WUCO/WILE

[CatFM]

St. Gabriel Radio, owner of WUCO Marysville, is buying WILE Cambridge for $750,000. My guess is that they are only buying WILE to shut it down so they can increase the daytime signal of WUCO into Columbus. That is a lot of money for a 1 KW daytimer! One has to wonder if St. Gabriel wouldn't have been able to do better by just buying WVKO if they want a Columbus signal so much. The owners of WILE will be smiling all the way to the bank. If I had a dead in the water daytime AM in a market like that and someone offered me that much, I would make them sign the papers right then and there before they had a chance to change their minds!

 

[Radioboy989]

So I gotta ask...

Did the management of WUCO ever work for Clearchannel?!?!?!?

 

[CatFM]

If this happens, it wouldn't be a first. CC isn't the only company that has bought stations to close them down or downgrade them to upgrade another station. WFRO Fremont was bought and closed down by ABC so they could move WFDF from Flint to Farmington Hills in the Detroit market with a 50 KW day/25 KW night upgrade.

 

[phatdaddy]

Why shut it down? It's a win-win for St. Gabriel. They pull a "WOWO" and reduce power on WILE, change daytime pattern on WUCO to get their Columbus coverage, and increase their network empire by adding a third market at Cambridge.

 

[CatFM]

If you approach that option like a broadcaster, it probably wouldn't be worth saving Cambridge. Reducing power enough to not require at least some protection from WUCO wouldn't leave them enough of a signal to be worthwhile. Broadcasters would rather put their eggs in one large (market) basket where the most people and money are than split it between a place as small and far from Columbus as Cambridge is. Considering that they are paying that much for WILE, I feel pretty confident that they would rather turn it off so they can put the most signal possible into Columbus with WUCO. I would.

 

[xiradiodotcom]

Looks to me like they will be shutting WILE down: http://www.stgabrielradio.com/

 

[sparks794]

I don't know - if you look over their website they talk about expanding the network. There is also a section on there where they talk about Circleville, Zanesville, Portsmoth for expansion.

Maybe they are going to keep it and run it as a "network" and simulcast.

 

[sparks794]

Here is the link to it: http://www.stgabrielradio.com/about/history.html

 

[CatFM]

It looks like their site answers the question where it says they have signed an agreement (obviously the purchase of WILE) to increase their broadcast signal throughout Franklin County and most of the Columbus Diocese. Now it will be interesting to see if they try to change the city of license to move it into Franklin County when they upgrade the signal.

 

[gabigley1]

If you approach that option like a broadcaster, it probably wouldn't be worth saving Cambridge. Reducing power enough to not require at least some protection from WUCO wouldn't leave them enough of a signal to be worthwhile. Broadcasters would rather put their eggs in one large (market) basket where the most people and money are than split it between a place as small and far from Columbus as Cambridge is. Considering that they are paying that much for WILE, I feel pretty confident that they would rather turn it off so they can put the most signal possible into Columbus with WUCO. I would.

This certainly looks like their intended plans for WUCO. It looks like the can move their tower site closer to Columbus and apply for at least 10 KW Daytime if not more across Columbus. They have wanted
a Columbus station for the last few years but have been pretty quiet about their future plans.

Note, The very tight null WUCO presently has towards Columbus here: http://www.radio-locator.com/cgi-bin/pat?call=WUCO&service=AM&status=L&hours=D
If they turn WILE off, this is real possibility.

Also, Note they have already announced a NEW Columbus Office location.
Click here:
http://www.stgabrielradio.com/contactus/index.html

"Effective 7/30/2007 the new address for St. Gabriel Catholic Radio Network and 1270 AM WUCO is
1585 Bethel Road, Suite 101-LL".
Columbus, Ohio 43220-2010

 

[schmave]

That's a real shame for the people of Marysville. I remember being impressed several years ago at WUCO's commitment to Marysville, thinking it was a good local station. I used to listen to it fairly often in the early 90s, when for some reason its signal with a then-oldies format pounded into Columbus' East Side at night (it was pretty much unlistenable out here during the day). I say "for some reason" only because I can't remember that happening since.
I have a real problem with a community's only radio station being for all intents and purposes hijacked, but it's happened in Delaware, Circleville and now Marysville. I think we're down to just Lancaster and Newark (among Columbus' satellite cities, if you will) having committed local stations, and who knows how long that will last?

 

[phatdaddy]

I agree, but the only reason these outfits can hijack local stations in the first place is the almighty DOLLAR. In the case of WUCO, a quick look at their antenna patterns will immediately disclose the problem. Unless you either lived near Marysville or else on a line between Marysville and Indianapolis you just didn't hear them on day pattern. Not very good for their bottom line when you consider all the competition they had from Columbus stations. They became the perfect target for a religious outfit who was looking for a station.....ANY station in the Central Ohio area to begin building their empire.

 

[gabigley1]

If you approach that option like a broadcaster, it probably wouldn't be worth saving Cambridge. Reducing power enough to not require at least some protection from WUCO wouldn't leave them enough of a signal to be worthwhile. Broadcasters would rather put their eggs in one large (market) basket where the most people and money are than split it between a place as small and far from Columbus as Cambridge is. Considering that they are paying that much for WILE, I feel pretty confident that they would rather turn it off so they can put the most signal possible into Columbus with WUCO. I would.

This certainly looks like their intended plans for WUCO. It looks like the can move their tower site closer to Columbus and apply for at least 10 KW Daytime if not more across Columbus. They have wanted
a Columbus station for the last few years but have been pretty quiet about their future plans.

Note, The very tight null WUCO presently has towards Columbus here: http://www.radio-locator.com/cgi-bin/pat?call=WUCO&service=AM&status=L&hours=D
If they turn WILE off, this is real possibility.

Also, Note they have already announced a NEW Columbus Office location.
Click here:
http://www.stgabrielradio.com/contactus/index.html

"Effective 7/30/2007 the new address for St. Gabriel Catholic Radio Network and 1270 AM WUCO is
1585 Bethel Road, Suite 101-LL".
Columbus, Ohio 43220-2010

St. Gabriel Radio, owner of WUCO Marysville, is buying WILE Cambridge for $750,000. My guess is that they are only buying WILE to shut it down so they can increase the daytime signal of WUCO into Columbus. That is a lot of money for a 1 KW daytimer! One has to wonder if St. Gabriel wouldn't have been able to do better by just buying WVKO if they want a Columbus signal so much. The owners of WILE will be smiling all the way to the bank. If I had a dead in the water daytime AM in a market like that and someone offered me that much, I would make them sign the papers right then and there before they had a chance to change their minds!

It now kooks like this is their definitive plans for WUCO based on the statements made by Mr. Chris Gabrelcik, President of St. Gabriel Radio, Inc. to the Catholic Radio Association Newsletter for June, 2007, that I just discovered on the internet.
He says that, " St. Gabriel Radio is moving toward a major expansion that will move us up from 500 watts to at least 10,000 watts in the near future"!
WUCO-AM 1270 is now licensed for 500 watts.

Click here for the WUCO Engineering data:

http://www.radio-locator.com/cgi-bin/finder?call=wuco&sr=Y&s=C&x=11&y=10

They would have to purchase and turn off for the for this WUCO upgrade to occur.

What remains to be seen is if they are planning to build a new tower site just west of Columbus
or upgrade their present tower site.

This quote is from the Catholic Radio Association Newsletter for June, 2007. Click here:

http://www.catholicradioassociation.org/Newsletter-June-2007.pdf

Correspondence: CRA Messenger Talks with Mr. Chris Gabrelcik, President of St. Gabriel Radio, Inc. Everyone has a story to tell--what started your interest in Catholic radio?

You have some exciting news to share, don’t you? Yes! St. Gabriel Radio is moving toward a major expansion that will move us up from 500 watts to at least 10,000 watts in the near future! This will enable us to bring a daytime signal into Columbus. We are very excited and would appreciate all the prayers that can be offered! Congratulations!

 

[gabigley1]

I found some more info on the planed WUNO tower site upgrade... Based in this July 20, 2007 article from the local Marysville, Ohio newspaper, the tower site location and city of license will remain the same after the upgrade is made to cover much of Ohio during the daytime.

Here is the article. As you can see, details are STILL sketchy. Click here for the rest:

http://www.marysvillejt.com/localarchivejuly07.htm#WUCOmoving
Marysville Journal-Tribune
July 20, 2007

WUCO moving studio, offices
Tower will remain but operations will relocate to Columbus
From J-T staff reports

The office and studio of St. Gabriel Catholic Radio will reportedly be
moving out of it's current location in downtown Marysville.
According to a press release, the Catholic-based local radio station
will "relocate from Marysville to Columbus to position for its future,
which will feature expanded broadcast coverage throughout much of the state of Ohio."
The relocation is expected to take place Monday and should be completed
before Aug. 1, the realease reported.

 

[gabigley1]

I can't believe they are paying $750,000 for WUCO and may be planning to close it down to make
way for the WUCO tower site upgrade.

Click here for the FCC sale info: http://svartifoss2.fcc.gov/prod/cdbs/forms/prod/getattachment_exh.cgi?exhibit_id=511698

Closing Date.

2. Consideration. The purchase price for the Sale Assets is SEVEN
HUNDRED FIFTY THOUSAND DOLLARS ($750,000,00), subject to various credits
and set-offs as stated herein. In consideration for Seller’s sale to Buyer of all of the Sale
Assets described in the preceding paragraph, Buyer agrees to do the following:

 

[schmave]

If they're going up to 10,000 watts, it makes perfect sense for the tower to stay in Marysville. With the null WUCO has to send toward WXYT in Detroit, it will blast 20K of ERP (my guess) over Columbus and then well beyond.

 

[david5258]

in reference to wile out of cambridge, ohio media watch reported in april that wcmj and wkov would shift frquencies to accomodate a movin of a third station to frazeysburg/dresden.

i was in cambridge on business monday and tuesday and heard wile fm on 102.7 which wcmj was to move to from 96.7. wile fm id'd as cambridge, wile am is still at 1270, and wcmj was NOT on the air. i think that wcmj dropped the calls when they moved to 102.7.

looking at stgabriels website, it appears that their plans for expansion into columbus and beyond are still vague.

any updates since april??--david 5258

 

[sparks794]

They might have been testing but they haven't moved yet. I was listning to them last night while driving on their freq (96.7).

They can't move to 102.7 until WHIZ-FM moves to Baltimore.

 

[gabigley1]

Well. This is am email that I just received from WUCO... As you can see, they are STILL vague
on their tower upgrade plans but are not vague about how much money this project will cost... Maybe they will be willing to be more specific with their plans after the WUCO Engineering study is completed.

This is what they have to say today:

Artie,

The good news is that the power should be boosted to at least 10,000 watts by June 1st of
2008. We may be able to petition the FCC to go much higher in power than that. Our
engineering folks are working on that as I write this to you. Even with only the 10,000
watt level boost we will be loud and clear throughout Columbus and the greater Columbus
area. To give you some idea, we are only at 500 watts right now! So just hang in there
and we will be louder pretty soon. We are in the process of raising the $2 Million
dollars to make this power boost happen. If you know good people who would help us with
that financially please let them know as well.

God Bless you and keep listening to 1270 AM WUCO! We're your local Catholic Radio Station.

Michael A. Barone
St. Gabriel Radio

 

[RadioStationDudeUSA]

Ok a coupl of things I thought of here....

Maybe 1270 WILE went for so much because it includes land. Maybe St Gabriel plans to sell the land to help pay off the purchase, hence taking WILE Dark. Also, WILE could've been billing fairly well, which would help account for part of the sale price.

There are NO applications on file for WUCO to increase power.

Also, I dought even if they took WILE dark, would they be able to get enough of an increase/pattern change to be able to cover all of Greater Columbus with just a local like signal. If they are beaming those 500 Watts from 6 towers all west, away from Columbus now, shutting off just one station won't change a whole heckuva lot.

Also, how far is marysville from Columbus? They said their office will be in Columbus. They are going to maintain a local studio in Marysville with localstaffing M-F 9 to 5pm? I like how they say they will keep a local show at 4:30pm on Saturday, like that wil lsatisfy the local presence rule or the need for local programming.

Why dont they just save their money, sell WUCO and WILE and buy a bigger stick in Columbus??