WBRL (AM)

Last updated

WBRL
Frequency 1400 kHz
Programming
Format Defunct (was adult contemporary)
Ownership
OwnerMetrocomco, Inc.
History
First air date
August 8, 1962;62 years ago (1962-08-08)
1980 (second license)
Last air date
October 1979 (first license)
1990;34 years ago (1990)
Call sign meaning
Berlin
Technical information
Facility ID 41372
Class C
Power 1,000 watts
Transmitter coordinates
 44°28′55.2″N71°10′55.2″W / 44.482000°N 71.182000°W / 44.482000; -71.182000

WBRL was a radio station that broadcast on 1400 AM in Berlin, New Hampshire. Under two separate license incarnations from 1962 to 1980 and again from 1980 to 1990, the station served the Berlin area. The last owner of WBRL was Metrocomco, Inc.

Contents

History

First license

WBRL went on the air August 8, 1962, with 250 watts on 1400 kHz. The construction permit had originally been held by William Rust; however, Rust was required to divest an AM station in order to complete the purchase of an AM-FM combo in Rochester, New York. [1] This prompted competing Berlin station WMOU to accuse Rust of trafficking in station licenses; Rust emphasized the sale made him no profit and said WMOU had no standing to contest the sale. [2] With the transfer of Good Radio, Inc., to four new principals approved by the Federal Communications Commission on July 25, the station was clear to sign on. [3] In 1966, Chester Steadman, owner of WCNL in Newport, New Hampshire, acquired WBRL for $58,000. [4]

Steadman sold WBRL for $44,000 in 1971 to Berlin Communications, controlled by Richard and Roberta Blais, who owned a cable system. [5] The station joined the American Information Network from ABC Radio immediately after the sale. [6] Another improvement, this time technical, came in 1972 when WBRL was approved to increase its daytime power from 250 to 1,000 watts. [7]

On April 23, 1975, the Federal Communications Commission in separate proceedings designated the license of WBRL (and, on the same day, those of WMOU and WXLQ FM in Berlin) for hearing, saying the proceeding was necessary to determine if the station had engaged in fraudulent double billing practices. [8] A year after the hearing, on September 2, 1976, administrative law judge Byron E. Harrison denied the renewal application, noting that WBRL continued to double-bill "based on private business judgment" even when it knew the practice was illegal, saying that the public interest would not be served by a renewal. [9] Two months before, the FCC had denied the WMOU/WXLQ renewal on the same grounds—which would have left Berlin without any local radio stations. [10] Owner Blais announced plans to appeal the initial decision, saying that it was "very, very difficult" to be part of a three-station market in a town of 15,000. [10]

In December 1977, the WBRL case moved from the administrative law judge to the FCC itself as the commission heard oral argument in the station's appeal. [11] In May 1978, the FCC in a 6–0 decision upheld the law judge's findings and the denial of the renewal application, saying that WBRL's scheme had run for more than three years and enabled retailers to overcharge manufacturers more than $22,000; while Blais had known of the issues since buying the station, general manager Robert T. Dale, who had also been involved in the double billing at WMOU/WXLQ, had said that stopping the practice would cause the station to lose advertisers, and Blais did not protest again until the FCC began investigating in 1974. [12] The FCC also said Blais would have been responsible even if he did not know of the billing before 1974. [12] That October, Berlin Communications was denied reconsideration of the FCC decision; [13] in 1979, a federal appeals court upheld the denial, [14] forcing the top 40 [15] outlet to cease broadcasting.

Second license

On February 15, 1980, McLaughlin Broadcasting Company, Inc., filed an application for a new radio station in Berlin to use WBRL's facilities. [16] The FCC granted the application on May 23, 1980, and a new WBRL was on the air by June 20, 1980. Under McLaughlin, the station broadcast a middle-of-the-road music format, and Roberta Blais served as the program manager. [17] McLaughlin sold WBRL in 1982 to Friendly Broadcasting Corporation for $125,000. [18] That sale never consummated, and McLaughlin sold the station for $185,000 in 1983 to Metrocomco, Inc. [19]

Late in the 1980s, WBRL entered financial difficulties, and its assets were put up for auction on May 21, 1990. [20] By 1992, WBRL was silent, [21] and the FCC designated its license renewal for hearing in 1993, leading to its deletion. [22]

Related Research Articles

WERE is a commercial radio station licensed to serve Cleveland Heights, Ohio, and carrying a talk radio radio format known as "NewsTalk 1490". Owned by Urban One, the station serves the Greater Cleveland region. WERE is one of two Cleveland-area stations that carries The Rickey Smiley Morning Show, syndicated personalities Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson, and is the Cleveland affiliate for Red Eye Radio. Since 2008, an emphasis has been placed on brokered programming.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WPFC (AM)</span> Radio station in Baton Rouge, Louisiana

WPFC is a radio station broadcasting an urban gospel/talk format licensed to operate in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, United States. The station is currently owned by pastor Ralph Moore.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WFMF</span> Radio station in Baton Rouge, Louisiana

WFMF is a commercial radio station owned by iHeartMedia and licensed to Baton Rouge, Louisiana. It serves the Baton Rouge metropolitan area with a Top 40 (CHR) format. The studios are located in Baton Rouge, and the transmitter site is in nearby Plaquemine.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WLOA</span> Radio station in Farrell, Pennsylvania

WLOA is a commercial rhythmic contemporary radio station licensed to Farrell, Pennsylvania. Owned by Over/Under, LLC, the station serves both the Sharon, Pennsylvania, and Youngstown, Ohio markets. WLOA also simulcasts over Youngstown translator W272EI. The WLOA studios are located in the city of Meadville, while the transmitter for WLOA resides off of South State Line Road in Masury, Ohio; W272EI's transmitter is located off of Mabel Street in Youngstown's Lansingville neighborhood. In addition to a standard analog transmission, WLOA is available online.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WSWW (AM)</span> Radio station in Charleston, West Virginia

WSWW is an AM radio station airing a sports radio format in Charleston, West Virginia, United States. The station is an affiliate of ESPN Radio and is owned by WVRC Media. The station has a power of 1,000 watts. It is also heard on FM translator W294CL in and around Charleston.

KCKY was a radio station in Pinal County, Arizona. The station was licensed to the city of Coolidge and was owned by the Cortaro Broadcasting Corporation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WPKQ</span> Radio station in New Hampshire, United States

WPKQ is a commercial radio station licensed to North Conway, New Hampshire. It is owned by Townsquare Media and simulcasts the alternative rock format of 94.3 WCYY from the Portland, Maine, area. It is an affiliate of the New England Patriots Radio Network. WPKQ shares its main studio with WCYY at One City Center in Portland, Maine, with its sales office and auxiliary studio located in North Conway.

WYCB is a radio station in Washington, D.C., featuring an urban gospel format known as "Spirit 1340 AM". Owned by Urban One, its studios are in Silver Spring, Maryland, and the transmitter site is in Capitol Heights, Maryland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WYFI</span> Bible Broadcasting Network radio station in Norfolk, Virginia

WYFI is a religious formatted broadcast radio station licensed to Norfolk, Virginia. WYFI serves Hampton Roads in Virginia and Northeastern North Carolina. WYFI is owned and operated by Bible Broadcasting Network.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WPMH</span> Radio station in Newport News, Virginia

WPMH is a Christian talk radio station licensed to Newport News, Virginia, serving Hampton Roads. The station is owned and operated by Chesapeake-Portsmouth Broadcasting Corporation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WBSC (AM)</span> Radio station in Bennettsville, South Carolina

WBSC was a commercial radio station licensed to serve the community of Bennettsville, South Carolina. WBSC was last owned and operated by D-Mitch Broadcasting, Inc. The station, established in June 1947, fell silent in October 2011 and had its broadcast license revoked by the Federal Communications Commission in November 2012.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WSOK</span> Radio station in Savannah, Georgia

WSOK is a radio station broadcasting an urban gospel format. It is licensed to Savannah, Georgia, and is owned by iHeartMedia, Inc. WSOK carries the syndicated "Early Morning Praise Party with Dre Monie and Sherry Mackey" from WHAL Memphis. WSOK's studios are in Garden City.

WBCE is a radio station broadcasting a religious format, licensed to Wickliffe, Kentucky, United States. The station is owned by Wendell D. Gray.

KWJB was the call sign for several radio stations in Globe, Arizona. Two separate licenses on the 1240 kHz frequency, and an FM station on 100.3 MHz, used the call letters. The first KWJB signed on in 1938, being joined by the FM station in 1958. After going silent October 29, 1960, the licenses of both stations were ordered revoked by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) in 1961 along with all other stations owned by Gila Broadcasting. A second AM station in Globe on the same frequency, but a different license, operated as KWJB between 1969 and 1975.

WHLV was a radio station on 1310 AM in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, United States, operating between 1957 and 1995. From 1957 to 1983, it was a secular music station under the WXXX call letters; after 1983, it aired Christian programming in various incarnations.

WWIZ was a commercial radio station at 1380AM that was licensed to Lorain, Ohio, and broadcast from 1958 to 1967.

WFAB was a radio station in Miami, Florida. Broadcasting on 990 kHz, the station was branded as "La Fabulosa" and served the Cuban community in Miami. It operated from 1962 to 1977, after which its license was revoked by the Federal Communications Commission for billing improprieties.

WMJX was a commercial radio station licensed to Miami, Florida, United States, that broadcast at 96.3FM from 1948 to 1981. The station was last owned by The Charter Company. WMJX's broadcast license was revoked by the Federal Communications Commission due to the use of fake news stories to promote a 1975 contest and an error in which advertisers were billed for commercials that did not air.

The Star Stations was an American radio broadcasting company owned by Don W. Burden. At its end, Star Stations owned five radio stations in Omaha, Indianapolis, and Vancouver, Washington. These stations had their licenses not renewed by the Federal Communications Commission in the culmination of a years-long investigation into political influence scandals at several Star outlets; four of the five ceased broadcasting on September 2, 1976, while a fifth continued to operate without going silent through a transition to a new owner on a new license.

WSWG was a radio station that broadcast on 1540 kHz in Greenwood, Mississippi, United States. It operated from 1963 to 1984, having been denied a renewal of its license by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) over a 1971 format change that included the firing of three Black disc jockeys, accompanied by other deficiencies in representations made by owner Charles Saunders to the FCC.

References

  1. ↑ "WMOU charges Rust with trafficking" (PDF). Broadcasting. May 7, 1962. p. 47. Retrieved October 11, 2019.
  2. ↑ "Rust answers charges of trafficking" (PDF). Broadcasting. May 14, 1962. pp. 53–54. Retrieved October 11, 2019.
  3. ↑ "Ownership changes" (PDF). Broadcasting. July 30, 1962. p. 69. Retrieved October 11, 2019.
  4. ↑ "Changing Hands" (PDF). Broadcasting. January 31, 1966. p. 37. Retrieved October 11, 2019.
  5. ↑ "Ownership changes" (PDF). Broadcasting. March 8, 1971. p. 66. Retrieved October 11, 2019.
  6. ↑ "Eleven more for ABC Radio" (PDF). Broadcasting. April 12, 1971. pp. 35–36. Retrieved October 11, 2019.
  7. ↑ "Final action" (PDF). Broadcasting. December 18, 1972. p. 60. Retrieved October 11, 2019.
  8. ↑ "In contest" (PDF). Broadcasting. May 12, 1975. p. 55. Retrieved October 11, 2019.
  9. ↑ "In contest" (PDF). Broadcasting. September 13, 1976. p. 77. Retrieved October 11, 2019.
  10. 1 2 "It's hunting time in New Hampshire's hills for FCC" (PDF). Broadcasting. p. 50. Retrieved October 11, 2019.
  11. ↑ "In contest" (PDF). Broadcasting. October 31, 1977. p. 52. Retrieved October 11, 2019.
  12. 1 2 "Double billing does in Berlin" (PDF). May 15, 1978. p. 32. Retrieved October 11, 2019.
  13. ↑ "That's right" (PDF). Broadcasting. October 23, 1978. Retrieved October 11, 2019.
  14. ↑ "Other" (PDF). Broadcasting. November 26, 1979. p. 65. Retrieved October 11, 2019.
  15. ↑ "WBRL(AM)" (PDF). 1979 Broadcasting Yearbook. 1979. p. C-137 (361). Retrieved October 11, 2019.
  16. ↑ "History Cards for WBRL (Mk II)". Federal Communications Commission. (Guide to reading History Cards)
  17. ↑ "WBRL(AM)" (PDF). 1981 Broadcasting Yearbook. p. C-146 (424). Retrieved October 11, 2019.
  18. ↑ "Ownership changes" (PDF). Broadcasting. July 19, 1982. p. 75. Retrieved October 11, 2019.
  19. ↑ "Ownership changes" (PDF). Broadcasting. June 6, 1983. p. 98. Retrieved October 11, 2019.
  20. ↑ "Public Auction in Berlin, N.H.: Radio Station WBRL-AM". Boston Globe. May 6, 1990. p. A106. Retrieved October 11, 2019.
  21. ↑ "Volume IX - Issue #34" (PDF). Small Market Radio Newsletter. June 18, 1992. p. 6. Retrieved July 4, 2019.
  22. ↑ "Washington This Week" (PDF). M Street Journal. July 7, 1993. p. 6. Retrieved October 11, 2019.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.