The highest-billing station in the US is signing away one of its three Washington-area repeater signals, as Hubbard Media that Connects ends WTLP’s simulcast of WTOP, leasing the Maryland frequency to Christian broadcaster K-LOVE through 2029.
Starting August 1, WTOP’s 24/7 news programming will no longer be heard on the Class A facility, which serves Frederick County. WTOP will continue to broadcast on WTOP-FM and repeater WWWT on 107.7 serving Northern Virginia, along with streaming through WTOP.com and its mobile apps.
How K-LOVE will use the WTLP signal is not yet known. The station joins former WINC-FM 92.5 in Winchester, Virginia, and former Mix 107.3 (WRQX) in Washington under the CCM network’s umbrella, with a pending acquisition of 100.7 WZBA in Westminster, MD, also in the works.
For WTOP listeners in Frederick, due north of Montgomery County via I-270, Hubbard is directing them to its main 103.5 FM signal, a 44kw Class B facility with a formidable in-car signal that lacks a city-grade contour in Frederick. Streaming is being offered as an alternative.
Hubbard purchased WTOP in April 2011 as part of a $505 million, 17-station acquisition from Bonneville International Corp.
The lease comes as WTOP General Manager Joel Oxley prepares to step away from the station after decades at the helm. During his tenure, WTOP was consistently the nation’s top-billing radio station, in addition to earning multiple Marconi and Murrow awards.
That spinning sound you hear is “The Real” Howard Johnson turning over in his grave. Howard built one of America’s great Top 40 stations on that signal – Z-104. He and his crew billed more than a million dollars in a market of 100,000 people. They’d draw 10,000 people to a bathtub race in a city park. And they’d rais thousands upon thousands of dollars and presents each Christmas with “Kristmas Kash for Kids,” in which they devoted three full days in early December, commercial free, to the effort.
Why does K-Love need yet another signal in the DC/MD/VA area? They already have two of the best facilities in the region, 92.5 in Winchester and 107.3 in DC. They’re adding 100.7 in Westminster/Baltimore. They join Peter & John Fellowship’s WRBS 95.1 Baltimore and 104.7 WRYS Hagerstown, Atlantic Gateway’s WGTS 91.9 Takoma Park, MD, Salem’s 105.1 WAVA in DC and 90.5 WCRH Williamsport/Hagerstown in the Religious radio field along with goodness knows how many smaller religious operations.
Does Hubbard need the money that much? Do they not need the signal since they moved All-News from the highly directional at night 1500 AM to 103.5 FM?
According to Radio-Locator.com, Frederick already is served by 10 Religious radio stations. Does the market really need one more? Or would the facility better serve its home market with some type of secular, local programming? I think it would.