Indiana RadioWatch: February 23, 2017
Northeast
The Whitley County Consolidated Schools' board tabled their decision on whether to sell Columbia City Joint High School's AAA/WJHS (91.5fm, Columbia City). The Board will revisit this matter in three months.
Where are they now? Former Country/WBTU GM J.R. Greeley now serves as Market Manager for the Tejas Broadcasting radio stations in Amarillo, Texas and Clovis, New Mexico.
Northcentral
In a story you'll first read here, Cumulus' Country/WWKI (100.5fm, Kokomo) promotes Al Warner to Sales Manager.
Gray Television's NBC affiliate/WNDU-TV (Channel 16, South Bend) News Director C.J. Beutien will retire at the end of March. Mr. Beutien joined WNDU-TV in late 2006.
Before we leave State Road 933, WNDU-TV also remembers former GM Bazil O'Hagan who passed away on Monday morning at age 88. Everyone knew him as Baz, and he began his broadcasting career at the former WJIM-TV (now WLNS-TV) in Lansing, Michigan. In 1952, he built an early UHF TV station in Battle Creek, Michigan. Then, it was off to Springfield, Illinois to build Springfield's first TV station: WICS-TV. Next, in 1956, he became Chief Engineer at WNDU-TV (Channel 16, South Bend). WNDU promoted Baz to President/GM in 1980 and he retired from that role in 1993. Baz also formed Golden Dome Productions. Visitation will be on Sunday February 26 from 3pm until 7pm at the McGann Hay/Granger Chapel, 13260 SR 23 (enter off Cherry Road), Granger, Indiana. A mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated for Baz on Monday February 27 at 9:30am at the Basilica of the Sacred Heart, on the Notre Dame campus. Burial will follow at Cedar Grove Cemetery.
Northwest
CSN International files an STA with the FCC for their W292EM (106.3fm, Lafayette). A transmitter failure caused the translator to go off the air.
Central
In November 2015, Emmis Communications added an FM translator to their nearly decade-old Sports format on WFNI (1070am, Indianapolis). Emmis bought FM translator W228CX (93.5fm, Indianapolis) for just over a half million dollars from Kaspar Broadcasting, and put the translator on, to add FM coverage on a busy Indianapolis radio dial. The 250 watt translator (vertical only) antenna hangs on the Emmis radio tower with sister FMs WIBC (93.1fm, Indianapolis) and WYXB (105.7fm, Indianapolis), among other broadcast tenants, on Indianapolis' east side, just beyond I-465.
All seemed to go well at the start. "93.5 / 1070 The Fan" captured ears on the FM dial and built a steady following.
In May 2016, Woof Boom Radio's Classic Rock/WMXQ (93.5fm, Hartford City) started receiving complaints that Emmis' 93.5fm translator interfered with the "Max 93.5" signal. By Great Circle calculation, the two transmitter sites sit 54.45 miles apart.
The FCC began investigating, and also received letters from both U.S. Rep. Luke Messer (who represents Muncie) on behalf of Woof Boom, and from U.S. Rep. Andre Carson (who represents the central and southern portions of Indianapolis). Both congressmen urged the FCC to review and preserve each FM signal.
Inside Radio reports that 17 listeners had problems hearing "Max 93.5." Emmis offered their assistance, and listeners either rejected or ignored that offer for assistance. Woof Boom says that assistance wasn't enough, and asked the FCC to force Emmis to either reduce the translator's power or silence it entirely. Also, Emmis filed an application with the FCC to reduce power and change directional pattern. We will follow this story closely.
Southwest
Dana Withers' Withers Broadcasting closes on the sale of a Carmi, Illinois cluster to Mark Lange and The Original Company. The $390,000 sale includes Oldies/WROY (1460am, Carmi, Illinois), 250 watt translator W229AU (93.7fm, Fairfield, Illinois) and 50,000 watt Country/WRUL (97.3, Carmi, Illinois). WROY is a 1000 watt daytime station that drops down to 85 watts at night. Broker on this deal: Patrick Communications.
Where Are They Now? Former South Central Media GSM Jaleigh Long becomes Director of Sales for the Cox Media Group portfolio of radio stations in Atlanta, Georgia.
That's all for this issue. Thank you for your continued support.
Blaine Thompson
Indiana RadioWatch
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