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WTKM POLKA PROGRAMMING

T

thebeach33445

Hi guys.
Does anyone know when 104.9 dropped all of its Polka programming it ran for years? I do know FM went Classic County on Dec 26 2006 and AM 1540 went Oldies on Monday November 30 2009.
Thanks for your help
Tommy C.
 
If it's a commercial station, traditionally format changes are based on revenue potential. The owner or new owner is not happy with the billings and decides to do a different format hoping to make more money.

Even the stations KLove buys, the owner or estate believes he / she will make more money with alot less hassle with the sale verses what he / she is making running it themselves.

Of course there are outliers where the owner doesn't care about money and runs the station as a hobby.
 
IKHNetworks said:
I truly hope that there is no sale.

The polka music completely stopped in 2011.

I remember listening to it with my grandpa, he taught me a lot about The Music and life he grew up with.
Click to expand...

K-Love would likely have no interest in a station like WTKM. It's entire footprint, which doesn't even reach Milwaukee County, is already covered by other K-Love and Air1 stations. As for other religious broadcasters, is there really any room in the market for more (they sold a Milwaukee translator to Family Life a few years ago)?
 
Fighting Irish said:
K-Love would likely have no interest in a station like WTKM. It's entire footprint, which doesn't even reach Milwaukee County, is already covered by other K-Love and Air1 stations. As for other religious broadcasters, is there really any room in the market for more (they sold a Milwaukee translator to Family Life a few years ago)?
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Thanks for the info. Would you remember when in 2011? The new owners Tomsun LLC took over on September 1, 2011.
 
The sale/transfer for translator 92.9 W225CP was granted in February 2025. It's honestly surprising they just didn't turn in 1540 AM since it's only a daytime station, but I guess as long as the transmitter and other equipment works it does cost much to operate.
 
JJSPC said:
The sale/transfer for translator 92.9 W225CP was granted in February 2025. It's honestly surprising they just didn't turn in 1540 AM since it's only a daytime station, but I guess as long as the transmitter and other equipment works it does cost much to operate.
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1540 gives W225CP a legal audio source. 92.9 has a CP for 99 watt at 960 ft HAAT. 92.9 will have almost FM class A service in Milwaukee.
 
I swear WTKM ran Polka longer than 2011 but perhaps it ended then. 15 years feels like forever ago!

The FCC was exploring the option of allowing AM’s to turn in their AM licenses and keep their translators. Wonder whatever happened to that.
 
pattywells said:
I swear WTKM ran Polka longer than 2011 but perhaps it ended then. 15 years feels like forever ago!

The FCC was exploring the option of allowing AM’s to turn in their AM licenses and keep their translators. Wonder whatever happened to that.
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I think the polka programming was dropped right after Tomsun LLC closed on the stations which happened on September 1 2011. Another comment said August but it is impossible cause of the September closing date and Kettle Moraine Company would not have dropped polka programming it ran since 1973. I have a feeling it was end of September or beginning of October.
 
secondchoice said:
I forgot non profits can run translators "naked". I was thinking commercial operators.
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translators in the commercial band, regardless of who owns them have to be fed over the air if they arent a fill in for whatever signal theyre rebrtoadcasting. if they are fill in, they can be fed any way...... and the translator must have an originating source am, fm or hd2/3.

only non comm translators can be fed b ysatellite
 
SomeRadioGuy said:
translators in the commercial band, regardless of who owns them have to be fed over the air if they arent a fill in for whatever signal theyre rebrtoadcasting.
if they are fill in, they can be fed any way
Click to expand...
I'm unclear on "fill in," can you explain that?
I am aware of FM translators that are running the program of their AM station, 100% simulcast (as required, of course). But the FM feed is via internet (Barix), not an over-the-air feed from the AM. What circumstances would dictate that they have to be fed over the air? What's fill in?
 
SomeRadioGuy said:
translators in the commercial band, regardless of who owns them have to be fed over the air if they arent a fill in for whatever signal theyre rebrtoadcasting. if they are fill in, they can be fed any way...... and the translator must have an originating source am, fm or hd2/3.

only non comm translators can be fed b ysatellite
Click to expand...
amos1001 said:
I'm unclear on "fill in," can you explain that?
I am aware of FM translators that are running the program of their AM station, 100% simulcast (as required, of course). But the FM feed is via internet (Barix), not an over-the-air feed from the AM. What circumstances would dictate that they have to be fed over the air? What's fill in?
Click to expand...
Actually a lot of FM translators provide the audio for the AM. They simulcast and it's legal but electronically backwards..
 
amos1001 said:
I'm unclear on "fill in," can you explain that?
I am aware of FM translators that are running the program of their AM station, 100% simulcast (as required, of course). But the FM feed is via internet (Barix), not an over-the-air feed from the AM. What circumstances would dictate that they have to be fed over the air? What's fill in?
Click to expand...

Fill in.. within, totally inside the contour of the station its rebroadcasting, in the case of FM signals. so, lets say KLMI wanted a translator in cheyenne... wed have to feed it over the air since it was otusidfe the 60dbu

If we had a translator inside the 60, filling in terrain holes, it could be fed in other methods
 
SomeRadioGuy said:
Fill in.. within, totally inside the contour of the station its rebroadcasting, in the case of FM signals. so, lets say KLMI wanted a translator in cheyenne... wed have to feed it over the air since it was otusidfe the 60dbu
If we had a translator inside the 60, filling in terrain holes, it could be fed in other methods
Click to expand...
Help me understand this, Paul. If you wanted a translator in Cheyenne it would have to be fed over the air. BUT what if there's no over-the-air reception (with full FM queting, anything less wouldn't be desirable) at the translator's transmitter?
 


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