[IRCA] Fwd: [mwcircle] Re: [WOR] Permanent damage in Panama City

[Nick Hall-Patch <nhp@xxxxxxxx>]

I think this is via MW Circle....Mike Terry at any rate..

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16 stations in the path of Hurricane Michael were still dark on Sunday..

That?s 13 FMs, down from 14 on Saturday. The 
silent list includes nine full-power FMs, two Low 
Power FMs and two translators. (Another two FM 
stations are ?reported down? by the FCC, with 
?programming sent to another station.?) On the AM 
band, 3 stations are dark. Those are iHeart?s 
WDIZ Panama City, Florida/590 and Albany, Georgia 
sister WJYZ/960, and Radiojones-owned WXRS 
Swainsboro, GA/1590. The damage to some cell 
sites continues to linger, in some 
heavily-impacted counties of Florida and Georgia. 
In Florida, 69% of cell-sites in Gulf County are 
out, as are 66% in Bay County, 44% in Washington 
and Liberty Counties, and 24% in Jackson County. 
Alabama?s fine and most of Georgia has recovered, 
though 50% of cell sites are silent in Early 
County, Georgia. See Sunday?s FCC list of AM/FM 
stations and cell sites here. A total of 110 
counties are still being asked to be part of 
D.I.R.S., the Commission?s Disaster Information 
Reporting System. Two stations have filed for 
Special Temporary Authority to remain silent, one 
of them in Panama City. That?s WFFL/91.7, whose 
owner Family Worship Center Church says it can?t 
even reach the station ?to evaluate the level of 
damage to both the station and grounds.? 150 
miles east, the same owner files a similar 
request for STA for its WGSG Mayo, Florida at 89.5.


On Monday, 15 October 2018, 09:55:58 BST, Mike 
Terry via Groups.Io <miketerry73=btinternet.com@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:


Hurricane Michael?Catastrophic damage? causes 
group owner Powell to ?cease broadcasting operations in Panama City, Florida..?
For one thing, a piece of a 150-foot STL tower 
?punched a hole in the roof of the studio 
building, allowing water to rush in,? says Radio 
Insight. That?s what market manager Jeff Storey 
told a Powell sister station in Sioux City, Iowa. 
Now COO Robert Bond tells the site ?We have made 
the difficult decision to cease broadcasting 
operations in Panama City?The hurricane did 
catastrophic damage to our physical plant, to the 
point that rebuilding was uneconomic.? On the 
personal level, PD/afternoon talent Greg 
?Fitzdog? Fitzgerald of classic rock WRBA/95.9 
lost his house ? and he?s likely not the only one 
to suffer such seriious property damage. COO 
Robert Bond says ?We wish the entire Panama City 
community Godspeed in re-building.? But his Baton 
Rouge-based company isn?t planning on returning 
its now-silent stations back to the air. Last 
month, pre-Hurricane, Powell filed to sell Panama 
City top 40 ?Hot 107.9? WPFM to K-Love parent EMF 
(September 25 NOW). We don?t know how the 
destruction from the Category 4 storm might 
affect that deal. It?s also not clear what the 
insurance situation was for the cluster. In 
addition to WRBA, Powell has country ?Kick?n 
103.5? WKNK and variety hits ?105.1 Bob FM? WASJ.

Tom Taylor Now <RadioNews@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx



Nick Hall-Patch
Victoria, BC
Canada

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