We often hear that "this is a dying industry"... and "nobody under 50 listens to AM radio". I think it's fair to say that it's been a shrinking industry in some ways, exacerbated by the bad economy. However, we'll know that these statements are true when stations of note (not a WJTB-type) go dark. At least in our area, and I presume other markets of notable size, there always seems to be a taker for any station. However, if you visit the FCC's list of licensed facilities that are currently off-air, you'll find way more AM's then FM's, but they are generally in less populated areas. So, do you have any general comments on this? If you want to really get "down-to-it", any guestimates on who might be first? The most recent station that signed off forever that I can think of was the 1,000 watt daytimer in Chardon, Ohio (Began as WBKC, ended as - I think - WATJ).
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Whose first to shut down?
- Thread starter johnbasalla
- Start date
WFRO/900-Fremont signed off for good in 2003.
The reason for that was, Disney/ABC wanted to upgrade their Radio Disney affil, WFDF/910-Flint, to a 50kW signal and turn it into a Detroit move-in. So ABC bought WFRO-AM while BAS Broadcasting bought WFRO-FM; ABC then LMA'ed the AM back to BAS until the station left the air. (So technically, WFRO-AM was a sister station to ABC O&O WTVG/13, but only in name only.)
There's the Glunt Media Empire in Youngstown - aka the Beacon Broadcasting stations, all of which are for sale after the principle owner's passing in January. Their four AM signals (and FM rimshot) were put up for sale not long after that, and apparently the bidding is very, very low for all of them. It doesn't look promising for either of them. Not only is the economy - both locally and nationally - a major hindrance, but none of their stations offers good coverage of the entire region.
Sadly, a station like WJTB could fail to sign on again forever, and no one will really notice.
The reason for that was, Disney/ABC wanted to upgrade their Radio Disney affil, WFDF/910-Flint, to a 50kW signal and turn it into a Detroit move-in. So ABC bought WFRO-AM while BAS Broadcasting bought WFRO-FM; ABC then LMA'ed the AM back to BAS until the station left the air. (So technically, WFRO-AM was a sister station to ABC O&O WTVG/13, but only in name only.)
There's the Glunt Media Empire in Youngstown - aka the Beacon Broadcasting stations, all of which are for sale after the principle owner's passing in January. Their four AM signals (and FM rimshot) were put up for sale not long after that, and apparently the bidding is very, very low for all of them. It doesn't look promising for either of them. Not only is the economy - both locally and nationally - a major hindrance, but none of their stations offers good coverage of the entire region.
Sadly, a station like WJTB could fail to sign on again forever, and no one will really notice.
1560 in Chardon was WGLD in the early to mid 60's, then they seemed to disappear and then came back as WBKC. I don't know if at that time, they went off the air completely, or reduced their already low power, or re-aimed their antenna. I could barely receive 1560 in any incarnation when I lived in Garfield Hts. at that time. I don't recall the format.
I didn't know that history of 1560AM in Chardon. I do know that the "BK" in WBKC referenced two names, owners I think. The "K" was for Kipp, I believe.
The Wikipedia article on WATJ should explain a lot, John. (I wrote and edited the vast majority of it, by the way.)
Basically, there was someone who commented on an OMW article concerning the moves between WBKC and WABQ that launched "ESPN Radio 1540" WWGK, and gave an awful lot of history regarding the station. Look up more at http://ohiomedia.blogspot.com/2006/10/15401460-call-swap_26.html.
In the mid-80s, WBKC's owners purchased WPVL/1460 Painesville, and simulcast on both stations for awhile until spinning off 1460, eventually winding up in the hands of the owners of WKKY-FM, Warren and Ted Jones. Hence the WATJ calls.
Basically, there was someone who commented on an OMW article concerning the moves between WBKC and WABQ that launched "ESPN Radio 1540" WWGK, and gave an awful lot of history regarding the station. Look up more at http://ohiomedia.blogspot.com/2006/10/15401460-call-swap_26.html.
In the mid-80s, WBKC's owners purchased WPVL/1460 Painesville, and simulcast on both stations for awhile until spinning off 1460, eventually winding up in the hands of the owners of WKKY-FM, Warren and Ted Jones. Hence the WATJ calls.
There was once WWIZ/1380, a small daytime station in Lorain, Ohio back in the late 50s and early 60s. It was signed on by a Youngstown-based station owner, who sold majority control to the Horvitz family - publishers of the Lorain Journal - mere days before the station signed on in November 1958. Which was done under the radar, and that got WWIZ in trouble with the FCC.
It didn't help that the Horvitz family, just nine years earlier, was involved in a nasty lawsuit with WEOL/930's ownership a few years earlier over antitrust issues that ended up before the Supreme Court (WEOL won).
After a lengthy license battle, WWIZ was placed in a trusteeship and ordered off the air in July 1967. The license was rebid on by the FCC, with a four-person group reactivating the station brand-new as WLRO/1380 in December 1969 (today known as WDLW). While the former and current stations on 1380 are officially separate, WDLW's current ownership has recognized its' prior life as WWIZ.
It didn't help that the Horvitz family, just nine years earlier, was involved in a nasty lawsuit with WEOL/930's ownership a few years earlier over antitrust issues that ended up before the Supreme Court (WEOL won).
After a lengthy license battle, WWIZ was placed in a trusteeship and ordered off the air in July 1967. The license was rebid on by the FCC, with a four-person group reactivating the station brand-new as WLRO/1380 in December 1969 (today known as WDLW). While the former and current stations on 1380 are officially separate, WDLW's current ownership has recognized its' prior life as WWIZ.
I have some familiarity with 1460 in Painesville and 1560 in Chardon, as I worked at both of them. WBKC in Chardon in the late 1970s and early 1980s, and WQLS (Formerly WPVL) 1460 in the mid 1980s.
johnbasalla said:
Growing up in Lake County back in the 60 & 70's I remember these stations well. These two stations along with WELW in Willoughby were the local radio sources in Lake and Geauga counties for many years. WPVL started out as a daytime operation that became 24hrs later on. It played a MOR type of format but it was also heavily involved with local news and sports. It was truly a local full service station. For a small station it was well run and professional sounding. WBKC in Chardon was a daytimer and the BK in the calls did indeed stand for the two owners. I believe their names were Bass and Kipp. My family knew Mr Kipp.
As stated before the WBKC owners did buy WPVL(WQLS) because it provided a 24hr signal. It was a country stations after that at one point.
It is a shame that what has happened to these two stations. What was WPVL is now nothing but a gospel station and of course what was WBKC is gone forever.
WELW is really the only locally owned and operated station left. It amazed me that the hang in there but more power to them for doing so. In recent WKKY seems to have become the "local" station for many in Lake County.
WELW was "my" station until they abandoned the oldies format several years ago, even though I didn't receive it the best on the west side. I also listened to them online. When I had my old delivery job, I could get WELW as far south as Canal-Fulton. The WELW oldies guys and gals really knew their stuff, and of course played many oldies that the mainstream oldies stations never touched. Would have been nice to see that oldies format transfer to 107.9 when "The End" folded, as aren't WELW and 107.9 sister stations(or were at one time)? I remember 107.9 as WNOB in the 60's and 70's.
Re: WELW-WENZ
1330AM and 107.9 FM were sister stations many decades ago. WENZ 107.9 plays Hip Hop and R&B and are owned by Radio One, one of the premier Urban radio companies in the nation. The call letters of WENZ harken back to their days as an Alternative Rock station in the 1990s.
Before that they were WPHR (Power 108), which was a Top 40/CHR outlet, and WDMT (which was a popular R&B station in the late 1970s/1980s if I'm remembering correctly. They were WELW-FM at the beginning (I think), but don't know for sure if they had other call letters before settling on WDMT.
The Oldies format you speak of is available on WDLW 1380 AM in Lorain, Ohio. For a short time, when WDLW was switching to oldies, they simulcast WELW's program. That actually was a pretty good idea as both stations are small, so the format covered a wider area that way.
1330AM and 107.9 FM were sister stations many decades ago. WENZ 107.9 plays Hip Hop and R&B and are owned by Radio One, one of the premier Urban radio companies in the nation. The call letters of WENZ harken back to their days as an Alternative Rock station in the 1990s.
Before that they were WPHR (Power 108), which was a Top 40/CHR outlet, and WDMT (which was a popular R&B station in the late 1970s/1980s if I'm remembering correctly. They were WELW-FM at the beginning (I think), but don't know for sure if they had other call letters before settling on WDMT.
The Oldies format you speak of is available on WDLW 1380 AM in Lorain, Ohio. For a short time, when WDLW was switching to oldies, they simulcast WELW's program. That actually was a pretty good idea as both stations are small, so the format covered a wider area that way.
Re: WELW-WENZ
Thanks for the info, John. I have listened to WDLW on occasion on the car radio, they're pretty decent with their oldies, but I think WELW dived a little deeper into the more obscure tunes that I like. Too bad WDLW doesn't stream - I can't find any link on their site - and I cannot get a listenable signal even though I'm in West Park. I just again tried my GE Superadio, and just too much interference around my house, all severe buzzing and whistling on all but the strongest stations. I even tried in my back yard away from the computer. I have a lot of power lines overhead. Thanks too for the info on WENZ, guess that was years ago then they were with WELW-AM. I do remember when WDLW simulcasted WELW however.johnbasalla said:
107.9 started out sometime back in the 60's as WNOB. Somewhere around 1970 the calls were changed to WELW FM. For some time the simulcasted with WELW playing a Top 40 format. The AM station would sometime break away with other programing but they were simulcasting most of the time. Then the AM and FM went with their own programing. WELW FM was later sold off to an out of town company and the calls were changed to WDMT.
Re: WELW-WENZ
After the stations broke the simulcast, Ravenna Miceli took over the midday slot, while Scott Howitt assumed the post-polka show late-afternoon slot.
Right now, WDLW and WOBL only stream their sports coverage via loraincounty.com. Because 1380 is a graveyard channel (or close to it) their night pattern must be lowered to 57 watts, which covers Lorain and Elyria and surrounding areas.
One of the really positive things that the Wilbur family did after buying WDLW was rehabilitate their transmitter site - especially their ground system, which was extensively rebuilt. The signal today is now maximized to their fullest potential.
A bit of trivia: the initial simulcast of WELW (which also included audio simulcasts of WOIO/19 pre-Action News newscasts) was where the WDLW callsign came from. Today, it's been made a bacronym to stand for owners Doug and Lorie Wilbur.
That simulcast originated from WDLW's studios in Oberlin back in February 2003. It only ran from 6am to 3pm, when 1330 picked up Tony Petkosvec's afternoon polka program. If I am correct, that was how WDLW was able to acquire most of their music library, as Ted Alexander had the 10am to 3pm shift (now held by Wally Mintus on 1380).johnbasalla said:
After the stations broke the simulcast, Ravenna Miceli took over the midday slot, while Scott Howitt assumed the post-polka show late-afternoon slot.
dannykewl said:
Right now, WDLW and WOBL only stream their sports coverage via loraincounty.com. Because 1380 is a graveyard channel (or close to it) their night pattern must be lowered to 57 watts, which covers Lorain and Elyria and surrounding areas.
One of the really positive things that the Wilbur family did after buying WDLW was rehabilitate their transmitter site - especially their ground system, which was extensively rebuilt. The signal today is now maximized to their fullest potential.
A bit of trivia: the initial simulcast of WELW (which also included audio simulcasts of WOIO/19 pre-Action News newscasts) was where the WDLW callsign came from. Today, it's been made a bacronym to stand for owners Doug and Lorie Wilbur.
Yes back in the 70's as I recall (after the WNOB days) WELW was on 1330 and 107.9. The air staff as I recalled included Ted Alexander, Dan Bradford and Cris Quinn.WELW-FM was my station of choice when WIXY powered down at night and could not be heard in Solon!
Before WELW FM, WNOB was beautiful music, then Beautiful Music from 6am-6pm and 6pm-6am with the ABC "Love" aor format. Eventualy WNOB went Top 40 and then some automated format again. ( I might be a bit hazy on some of this)
Before WELW FM, WNOB was beautiful music, then Beautiful Music from 6am-6pm and 6pm-6am with the ABC "Love" aor format. Eventualy WNOB went Top 40 and then some automated format again. ( I might be a bit hazy on some of this)
Danny, I'm surprised you could get WELW in Canal Fulton. I have never gotten it in even Summit County, and second-channel splatter from WARF/1350 in Akron is likely the cause.
You gotta give it up for the Wilburs, who hang in there with two small AM stations in a bad economy, in a very, very economically depressed area.
You gotta give it up for the Wilburs, who hang in there with two small AM stations in a bad economy, in a very, very economically depressed area.
And WDLW has people on-air live from morning drive until 6:00pm. I can't pick up WOBL.
The point seems to be that none of us can venture a guess as to who might go dark on the AM band. There doesn't seem to be any candidates.
There's always somebody who wants a station in a market of notable size. Even if it's another Religious broadcaster pulling in money via donations and brokering the time, stations like daytimer WCCD 1000 AM remain on-the-air. So, radio is not 'dead', and it's not dieing. Shrinking as a business? We'll find out where things stand when the economy recovers more.
There's always somebody who wants a station in a market of notable size. Even if it's another Religious broadcaster pulling in money via donations and brokering the time, stations like daytimer WCCD 1000 AM remain on-the-air. So, radio is not 'dead', and it's not dieing. Shrinking as a business? We'll find out where things stand when the economy recovers more.
My thought is that if a station like WJTB/1040 is still on, no one else is likely to go dark.
1000 is owned by a big revival church, and is probably more than able to keep that stick going. (And one day, they may change the legal ID to "Parma"...)
1000 is owned by a big revival church, and is probably more than able to keep that stick going. (And one day, they may change the legal ID to "Parma"...)
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