[BC] Local trumps ESPN was Goodbye Local Radio

[FrankGott@aol.com]

In a message dated 2/25/2006 1:47:52 PM Eastern Standard Time, 
dlh at donnahalper.com writes:

<< >The town once had 2 AM stations.  One went silent decades ago.  The other 
has
 >survived for 57 years.  The facilities of WOHI-AM were once featured in the
 >RCA magazine.  As a kid it was my local station.
 
 I will have an essay in tomorrow's Boston Globe about exactly that-- we are 
 losing our only live and local radio station, WJDA, which has served this 
 community (Quincy MA) since 1947.  It was sold to a couple of guys  >>

Donna,

There's an update on the fate of WOHI-AM since my original post back in 
November.  An LPAM forced the owners to restore some local programming. 

The story in the East Liverpool paper 4 months ago noted that WOHI's offices 
would be moving, but the transmitter would not.  The search was on for an 
office location and the studios would be all but abandoned as the station becomes 
an ESPN satellator.

Fast forward to this past Thursday when the Beaver County Times reported the 
local "Froggy is moving to Center Township," PA.  Froggy is owned by 
Keymarket.  Froggy is the slogan of the country station WOGF-FM, which used to be 
WOHI's FM.  It is part of a chain of Froggy country-formatted stations in and 
around Pittsburgh.  All were once small market stations and are now programmed from 
a Pittsburgh suburb.  

The Center administrative, sales and studio space will house three of the 
stations located northwest of Pittsburgh; WOHI-AM, WOGF-FM and WKPL-FM.  Total 
employment will be 15.  WKPL is an oldies station known as the "Pickle" licensed 
to New Castle, PA.  So an AM/FM combo from Columbiana County, Ohio and an FM 
from Lawrence County, Pennsylvania are now located in Beaver County, 
Pennsylvania.

The Beaver County Times article led me to the East Liverpool Review to learn 
more about the move.  Last Tuesday they reported Jim Martin and some other 
local favorites were back on the air at WOHI after a three month hiatus.

A Keymarket exec says input from the community prompted their decision.  
Martin will be on the air from 10Am - 1PM weekdays with local talk and features 
such as Swap Shop and Ask the Mayor.  There will also be Bible Meditations.

Martin was not able to comment about his return according to the East 
Liverpool Review.  All station information must come from the corporate office.

So what was the community input? According to the Review, almost immediately 
after the format change was announced back in November a group called ABLE, 
the Alliance for Better Living in East Liverpool, began fundraising for three 
low power AM transmitters which would cover about 3/4 of WOHI's coverage area.  
Programming similar to what was formerly heard on WOHI were recreated as an 
Internet stream.  The local business organization petitioned Keymarket to 
reconsider their format change.

Newspaper accounts say it took the local zoning board just minutes to approve 
the first of the three transmitter locations earlier this month.  The $1500 
transmitter is described as about the size of a brick feeding a 102" antenna.  
It is on the air at 1620 as WKMX.  Another transmitter has been approved for 
nearby Wellsville.  A third will eventually feed the East End of East Liverpool.

The station plans local news, as well as music and service programs.

Localism was lost.  The community responded.  Now the community has two 
stations again for the first time in decades.  Which will survive?  Stay tuned.

Frank Gottlieb