Daytime Christian station WCNW-AM discontinued operations May 2 "due to a loss of the ability to operate its transmitter" at the Fairfield station behind Jungle Jim's International Market, according to a Federal Communications Commission filing.
Founded 59 years ago, WCNW-AM had been operating under "special temporary authority" since 2019, when the transmission line for its 5,000-watt daytime signal was damaged and needed to be replaced. The station had been operating at 1,000 watts for four years.
Station operators are "actively looking into alternatives to restart operations and will file appropriate applications or requests for special temporary authority at a later time," the FCC filing said.
WCNW-AM is Greater Cincinnati's second small AM station struggling with insurmountable technical issues, as the popularity of AM radio fades. Covington's WCVG-AM (1320) towers and studio building have been razed, leaving the station broadcasting on only 50 watts from a wire stretched along a roof of a nearby building under "special temporary authority" granted by the FCC last month.
The Fairfield station sits on several acres with six radio towers behind Jungle Jim's, Planet Fitness and Smoothie King.
"The land is much more valuable than the radio station," says Randy Michaels, radio historian and a former executive for Clear Channel, Jacor and Taft Broadcasting.
Former Hamilton furniture store owner Vernon "Cousin Vern" Baldwin bought the station in 1984.
Replacing the damaged transmitter line was delayed over "concerns regarding other portions of the transmission system, potentially requiring additional engineering support," Baldwin Broadcasting said in a 2020 FCC update. However, engineers were unable to replace the damaged line "with the exact same cable," which was not available.
"The licensee continues to work with the engineers to obtain the cable or pursue an alternative solution that would allow the station to resume its full power operations," according to the 2020 FCC filing.
WCNW-AM began operation in 1964 with call letters that stood for "We're Country 'N' Western." Country music singer Bonnie Lou (Okum), from the Ruth Lyons and Bob Braun TV shows, and Fred Slezak were among the DJs who worked there.
In 1990, Baldwin was granted the license for 104.3 FM, which he operated as a 24-hour Christian music station known as WNLT-FM (104.3). It's now a K-Love Christian station.
Baldwin bought Hamilton's WMOH-AM on Ohio 4 near the Butler County fairgrounds in 2002. Baldwin Broadcasting Inc. has owned the two Butler County AM stations since Baldwin died in 2011.
