WBKM (FM)

WBKM
City Dannemora, New York
Broadcast area Champlain Valley
Branding WBKM
Slogan Burlington's Kinda Music
Frequency 107.1 MHz
First air date June 2008
Format Adult Album Alternative
ERP 1,000 watts
HAAT 84 meters
Class A
Facility ID 164251
Transmitter coordinates 44°43′15.80″N 73°44′10.50″W / 44.7210556°N 73.7362500°W / 44.7210556; -73.7362500 (WBKM)
Callsign meaning Burlington's Kinda Music
Former callsigns WDYC (2008)
WELX (2008-2009)
WNMR (2009-2016)
Owner Radioactive, LLC
Sister stations WIRY-FM, WZXP
Webcast Listen Live
Website wbkm.org

WBKM (107.1 FM) is a radio station broadcasting an Adult Album Alternative format. Licensed to Dannemora, New York, it serves the Champlain Valley. The station is currently owned by Radioactive, LLC (controlled by Randy Michaels) and operated under a local marketing agreement by Music Guild International, a Vermont corporation.

History

A construction permit for the station, then allocated to Saranac Lake, New York, was granted to Radioactive on June 6, 2005,[1] after having won it at auction in November 2004;[2] the allocation was later moved to Dannemora.[3] Initially assigned the call letters WDYC on February 15, 2008,[4] the station first signed on that June as WELX, a simulcast of WCLX (102.9 FM), which at that time had an album oriented rock format.[3] The WNMR call letters were introduced on April 6, 2009;[4] within a week, the WCLX simulcast was discontinued,[5] and the station temporarily went silent.[6]

Logo as news/talk station 107.1 WNMR, used from September 2009 until May 1, 2010.

WNMR returned to the air that fall, under a local marketing agreement with Convergence Entertainment and Communications,[7] with a news/talk format. While most programming on WNMR was syndicated (including The Dan Patrick Show, The Michael Smerconish Show, The Dave Ramsey Show, some programming from Bloomberg Radio, Free Talk Live, the Midnight Trucking Radio Network, lifestyle talk programming on weekends, and some Sporting News Radio content on Sundays),[8] a local program, Corm and the Coach, aired in morning drive and was co-hosted by Steve Cormier and Tom Brennan; it had previously aired on WCPV until 2008.[9] Convergence had planned a television simulcast of the show on WGMU.[10] WNMR also carried hourly newscasts from ABC News Radio.[11] However, the station struggled due to poor advertising revenues, leading Corm and the Coach to go on hiatus after the April 7, 2010 broadcast.[12] Five days later, it was announced that Convergence had put WNMR's operations up for sale;[13] on May 1, the station once again left the air.[14]

Logo as all-sports station 107.1 The Game, used from June 2010 until March 11, 2011.

After Convergence formed a new broadcast subsidiary, CEC Media Group, the station resumed broadcasting in late June with an all-sports format; most programming came from Sporting News Radio, save for a local afternoon show hosted by Rich DeLancey,[8] and, later, Mike O'Meara's one-hour talk show. However, automation problems forced WNMR off the air once more on March 11, 2011.[15] Convergence ended its association with the station in July 2012; Convergence's owner, Jeff Loper, said that the company "had issues with finding people to run the thing successfully."[16]

WNMR went back on air for a short amount of time as 107.1 The Fixx with an Urban contemporary format. Due to disagreements with the owner the station went off air; The Fixx would continue as an Internet radio station. While WNMR was off the air, WRFK, a classic hits station in Barre, could be heard in the Champlain Valley.[16] As of August 2014, the station was back on the air and broadcasting polka music; a teaser ad stated that 107.1 would be the new home for The Barrel.[16] WNMR subsequently broadcast a country music format as Kickin' Country 107.1.

The station changed its call sign to the current WBKM on March 15, 2016.[4] The change came after Radioactive leased the station to Music Guild International a Vermont corporation, (CEO Tony Gallucci) who program an adult album alternative format; they had already operated WBKM as an Internet radio station since 2008.[17]

References

  1. ↑ "Application Search Details". CDBS Public Access. Federal Communications Commission. Retrieved December 27, 2009.
  2. ↑ Fybush, Scott (November 29, 2004). "New Sounds for Nova Scotia and N.B.". NorthEast Radio Watch. Retrieved December 27, 2009.
  3. 1 2 Fybush, Scott (June 23, 2008). "Fire Silences WRKI". NorthEast Radio Watch. Retrieved December 27, 2009.
  4. 1 2 3 "Call Sign History". CDBS Public Access. Federal Communications Commission. Retrieved April 23, 2016.
  5. ↑ Fybush, Scott (April 13, 2009). "No TV at 1 World Trade Center". NorthEast Radio Watch. Retrieved December 27, 2009.
  6. ↑ Homel, Benjamin L. (May 11, 2009). "Notification of Suspension of Operations / Request for Silent STA". CDBS Public Access. Federal Communications Commission. Retrieved December 27, 2009.
  7. ↑ Homel, Benjamin L.; Loper, Jeff (May 22, 2009). "APPLICATION FOR CONSENT TO ASSIGNMENT OF BROADCAST STATION CONSTRUCTION PERMIT OR LICENSE (for WXMR 100.7)". CDBS Public Access. Federal Communications Commission. Retrieved December 27, 2009. IN ADDITION TO ITS INTEREST IN THE SUBJECT APPLICATION, ASSIGNEE IS ALSO THE PROGRAMMER IN A LOCAL PROGRAMMING AND MARKETING AGREEMENT CONCERNING FM STATION WNMR, DANNEMORA, NY (FAC ID 164251).
  8. 1 2 Fybush, Scott (June 28, 2010). "Tornado Rips WICC/WEBE". NorthEast Radio Watch. Retrieved June 30, 2010.
  9. ↑ Fybush, Scott (August 31, 2009). "WAEB Tower Downed". NorthEast Radio Watch. Retrieved December 27, 2009.
  10. ↑ "Corm and the Coach Come Back". WCAX.com. August 25, 2009. Retrieved December 27, 2009.
  11. ↑ "WNMR/WGMU Revised Info" (PDF). Starpoint Enterprises. Archived from the original (PDF) on December 8, 2015. Retrieved December 27, 2009.
  12. ↑ "'Corm and The Coach' radio show off the air". The Burlington Free Press. April 10, 2010. Retrieved April 10, 2010.
  13. ↑ "Sale of Vermont radio station might bring back Corm and the Coach". The Burlington Free Press. April 13, 2010. p. B5. Retrieved April 13, 2010.
  14. ↑ Homel, Benjamin L. (May 17, 2010). "Notification of Suspension of Operations". CDBS Public Access. Federal Communications Commission. Retrieved May 19, 2010.
  15. ↑ Homel, Benjamin L. (April 11, 2011). "Notification of Suspension of Operations". CDBS Public Access. Federal Communications Commission. Retrieved April 19, 2011.
  16. 1 2 3 Bolles, Dan (September 12, 2014). "The Case of the Phantom Polka Station". Seven Days. Retrieved April 23, 2016.
  17. ↑ Venta, Lance (March 16, 2016). "Burlington VT AAA Webcaster Makes Move To FM". RadioInsight. Retrieved April 23, 2016.
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