Family Stations Will Sell 94.7FM WFME Newark

[klutch00]

That sucks for someone to be able to hear FREE MUSIC on FM radio it'll be gone because there will be no place for hearing any type of music for free. Technology is great but when for example I"m camping I'm not going to bring my computer with me or even my smartphone i rarely bring if I do camp. I don't plug in my phone to listen to in the car it's dangerous as it is. If I want to listen to music I want to put on the FM dial on my portable radio and hear music not talk. It eliminates there even being a chance for music to ever be brought back to FM ever. if anything I hope that AM improves it's sound so at least music can return to AM and have a 770 Top 40 back on or a rock back on AM or a Hip Hop station on AM. to at least be fair. Or if programming a sports station make it sports and rock because that combination works well usually. Look at 107.1 The Bone in the Lehigh Valley.

Top-40 on AM in 2012? UM...can't see that happening. Rock or Hip-Hop? Unless you're gonna do something innovative and/or unique (i.e. progressive, underground, free-form, etc.), I can't see that working out either! Soul classics might be a possibility. WDAS-AM is doing that in Philly http://www.wdasam.com/main.html. What's more is that from what I've heard, their signal quality is pretty good. Now if this is true and other AM's pay heed, maybe some non-mainstream music formats could come back to AM. Alternative formats might be a way for smaller AM operations to consider. KVOQ http://www.openaircpr.org/ Denver has just changed to a free-form format. WBZH http://www.wbzh.net/(formerly WPAZ) Pottstown PA has been free form of some sort for over a year now and KKSN Vancouver WA has been local alternative rock for over a year now http://tunein.com/radio/947-too-910-s34577/.

But as far as 94.7 is concerned, I think a mainstream Rock format would be great. Country might also be a consideration, although I don't see the audience potential there.

[butchfm]

www.bbnradio.org

BBN has a radio network around the country...may have an interest in 94.7FM

I believe it has been stated that Family will not sell to another religious operator, thus the filing to convert to a commercial station.

   Thanks Dave

[Giacomo Siffredi]

This pretty much is how I suspected that Family Radio was Harold Camping. When he dies, it all goes away. That post so much says it.

In 1958, Family Radio was launched by three men, and Camping was one of them. In its early years, the network was inclusive of programming from outside ministries and maintained a philosophy of presenting non-denominational Christian teaching. At some point in the 1980s, Camping's influence gradually gained dominance both on the air and behind the scenes. His power grip on the board of directors intensified and very soon he was calling all the shots. The outside ministries were gradually dropped in the 1990s and replaced with FR produced programming that reflected Camping's interpretations of scripture. He successfully deflected fallout for his failed 1994 prophecy for the end of the world, and after offering several extension dates which obviously were false, he backed off this practice for ten years. During that time, employees there who disagreed with him or challenged him found themselves suddenly out of work, or they would decide to quit. This minimized the dissenting voices thus giving Camping more authority to ever so slowly alter the networks official mission to disseminating his interpretations of scripture. He would study the Bible alone and apply the principles he learned as a civil engineer to decipher scripture through mathematical equations. Following the May 21 non-event, many biblical scholars stated that without group study, accurate interpretations of the Bible are almost always flawed. He maintains even now that "The Church Age" ended in 1988... which is the same year he was thrown out of his Church for preaching his delusions as facts. Family Radio essentially devolved from being a faith-based non-denominational Christian Radio ministry into a cult which destroyed families and ruined lives. Consequently, the company is now suffering that same fate.

You can learn a lot more about Camping and Family Radio at this link: Harold Camping: A Man With No Shame

Does the TV station go in the deal, then? Or are they taking it dark?

Jeff in Sa-ra-so-ta!

No, at least not now. WFME-TV West Milford presently transmits seven subchannels over Channel 29 (Virtual Channel 66) from it's West Orange, NJ. facility which is co-located with 94.7 WFME Newark. Five of those channels are audio only, and the other two are SD. The main channel is WFME-TV programming and the .4 channel is WYBE-TV Philadelphia. Family Stations has a reciprocal arrangement with that independent non-commercial educational public TV station.

Weekday programming essentially consists of "The Joy Of Music with Diane Bish" and "Family Bible Reading Fellowship". Weekends include E/I and public affairs programming. Both the radio and TV stations have a dedicated website: WFME

WFME-TV West Milford has exercised it's must-carry rights with respect to pay TV providers, and enjoys a substantially increased potential audience as a result.

[HHH]

Seems like WFME will be some kind of commercial spoken word soon, simulcast or stand-alone.  Seems the talk/sports interests have much more to gain than the music interests. 

Fascinating to read all the speculation, especially Scott's comments.

If Cumulus buys it (presume for a WABC simulcast) then WMAS will not be a factor.

If not, and reduced non-D from the Empire is too much of a compromise, wouldn't 4 Times Square be the logical spot for a directional?  WBGO just went up there with a directional, didn't they?  Plus, a cut toward Springfield wouldn't effect the huge populations east-west plus a big midtown signal, I presume. 

[ansky212]

No, at least not now. WFME-TV West Milford presently transmits seven subchannels over Channel 29 (Virtual Channel 66) from it's West Orange, NJ. facility which is co-located with 94.7 WFME Newark. Five of those channels are audio only, and the other two are SD. The main channel is WFME-TV programming and the .4 channel is WYBE-TV Philadelphia. Family Stations has a reciprocal arrangement with that independent non-commercial educational public TV station.

Does anyone know why WFME-TV has it's COL as West Milford?  Seems like an odd, random place considering the transmitter is in West Orange.  It would make more sense if the COL was Newark.

[Barry]

In the column Tom Taylor writes for Radio-Info.com., is the assertion that Family Radio should be expected to want to negotiate a swap for an AM station, as they did in the San Francisco market. It is not clear whether this is based on solid information, or is just speculation, like the rest of this thread. If true, this would indicate that ESPN might have the edge among others interested in WFME, as they have WEPN on 1050 AM, to combine with a cash offer.
Taylor's column also indicates that prior to a sale of WFME, Family Radio may want to relocate its antenna to a taller tower nearby. Apparently they believe it could give them an even stronger signal. According to the article, they had applied to the FCC last August for an STA to make this move.

[luperm]

According to the STA, they want to temporarily move to the other tower to test their theory that the other tower is causing issues with their currently licensed location.  The setup there has been more or less the same for years.  I don't know what might have occurred to Family Radio at this point to cause them to want to test this.

My guess is that maybe they ultimately plan to sell the WFME facility separately from the broadcast license and equipment.

[Play Freebird]

If Cumulus buys it (presume for a WABC simulcast) then WMAS will not be a factor.

If not, and reduced non-D from the Empire is too much of a compromise, wouldn't 4 Times Square be the logical spot for a directional?  WBGO just went up there with a directional, didn't they?  Plus, a cut toward Springfield wouldn't effect the huge populations east-west plus a big midtown signal, I presume. 

The problem is WIGX 94.3 in Smithtown, which is only 59.3 km east of 4 Times Square.   WFME's present site is fully-spaced from WIGX, so a move to Manhattan would create a new, non-grandfathered short-spacing in which 73.215 would apply.  According to 73.215(e), the minimum separation between Class A and B stations on second-adjacent channels (even with directional antenna and contour protection) is 63 km, but WIGX is 3.7 km too close.  

If the FCC takes the hard line on this, the only option available to WFME under present rules would be a downgrade to Class B1, which would relax the required WIGX spacing to 48 km under 73.207.   But this would put WFME at a ~7 dB overall disadvantage compared with Class B stations in the market -- not quite as severe as WQXR's 10 dB handicap, but still significant.

For more background on the likelihood of a 73.215(e) waiver, read this FCC decision:

 http://transition.fcc.gov/Bureaus/Mass_Media/Orders/1999/fcc99226.txt

[Theater of My Mind]

If the FCC takes the hard line on this, the only option available to WFME under present rules would be a downgrade to Class B1, which would relax the required WIGX spacing to 48 km under 73.207.   But this would put WFME at a ~7 dB overall disadvantage compared with Class B stations in the market -- not quite as severe as WQXR's 10 dB handicap, but still significant.

How would that ~7dB overall disadvantage from Empire compare to their current coverage from their 37kw transmitter in New Jersey? 

As WNTIRadio pointed out earlier in this thread, WFME's signal blasts into NYC loud and clear and seems to go nearly as far into the northern & eastern suburbs too. I don't hear any issues with it in Manhattan -- despite all the skyscrapers it sounds just like any of the Empire signals around the city. It may fall a bit short on Long Island but not by a significant amount, judging by the contour maps.

With that in mind does it really need to move in order to be considered a full-market signal, especially if it would require such a downgrade in power?

[badjef]

If the FCC takes the hard line on this, the only option available to WFME under present rules would be a downgrade to Class B1, which would relax the required WIGX spacing to 48 km under 73.207.   But this would put WFME at a ~7 dB overall disadvantage compared with Class B stations in the market -- not quite as severe as WQXR's 10 dB handicap, but still significant.

How would that ~7dB overall disadvantage from Empire compare to their current coverage from their 37kw transmitter in New Jersey?

As WNTIRadio pointed out earlier in this thread, WFME's signal blasts into NYC loud and clear and seems to go nearly as far into the northern & eastern suburbs too. I don't hear any issues with it in Manhattan -- despite all the skyscrapers it sounds just like any of the Empire signals around the city. It may fall a bit short on Long Island but not by a significant amount, judging by the contour
maps.

With that in mind does it really need to move in order to be considered a full-market signal, especially if it would require such a downgrade in power?

Those contour maps do not take into account building penetration. That mileage difference is huge.

Empire is in a unique situation inasmuch as what is confined in a relatively small area and density in population.

Jeff in Sa-ra-so-ta!