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WYFR is going Dark

R

richllewis

It was reported by Glenn Hauser on the DXld forum on Yahoo that WYFR is going dark. According to the report the last day for reception is June 30th, 2013. Further details may be forthcoming
 
I live about 120 miles from Okeechobee. Is it worth the trip to watch them dismantle the array? Or are there other plans for SW from there in the future?

cd
 
Always sad to see a radio station go dark for any reason (short of flat-out wrongdoing)! But I think we've long since passed the point where anything other than state-run international broadcasting on shortwave is unsustainable.
 
This is the News Release announcing WYFR's demise

WYFR Announcement
Dear Shortwave Friends,

We regretfully inform you that the final day of operation for WYFR will be June 30, 2013.

This station descended from W1XAL (an experimental class license assigned in 1927). In 1939 the call letters were changed to WRUL, and then changed to WNYW in 1966.

Initially, broadcasts came from Boston. In 1936 the station moved to Scituate, Massachusetts.

On October 20, 1973 Family Stations, Inc. took ownership of the station using the call letters WYFR. (FSI had been buying airtime from WNYW starting in January of 1972.) At that time, the station sported four transmitters and nine reversible rhombic antennas.

Construction started in Florida in 1976. On November 23, 1977 the first transmission from Okeechobee went on the air.

For several years WYFR operated simultaneously from Scituate and from Okeechobee. The last broadcast from Scituate took place on November 16, 1979.

The Okeechobee site eventually grew to 14 transmitters and 23 antennas. And now we’ve gone full cycle.

Good listening to all, and 73,
Click to expand...
 
I well remember the days of WRUL, "Radio New York Worldwide".

Broadcasting mostly in English and Spanish to Europe, Africa and South America, and using 50KW & 80KW transmitters, they were a commercial broadcaster presenting a variety format aimed primarily at adults. They did carry some religious broadcasters, and had numerous niche programs which must have had a very small audience. A hit parade show was a daily part of programming

The only "names" I remember are John Anthony Zee in the mornings (U.S.) and Hill Edell in the afternoon (U.S.).

At least while I was a listener, they were owned by the Mormon Church.

Of course, there was only one other non government U.S. broadcaster at that time, WINB in Red Lion, PA.
 
If they were doing anything relevant to today and creative like NGEN, Hot 95.9, The Rock, or even WAY-FM or Air-1, then they would have had enough financial support to continue. Because they were trapped in the 1950's, their core audience died off and they didn't gain new listeners to replace them. Christian radio must adapt to the times (adapt not compromise), or die.
 
Has anyone heard what happened to the transmitter site in Florida?
Sold,dismantled for scrap,bulldozed into the swamp?
 
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