 | |
| |
|---|---|
| Broadcast area | Northern Ohio Valley |
| Frequency | 1340kHz |
| Ownership | |
| Owner |
|
| History | |
First air date | November 4, 1940 (1940-11-04)[1] |
Last air date | December 5, 2011 (2011-12-05) |
Former call signs | WSTV (1940–2012) |
Call sign meaning | Steubenville |
| Technical information | |
| Facility ID | 65407 |
| Class | C |
| Power | 1,000 watts (day and night) |
Transmitter coordinates | 40°20′30.2″N80°37′7.3″W / 40.341722°N 80.618694°W /40.341722; -80.618694 |
WSTV (1340AM) was an Americanbroadcast radio station licensed toSteubenville, Ohio, serving the Northern Ohio Valley. The station was owned and operated by Keymarket Communications and thebroadcast license was held by Keymarket Licenses, LLC. Due to a dispute in regard to the land where the broadcast tower is located, the station was forced to go silent on December 5, 2011.[2]
Signed on in 1940, WSTV was founded by Valley Broadcasting Company.[3] It later addedsister stations WSTV-FM (103.5 FM, nowWNKV) in 1947 and WSTV-TV (channel 9, nowWTOV-TV) in 1953. When WSTV went on the air it was a part of theMutual Broadcasting System and a member of the Friendly Group, an alliance of four radio stations in Steubenville, Pittsburgh, Atlantic City, and Kingston, New York.
In the spring of 1945 WSTV started the Steubenville Radio Forum moderated by A. Robert Anderson, then pastor of the 5th Street Methodist Church. On October 21, 1946, during that program, local news editor Harry Cochran delivered an editorial that sparked the greatest transformation in the history of Steubenville. At the time crime in the city was rampant; corruption among elected officials was expected. Because of the officials' corruption, unchecked crime, and open displays of vice, Steubenville had taken on the reputation and name of "Little Chicago". Cochran decided that he had had enough and declared on air, "It's time for a rat extermination campaign in Steubenville." An association of 12 ministers agreed, banded together, and proceeded to stamp out prostitution, gambling, and official corruption. For their involvement in the effort, WSTV won a plaque and special recognition fromVariety for displaying "responsibility to the community". The role WSTV played in the effort is mentioned in the book entitled "Twelve Against The Underworld." by Norman E. Nygaard.
In 1963, Jack Berkman merged his growing broadcasting companies with theRust Craft Greeting Card Company to form Rust Craft Broadcasting.[4] This company would be folded into Berkman's The Associated Group as Associated Radio, Inc., in the 1970s. In June 1999, The Associated Group was acquired byLiberty Media for $3 billion.[5] Liberty Media was not interested in over-the-air broadcasting so WSTV and threesister stations were sold effective March 2000 to Keymarket Communications through its Keymarket Licenses subsudiary.[6]
In its 71 years of broadcasting, WSTV aired a variety of music, information, and talk radio formats with a focus on the local community. WSTV's news team covered a number of historic moments, including theAttack on Pearl Harbor and theAssassination of John F. Kennedy.[7] At the time the station signed off the air, WSTV aired asports talk format, airing the feed fromESPN Radio, simulcast with sister stationWOMP.[1]
Due to Keymarket being delinquent on taxes for the property on Altamont Hill outside Steubenville where WSTV's transmitting tower sits, the land was foreclosed and sold to another party in 2006.[8]WTRF-TV reported the station's owners "were at odds" with the current property owner.[7]
As a result of the land dispute, WSTV signed off the air on December 5, 2011, with its last programming being those ofESPN Radio.[7] An unnamed employee at Keymarket Communications toldRadio Info that "the station has gone dark and will no longer be broadcasting".[9] Keymarket Communications subsequently filed a request with the FCC forspecial temporary authority to remain silent, to allow them time to settle the dispute.[10]
Steubenville MayorDomenick Mucci called the station's signing off "a sad day not only for the city of Steubenville, but, really, for the Ohio Valley". Mucci said the station will "be sadly missed".[7] Former WSTV general manager Bill Chesson said, "Hearing that the station has closed is like losing a child."[11]
On November 19, 2012, Keymarket surrendered the station's license to theFederal Communications Commission (FCC). On December 11, 2012, the FCC cancelled WSTV's license and deleted the call sign from its database.
In 1940, he founded WSTV-AM in Steubenville, the first step toward his widening interests in communications.