Mere minutes after we published about News/Talk 1480 WLEA/106.9 W295CW and CHR “Fun 92.1” WCKR Hornell NY planning to cease operations on Monday, a deal has been reached to keep the station’s running.
Bob Savage’s Radio Livingston has reached an agreement to place his Conservative Talk 1040 WYSL Avon/92.1 W221CL Rochester on both stations starting November 11. Outgoing owner Brendon Doran wrote, “We will honor all our commercials, advertisements and be able to keep faith with our community and our sponsors. We will honor our word and are very grateful to our community. We wish to thank everyone who has supported us in this difficult time.”
Original Report: Upon the closing of its $200,000 sale from Brendan Doran’s PMJ Communications to Dawn Ichikawa’s GRI Telecom Inc, News/Talk 1480 WLEA/106.9 W295CW and CHR “Fun 92.1” WCKR Hornell NY will cease operation on Monday, November 11.
The acquisition had been planned by Ichikawa’s late husband Gordon Ichikawa’s Tower Broadcasting prior to his death in December 2023 to join the company’s two stations in Bath NY: AC “V98.3” WVIN-FM, Classic Country 1380 WABH/100.3 W262CX/106.5 W293CE. Ichikawa had sold their properties in Elmira NY in late 2022/early 2023 in a pair of deals to Family Like Broadcasting and Radigan Media.
Dawn Ichikawa shared the following statement:
As we assume possession of WCKR and WLEA on November 11, 2024, we must reorganize and restructure the business and go silent for a period of time. The acquisition was a dream of the former owner of Tower Broadcasting, Gordon Ichikawa. After his unexpected and tragic passing, our family has been faced with the heart-wrenching decision to temporarily silence the radio stations, WCKR and WLEA. Gordon devoted his life to the telecommunications industry. His parents were heavily involved in communications and instilled this passion in Gordon. This led him to start his own communications business, and eventually he acquired multiple radio stations. His mission was to create a hometown radio station that would give back to the community—a dream he held dear throughout his life.
In light of this tragic loss, the family must now turn our focus and resources toward managing the other aspects of his estate. While this decision is painful, we are hopeful that this silence will only be temporary, and that, in the future, Gordon’s dream will continue to resonate with the community he loved. We deeply appreciate your support and understanding during this time, and we look forward to the day when we can once again bring the station back to life.
