WLOA

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to: navigation, search
WLOA
City of license Farrell, Pennsylvania
Broadcast area Sharon, Pennsylvania, Hermitage, Pennsylvania, Youngstown, Ohio
Branding K-LOVE
Frequency 1470 (kHz)
First air date October 3, 1954
(as WFAR)
Format CCM (K-LOVE)
Power 1,000 watts (day)
500 watts (night)
Class B
Callsign meaning Our Lady Of the Angels
(former Catholic format)
Former callsigns 1997-2003: WPAO
1996-1997: WICT
1991-1996: WRQQ
1989-1991: WOJY
1982-1989: WMGZ
1980-1982: WGBU
1954-1980: WFAR
Owner Educational Media Foundation
(sale pending to Vilkie Communications)
Sister stations WGRP, WLVX
Website http://www.klove.com/

WLOA (1470 AM) is a radio station licensed to Farrell, Pennsylvania. It serves the Sharon, Pennsylvania and Youngstown, Ohio areas. Though licensed to Farrell, WLOA transmits from a facility on South State Line Road in Masury, Ohio. The Farrell city limit is across South State Line Road in Pennsylvania.

WLOA and WGRP 940 AM, along with WLVX 107.1 FM in Greenville, PA, are owned by Educational Media Foundation.[1]

EMF planned to spin off both WLOA and WGRP to separate owners when they purchased all three stations; only intending to retain WEXC, now WLVX. In June 2011, it was announced that Vilkie Communications intends to purchase WLOA and WGRP.[2]

Contents

[edit] History

[edit] Beginnings as WFAR

The station first signed on the air as WFAR, a 500-watt daytime-only station, on October 3, 1954.[3][4] The station was founded by Sanford A. Schafitz, a native of the Youngstown area, doing business as Farrell-Sharon Broadcasting Company. Schafitz also started up WWIZ in Lorain, Ohio. He was involved in the launching of WXTV-TV in Youngstown in 1955.[5] Before WFAR went on the air, a dispute occurred between Greater New Castle Broadcasting Corporation and Schafitz. Greater New Castle Broadcasting Corporation wanted to put a 1,000-watt daytime-only station on 1460 kHz in New Castle, Pennsylvania, and Schafitz wanted to put a 500 W daytime only station on 1470 kHz. The FCC ruled in favor of Schafitz on September 4, 1953, and he put the station on the air shortly thereafter.[6][7]

WFAR applied for a power increase to 1,000 W on February 1, 1955. The FCC granted the power increase September 22, 1955.[8][9] An application to operate 24 hours a day, transmitting 1,000 W daytime and 500 W nighttime using a three-tower directional antenna system, was filed on April 10, 1957. WFAR also sought to change transmission locations to South State Line Road in Masury, Ohio, its current location.[10] The FCC granted the request on Sept. 24, 1958,[11] and these operating parameters were implemented by 1961.[12]

WFAR's license was almost denied renewal in the wake of findings that Schafitz transferred station control of WWIZ in Lorain, Ohio to the Lorain Journal Company without authorization from the FCC weeks before the station signed on,[13][14] which was further complicated by Harry Horvitz (the chief owner of Journal Publishing) and his attempt to buy the station outright in 1961.[15] The Lorain Journal was a party that actually tried to get the station assigned in the first place via a complicated straw-man transaction designed to circumvent the legal requirements which prevented Journal Publishing from holding a license.[16] (Prior to the 1948 establishment of radio station WEOL in Elyria, Ohio, The Journal had a near monopoly on news gathering in the city of Lorain[17]).

Schafitz also owned WXTV-TV, a small independent television station based in Youngstown, Ohio. Unlike the other TV stations in the market at the time (WKBN-TV, WFMJ-TV and WYTV), WXTV had no network affiliation, transmitted at a lower power, and had a very limited broadcast day (usually starting as late as 6:00 p.m. weeknights).[18][19] WXTV was denied a license renewal, and a license to cover a construction permit to move to channel 45 because Schafitz failed to disclose that Guy W. Gully, who was 50% owner of WXTV, was indicted for a felony.

On March 25, 1964, the FCC issued the decision to deny the license renewals of WWIZ and WXTV and ordered them off the air by June 1. However, the FCC allowed the license for WFAR to be renewed.[20][21][22] WXTV's channel allocation was reassigned to Alliance as an educational frequency and would eventually be occupied by WNEO. The license for WWIZ was appealed before the Supreme Court, and ultimately was revoked in late 1966. The station then operated under a temporary permit until being ordered off the air entirely on July 14, 1967,[23][24] with the frequency turned over to a local ownership group, who relaunched it in December 1969 as WLRO (and is today known as WDLW).

In 1976, WFAR was joined by WFAR-FM, operating at 95.9, and signing on December 28 of that year. Both stations shared the same call letters despite WFAR-FM's city of license as nearby Sharpsville, and having its own independent programming.

Sanford A. Schafitz died of heart failure May 30, 1979 at the age of 53.[25] WFAR and its sister station, WFAR-FM, were sold to Broadcast Service Communications shortly thereafter for $603,750.[26]

[edit] First Sale

WFAR was sold October 24, 1980 to Broadcast Service Communications, Inc., a company headed by Robert E. Kassi. [27] The station was immediately rechristened with the new call letters WGBU. The Top-40 and oldies format was dropped in favor of beautiful music, news and talk. The beautiful music was dropped by 1982; the news and talk format continued. [28] [29] WFAR-FM was rechristened as WGBZ, adopting a rock format and aspiring to serve Youngstown, Ohio. The changes did little to make the stations prosper, and they were sold to National Communications System, Inc., a company headed by Jerome Bresson, on June 4, 1982 for $700,000. [30] [31]

[edit] Second Sale

Upon National's acquisition, the call letters for both stations were changed. WGBU became WMGZ and WGBZ became WMGZ-FM. Both stations were an adult contemporary format, and they simulcasted one another full-time. [32] From then on, the station underwent a number of callsign changes—to WOJY in 1989; to WRQQ on March 18, 1991. The station became WICT on March 29, 1996 sharing a callsign with another new sister station, WICT-FM "95.1 The Cat" in Grove City (today known as WWGY), and changed again to WPAO on March 3, 1997. [33]

By 1997, WPAO and WICT would be absorbed, along with New Castle stations WKST 1280-AM, WKST-FM 92.1-FM and WBZY 1200-AM, into the growing Jacor Communications cluster, which merged into Clear Channel Communications in May 1999. Along with Youngstown stations WRTK 1390-AM, WBBG 93.3-FM, WNIO 1540-AM, WNCD 106.1-FM, the aforementioned WTNX, WKBN 570-AM, WKBN 98.9-FM, and WBTJ 101.9-FM (operated with a LMA from owner Stop 26/Riverbend), ten radio stations in both markets were now controlled by the same owner.

WNIO and WRTK traded dial positions in October 1999, and Clear Channel sold off both WRTK and WPAO to D&E Communications in April 2001, headed by Dale Edwards, the owner of gospel station WABQ in Cleveland. Formats ranged from top 40 to oldies to easy listening music, with a number of religious formats along the way.

WPAO had a Christian format by 2002. In November of that year, D&E Broadcasting sold the station to Holy Family Communications, headed by James N. Wright for $350,000. [34] Holy Family Communications changed the call sign to WLOA on February 18, 2003,[33] (to complement Holy Family Communications' other Catholic radio stations) and which took over operations on March 4, 2003, under the direction of Martha Coulter, station manager, making it the 60th Catholic radio station on the air in the United States.

WLOA's "Classic Country 1470/940" logo, used until September 2010

WLOA was purchased by Glunt's Beacon Broadcasting on July 7, 2005 (which also acquired WRTK from D&E, reuniting both stations once again).

WLOA became part of a three-station oldies format trimulcast (along with WGRP) that originated from Warren's WANR under the "Family Friendly Oldies" banner - but would break away to air assorted sports play-by-play. This lasted until December, 2006, when a sports format featuring Sporting News Radio was installed on WLOA and WGRP. In April, 2008, WGRP briefly broke away from simulcasting WLOA, and began to air classic country music with WLOA rejoining WGRP a few months later in September 2008.

The station included local broadcasters such as Tony Horn in the morning, Johnny Rogers in afternoons, with a short stint by local talent Gregg Allen as "Porky" broadcasting "Porky’s Pen at 10."

In January 2010, Beacon Broadcasting owner and Warren steel supply magnate, Harold Glunt, died. Glunt's surviving son took over ownership of the stations, and he put all of Beacon Broadcasting's stations up for sale. Educational Media Foundation announced its intention to purchase WLOA, WGRP and WEXC for a combined $225,000 on September 10, 2010; all three stations since changed formats to relay the national non-commercial K-LOVE feed. On February 3, 2011, EMF filed for Special Temporary Authority (STA) to remain silent, and was granted this authority March 14, 2011. [35] WLOA was off-the-air starting January 15, 2011, but the station returned to the air by the end of April.

In June 2011, Vilkie Communications announced their intention to purchase both WLOA and WGRP from EMF for $50,000.

WLOA transmitter site at 1620 South Stateline Road in Masury, Ohio
WLOA transmitter site Central main tower Central and west towers East tower
WLOA transmitter site at 1620 South Stateline Road in Masury, Ohio WLOA central main tower WLOA central and west towers WLOA east tower.

[edit] References

  1. ^ "Broadcast Actions: Assignment of WLOA, WGRP & WEXC Licenses to EMF". http://www.fcc.gov/ftp/Daily_Releases/Daily_Business/2010/db1229/DOC-303818A2.txt. Retrieved January 25, 2011. 
  2. ^ "The Friday Mix". Ohio Media Watch. June 24, 2011. http://ohiomediawatch.wordpress.com/2011/06/24/the-friday-mix/. Retrieved July 27, 2011. 
  3. ^ "Power output for original license". Broadcasting Magazine. Nov. 1, 1954 ed. pp. 101. http://www.americanradiohistory.com/Archive-BC-IDX/54-OCR/BC-1954-11-01-Page-0101.pdf. Retrieved July 25, 2011. 
  4. ^ "WFAR first air date". 1961-62 Broadcasting Yearbook. pp. B-141. http://www.americanradiohistory.com/Archive-BC-YB-IDX/60s-OCR-YB/1961-YB/1961-62-BC-YB-for-OCR-Page-0293.pdf. Retrieved July 25, 2011. 
  5. ^ "WXTV(TV) calls issued". Broadcasting Magazine. Nov. 28, 1955 ed. pp. 98. http://www.americanradiohistory.com/Archive-BC-IDX/55-OCR/BC-1955-11-28-Page-0098.pdf. Retrieved July 25, 2011. 
  6. ^ "FCC Hearing: Greater New Castle Broadcasting Corp. and Sanford A. Schafitz". Broadcasting Magazine. Feb. 12, 1951 ed. pp. 75. http://www.americanradiohistory.com/Archive-BC-IDX/51-OCR/BC-1951-02-12-Page-75.pdf. Retrieved July 25, 2011. 
  7. ^ "FCC rules in favor of Schafitz". Broadcasting Magazine. Sept. 14, 1953 ed. pp. 135. http://www.americanradiohistory.com/Archive-BC-IDX/53-OCR/BC-1953-09-14-Page-0135.pdf. Retrieved July 25, 2011. 
  8. ^ "Power increase application filed". Broadcasting Magazine. Feb. 14, 1955 ed. pp. 107. http://www.americanradiohistory.com/Archive-BC-IDX/55-OCR/BC-1955-02-14-Page-0109.pdf. Retrieved July 30, 2011. 
  9. ^ "Power increase granted". Broadcasting Magazine. Oct. 3, 1955 ed. pp. 106. http://www.americanradiohistory.com/Archive-BC-IDX/55-OCR/BC-1955-10-03-Page-0104.pdf. Retrieved July 30, 2011. 
  10. ^ "Application for 24 hour operation filed". Broadcasting Magazine. Apr. 22, 1957 ed. pp. 126. http://www.americanradiohistory.com/Archive-BC-IDX/57-OCR/BC-1957-04-22-Page-0132.pdf. Retrieved July 30, 2011. 
  11. ^ "24 hour operation granted". Broadcasting Magazine. Sept. 29, 1958 ed. pp. 98. http://www.americanradiohistory.com/Archive-BC-IDX/58-OCR/BC-1958-09-29-Page-0098.pdf. Retrieved July 30, 2011. 
  12. ^ "WFAR operating parameters". Broadcasting Yearbook. 1961-62. pp. B-141. http://www.americanradiohistory.com/Archive-BC-YB-IDX/60s-OCR-YB/1961-YB/1961-62-BC-YB-for-OCR-Page-0293.pdf. Retrieved July 30, 2011. 
  13. ^ "Journal Purchases Radio Station Stock". Elyria Chronicle-Telegram. February 27, 1959. pp. 18. 
  14. ^ "FCC told to deny WWIZ & WLOA license renewal". Broadcasting Magazine. Jan 28, 1963 ed. pp. 58. http://www.americanradiohistory.com/Archive-BC-IDX/63-OCR/BC-1963-01-28-Page-0058.pdf. Retrieved September 19, 2011. 
  15. ^ "Newspaper Asks Radio Purchase OK". Elyria Chronicle-Telegram. June 20, 1961. pp. 13. 
  16. ^ http://boards.radio-info.com/smf/index.php?topic=10536.msg98566#msg98566
  17. ^ "LORAIN JOURNAL v. UNITED STATES, 342 U.S. 143 (1951)". FindLaw.com. pp. 13. http://caselaw.lp.findlaw.com/scripts/getcase.pl?court=US&vol=342&invol=143. Retrieved 2011-02-03. "The court below describes the position of the Journal, since 1933, as "a commanding and an overpowering one. It has a daily circulation in Lorain of over 13,000 copies and it reaches ninety-nine per cent of the families in the city." 92 F. Supp. at 796. Lorain is an industrial city on Lake Erie with a population of about 52,000 occupying 11,325 dwelling units. The Sunday News, appearing only on Sundays, is the only other newspaper published there." 
  18. ^ http://clevelandclassicmedia.blogspot.com/2007/11/wxtv-channel-45-valiant-effort.html
  19. ^ http://clevelandclassicmedia.blogspot.com/2007/11/update-wxtv-channel-45-youngstown.html
  20. ^ "FCC kills WWIZ, WXTV (TV)". Broadcasting Magazine. Apr. 6, 1964 ed. pp. 92. http://www.americanradiohistory.com/Archive-BC-IDX/64-OCR/BC-1964-04-06-Page-0086.pdf. Retrieved September 19, 2011. 
  21. ^ "WWIZ, WXTV(TV) ordered off air". Broadcasting Magazine. Apr. 27, 1964 ed. pp. 64. http://www.americanradiohistory.com/Archive-BC-IDX/64-OCR/BC-1964-04-27-Page-0064.pdf. Retrieved September 19, 2011. 
  22. ^ "Date of WWIZ, WXTV(TV) & WFAR renewal decision". Broadcasting Magazine. Apr. 6, 1964 ed. pp. 174. http://www.americanradiohistory.com/Archive-BC-IDX/64-OCR/BC-1964-04-06-Page-0168.pdf. Retrieved September 19, 2011. 
  23. ^ "WWIZ has 30 days to leave air". Elyria Chronicle-Telegram. June 15, 1967. pp. 29. 
  24. ^ "Station WWIZ leaves air". Elyria Chronicle-Telegram. July 15, 1967. pp. 12. 
  25. ^ "Schafitz dies". Broadcasting Magazine. Jun. 25, 1979 ed. pp. 95. http://www.americanradiohistory.com/Archive-BC-IDX/79-OCR/BC-1979-06-25-Page-0095.pdf. Retrieved September 19, 2011. 
  26. ^ "WFAR sold". Broadcasting Magazine. Nov. 10, 1980 ed. pp. 93. http://www.americanradiohistory.com/Archive-BC-IDX/80-OCR/BC-1980-11-10-Page-0093.pdf. Retrieved September 19, 2011. 
  27. ^ "WFAR (WGBU(AM)) acquisition date by Broadcast Service Communications, Inc.". Broadcasting Cable Yearbook. 1981. pp. C-104. http://www.americanradiohistory.com/Archive-BC-YB-IDX/80s-OCR-YB/1981-YB/1981-BC-YB-for-OCR-Page-0482.pdf. Retrieved September 19, 2011. 
  28. ^ "WFAR format before sale". Broadcasting Yearbook. 1980. pp. C-192. http://www.americanradiohistory.com/Archive-BC-YB-IDX/80s-OCR-YB/1980-YB/1980-BC-YB-for-OCR-Page-0472.pdf. Retrieved September 19, 2011. 
  29. ^ "WGBU(AM) format by 1982". Broadcasting Cablecasting Yearbook. 1982. pp. C-207. http://www.americanradiohistory.com/Archive-BC-YB-IDX/80s-OCR-YB/1982-YB/1982-BC-YB-for-OCR-Page-0501.pdf. Retrieved September 19, 2011. 
  30. ^ "WGBU (WMGZ(AM)) and WGBZ (WMGZ-FM) acquisition date". Broadcasting Cablecasting Yearbook. 1985. pp. B-235. http://www.americanradiohistory.com/Archive-BC-YB-IDX/80s-OCR-YB/1985-YB/1985-BC-YB-for-OCR-Page-0319.pdf. Retrieved September 19, 2011. 
  31. ^ "WGBU & WGBZ sold to National Communications System, Inc.". Broadcasting Magazine. Apr. 26 1982 ed. pp. 71. http://www.americanradiohistory.com/Archive-BC-IDX/82-OCR/BC-1982-04-26-Page-0071.pdf. Retrieved September 19, 2011. 
  32. ^ "WMGZ(AM) and WMGZ-FM format by 1985". Broadcasting Cablecasting Yearbook. 1985. pp. B-235. http://www.americanradiohistory.com/Archive-BC-YB-IDX/80s-OCR-YB/1985-YB/1985-BC-YB-for-OCR-Page-0319.pdf. Retrieved September 19, 2011. 
  33. ^ a b "WLOA Call Sign History". Federal Communications Commission. http://licensing.fcc.gov/cgi-bin/ws.exe/prod/cdbs/pubacc/prod/call_hist.pl?Facility_id=47569&Callsign=WLOA. 
  34. ^ "Holy Family Communications purchases WPAO". Broadcasting & Cable. November 10, 2002. http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/97110-Changing_Hands.php. Retrieved February 4, 2011. 
  35. ^ "Special Temporary Authority to remain silent". http://licensing.fcc.gov/cgi-bin/ws.exe/prod/cdbs/pubacc/prod/app_det.pl?Application_id=1416360. Retrieved March 31, 2011. 

[edit] External links

Radio stations in the Youngstown-Niles-Warren, Ohio market
Note: This market also includes New Castle, Pennsylvania.
By FM frequency
88.5 · 88.9 · 90.1 · 90.7 · 91.1 · 91.7 · 92.1 · 93.3 · 95.1 · 95.9 · 96.7 · 98.9 · 101.1 · 101.9 · 102.9 · 103.9 · 105.1 · 106.1 · 107.1
By AM frequency
570 · 600 · 790 · 830 · 940 · 1200 · 1240 · 1280 · 1330 · 1390 · 1440 · 1470 · 1490 · 1500 · 1540 · 1570
By callsign
WAKZ · WASN · WBBG · WBBW · WGFT · WGRP · WHKZ · WHOT-FM · WHTX · WJST · WKBN · WKPL · WKTL · WKST · WKTX · WLLF · WLOA · WLVX · WMXY · WNCD · WNIO · WOHI · WPIC · WQXK · WRBP · WSAJ-FM · WSOM · WVMN · WWGY · WWIZ · WWNW · WYCL · WYFM · WYSU · WYTN

Ohio Radio Markets: Akron • Canton • Cincinnati • Cleveland • Columbus • Dayton • Lima • Marietta • Toledo • Youngstown-Warren

Other Ohio Radio Regions: Ashtabula • Ironton • Mid-Ohio • Sandusky

See also: List of radio stations in Ohio
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=WLOA&oldid=467056348"
Personal tools
Namespaces
Variants
Actions
Navigation
Interaction
Toolbox
Print/export