WPAY-AM (Portsmouth) will shut down Friday.

[ouuc]

The Bradens sold the rest, & now they're putting 1400 WPAY-AM to rest.

http://www.portsmouth-dailytimes.co...down-broadcast-Friday?instance=home_news_lead

 

[Limp73]

Granted AM radio is not what it was several decades ago....but lay the station to rest???

Surely somebody who wanted to keep a local radio presence in the community would have wanted to come forward to make an offer.

So now that the AM station is silent and the license surrendered to the FCC would it be possible to apply to the FCC for a new license elsewhere in the state provided it doesn't intefere with 1390 and 1410 AM?

 

[Dave Sarnoff]

Surely somebody who wanted to keep a local radio presence in the community would have wanted to come forward to make an offer

Surely somebody did - and laughed their tail off when told the asking price. It's amazing how delusional some people are about the value of their small market AM's.

So now that the AM station is silent and the license surrendered to the FCC...

It hasn't been surrendered to the FCC yet.

 

[techie2]

Portsmouth is a dying town with no economy, and AM signals don't go far in that part of the state due to poor ground conductivity. You would have to compete against an established local owner with a cluster of 2 FM's and a better AM signal, in a town with not enough local ad dollars to go around. Any agency buys that used to go to WPAY-FM (since it was the biggest signal in the area) are either going to the other FM's or not coming in at all.

The only thing that would have saved it was either to donate it to Shawnee State for a student station or sell cheap to some religious outfit that wouldn't care if it made any money. Being a graveyarder, might as well shut it down.

 

[KFodor]

All of which kind of makes my point that if some of these small signaled AM's can't be made profitable, they should be shut down. Shut down enough of them (as happened in the 20's when the Federal Radio Commission came in to play), and you might be able to improve the band by reducing interference. Some stations which are on the air having an impact in their communities and making cha-ching could, possibly even get power increases to help with coverage and impact.

Or...it may already be too late for that kind of thing. But virtually no one under 50 listens to AM radio for any reason...And no listening ever goes from FM to AM. (And why should it? AM has been the red-headed stepchild now since, what? The late 80's/early 90's?)

 

[Dave Sarnoff]

virtually no one under 50 listens to AM radio for any reason

Tell that to radio Disney...

 

[gabigley1]

So now that the AM station is silent and the license surrendered to the FCC...

It hasn't been surrendered to the FCC yet.

This is correct. They filed this with the FCC on June 8.

Exhibits Exhibit 1
Description: REASON FOR SILENCE

AT THIS POINT, CONTINUED OPERATION OF WPAY IS NOT ECONOMICALLY VIABLE. THE LICENSEE IS ACTIVELY SEEKING A BUYER FOR THE STATION.

 

[xmusicmatt]

virtually no one under 50 listens to AM radio for any reason

Tell that to radio Disney...

Radio Disney also knows that AM isn't suitable in some cases.. They divested a number of their smaller market AM stations (see louisville and Providence RI).

 

[Limp73]

Then sell the station to a religious organization. Catholic radio appears to be on the move with several stations in Ohio. Stations now on in Columbus,Cincinnati,Hamilton,Toledo,Sandusky,Mansfield,Anna,Leipsic and in Springfield.

EWTN (through a local group start-up and affilliation) and Radio Maria come to mind.

As for the WPAY-AM owners, I think it's time to be realistic. Selling it and at least getting a little bit of money is better than nothing.

 

[Nostalgia]

The passing of any radio station is sad indeed. I remember WPAY as a worthy competitor when I worked at WIOI back in 1967 blasting rock and roll till sunset when we had to shut down. And that was pretty early in the winter months

 

[techie2]

The passing of any radio station is sad indeed. I remember WPAY as a worthy competitor when I worked at WIOI back in 1967 blasting rock and roll till sunset when we had to shut down. And that was pretty early in the winter months

WIOI is still alive, running standards via satellite. They have a flea power (22 watts) nighttime authorization.

Then sell the station to a religious organization. Catholic radio appears to be on the move with several stations in Ohio. Stations now on in Columbus,Cincinnati,Hamilton,Toledo,Sandusky,Mansfield,Anna,Leipsic and in Springfield.

There is already one LPFM in Portsmouth operated by a Catholic parish. Its signal is probably better than what 1400 AM was at the time of the shutdown.

 

[Nostalgia]

The passing of any radio station is sad indeed. I remember WPAY as a worthy competitor when I worked at WIOI back in 1967 blasting rock and roll till sunset when we had to shut down. And that was pretty early in the winter months

WIOI is still alive, running standards via satellite. They have a flea power (22 watts) nighttime authorization.

Yes, and I noticed it was still owned by the Maillet family. When I get nostalgic over the good old days of radio and mom & pop stations I always bring up my time with WIOI and Mr. Maillet. He put up with a lot of crap from a very young bunch of DJ's! But we were having fun and had the utmost respect for him. As afternoon drive it was my show that was cut off at 5:30 in December, I would have loved 22 watts then.

 

[techie2]

Yes, and I noticed it was still owned by the Maillet family. When I get nostalgic over the good old days of radio and mom & pop stations I always bring up my time with WIOI and Mr. Maillet. He put up with a lot of crap from a very young bunch of DJ's! But we were having fun and had the utmost respect for him. As afternoon drive it was my show that was cut off at 5:30 in December, I would have loved 22 watts then.

For a while in the 90's it was co-owned with what was then WZIO at 94.9 FM. That group later sold WIOI back to the Maillets and then later on sold the FM which went dark a few years later under the new owners and wound up being sold again and is now just another K-Love drone.

 

[the marv]

I also remember Columbus's Radio U was simulcasted on 94.9 before they became Klove.

 

[xmusicmatt]

I also remember Columbus's Radio U was simulcasted on 94.9 before they became Klove.

Yeah - 94.9 aired "Radio U Network" programming for a bit before the owners took the station dark from lack of $$ support.. Then they sold it off to KLove. RadioU is an awesome format but I dont think the local owners in southern ohio realized that its hard to make money in a rural market like that. (look at River selling their West Union station lately) .. KLove will always exist because 94.9 now is a part of a network and part of the funding to support the station in S.Ohio I am sure comes from the general fund of the network in general.

 

[the marv]

Seems like K love will always rule in rural areas. Since the river is selling it's West Union station I wouldn't be suprised if EMF would buy it and make it another K love or Air1 format.

 

[xmusicmatt]

Seems like K love will always rule in rural areas. Since the river is selling it's West Union station I wouldn't be suprised if EMF would buy it and make it another K love or Air1 format.

River sold their station already.. and not to EMF.. from Allaccess awhile back "CHRISTIAN VOICE OF CENTRAL OHIO is selling Religion WZWP/WEST UNION, OHIO to KING OF KINGS RADIO NETWORK for $135,000. PATRICK COMMUNICATIONS' GREG GUY represented the seller and STEPHANIE DANIELS of JOHN PIERCE AND CO. represented the buyer in the deal."

 

[KFodor]

virtually no one under 50 listens to AM radio for any reason

Tell that to radio Disney...

And if an FM station put that format on the air, any AM airing it would be dead.

If Disney is such a savior, Dave...why isn't every struggling AM in cities everywhere airing it?

 

[Dave Sarnoff]

virtually no one under 50 listens to AM radio for any reason

Tell that to radio Disney...

And if an FM station put that format on the air, any AM airing it would be dead.

If Disney is such a savior, Dave...why isn't every struggling AM in cities everywhere airing it?

Who said anything about it being a savior? : The point is that Radio Disney's business plan was to buy AM's on the cheap and program banal pop music to young kids, who theoretically aren't sophisticated enough to care that it's AM and not FM. I didn't necessarily say I agreed with them.

 

[kenhawk1160]

What's given AM stations staying power these days is niche programming...that's the bottom line.

For someone to say that no one under 50 listens to AM radio for ANY reason is ludicrous. If you want to hear something that isn't available elsewhere, you'll have listeners. I've worked in some markets that were highly AM driven. The operators had to work their butts off to earn a profit, but that can be said about any small business these days, not just radio.

One of the most successful consultants in the industry once told me "radio is radio is radio". The band doesn't make a bit of difference...provided that you're providing programming that's profitable and is not available elsewhere, AM or FM.