I keep seeing in Radio World BBN is trying to sell their station in Rome. What's the story? Seems like it's been up for sale for some time now. Not that I could buy it but seems like it might be tempting for a small buyer. !KW non-DA day and night isn't too bad.
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WYFY Rome
- Thread starter Mike Sheridan
- Start date
W2JUV_AL said:
And according to R&R the other day, Regent just claimed in its latest quarterly conference call, that it took in 66% of the advertising revenue for the entire radio market in 2008 Q2. Pretty tough to know that, as the owner of WYFY, you'd be one of many stations competing for that remaining 34%.
I don't think the prospect of getting WYFY is tempting to anyone. What could you do with it?
Music? The number of folks who'd tolerate music on the AM dial is getting smaller and smaller. I don't know about sat radio being a big factor, but MP3 players sure are. Even folks who aren't into MP3 players, still realize the music quality on FM is much better than AM.
Talk? What shows could you get that aren't already on WIBX and/or WSYR? And being just 1KW, how many syndicators do you think would let you have those shows for a straight barter? They're gonna want cash too, because they know their ads will barely be heard by anyone. You'd also have to either hire a newsroom staff or a network news service (like CNN Radio or ABC News Radio) to fill that 6-minute TOH window every talk show has.
And either way, you'd also have to spend a good chunkachange on promoting the station. If you asked a random cross-section of "average radio listeners" if they knew what WYFY was, I bet none of them would have any clue the station exists. There's no promotion for the station. Besides those of us who follow radio, the only people who know its there are people who happen to find it by pure luck.
My guess is, if they can't find a buyer, they'll just take the station dark, surrender the license, and sell the land the tower site sits on. I suspect you're going to see a lot more of that happening with these small AMs. Which is unfortunate. While I'm no expert on Utica radio history, I'm guessing this little station once enjoyed a following "back in the day".
I wonder if BBN will try to sell 920 in Cortland next. Not that they would have any better luck trying to sell that one as opposed to WYFY. Although, 920 is 5kw by day, so that might make a difference.
I wonder if BBN will try to sell 920 in Cortland next. Not that they would have any better luck trying to sell that one as opposed to WYFY. Although, 920 is 5kw by day, so that might make a difference.
Anyone know what the asking price is?
A little history that I recall about the station. It was originally put on the air by the Kallet family (Theatre chain) as WKAL. It was the sister station to WKTV. Many employees of WKTV came out of there, talent, engineering & sales. I beleive the next owners were the Mauer family. I can't remember the first name of the head of the family -the G. M. He was known to be smart, and tough but decent to work for and very well respected in the Rome community.
There were only three full time announcers and the station signed off at 11:00 PM. The staff was fairly well paid and they stayed there forever. Very little turn over. They mostly did a basic M. O. R. format with a country block in the afternoon hosted by Arnie Pugh and a nightly "teen time" playing top 40 music -the closest thing WTLB had to competion till WRUN went top 40. Nights were hosted by Jerry Proughty. He had been an announcer for Mutual Radio. I guess he was retired and settled in Rome and was hosting a nightly teen show with dedictions (seemed like the same one's every night. Jerry had an incredible set of pipes. I beleive he was, also, the engineer. He may have been one of the originial owners of WREM -now WADR. WKAL ran at 250 watts until the late 60's when they increased to 1,000 watts days still 250 nights. Their station slogan was the station that doesn't run down at sundown as a slam against daytimer WRNY. They put WKAL-FM on the air in the 70's Eventally the old man retired and his son Woody took over. Woody saw the hand writting on the wall and sold the stations to what would become Regent. WODZ is WKAL FM. They sold the AM off to the religious group.
Now I don't know if a local owner could make a go of it. Walmart is big in Rome. So not much local businesses to do deal with. All the local sports seemed to be on other stations. So it would be tough nowdays.
There were only three full time announcers and the station signed off at 11:00 PM. The staff was fairly well paid and they stayed there forever. Very little turn over. They mostly did a basic M. O. R. format with a country block in the afternoon hosted by Arnie Pugh and a nightly "teen time" playing top 40 music -the closest thing WTLB had to competion till WRUN went top 40. Nights were hosted by Jerry Proughty. He had been an announcer for Mutual Radio. I guess he was retired and settled in Rome and was hosting a nightly teen show with dedictions (seemed like the same one's every night. Jerry had an incredible set of pipes. I beleive he was, also, the engineer. He may have been one of the originial owners of WREM -now WADR. WKAL ran at 250 watts until the late 60's when they increased to 1,000 watts days still 250 nights. Their station slogan was the station that doesn't run down at sundown as a slam against daytimer WRNY. They put WKAL-FM on the air in the 70's Eventally the old man retired and his son Woody took over. Woody saw the hand writting on the wall and sold the stations to what would become Regent. WODZ is WKAL FM. They sold the AM off to the religious group.
Now I don't know if a local owner could make a go of it. Walmart is big in Rome. So not much local businesses to do deal with. All the local sports seemed to be on other stations. So it would be tough nowdays.
Thanks for the opinions and history on the station. I was just curious about it. There has to be some dreamer out there with some money to buy it. I know it would be impossible to make a profit but you'd be surprised at what some people will try!
We have the same situation with a BBN station where I live. It has even more power 5KW day / 1KW night in the middle of the dial. No one even knows it's there. Even the people who listen to religious radio have more popular choices.
We have the same situation with a BBN station where I live. It has even more power 5KW day / 1KW night in the middle of the dial. No one even knows it's there. Even the people who listen to religious radio have more popular choices.
J
JustPastBuffalo
Guest
Frankly, the Mohawk Valley easily could do without a few AMs and even a few FMs. Utica-Rome had too many signals as far back as the mid 70s, long before Docket 80-90 allowed for multiple allocations of 3 and 6 kW FMs and before Class B and B-1s were allocated to Rome (102.5) and Frankfort (94.9) and before WKAL-FM moved from 95.9 to 96.1 and upgraded its signal. The Gannett newspaper sucked (sucks?) a lot of revenue off the top of the stream, leaving TV and radio stations to fight over the remnants. It wasn't pretty back then and it's likely even less pretty these days. Pity, because the Mohawk Valley is a very scenic part of the Empire State and geographically attractive, located in the center of the state, within a day's drive of Buffalo, Toronto, New York City, Philadelphia and Boston. Too bad those attributes can't be taken to the bank in order to pay mortgages, car loans or college tuition. Largely due to pin-headed politicians (Hanna, Pawlinga, et al.) some of whom were indicted and covicted, stupid business decisions and bad breaks, the area never reached its potential. It didn't help matters when major employers such as Sperry, GE and others left town. You have to hand it to the citizens who stayed and try make a day-to-day living.
I agree with with you about the scenic beauty of the Mohawk Valley plus it is very close to Old Forge and the Adirondacks.
If I were to choose a stand alone a station in that market it would be 1230 in Little Falls. The old WLFH. The station has proven in the past it can make money no matter
how much it is abused. There is no Walmart in Little Falls and never will be. Most of the shops and stores that were there 40 years ago are still there owned by locals. There are plenty of local high school sports to air. No other station really beams into Little Falls. If there was ever an oppitunity for local ownership for someone that has a love of local radio and a business sense, that would be it.
If I were to choose a stand alone a station in that market it would be 1230 in Little Falls. The old WLFH. The station has proven in the past it can make money no matter
how much it is abused. There is no Walmart in Little Falls and never will be. Most of the shops and stores that were there 40 years ago are still there owned by locals. There are plenty of local high school sports to air. No other station really beams into Little Falls. If there was ever an oppitunity for local ownership for someone that has a love of local radio and a business sense, that would be it.
There was a time when the rich would by a radio station as a status symbol or to promote their main business. Still others ran their stations as a tax write off. What changed? Maybe owning a radio station doesn't give you bragging rights at the local Chamber of Commerce meeting?
Mike Sheridan said:
There was also a time when stations didn't have to deal with EAS, EOE, public service logs, and dozens of other FCC requirements... or at least not to the extent they do today.
Yes, the FCC was around back then and there have always been rules, but it seems like the rules and requirements are much more complex now. It's probably too much hassle for the average small-town tycoon (and very few exist in Rome) to bother. They'd have to hire a lawyer specifically to deal with making sure the paperwork for the radio station is on the up and up.
There was also a time when Rome had twice or triple the population it has today, and the Copper City truly lived up to its nickname with a bustling and vibrant economy. Today, any major business in Rome is either a national chain, or the government. There aren't many "fatcats" in Rome who have the dough to buy a radio station... and those who do, are probably smart enough to realize a small AM stick like WYFY isn't worth the investment.
I'd be willing to bet very few people would truly miss WYFY if it went dark. The station has a relatively weak signal, and its owners do nothing to promote its existence. The only way listeners even know it's there would be to find it by accident and/or by word of mouth, or just seeing it on a station list, and tuning in out of curiosity. Ask 100 people in Rome if they've ever heard of WYFY, and I bet 90+ say no.
Ask 100 people in Rome if they've ever heard of WYFY, and I bet 90+ say no.
I agree. I bet more people would say they were familar with WKAL.
I agree. I bet more people would say they were familar with WKAL.
Much the same has happened to WYFQ Charlotte which used to be the second oldest station in town WSOC 930
Oh well!
Mike
Oh well!
Mike
yugoidar said:
True... I would even go as far to say, no one would miss them and very few would notice. AM had a long run but people who are used to or have been raised on FM will not put up with static. There is more static than ever due to all the other electronics out there.
We Ham radio operators still like AM, SSB and FM. There are also Hams who are into digital modes. We fight static all the time!
Mike W4DXL
A
Adman4120
Guest
Hello...It was interesting to review one of the posts talking about the history of WKAL, which is now WFRY. I worked there for Jack, Ruth and Woody Maurer while in high school, and after college in the mid 70's. Remained there right up until February 1st, 1988, when it was purchased by Kirby Confer at that time.
After the Maurer's decided to sell the property, it was purchased by Howard Green who owned stations in Elmira and Atlantic City. Pat Parish was our manager. Then, they sold it to the Wooster Publishing Company. The format was changed from K-Lite 96-FM to WTCO-Top Country in 1985, where it remained until FROG was born.
In the early days, WKAL made money for a 1kw station on 1450-AM. With Griffas Air Force Base still intact, this AM station had many listeners and was a great community radio station. We did many local events, local sports, etc. When they put 96.1-FM on the air and went to a Drake-Chenault automation format, it had possibilities, however, the downfall was the weak 3kw signal mounted on the side of our AM tower at only 105 feet above terrain. The darn thing did not go anywhere without some sort of signal noise.
As AM radio began to lose listeners in the 80's, the 1450 signal became more of a problem, especially at night. When the FCC allowed local channels such as 1450 to operate at 1kw days and 250 watts at night, you could pick up the station at night even in Utica. Then, someone at the FCC came up with a brilliant idea of allowing all 1450 stations in the country to run at 1kw not only during the day, but also at night, if all stations would agree to accept each others interference. Well, since that time, you cannot pick up the 1kw signal more than about 5 or 6 miles at night. It is worse at night on 1kw, than with 250 watts. Everyone at 1kw, ruined the nightime coverage.
WFRY was asking $200,000 a few years ago, because we wanted to buy it and put on plenty of local programming and high school sports. We would not make a fortune, but enough to get by and serve the community. At that time, they would not budge from that price. The building is now gone, the ground system needs replacement, and the audio chain needs total revamping. Anyone who even thinks of buying this, has to invest a lot and will have to make a lot to get their investment back. It is like buying just a frequency. I thought the station at most is only worth about $30,000.
After the Maurer's decided to sell the property, it was purchased by Howard Green who owned stations in Elmira and Atlantic City. Pat Parish was our manager. Then, they sold it to the Wooster Publishing Company. The format was changed from K-Lite 96-FM to WTCO-Top Country in 1985, where it remained until FROG was born.
In the early days, WKAL made money for a 1kw station on 1450-AM. With Griffas Air Force Base still intact, this AM station had many listeners and was a great community radio station. We did many local events, local sports, etc. When they put 96.1-FM on the air and went to a Drake-Chenault automation format, it had possibilities, however, the downfall was the weak 3kw signal mounted on the side of our AM tower at only 105 feet above terrain. The darn thing did not go anywhere without some sort of signal noise.
As AM radio began to lose listeners in the 80's, the 1450 signal became more of a problem, especially at night. When the FCC allowed local channels such as 1450 to operate at 1kw days and 250 watts at night, you could pick up the station at night even in Utica. Then, someone at the FCC came up with a brilliant idea of allowing all 1450 stations in the country to run at 1kw not only during the day, but also at night, if all stations would agree to accept each others interference. Well, since that time, you cannot pick up the 1kw signal more than about 5 or 6 miles at night. It is worse at night on 1kw, than with 250 watts. Everyone at 1kw, ruined the nightime coverage.
WFRY was asking $200,000 a few years ago, because we wanted to buy it and put on plenty of local programming and high school sports. We would not make a fortune, but enough to get by and serve the community. At that time, they would not budge from that price. The building is now gone, the ground system needs replacement, and the audio chain needs total revamping. Anyone who even thinks of buying this, has to invest a lot and will have to make a lot to get their investment back. It is like buying just a frequency. I thought the station at most is only worth about $30,000.
Just to avoid any confusion... you mean WYFY, correct?
WFRY is Froggy 97 in Watertown.
WYFY used to be WFRG-AM. Forever Broadcasting sold it to Bible Broadcasting Network in 1999, leading to the present-day call letters.
WFRY is Froggy 97 in Watertown.
WYFY used to be WFRG-AM. Forever Broadcasting sold it to Bible Broadcasting Network in 1999, leading to the present-day call letters.
The building is now gone, the ground system needs replacement, and the audio chain needs total revamping.
Wow how times have changed! That building was built in the late 1960's. It was a very nice facility.
The ground system was one of the best around -all that muck, and the signal and sound quality were great.
How about the WRNY building down the road? Anything there?
A few years ago I visited the WRUN site on Thomas Road. I couldn't believe how they let the building run down. although it wasn't that well built to begin with, it was sad to see.
Wow how times have changed! That building was built in the late 1960's. It was a very nice facility.
The ground system was one of the best around -all that muck, and the signal and sound quality were great.
How about the WRNY building down the road? Anything there?
A few years ago I visited the WRUN site on Thomas Road. I couldn't believe how they let the building run down. although it wasn't that well built to begin with, it was sad to see.
therealjm12 said:
If you were to check it out again now -- you'll see it has changed. During a bike ride from Rome to Marcy via the canal trail this summer, I took a quick detour at Thomas Road for a glimpse at the building. Dramatically different from the last time I saw it, a few years earlier. Looks like WAMC (who bought WRUN from Regent a couple years ago) spent a few bucks on some serious improvements. There's some new siding and I couldn't see any broken windows. There's a new ramp leading up to the front door.
And most notably, there's a barbed wire fence all around the building, kinda like a little prison. (Now pausing for jokes from former employees of WKGW and WRUN..............)
I was surprised that WAMC didn't just partially demolish the building, so it would just be big enough to house the transmitter. After all, it's not like the studios or the sales offices there will ever be used again. You could easily eliminate the entire second floor and most of the first floor (and all the windows in the process) and still have an active radio station. On the other hand, I suppose slapping up a fence is cheaper and quicker than going through the necessary red tape to deconstruct the building.
A
Adman4120
Guest
BobRoss said:
Hello Mr. Ross...My mistake...I was referring to WYFY. I am so used to buying radio time on WFRY, I typed in the wrong keys.
To answer another post, WRNY in Rome which is right around the corner from WYFY's tower and transmitter (former WKAL), only their transmitter and tower are what is being used. The building in front of the tower was vacated several years ago when Clear channel bought the station. WRNY is now owned by Galaxy, and it operates out of their Washington Mills facility and they just carry FOX sports radio, along with some local sporting events.
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