WOAP

Infobox Radio station
name = WOAP


city = Owosso, Michigan
area = [http://www.radio-locator.com/cgi-bin/pat?call=WOAP&service=AM&status=L&hours=D] (Daytime)
branding = Michigan Catholic Radio
slogan =
airdate = January 1, 1948
frequency = 1080 kHz
format = Religious; Catholic based talk/sermons
power = 1,000 watts (Daytime)
erp =
class = D
callsign_meaning = Owosso Argus Press (original owner)
former_callsigns =
owner = 1090 Investments
webcast =
website = [http://www.catholicradio.org/ http://www.catholicradio.org/]
affiliations =

WOAP (1080 AM) is a radio station broadcasting a Catholic religious format. Licensed to Owosso, Michigan, it first began broadcasting in 1948. This station is currently off the air as of July 20, 2007.

History

WOAP for many years, had been an AM/FM combo station, with WOAP-FM, later known as WMZX and known today as WRSR, first going on the air December 2, 1965. This arrangement changed in the late 1990s, when Michigan Radio Group sold both stations. Connoiseur Communications then assumed ownership of both, turning WMZX into a more regional station serving the Flint area. The weaker WOAP, with its daytime-only signal, was then sold the following year to Hartman Broadcasting, which continued to operate WOAP as a local service, with an Adult Standards/Oldies music format branded as "Great American Classics".

Less than two years later, Hartman Broadcasting sold WOAP to its current owner, 1090 Investments, which immediately applied to the FCC for a construction permit to move the station's operations to Waverly, located in Lansing's suburbs. The move would allow WOAP to increase its daytime power to 50,000 watts and add nighttime power authorization at 4500 watts. Three years after the application was received, the FCC chose to dismiss the application, presumably under the likelihood that granting the station nighttime power would cause interference to WTIC in Hartford, Connecticut; also broadcasting on this same frequency.

In January 2006, WOAP dropped its full-service news/talk format and adopted Catholic-based Religious programming. Three months later, 1090 Investments requested an STA for silent station from the FCC, citing financial difficulties. The station remained off the air for almost a year. Four months after going dark, the station applied for reinstatement to move its facilities to Waverly and increase its daytime power, but withdrew its application for nighttime power. However, 1090 Investments pleaded for the FCC in its engineering presentation to be considered for nighttime power again, citing that denying Waverly local radio service in favor of a Connecticut station that had no local presence in Michigan would hurt its attempts to serve its community in an adequate fashion. As of this writing, the FCC has not made any further response to the request.

In March 2007, WOAP was granted permission to move from Owosso to Waverly and increase its power with a six-tower directional antenna system to be built in Ingham County, about 20 miles south of Lansing. The station also returned to the air with a simulcast of affiliate station WCAR in Livonia. Despite the good news, WOAP again applied for a silent STA, going dark again on July 20, 2007.

WOAP applied for an extension to their silent STA on January 8, 2008, citing ongoing financial difficulties. The request was granted on February 25, 2008. The STA extension expired on July 21th, 2008. The station returned to the air in mid-July 2008 simulcasting co-owned WCAR, but fell silent once again on August 18th, 2008.

On July 21st, 2008 (the day that WOAP's STA extension was set to expire), local webcaster Mint City Radio launched [http://www.woaponline.com WOAP Online] , an internet-only radio station patterned after the old WOAP, but not associated with Michigan Catholic Radio. [http://www.woaponline.com WOAP Online] is programmed as a local radio station, featuring music from the 1970s-90's, agricultural features, local announcements and old-time radio shows. [http://www.woaponline.com WOAP Online] has also featured coverage of local events, such as the Clinton County 4-H Youth Fair and Saint Johns Mint Festival (including coverage of the annual Mint Festival Parade).

Sources

* [http://www.michiguide.com/dials/rad-m/woap.html Michiguide.com - WOAP History]
* [http://www.lansingstatejournal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2008807270558 WOAP Online - Lansing State Journal]

External links

*AMQ|WOAP