RE: 89.3 pirate goes ID-crazy

[EM1 GITCHIER <RGITSCHIER@doyle.navy.mil>]

WGSR is owned by a gent from MI that has never owned or worked for a radio
station before. Someone talked him into investing into the 'then' 5kw/30w
NDA facility (was WYHI) because being a coast hugger and salt water antenna,
it could also be upgraded to a large facility and likely could be snuggled
into or next to Jacksonville, FL. 
For whatever reason the other gent 10% owner who talked him into the
investment has left the station as manager/man of all hats, leaving gent #1
with the bag. He is a real estate broker with a pretty good buisness going
(it seems). Add sales personnel who traded out for tons of personal bennies
instead of earning the station some money (including subsequent mgrs), and
you have a facility that withered on the vine. It's a great facility since
it's upgrade to 10kw NDA days, 500w PSSA (and still 30 watts past 2 hours of
sunset). All new equipment from mic all the way up to the antenna tower...
great processor... etc. 
A power confitioner wasn't installed and we've been burning out solid state
power modules in the Nautel ND10 transmitter (slowly , one after another).
The owner, suffering from a very bad divorce (Mr. Workaholic), has his
funding locked up tight as a drum and basically is reduced to living hand to
mouth, paying for a lion's share of the station's operating expenses. He's
kept it running (and sounding great) with one part time staff member (PD)
and my occasional help here and there. He is looking to sell the station
outright or sell shares of the station to use for operating capital to get
the station back on and hire some good sales staff. He is at a disadvantage
not living anywhere near the station. It needs a hands-on owner. The "second
gent" has been trying to get the main owner to sell at fire-sale prices, but
won't budge. Originally he wanted $550k but might take $425k for it. Looks
like we can probably get the COL to Orange Park, FL (immediately S of
Jacksonville, FL) and a jump to 50k/7k. It would be impractical to do 50kw
from the present site. No room for more towers/required spacing...

I'm sure the station will be on before the 90 day point, or soon thereafter.
Just alot of things turned sour for this gent and he has to step back and
punt. Many calls were on the answering system at the station and other folks
have called me at home, or asked our neighbor 1600 WQOP (near my home in
Atlantic Beach FL). I don't think this station will be permanently dark.
It's never made a dime for him since they bought from a longtime owner back
on Jan 10, 1999. It can make money, I'm sure with the right folks (if they
don't milk the cow). 

Don't ask me how in the world he will finance the 50kw upgrade.............

Ron Gitschier
Jacksonville, FL

> -----Original Message-----
> From:	dan.strassberg@att.net [SMTP:dan.strassberg@att.net]
> Cc:	'boston-radio-interest@bostonradio.org'
> Subject:	RE: 89.3 pirate goes ID-crazy
> 
> Ron: What's with WGSR going dark? I read about it first 
> in DX News. But only a short time earlier I had read 
> (also in DX News) about WGSR filing an application for 
> 50 kW-D and I think 7.5 kW (or maybe 15 kW) N. One would 
> think that if the owners expected to be able to do a big 
> power increase of that sort, they'd keep the station on 
> the air at least until the CP came through. I would 
> think that a station being dark could make the FCC less 
> inclined to grant a CP for improved facilities. The 
> owners might take the station _after_ a CP was granted, 
> because construction of the new facilities would be a 
> lot easier that way--at least if the improved facilities 
> were to be installed at the existing Tx site.
>