Month: March 2025

United States

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Cumulus and Townsquare Media both continue to shut down under-performing stations across the country.

Following its shutdown of “ESPN Quad Cities” 1170 KBOB/104.1 K281DB Davenport IA and Red Dirt Country 1280 KSLI Abilene TX in early March, Townsquare has taken three more stations off the air.

1400 WJZN/95.9 W240DH Augusta ME, which was previously silent from May 2023 to May 2024, once again has been taken off-the-air. When broadcasting, the stations were simulcasting Alternative 94.3 WCYY Biddeford/Portland and 103.7 WPKQ North Conway NH. In New Jersey a pair of signals most recently being used to expand the coverage areas of co-owned FMs were taken off the air.

1160 WJLK/104.1 W281CK Lakewood Township, had been used to expand Hot AC “94.3 The Point” WJLK-FM Asbury Park into Ocean County and 1310 WOBM/96.7 W244EE Asbury Park did the reverse for AC 92.7 WOBM-FM Toms River into Monmouth County both went silent.

Townsquare used the boilerplate comment in its STA filing with the FCC noting, “Due to economic conditions in the market, the licensee was forced to take the station off the air temporarily. The licensee respectfully requests special temporary authority for the station to remain silent. The licensee will promptly notify the Commission when it is able to resume station operations.”

Cumulus in particular has been very active on this front with an internal list privately shared with RadioInsight showing over 20 stations to be taken off the air within the company. Those shutdowns started on Friday, February 28 with 560 KZAC (formerly KSFO) San Francisco and “101.5 Jack-FM” WLXX Richmond/Lexington KY going off-the-air.

Six additional stations shut down last week, eleven are set to cease operations this weekend, and more to continue later this month.

The full story here: https://radioinsight.com/headlines/296690/

Lance Venta, Radio Insight (2025-03-15)

Argentina

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As previously announced in this Blog, the station operating on 570 KHz is now identified as RADIO BELGRANO AM 570 (Ex Radio Argentina), a station that was operating on 650 KHz, under the name of RADIO BELGRANO AM 650. In this way, all the programming of AM 650 is transferred to 570 KHz, thus merging the two programmes into a single radio station. It should be noted that both stations are operated by the company ‘Prodera S.A.’, and therefore continue to operate from the same studios located on San Martín 569, 2nd Floor, in the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires, with the exception that RADIO BELGRANO AM 570 has changed its website to the new one: www.belgrano570.com.ar.
AM 570 operates with a power of 5 Kw, with a transmitter plant located in the Natural Reserve of Ciudad Evita, more precisely in the area near the intersection of the streets El Quebracho and El Surucuá, in Ciudad Evita, La Matanza District, Province of Buenos Aires (CG: 34°44’01.6 ‘S, 58°32’19.2 ’W), using an omnidirectional antenna of the Folded Monopole type of 114 meters in height. For its part, the former RADIO BELGRANO AM 650 is now identified as ‘AM 650’ and continues to broadcast music, having left its website www.belgrano650.com.ar inactive. It is estimated that the latter will remain on the air until a possible sale is finalised.
(Translated with DeepL.com)

Argentina en AM y FM FB group (2025-03-15)

New Zealand

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Titahi Bay. -41.094416719140305, 174.84987172418954

The roof of the building next to the former antenna is now gone in Google Earth on the pictures of 02/2024. On the street view pictures from 10/2024 I can’t even see the building, but this might be caused by the landscape.

Marco (2025-03-15)

United States

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KYMN Launches Fundraiser to Fix Radio Tower.
The Northfield, Minn., station has been in operation since 1968.

A community radio station in Northfield, Minn., is looking to give its broadcast tower some much-needed TLC after 56 years of operation.
KYMN(AM) has created a GoFundMe page to fix its 300-foot tower, which has fallen into disrepair, according to the station.

Heard on 1080 kHz since 1968, the Class D station broadcasts a 1 kW non-directional signal during the day and 10-watt signal at night. Its FM translator K236CO can be heard on 95.1 MHz. The station is branded as “95.1 The One.”

On its GoFundMe page, KYMN Owner Rich Larson said, “Not only have we been with you for 56 years, but a lot of our equipment has been, too. Our 300’ tower, the thing that makes it possible for us to talk to you, is in bad shape.

“Without getting too deep into the technical terms, the tension wires that hold the tower up need to be replaced, and that’s not cheap. Sixty years is a long time, and those wires are just plain just plain worn out,” he said on the fundraising page.

According to a CBS story, last year, one of the tower’s tension cables snapped. Larson soon learned that all of the original cables needed to be replaced — ideally before thunderstorm season. Larson told CBS that the tower, which stands in the middle of an open field, gets hit by lightning on a regular basis.

As of Tuesday afternoon, KYMN has raised $13,000 of its $35,000 goal — an impressive feat considering the station held its official fundraiser launch at a local brewery just one day prior, on March 10.

Larson said: “Your support will ensure that KYMN Radio will continue to stand — literally, in the case of our tower — as Northfield’s hub for communication, information and entertainment.

“For 56 years, we have been a friend you can count on,” he continued. “This is your chance to help ensure we will be here to serve the community for your kids, your grandkids and all the good people of Northfield for decades to come.”

You can donate to the fundraiser here.

Per the 2020 Census, Northfield has population of 20,790. With the launch of its FM signal in 2016, KYMN also serves the surrounding communities of Cannon Falls, Nerstrand, Faribault and Lonsdale, according to its website.

 Elle Kehres, Radio World (2025-03-13)

United States

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1060 WLNO LA New Orleans – License cancelled by the FCC Feb. 27; FCC believes the station has been silent and/or operating with unauthorized parameters since its last STA expired Oct. 18, 2021 and the station did not respond to inquiries.

NRC DX items March 18 published March 11 via WOR iog (2025-03-11)

United States

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Late yesterday (after DX News went out) and this morning Cumulus has filed six different AM silent station notices with the FCC, stating in each case that the licensee “respectfully requests authority to discontinue operations. Cumulus is in the process of deciding whether to change format or sell the station.” 
All six stations went dark on March 7.  They are WYMB-920 Manning SC, WAPI-1070 Birmingham AL, WAYS-1150 Conway SC, WSSO-1230 Starkville MS, KIKR-1450 Beaumont TX, and KBED-1510 Nederland TX.  These are in addition to a similarly worded notice for KZAC-560 San Francisco CA a couple days earlier.

David Yocis to IRCA iog (2025-03-11)