Re: [IRCA] WBEY 1370 Calera, AL "Fallen Flags"

["Paul B. Walker, Jr." <walkerbroadcasting@xxxxxxxxx>]

WBYE was on the air a little  mroe recent then 2002, I think.. not sure.

FCC database, i nfact, shows a license renewal was filed in 2003 but not
"disposed of".. acted upon till 2012. I think they were a station that had
som e issues and filed a renewal and remained on the air.

They had an STA dating back to 2001, but I can't tell what it's for.

Paul

On Thu, May 14, 2015 at 7:02 AM, Les Rayburn <les@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

>
> Out driving yesterday, when my wife and I passed a run-down sign that was
> so sun-bleached as to almost be unreadable. But a quick glance at the
> business associated with the sign made me realize that I was looking at
> W-B-E-Y, 1370 AM.
>
> I turned around and went back for a closer look. A quick turn of the dial
> told me that the station was off the air...and I couldn't recall if it was
> in my log book at home. I took a few pictures using my cell phone camera,
> as we had a look around.
>
> In back of the building was a large fiberglass C-Band satellite dish, that
> I imagined had once received programming from some other source. But no
> evidence of an STL link. Instead, I found a tall telephone pole with what
> looked like the remains of a 40 meter dipole mounted near the top. 50 ohm
> coax ran from inside the building to the top of the pole. Could someone had
> loaded up
> this for use as the stations antenna?
>
> The large faded letters on the front of the building were almost like the
> voice of a ghost. It was sad, and nostalgic---all at the same time.
>
> Railroad fans use the term "fallen flags" to refer to railroads that no
> longer exist. Think of companies like Conrail, or Southern. Their boxcars
> can still be seen on trains today, echoes from railroads past. I couldn't
> help but thinking of the term "Fallen Flag" when it came to this station.
> Had it once been a hometown hero, reporting on local happenings, lost dogs,
> and obituaries. Or was it one of the many gospel/religious stations that
> seem to dot the southern landscape more than any other?
>
> A quick check of Wikipedia revealed a little more, but not much. It looks
> like the station went off the air in 2002---but it's absent from my
> logbook. How could I have missed a 1,000 watt daytime only station, less
> than 15 miles from my home? Hmmm....
>
> I wonder if anyone out there logged this station? And I can't help but
> wonder how many more stations like this we'll lose in the years ahead.
>
>
> --
> 73,
>
>
> Les Rayburn, N1LF
> Maylene, AL
> EM63
>
> Member NRC, IRCA, & Medium Wave DX Circle
> Former CPC Chairman for NRC/IRCA
>
> Elad FDM-S2 SDR, SDR-IQ,Funcube Pro, Wellbrooke ALA-1530+ loop, Clifton
> Lab Active Whip,
> Quantum Phaser, Kiwa Loop, Palstar MW Pre-Selector
>
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