WEMR

Infobox Radio Station
name = WEMR


city = Tunkhannock, Pennsylvania
area = Scranton/Wilkes-Barre
branding =
slogan =
airdate = June 13, 1986
frequency = 1460 kHz (analog)
format = Adult contemporary (simulcast of WCOZ)
power = 5,000 Watts daytime,
1,000 Watts nighttime
class = B
callsign meaning = W Endless Mountain Radio
owner = Geos Communications
website = |

WEMR is an AM radio station licensed to the city of Tunkhannock, Pennsylvania and is part of the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre radio market. It broadcasts on a frequency of 1460 kHz with 5,000 Watts daytime, and 1,000 Watts nighttime power with a directional signal. WEMR currently simulcasts the adult contemporary format aired by its affiliate station, WCOZ, in neighboring Sullivan County, but is slated to air its own original programming in January 2008.

History

WEMR's beginnings trace back to the mid-1980s, when a consortium of eight local businessmen pulled their resources together to form Endless Mountain Broadcasting. There was no radio station on the air at that time serving Tunkhannock or Wyoming County, and the rugged mountainous terrain often inhibited weaker radio signals from surrounding markets. One of the owner principals for Endless Mountain Broadcasting was Don Sherwood, a Tunkhannock Chevrolet dealer who would go on to pursue a career in politics, leading him to a congressional seat that he would hold from 1999 to 2007. Sherwood and Norman Werkheiser [http://www.keystonecaps.com/contact/index.html] , founder and president of Keystone Caps, a truck camper top manufacturing company, were the two majority shareholders in the company.

The station was granted approval for a construction permit in November 1984, and made its debut in 1986 with a country music format, as well as a live, local real-time airstaff. Off to a good start, Endless Mountain Broadcasting decided to petition the FCC for an FM license. The sister station, WYMK (now WGMF), made is debut in July 1990, with the help of additional investors with the resources necessary to put the station on the air.

The addition of WYMK into the WEMR portfolio however, did not meet the financial goals expected by Endless Mountain Broadcasting, and both stations were sold in 1997 to Citadel Licenses, Inc. Operations for both stations were later moved from the WEMR transmitter site on Wilmar Drive in Tunkhannock to Baltimore Drive in Wilkes-Barre, where they occupied space shared with other Citadel-owned stations.

The acquisition of WEMR and WYMK by Citadel did little to reverse its fortunes, with both stations being utilized as little more than simulcast outlets of other Citadel-owned stations. Both stations were sold on May 20, 2003 to its present owner for $515,000.

WEMR Today

WEMR had left the air for a period of about 30 days, and much concern was raised over its future. However, owner Ben Smith, according to the website radio-info.com, has assured those concerned that WEMR will continue to operate and is committed to more local programming in the future. However, engineering issues at the Tunkhannock facility had to be worked out in order for the station to continue operations. WEMR returned to the air continuing its WCOZ simulcast on August 31, 2007.

A possible explanation is that because WEMR's transmitter facility is built on a mountaintop, its ground surface is shale, which is prone to shifting as part of the earth's natural erosion process. As this shifting occurs, it can totally distort the signal propagation of a complicated directional antenna system such as this one, which boasts four towers. The shifting in turn, may make the station unlistenable to those even residing within a short distance of the station's transmitter.

Other problems include the station's signal being picked up on local telephones or other devices using radio frequency energy. Correcting problems like this one are very costly and it may not be financially feasible for the licensee to continue operations, unless other options are explored, like relocating the transmitter plant and/or reducing the station's transmission towers from four to one (with power substantially reduced), neither of which is an easy task. There were also complications from equipment not being wired correctly when the station was first built.

External References

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*Geolinks-US-buildingscale|41.562778|-75.969722