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Rick Stone of Petoskey, owner of news/talk radio stations WJML AM 1110 and WWKK AM 750, announced today he has signed an agreement with Fort Bend Broadcasting of Traverse City to purchase classic country WLDR AM 1210 in Traverse City. At the same time, Roy Henderson, president of Fort Bend and owner of WLDR AM and four FM stations in the region, announced the purchase of WWKK AM in Petoskey. Other terms of the deal include a $244,000 payment from Stone to Fort Bend as well as the WLDR call sign remaining under the control of Fort Bend.
AM 1210 is a daytime-only 50,000-watt station with a prime signal over Traverse City and Cadillac and a large regional signal covering as far south as Ludington, Mt. Pleasant, and West Branch. According to Stone, the acquisition will enable WJML to extend its popular news-talk programming to this new region covered by AM 1210 with a simulcast of WJML's lineup. WJML operates with 10,000 watts daytime from studios and transmitter in Petoskey and claims a northern coverage area that reaches to Escanaba and Sault Ste. Marie. WJML is also licensed to operate with 10 watts at night.
Stone also commented that down the road, there are some possibilities to get nighttime power for AM 1210, but for now that the focus will be further developing the station's daytime signal.
The local talk radio market will get a little more crowded with a planned AM station swap that will introduce some new voices and views to the airwaves... Talk radio market expanding (Tue, 2/14)
