NIA Broadcasting’s 1490 WSYL Sylvania GA has been designated for a license renewal hearing due to its record of extended periods of silence since NIA became the licensee in 2018.
Neal Ardman’s company purchased WSYL from Georgia Eagle Media in July 2017 for $20,000 with the deal closing on January 22, 2018. Since that time the FCC notes that from the day of closing through the end of 2020 the station was Silent or operating at unauthorized parameters for 73 percent of the time. That includes 270 days in 2019 where the station was running at 500 watts as opposed to its licensed 1kW without an STA to do so. The agency notes that in order to receive credit for operating at its licensed parameters it must show proof that WSYL operated in accordance with its authorization.
A $20,000 sale of WSYL and its translator 103.3 W277DI Sylvania to John Golobish Jr.’s Jetstream Media was filed in November. The FCC has yet to act on that application.
