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WPAY-AM (Portsmouth) will shut down Friday.
- Thread starter ouuc
- Start date
With that said...this can be an opporitunity for religious broadcasters..if I'm not mistaken WCDR and its repeater network was recently sold to EMF..the folks who own Air 1 and K-LOVE. Now I'm not suggesting the same for WPAY-AM but rather a repeater for southern gospel (WGNZ Fairborn comes to mind) or Catholic radio stations like EWTN affilliates(such as Annunciation up in Toledo or St. Gabriel in Columbus) or Radio Maria.
Limp73 said:With that said...this can be an opporitunity for religious broadcasters..if I'm not mistaken WCDR and its repeater network was recently sold to EMF..the folks who own Air 1 and K-LOVE. Now I'm not suggesting the same for WPAY-AM but rather a repeater for southern gospel (WGNZ Fairborn comes to mind) or Catholic radio stations like EWTN affilliates(such as Annunciation up in Toledo or St. Gabriel in Columbus) or Radio Maria.
There is already a Catholic formatted LPFM in Portsmouth owned by Holy Redeemer Parish. It probably has a better signal than WPAY-AM did before the shutdown. Running AM in an area with lousy ground conductivity, on a 250W STA due to no ground system, gets you nowhere.
kenhawk1160 said: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.
Dead.on.balls.accurate. Most intelligent post I've read here maybe ever.
Thank you Mr. Sarnoff...great username, by the way.
Northern Michigan has had probably the biggest percentage of AM shut-offs within the past decade. Poor ground conductivity is one thing...with lots of sand in the topsoil, your signal is going to be all out of whack. But there's even FM stations there that are struggling. With very little year-round population, radio is a big gamble for investors. High-powered 100k sticks are barely able to survive unless they combo up. That's where AM in an endangered species.
An AM station can survive if it has three crucial elements...1) niche programming 2) a strong sales team that believes in the product, and 3) a hands-on owner. Not having these three solid elements all but guarantees failure.
Northern Michigan has had probably the biggest percentage of AM shut-offs within the past decade. Poor ground conductivity is one thing...with lots of sand in the topsoil, your signal is going to be all out of whack. But there's even FM stations there that are struggling. With very little year-round population, radio is a big gamble for investors. High-powered 100k sticks are barely able to survive unless they combo up. That's where AM in an endangered species.
An AM station can survive if it has three crucial elements...1) niche programming 2) a strong sales team that believes in the product, and 3) a hands-on owner. Not having these three solid elements all but guarantees failure.
WRPO said:Hey Jayson..how about some "Oldies" ??
Given the 50 and older bent of the format, I would say it's certainly workable. But, then comes the work of keeping the satellite (or computer) working correctly, having the right imaging and elements on it and keeping it fresh, and then...making sure there's enough local elements on the station (news/community event news/maybe high school sports) so that there's a feeling that the station does belong to its community. To me, the worst kind of stations are those that solely air musical programming with nothing local in-between somewhere. It makes it sound as though whoever was in charge flipped the programming on the air and walked away...
But, for those who may think I was being unusually sarcastic in my last post, I don't buy into the "if you build it, they will come" philosophy. The most perfectly programmed radio station will fail if there's little or no market for it. On AM, it's an even stiffer challenge. Yes, some BIG AM's in some big cities are still thriving...and some ultra local stations in smaller communities with fewer signals do so as well. But making an AM station succeed is hard work...far more so today than in the past.
Jason Roberts said:Given the 50 and older bent of the format, I would say it's certainly workable. But, then comes the work of keeping the satellite (or computer) working correctly, having the right imaging and elements on it and keeping it fresh, and then...making sure there's enough local elements on the station (news/community event news/maybe high school sports) so that there's a feeling that the station does belong to its community. To me, the worst kind of stations are those that solely air musical programming with nothing local in-between somewhere. It makes it sound as though whoever was in charge flipped the programming on the air and walked away...
Absolutely correct...I've seen many instances where a station has failed by doing just that. You must see the satellite as a vehicle for providing you with music, DJs, and national news. It's up to you to fill in the rest. Anyone can put on a music CD and listen to that. It's what you do between the songs that make your station shine.
Radio 25 said:Has there been interest in bringing WPAY AM ack to life?
Once the license has been turned in, the FCC usually decides to auction it off. I don't see this happening with a Class C AM in a market like this one.
The closest would be a Part 15.
Another possibility is if there's an existing daytimer in the area, they can either assume this frequency or one adjacent to it if it would improve their situation.
To Jason Roberts there is no question you believe in FM radio all the way. I respect your position even though you are wrong. No one under 50 listens to AM radio you state. Where are your facts? A small market that is important to its market has listeners more than just those over 50.
For example a ton of people in the other demos listen to sports on the AM dial. They also will listen to certain talk shows too. It's a shame that you have checked out of AM radio but there are AM operators all across this country who understand their market, doesn't do the FM thing of tight play lists, voice tracking and little personality radio outside of the morning talent and market their station a way most of the big players don't know how to do.
There are AM operators who are making money and have fun doing it. When I refer to a tight play list its those FM stations airing the latest Blake Sheldon so many times between 6 am and 7 pm that you want to reach into the radio and rip out the CD. For the record Ia station that enjoy Blake's music.
The point is there AM operators that deserve not to be ion operation but this is not an indictment of the entire radio ban.
For example a ton of people in the other demos listen to sports on the AM dial. They also will listen to certain talk shows too. It's a shame that you have checked out of AM radio but there are AM operators all across this country who understand their market, doesn't do the FM thing of tight play lists, voice tracking and little personality radio outside of the morning talent and market their station a way most of the big players don't know how to do.
There are AM operators who are making money and have fun doing it. When I refer to a tight play list its those FM stations airing the latest Blake Sheldon so many times between 6 am and 7 pm that you want to reach into the radio and rip out the CD. For the record Ia station that enjoy Blake's music.
The point is there AM operators that deserve not to be ion operation but this is not an indictment of the entire radio ban.
Thank you Radio 25. I have been preaching that sermon for many years. I have two small AM's and we are doing allright. Not driving a Lexus mind you, but OK. Called on a local auto parts store last week, Introduced myself and asked if he was familiar with our station and he said no. Then I asked him if he ever listened to NASCAR on the radio and he said OH yes! We are the only NASCAR station anywhere in the area! And then his boss said he liked the oldies, bingo, only oldies within earshot. So maybe we are falling behind in our branding but we have the listeners. And since we arent in an Arbitron rated market I'll take listeners anytime!
As for 1400, RIP WPAY. I am an alumni of WIOI in Portsmouth from back in 1967 and they were a worthy competitor.
As for 1400, RIP WPAY. I am an alumni of WIOI in Portsmouth from back in 1967 and they were a worthy competitor.
Don't forget Canton: 1060 WILB.Limp73 said: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.
I think it's time for this 2 year old thread to be closed. WPAY no longer exists in the FCC database. Unfortunately the owners chose to let the license be cancelled rather than sell it to another competitor.
While I'm writing this I'm thinking about WIOI and why they didn't attempt to buy the WPAY license. WIOI on 1010 with 1000 watts daytime would get out better than 1400 with 1000 watts. Night time 1400 w/1000 watts might be a little better than 1010 w/22 watts but probably not enough to be worth the trouble.
Perhaps with WPAY 1400 gone, WCYN 1400 in Cynthiana KY would be able to bump up their day power from 500 watts daytime to 1000 watts.
While I'm writing this I'm thinking about WIOI and why they didn't attempt to buy the WPAY license. WIOI on 1010 with 1000 watts daytime would get out better than 1400 with 1000 watts. Night time 1400 w/1000 watts might be a little better than 1010 w/22 watts but probably not enough to be worth the trouble.
Perhaps with WPAY 1400 gone, WCYN 1400 in Cynthiana KY would be able to bump up their day power from 500 watts daytime to 1000 watts.
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