by Air1 standards.

Maybe someday they’ll be able to fix the RDS/HD PAD on 94.5 and 95.5….94.5 RDS occasionally still shows “94.5 The Answer, News Opinion Insight” and of course still has the logo. Earth FM logo is still on 94.5-2 and old PAD data still flashes at times.
 
101tm said:
I find it surprising it was sold primarily for the sense Salem has so many AM stations in large cities that don’t match their political ideologies and get very low ratings. I believe Greenville, Little Rock, and Louisville are/were among their smallest markets, but it seems they would be better markets for their political programming.
Click to expand...

Salem has either sold or LMA'ed its Louisville properties, though the new operator has continued to carry Salem programming on most of those stations.

It still owns three FM's in Little Rock, and I think it has an AM/translator there, too. Those signals aren’t likely to attract a buyer anytime soon. Plus, Cumulus is still trying to find a deal for at least two Little Rock area stations in the Last Bastion Trust it inherited from Citadel.

I doubt Salem wanted to sell in Greenville, but, like you said, it needed the money. It might get more money selling in larger markets, but it makes the bulk of its money through selling airtime to preachers and network talk programming. The preachers and network advertisers tend to buy reach. Plus, Salem has mostly AM's in those larger markets. AM's, even in large markets, have gone down in value a lot over the last 10 years.
 
101tm said:
I find. Air1 is on rimshots or translators in a ton of markets. 103.3/95.5 are quite good signals by Air1 standards.
Click to expand...

One Market I know of where Air1 has the better signal than its K-Love sister (other than the Texas markets) is in Las Vegas (89.3 KAER) with a powerful booster serving the entire valley... But K-Love however has the Rimshots/translators that don't really do as well
(KVKL 91.1 / 88.5 KVID / 95.1 K236BM)
 
KyleAndMelissa22 said:
One Market I know of where Air1 has the better signal than its K-Love sister (other than the Texas markets) is in Las Vegas (89.3 KAER) with a powerful booster serving the entire valley... But K-Love however has the Rimshots/translators that don't really do as well
(KVKL 91.1 / 88.5 KVID / 95.1 K236BM)
Click to expand...
Keep in mind that EMF does not program to "markets" but to populations. They don't seem to care if they have a central city signal or several suburban signals covering pieces of a "market" as they don't compete for ratings or ad buys. They just want a signal covering as many people in the country and its territories as possible.
 
Status
This thread has been closed due to inactivity. You can create a new thread to discuss this topic.


Back
Top Bottom