Tuesday, January 2, 2018

Springville NY Radio: WSPQ-AM Shutsdown

WSPQ 1330 AM in Springville, NY signed-off the air Dec. 31 at the end of business day. The closing was announced last week, with advertisers being notified the week prior.

The station has been on air for 31 years, providing classic hits, local news, community events and business support. In 2005, it was purchased by Terrance Grant and joined the Hawk Communications LTD family.

“I have enjoyed giving this region a good, decent form of entertainment and an avenue for affordable business advertisement for over 12 years,” Grant said in a press release. “Unfortunately, many challenges affecting the viability of AM radio as a business enabler have been difficult an even insurmountable to overcome.”

WSPQ 1330 AM (1 kw)
The Springville Journal reports WSPQ radio’s administrator Donna Grant said there wasn’t enough advertising support for the station, citing the closing of other local businesses this year. Between FCC fees, payroll for the station's employees and daily operations, she said there wasn’t enough advertising money to support the station.

“We don’t have enough reach to have the support needed,” she said. “It has been a long discussion … but it was a decision that had to be made.”

The station covered Springville, Arcade and Hamburg and through Buffalo with a 20 mile radius during the day and 10 miles in the evening. As an AM station, Grant said the station faced additional challenges of securing advertisers.

“This has been a very difficult decision preliminary because I've always felt that a great community sets itself apart from the pack by providing support for an accurate and consistent airing of issues and events important for both smart community and business development,” Terrance Grant said in a press release.

According to Donna Grant, the station faced financial troubles toward the end of 2015 when a transformer needed to be replaced. The following year, the station did not generate enough advertising dollars and they “rode through” 2017 hoping to turn the station profitable.

“That’s the kind of market for radio,” she said. “It needs an owner-operator who can keep it alive in the community.”

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