98.9 is being sold

[mapletrees]

https://radioinsight.com/headlines/2619 ... two-years/

Was a good run for The Beat

[Deleted User 16144]

Jesus is coming soon, to 98.9 fm

[MWmetalhead]

It'll be only the 279th such formatted station in the region!

[Deleted User 16144]

What amazes me is that these stations all exist with zero financial issues. The K-Loves, Smile, Family Life and the dozens of other Christian Broadcasters. Meanwhile iHeart, Audacy and Cumulus all have financial ills. What is the difference? Is it the business model, the strategy, the programming or the listener loyalty?

[Colonel Flagg]

This is not good news. I've actually enjoyed 98.9, especially the "Blues you can use" show. Someone in Flint should try R&B Oldies.

[Ben Zonia]

Different business model for sure. The small amount paid for it probably means no big loans to pay off, and no excessive layers of executive salaries.

That was the key for many commercial stand alones and long paid off locally owned single AM FM combos of the past.

[Graham Wellington]

Where will the poor people of Vassar get their fix of hip hop, local news, and live coverage of local events?

[paul8539]

Where will the poor people of Vassar get their fix ....? Try to pick up Saginaw or Flint possibly.

[48125er]

It'll be only the 279th such formatted station in the region!

what average sized market do you think has more Christian stations, Flint Tri cities or South Bend/Michiana, It’s a toss up to me.

[MWmetalhead]

Same here. The number is insanely high in each.

[BayCityJohn2337]

It's kinda sad actually. The African American man that started it actually was a sales manager for WDZZ before building that station. From what I was told he was a sales machine and could sell advertising like crazy. After his passing the family worked out a LMA deal and now unloading it all together now.

[Ben Zonia]

It seems like a lot of the people at WDZZ came from WAMM. I went up to their studios in 1979 before they signed on. Seems like Vern Merritt, Cleodia Myles and Gerald McBride were all there.

I think Marcellus Wilson passed away in the early 1970s. Marcellus, Tony King, Sam Williams, Cleodia, and Ernie Durham bounced around between stations like WBBC, later WTRX, WAMM and WGMZ. Like Vern Merritt at WDZZ, and Mike Shumpert at WOWE, Ernie Durham was founder and originally 25% owner of WAMM, but because he worked at WBBC, the FCC wouldn't let WAMM sign on unless he quit. Booth offered two daily shifts at WBBC and WJLB, and an offer Ernie Durham couldn't refuse, and he sold his share to the rest of the owners. The pre I-75 commute between the two shifts caused him to be called "Frantic Ernie".

[Ben Zonia]

Same here. The number is insanely high in each.

Don't forget Grand Rapids.

[MWmetalhead]

True! 89.3, 89.7, 90.7 (west part of town), 90.9, 91.3, 91.9, 92.3 (south side of town only), 92.9, 96.5 (SW part of town), 98.3, 99.3, 99.9, 102.9 and 103.7. WUGN can also be heard as close to town as Ada, Cascade and Plainfield Townships.

The thing is - GR also has a ton of secular signals available on the FM dial, too. There are parts of Kent County where I can easily pick up 50 or so FM signals in the car.

[Ben Zonia]

How many of those were on 88-92 MHz before Channel 6 restriction loopholes were figured out, or Channel 6 was no longer on Channel 6?

Grand Rapids was way ahead on FMs, because they started before new rules in 1962-1964, because the AM signals were so bad. Most 92-108 MHz facilities are short spaced, grandfathered overpowered stations, etc. that wouldn't be allowed today. They were far enough away under previous rules.

Channel 6, due to being the elephant in the room, right in the middle of the largest cities in the state near the edge of their Grade B contour, precluded development on 88-92 MHz for many years. At least four noncommercials ended up on the commercial part of the band because of it.

https://www.fccdata.org/?lang=en&appid= ... acid=74420