WDTW AM 1310 to cease operations 12.31.2012

**Vic_doucette** · December-19-12, 06:04 PM

Clear Channel, which owns WDTW AM 1310 in Dearborn, is turning off the radio station on the last day of the year, and scrapping the transmission towers and associated equipment. The license is being donated to the Minority Media and Telecommunications Council, whose mission statement reads:

"Since 1997, MMTC Broadcasting, LLC. has distinguished itself as the only nonprofit and only minority owned full service media brokerage in the United States.

"MMTC Broadcasting takes its work to promote minority ownership and participation in the media industry very seriously. And the industry takes MMTC Media Brokers seriously. The industry is standing behind our mission. Media partners have donated over 100 radio and LPTV stations. MMTC Broadcasting has pledged to use these stations to promote ownership and broadcast training opportunities for minorities and women."

Some folks have called this a conspiracy to silence "progressive talk" in the Detroit market. If that were the case, though, Clear Channel could simply stop broadcasting that programming and put something else on the air. Spanish or Arabic programming, some other form of talk radio, even a loop of geese farting on a foggy day. But what this really demonstrates is the sad reality for many broadcasters in today's economy.

Many radio stations broadcast omnidirectionally, with the signal radiating more or less in a circle from a single tower and antenna.

Other stations, especially on AM, need to broadcast directionally, sending more of their signal in some directions and less of it in others. To do this on AM, you need a minimum of two towers for a simple pattern. As the pattern becomes more complicated, or if the station needs one pattern during the day and another at night, more towers become necessary. The more towers you need, the more land you need to own for the towers.

WDTW has a six-tower array near I-94 and Telegraph. WDFN AM 1130 has nine towers. I've heard that the most complicated arrays have 12 towers, though there aren't any like that around here.

Clear Channel has learned the same thing that many operators of such directional stations have found out: The land the towers is sitting on is more valuable than the business itself.

A few years ago, a directional AM station in Jackson went dark when the owners got an offer from a developer to buy the land for a very good price. I think a shopping mall now sits where the antennas were. Other struggling directional AM stations have met the same fate. I suspect some sort of industrial development on that land to be announced soon.

The station has tried many different formats over the last 25 or so years, but none of them made any money.

If MMTC Broadcasting finds somebody who wants the license, that person or company will probably have to construct an entirely new facility. Because of changes in FCC regulations since the station was built after World War II, it will probably have to operate at lower power than it currently does.

I don't expect to hear anything locally on 1310 AM for a long time. As somebody who remembrs the glory days of Keener 13 from back in the 1960s, this makes me very sad.

**douglasm** · December-20-12, 08:09 AM

Hey Vic...

From a historical perspective that's not happy news. From a practical standpoint, I can understand it [[WKNR and WJBK probably had the two worst AM patterns in the market), but it still makes me sad....

As a sidelight, remember when going to first phone school [[Elkins, for example) meant you could almost write your own ticket at places like WCRM in Claire because they were directional?

**Honky Tonk** · December-20-12, 08:20 AM

http://www.keener13.com/

**MikeM** · December-20-12, 10:07 AM

Daytime pattern in green, night in black:

Name: WDTW.jpg
Views: 2493
Size: 36.5 KB

**marshall** · December-20-12, 12:05 PM

Back in the day, before Keener 13, 1310 was WHMH. Their jingle was WK, WK, WKMH. It's 1310 on your dial. [[geez, I'm dating myself).

**tg_jessica** · December-20-12, 12:55 PM

NO!!! Please tell me this is not true. WDTW is the only progressive talk station in metroDetroit, and it has had to compete in a sea of conservative hard right mega stations. If Clear Channel ever really wanted WDTW to be a strong station they should have upgraded the stations power levels. Instead they keep the signal weak especially in the evening which made listening at times very difficult. Yes I believe this was very intentional on their part. I will desperately miss, Stephanie Miller, Thom Hartmann, Ed Schultz and Randi Rhodes. What a very sad loss!

**Vic_doucette** · December-20-12, 04:41 PM

Originally Posted by tg_jessica

If Clear Channel ever really wanted WDTW to be a strong station they should have upgraded the stations power levels.

That's not up to Clear Channel. Power, pattern, hours of operation and all that other stuff is regulated by the FCC. You get what the government gives you. The signal was crappy on the east side in 1965 when I was listening to Keener 13, and it's crappy there now.

As a side note to the radio/techies on this thread -- I had forgotten that the old WJBK at 1500 AM once had a 12-tower array with a horrid directional pattern. You could hear it in Norway, but not Ann Arbor. Three towers were taken down and a shopping center was built on the land. After all sorts of changes, the station, now known as WLQV, pimps for Jesus from nine towers.

**Hypestyles** · December-20-12, 07:35 PM

This is the first time i'm hearing of the MMTC-- do they own individual stations in the Detroit area? what about elsewhere? What's their mission, exactly?

**douglasm** · December-20-12, 08:12 PM

Think of them as a real estate broker, except dealing in broadcasting properties.

I'm not a tax guy, but as I understand the setup, an owner...Clear Channel in this case.....donates a a looser like WDTW to MMTC, who then attemps to pair up the FCC license with a minority broadcaster. Clear Channel gets a tax writeoff for the "value" of the donated property. MMTC's website does a good job of explaining the idea....

http://mmtconline.org/

Look under the Media Brokerage tab....

Memory says WJBK's signal was great.....if you were driving on Telegraph.

**Jimaz** · December-20-12, 08:25 PM

Originally Posted by tg_jessica

NO!!! ... I will desperately miss, Stephanie Miller, Thom Hartmann, Ed Schultz and Randi Rhodes. What a very sad loss!

Welcome to the forum, tg_jessica.

I feel your pain. I suffered the same fate in Phoenix. At one time there was nothing but hate radio there except for one heroic 5-watt pirate radio station in north Phoenix that simply broadcast Orwell's 1984 over and over. Best station in Phoenix! Other than that, shortwave radio was a good educational option too.

But take heart. Despair is not an option! Nowadays these programs are all over the internet too!

Drat Those Internets!

**Hermod** · December-20-12, 08:47 PM

AM is slowly expiring. Only talk radio is keeping it alive [[except for the 50,000 watt stations for the truck drivers). Clear Channel is dumping one of their losers [["progressive" radio has proven to be a loser).

**Zacha341** · December-20-12, 10:38 PM

^^^ AM is getting wanked... some mini radios on provide FM band. I have several AM shows programmed into my car setup.

**RickBeall** · December-20-12, 11:33 PM

I have listened to the radio about twice in 20 years. Not even in the car.

**Hermod** · December-21-12, 05:26 AM

Originally Posted by Zacha341

^^^ AM is getting wanked... some mini radios on provide FM band. I have several AM shows programmed into my car setup.

What still remains of AM radio was saved by the talk shows. No one listens to AM radio any more for music. With talk shows moving over for to FM in many markets, the only AM left would be the 50,000 watters and i am not sure that long haul truck drivers are enough of an audience to keep them in business.

**Cincinnati_Kid** · December-21-12, 05:32 AM

Originally Posted by tg_jessica

NO!!! Please tell me this is not true. WDTW is the only progressive talk station in metroDetroit, and it has had to compete in a sea of conservative hard right mega stations. If Clear Channel ever really wanted WDTW to be a strong station they should have upgraded the stations power levels. Instead they keep the signal weak especially in the evening which made listening at times very difficult. Yes I believe this was very intentional on their part. I will desperately miss, Stephanie Miller, Thom Hartmann, Ed Schultz and Randi Rhodes. What a very sad loss!

Yeah, like RedEye radio. A bunch of extremists on that station.

**Smirnoff** · December-22-12, 06:35 PM

Who still listens to terrestrial radio.....majority jumped to internet radio years ago.

BTW: Keener 13 is coming back in January '13, check it out.....[[WKNRKeener13.com)!

**black gold man** · December-25-12, 09:51 PM

http://www.am580radio.com/live/music-player/index.html

**firstandten** · December-25-12, 10:21 PM

Originally Posted by Hermod

What still remains of AM radio was saved by the talk shows. No one listens to AM radio any more for music. With talk shows moving over for to FM in many markets, the only AM left would be the 50,000 watters and i am not sure that long haul truck drivers are enough of an audience to keep them in business.

Besides most of the truck drivers are going the Sirius XM route.

**Jimaz** · December-31-12, 03:51 PM

1310wdtw.com

**Ray1936** · December-31-12, 04:06 PM

Originally Posted by RickBeall

I have listened to the radio about twice in 20 years. Not even in the car.

That's about twice as much as me, Rick. Vast wasteland.

**dtowncitylover** · December-31-12, 05:16 PM

It was funny to hear a commercial on 1310 a couple days ago for businesses to buy ad time on the station. Why bother run such an ad?

**stasu1213** · December-31-12, 07:36 PM

So long Stephanie Miller

**Jimaz** · December-31-12, 09:16 PM

Originally Posted by stasu1213

So long Stephanie Miller

StephanieMiller.com

**Detroitej72** · December-31-12, 10:14 PM

I'll miss Thom Hartman.

He's a breath of fresh air on an otherwise close-minded AM airwaves. You'll never hear Rush or any other ditto-head bring so many guests with opposing view points onto their program to discuss the topics. I often wonder why Rush, Sean and the like are so scared to try that format.

**compn** · December-31-12, 11:22 PM

those talk shows on wdtw werent the best, but wayyy better than the crazy glenn beck station.

anyone notice 1270 changed to hate radio?

102.3 is kicking ass, commercial free ethnic radio. and its 99% music so far.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CINA-FM