It's not a station you've likely ever heard of if you're not into DXing. But WLEA, an AM outlet at 1480 (with an FM translator) in the town of Hornell, N.Y., has announced it's going off the air for good on Monday.
The station has occupied various dial positions since 1948 and has an all talk format, but isn't exactly a powerhouse, operating at just 2,500 watts daytime - and a paltry 19 at night (hence the 250 watt FM booster.)
So if you've never received this station and want to log it, your time to try for it is within the next week. Hornell is near Rochester, N.Y. so a catch is possible.
Why is this latest small town AM leaving after so many years? A post on Facebook from the family that owns the place explains it all:
"This post is very hard to make. I just wanted to say Thank You to all of our listeners and sponsors throughout the years. As you already know the economy has been rough the past couple years and owning a radio station has its own set of challenges. Due to lack of sponsors and support our new owners have decided to shut the station down. As of Monday Nov 11th our stations will go silent. We appreciate the support and most importantly our sponsors. Please support whatever local media there is left."
Can't miss the irony here, although they won't get it in Hornell. The station goes away on our Remembrance Day , when we hold two minutes of silence,. Theirs will last forever.
RIP to another local AM.