Look at all the FCC silent notifications in N. Michigan...

[TC Talks]

Roy paid $3.25 million for WLDR in 2003, Escanaba was over $800k, 95.9 CP, 92.5 and 99.3, plus the AM's. Let's not mention the real estate.

That cat has lost some serious money in our area and become a pariah in the process. Few people could accomplish this.

[Ben Zonia]

There are 626 call letter combinations for 95.3 translators East of the Mississippi, and the FCC assigned THIS call sign? Calling George Carlin...

If it is re auctioned, one requirement should be to change that suffix.

The FCC has rejected the transfer of 95.3 W237FK Opp AL from Paul Reynolds’ Brantley Broadcast Associates to Christopher Johnson and deleted the license of the translator with prejudice as well as associated STA applications filed by Brantley.

[Ben Zonia]

Also, WWGK 1540 Cleveland has been deleted. The station was owned recently by Good Karma, and was owned by Booth Broadcasting starting in 1964, with an R & B format for many years when owned by Booth.

[ADD in TC]

Roy paid $3.25 million for WLDR in 2003, Escanaba was over $800k, 95.9 CP, 92.5 and 99.3, plus the AM's.

I think you mean 92.3 WBNZ instead of the often silent WFDX Atlanta.Also don't forget about the recently deleted 100.1/100.7 Bear Lake and winning the auction for the 93.3 Onekama allotment.

FWIW,,101.9,99.3 and 92.3 are all still on the air.

[TC Talks]

It's still all rather embarrassing for anyone involved.

[ftballfan]

I wouldn't be surprised if most if not all of these stations either have their licenses cancelled or get sold to a noncommercial entity within the next couple of years.

IMHO, moving 106.3 from Ludington to TC has to be one of the worst moves in Michigan radio history. Not only did the 106.3 frequency fail hard in TC, WKLA (which was on 106.3 from a stick between Ludington and Manistee) moved to a vastly inferior signal on 96.3 that barely covers Mason County and is short-spaced to several other FMs

[Colonel Flagg]

Right before the busy summer tourist season, Roy decides to pull the plug on his stations. It's not the first time he's done this. He may not be brilliant, but he is consistent.

[TC Talks]

I wouldn't be surprised if most if not all of these stations either have their licenses cancelled or get sold to a noncommercial entity within the next couple of years.

IMHO, moving 106.3 from Ludington to TC has to be one of the worst moves in Michigan radio history. Not only did the 106.3 frequency fail hard in TC, WKLA (which was on 106.3 from a stick between Ludington and Manistee) moved to a vastly inferior signal on 96.3 that barely covers Mason County and is short-spaced to several other FMs

There is less money in Luddington and Manistee than the Traverse City area. Existing operators are struggling.

I think Roy is in a pickle. Yobb, who knows.

[Ben Zonia]

The multiple ownership rules and market definitions under 73.3555 should be at least temporarily changed to allow group owners to acquire financially distressed stations, exceeding current limitations. There should also be more flexibility in moving them from thinly populated areas to more populated areas where technically possible. Perhaps with extremely small COLs, allow them to move and still put 60 dBu instead of 70 dBu over the COL.

I think many of the now silent and other AM stations should pair up with now silent FM stations, under some or all of the above changes.

As we have discussed many times, stations which are terrain shadowed and too far out are at a considerable disadvantage by trying to over serve Traverse City with too weak signals to compete on an equal footing, and WWMN 106.3 is a good example.

[Colonel Flagg]

The multiple ownership rules and market definitions under 73.3555 should be at least temporarily changed to allow group owners to acquire financially distressed stations, exceeding current limitations. There should also be more flexibility in moving them from thinly populated areas to more populated areas where technically possible. Perhaps with extremely small COLs, allow them to move and still put 60 dBu instead of 70 dBu over the COL.

I think many of the now silent and other AM stations should pair up with now silent FM stations, under some or all of the above changes.

As we have discussed many times, stations which are terrain shadowed and too far out are at a considerable disadvantage by trying to over serve Traverse City with too weak signals to compete on an equal footing, and WWMN 106.3 is a good example.

In Beulah and Frankfort, WWMN is missing altogether. The tower in Interlochen must be completely shadowed, especially in Beulah. Not that it really matters.

I have no idea who would want 1110, 1210, or 960, or what could be done with any of those. A lot of people don't know, WJML-FM came first. The daytime AM on 1110 was added later.

Roy seems delusional when it comes to dealing with these hobbled radio stations. What a mess! Don Wiitala, Marc Rosseels, and Roger Hoppe were wise to exit laughing when they did.

[Ben Zonia]

When WIAA 88.3 came on the air with 115,000 watts ERP in the early 1960s, from the tower that WWMN 106.3 with 3000 watts ERP is on, there were but a handful of stations North of the 44th parallel, which is a reasonable definition of Northern Michigan. Even until the mid 1980s, there were relatively few, before all the new stations came on the air, and many were later upgraded.

In the 1960s, people worked harder to receive weaker FM signals. When my family moved in 1964 to a new house in Genesee County, we put up an FM turnstile antenna at about 30 feet, and could get the vast majority of not only local stations from Flint, but stations from the Detroit Market, Saginaw Bay City Midland, and Lansing East Lansing. With a modest older slug tuned receiver with AFC, we could receive 25-30 stations on a regular basis. This is more than most people could receive in large Metro Areas in the 1960s, due to the poor selectivity of early FM receivers. One person in Western Genesee County installed a good new receiver and high gain FM antenna, reported being able to receive WIAA on a regular basis in the 1960s.

[Ben Zonia]

A lot of people don't know, WJML-FM came first. The daytime AM on 1110 was added later.

I was probably one of the first people to hear WJML 1110, from Genesee County in late Fall, 1966, during Critical Hours, right when they filed for a License to Cover for the new station. I didn't know about DA Proofs of Performance details as a Jr. High School student. I heard them discussing having to go out to Beaver Island the next Day to "make some signal measurements" and were concerned about boating out there in the late Fall due to unpredictable weather. I figured that it must be fairly powerful, and soon found out it was 10000 watts. WJML-FM was 27000 watts from the Emmet Heights tower when they signed on the air. The studio was at the Perry Davis Hotel before they built the AM and Studios on Click Rd.

WJML-FM began Program Tests about a year before, in late Fall, 1965.

[kager]

Fascinating. Thank you for the background info/history, gentlemen!

[since16]

Existing operators are struggling.

Are you sure about that?