WLFP 1550

[PHIL Z]

Patrick Cloonan Of the Mckeesport Daily News is reporting WLFP 1550 Bradock is being sold for $75,000.

 

[ajhenderson]

Woo hoo. Did the previous owners ever make a dime off of it? BTRN is really falling apart; WXBT was a dump but you'd think they could get more for their Vegas AM at least. Heck, for $75k I should move back to the midwest and shell out some cash for fun. It can never really bill anything, tho, no?

 

[kenhawk1160]

I'd move it out of Braddock and try to get a new channel in another market. Where it's at now, you're doomed to failure. Period.

 

[Parttimer]

The only way it's viable is if you can get a translator and do what WAMO has been doing, because the translator can run 24/7 making the 4 watts at night less of a problem.

 

[secondchoice]

The Lead story on this site @9:41 AM was about licenses being turned in:

"Keymarket, which is handing the FCC the licenses for WASP-AM (1130) Brownsville, Pennsylvania, and WBGI-AM (1340) Connellsville, Pennsylvania. "

with a lot of AM's going dark you might be able to get a decent daytime signal but without really doing an engineering study the future for a translator is slim:

http://www.radio-locator.com/cgi-bin/vacant?select=city&city=Braddock&state=PA

IMHO two options:

#1 Use this station's license as a "cover" for some one who has a 250 watt translator that needs a "program source" somewhere else.

#2 Find a unique niche format.

 

[stereolane]

I'm hardly a big believer in translators. Frankly, if you have a 24/7 AM with full market coverage, you don't deserve one. Nor do the religious uniblab / jesus rock broadcasters. They did a good job lobbying congress years back. Add to that all of the backroom negotiations with Cumulus and CC. Now, daytime AM owners like myself, and WLFP, don't have a prayer.

 

[PHIL Z]

The Lead story on this site @9:41 AM was about licenses being turned in:

"Keymarket, which is handing the FCC the licenses for WASP-AM (1130) Brownsville, Pennsylvania, and WBGI-AM (1340) Connellsville, Pennsylvania. "

I Wonder What will become of am 940 Charleroi ?

 

[Whiplash]

Its a disgrace that Keymarket/Forever would turn in these licenses. While they have created some good FM formats, they've never been able to figure out what to do with AM's. But in the past they sold them off. Now they don't want any competition in their markets. 940 in Charleroi may not be allowed to be taken off the air, because they moved the FM out of the city of license years ago.

 

[kenhawk1160]

Its a disgrace that Keymarket/Forever would turn in these licenses. While they have created some good FM formats, they've never been able to figure out what to do with AM's. But in the past they sold them off. Now they don't want any competition in their markets. 940 in Charleroi may not be allowed to be taken off the air, because they moved the FM out of the city of license years ago.

I don't think even that's an issue anymore. If you do the app to move the station, all you have to do is provide the FCC with proof that the COL is receiving service from another local station. WJPA, WMBS, WMNY and WLSW would all meet that criteria. The coverage maps are enough, provided they meet the contour requirements, which WMBS and WMNY would accomplish very easily.

 

[kenhawk1160]

The Lead story on this site @9:41 AM was about licenses being turned in:

"Keymarket, which is handing the FCC the licenses for WASP-AM (1130) Brownsville, Pennsylvania, and WBGI-AM (1340) Connellsville, Pennsylvania. "

A rather interesting pattern forming here...1340 in Connellsville, 1340 in Steubenville, and 1340 in Oil City...all owned by Keymarket/Forever and all are now off the air.

Can any of these licenses be recaptured by another owner, or when they're shut off, they stay off?

 

[Parttimer]

Sounds to me like maybe there is a plan to move WMNY to 1350?

 

[kenhawk1160]

Its a disgrace that Keymarket/Forever would turn in these licenses. While they have created some good FM formats, they've never been able to figure out what to do with AM's.

They do know what to do with AMs, just not the small market sticks so much. They've been able to do well with high-powered regionals like WFBG. Keep them news/talk or sports, with a local morning show, put high quality syndicated shows on them, and they're fairly cheap to operate. The trimulcast in Meadville/Franklin/Titusville seems to do pretty well too, since they operate it as a mini-regional with heavy local news. Especially in the morning. KAA knows exactly what his listeners want and succeeds admirably.

I'm guessing they let the Oil City license lapse because the town already received adequate coverage from the Franklin and Titusville sticks, and the 2 KQWs have high school sports pretty much wrapped up there.

They could have also done an Allegheny News-Talk-Sports network down in the Mon Valley corridor, but I doubt it would have done as well, since 940 and 1130 don't have much in the way of nighttime power, and it's an iffy radio market at best. That might have been in their initial plans...since they did sink a good bit of cash into the Connellsville and Brownsville sites, but more so Connellsville.

 

[FreddyE1977]

With my collection of old vacuum tube AM radios and fondness for oldies, I suspect I may
have been the last-ever listener to WASP.

On the bright side, 1340 is now wide open for yinz pirates.

 

[PHIL Z]

As of Today [8/25/12] No Sales Agreement on the FCC web Site. Did the Deal Fall Through?

 

[KeyTimes950]

From the Sept. 10 McKeesport Daily News ...

(Terry Lee) said he did not sign a reported letter of intent to buy WLFP-1550 in Braddock for $75,000. Business Talk Radio CEO Michael Metter denied selling AM 1550.
“We are still there and we are still on the air,” he said, questioning interest in a “cockamamie” station like WLFP, which he earlier offered for $225,000.
“If anyone wants to buy it, they can buy it,” he added.
“Not counting the real estate, the license is worth $50,000 with the basic equipment,” said Pittsburgh broker Ray Rosenblum, who isn’t involved with WLFP.
• Metter was indicted in August 2010 by a Brooklyn, N.Y., federal grand jury on securities fraud charges tied to his role from 2001-07 as CEO of Spongetech Deliv­ery Systems Inc., which allegedly faked 99 percent of its sales.
The Securities and Exchange Commis­sion froze BTR accounts and other Metter assets, but approved a BTR thaw through Sept. 30 provided that Metter “relinquish all authority, including signatory author­ity,” over BTR.
Much of the government case against Metter reportedly was tossed out in May by Brooklyn U.S. District Judge Dora Irizarry because prosecutors took too long to review evidence seized at his home.
Metter still faces oral arguments before Irizarry Nov. 9. Six co-defendants have plead guilty and/or been sentenced.

 

[FreddyE1977]

Spongetech Deliv­ery Systems Inc.

Food Service Vendor to the Krusty Krab?
Or purveyor of small items for the "spongeworthy"?

 

[Whiplash]

Figured this was BS. However Ray Rosenbloom is right about its worth.

 

[dB]

Spongetech Deliv­ery Systems Inc.

Food Service Vendor to the Krusty Krab?
Or purveyor of small items for the "spongeworthy"?

Actually, the company supposedly sold sponges imprinted with SpongeBob SquarePants images, showed tremendous sales growth until it was discovered that 99% of sales were fictitious. Enter the SEC.

 

[Parttimer]

Spongetech Deliv­ery Systems Inc.

Food Service Vendor to the Krusty Krab?
Or purveyor of small items for the "spongeworthy"?

Actually, the company supposedly sold sponges imprinted with SpongeBob SquarePants images, showed tremendous sales growth until it was discovered that 99% of sales were fictitious. Enter the SEC.

Spongetech was a car washing product that had the detergent loaded into the sponge. Looked interesting, actually. They were advertising on Imus' show very heavily.

 

[PHIL Z]

I Spoke With Terry Lee on Saturday Night. He Said He "Got A Letter From the Mckeesport Daily News" Asking to conform the Romer