UTICA/ROME -- Galaxy Media Partners has shut-off WTLB 1310, one of its three AM signals supporting ESPN Radio Utica-Rome. The Syracuse-based company notified the FCC of the shutdown yesterday, claiming it will be temporary.
Hat-tip to Budd "Green" Yeman's "1310 WTLB Tribute Site" on Facebook (as well as another CNYRadio.com reader) for spotting the station's recent status change in FCC records from "licensed" to the more ominous "licensed and silent" as of December 29.
A deeper dig into the FCC records shows Galaxy told the FCC:
"The Licensee hereby requests Silent Special Temporary Authority. The land on which the
Station’s transmission site is located has been sold. The license requests Silent STA
Authority while it investigates potential options for the Station."
It's not unheard of for broadcasting companies to sell-off AM tower sites, as the large amount of real estate required for an AM tower and the associated ground wiring can sometimes be worth more than the station's revenue. As seen in the Tribute Page's Facebook post, the property at 39 Kellogg Road is listed as "Sale Pending" with a sale price of $499,000.
Oneida County property tax records show the property at 39 Kellogg Road is 9.2 acres and was most recently assessed at $397,872. While the property originally housed studios for WLTB and the long-defunct Rock 107 (WRCK), Galaxy moved its Utica-Rome cluster into new studios and offices in downtown Utica quite a long time ago.
During WTLB's absence, ESPN Utica-Rome can still be heard on 1350 WRNY Rome, 1230 WIXT Little Falls and translator W243DY (96.5FM) Rome. The station also streams through its website at https://www.espnur.com/.
Per FCC regulations, a silent STA application is required for any silence anticpated to last more than 30 days; an approval allows a station to remain off the air for up to 6 months. As of this writing (12/30), the FCC website shows WTLB's STA application status as "pending."
CNYRadio.com has reached out to Galaxy Media Partners to inquire as to whether there's any estimated timeline for WTLB to get back on the air; we'll update the story (or publish a new one) as we receive any new information.
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