Family Stations will go dark in the Seattle market at the end of the month.
1460 KARR Kirkland has announced it will go dark on February 28 as it has lost the lease on its tower site and has been unable to come up with an alternative. KARR operates with 5kW daytime and 2.5kW nighttime from the site, which it shares with the nighttime operation of “Radio Disney” 1250 KKDZ Seattle.
Discussion on the RadioInsight Community states that the tower site is located in a residential neighborhood and set for redevelopment in the coming months.
I knew it! Family Radio has been in shambles since the false rapture call of 2011, and this only accelerates its ultimate demise!
When the Chairman and founder Harold Camping passed away, there was left no succession plan to keep Family Radio alive. Harold was totally convinced that the end of the world, as per his predictions, would mean the end of the network anyway. Guess his timing was off a bit.
So as it stands today, Family Radio is slowly discontinuing operations as issues present themselves, whether someone wants to purchase one of their stations, loss of lease in the case of KARR, or even as in the case of their US-based shortwave facility in Florida; shut down to save what little money they have left. Fortunately for the Florida SW, another religious broadcaster purchased and re-started the station under their format and call letters.
Somehow I doubt KARR will continue on, even under a new licensee. Few want AM stations with no cash flow and a lot of protections at night. I hope they turn in the license for KARR. The AM band can use some serious pruning anyway.
I wonder what the future is of KEAR, the former home of KFRC, 610, in San Francisco…