By SCOTT FYBUSH
It’s one of the most terrifying things that can happen to a broadcast engineer – the station goes off the air, hitting “power up” on the remote control doesn’t work, and so it’s off to the transmitter site to find, well, this:
That is – or rather, was – the 200-foot tower of WMDR-FM (88.9 Oakland ME), which collapsed Wednesday morning in a windstorm atop Streaked Mountain, just east of Paris, Maine, and this was a scary day for engineer Joel Eppley. He tells NERW that conditions were so foggy that after hiking up the icy hill past trees that blocked the road, he still couldn’t see the bent-over tower until he was practically atop it.
Eppley says the custom 10-bay Shively directional antenna had been put into service less than a year ago, and that station owner Light of Life Ministries doesn’t have an auxiliary site in service for the 100 kW/1282′ C0 signal that serves much of western Maine.
For now, “God’s Country 88.9” is off the air while Eppley works out a plan to get it back in service, at least at reduced power. The tower collapsed within a tight 50-foot radius, as it was designed to do, and the transmitter shack appears relatively undamaged, but the big challenge now for the station is a basic one: clearing the road so that there’s any kind of vehicle access to the site at all.
On a tight budget, Light of Life is looking for a replacement tower – if you’re in the region and can help Joel, let us know and we’ll make the connection. (In the meantime, Eppley’s at least breathing a sigh of relief that the rest of the stations along WMDR’s network are now fed by an Internet feed instead of directly off the air, so only two small translators are off the air while the main signal is silent.)
We’ll have an update on WMDR’s situation in Monday’s NERW.
The 2026 Tower Site Calendar was the final edition, and there will no longer be a Fybush Media Store.
We still have some old calendars and some books, so if you’ve been planning to buy some but just haven’t gotten around to it — this week is your last chance.
Go to our store now and get your favorite tower pin-ups!
Not sure what pictures are in which calendars? Ask Lisa — she’ll tell you.
Looking to get into station ownership? Our StationSale division has some great new listings for you, including a very successful multimedia combo including radio/digital/print in one of the finest small markets in the region, a major market FM translator opportunity, a profitable Midwest FM, an inexpensive entry into a fast-growing Western market, and a turnkey profitable FM/AM/translator small-market combo that’s ready for a new owner. Drop me a line at scott@fybush.com and I’ll set you up with an NDA and all the details…
And if your noncommercial FM station is ready to think about translators, there’s a filing window coming this fall from the FCC and it’s the perfect time to start making plans.
In this week’s issue… iHeart cuts leave some small markets vacant - Townsquare makes more NJ moves - Format shuffles in the Connecticut River Valley - Veteran meteorologists retire - Toronto AM seeks FM voice
In this week’s issue… FCC, licensees prepare for translator window - Ithaca exec moves on - Border gets the Lake back - Malloy returns to NJ 101.5 - AMs sell in MA, CT - Windsor vet retires
In this week’s issue… NYC veteran leaves desk - Bulldozers take down some Boston history - Public radio sale in PA - Family adds FM - CKNX celebrates centennial
In this week’s issue… NJ PBS enters new era - Adam 12's new Boston gig - Audacy relocates studios - NYC morning host plans retirement - CHUM, Flow retool in Toronto - Remembering Rocky Allen, Pittsburgh's Negri
