WMBT 1530 AM Shenandoah

Driving I81 North to visit relatives in good olde Hazleton,I passed the exit for Shenandoah.That brought back memories of radio station WMBT in Shenandoah.I would tune in and listen to a variety of music including polkas .It was good small town radio with local young disc jockeys or older seasoned professionals and their brand of humor,ethnic style, and good local news coverage.They were heard in Hazleton with their 2.5 kw non-directional signal.Little known fact about WMBT -during the Sheppton Mine Rescue in 1963-their engineer made audio contact with the trapped miners by dropping a cabled microphone through a drilled test hole.Not bad for small town radio.Like so many other small AMers in the coal region,they went silent perhaps 15 to 20 years ago.I noticed my old home of Hazleton and WAZL radio is now simulcasting some FM station,I believe in Wilkes Barre.And local 1300khz in Hazleton is simulcasting WILK in W-B.So much for local AM radio in the region.Wistfully,I prefer the "olde" days !

JackDaily said:

Driving I81 North to visit relatives in good olde Hazleton,I passed the exit for Shenandoah.That brought back memories of radio station WMBT in Shenandoah.I would tune in and listen to a variety of music including polkas .It was good small town radio with local young disc jockeys or older seasoned professionals and their brand of humor,ethnic style, and good local news coverage.They were heard in Hazleton with their 2.5 kw non-directional signal.Little known fact about WMBT -during the Sheppton Mine Rescue in 1963-their engineer made audio contact with the trapped miners by dropping a cabled microphone through a drilled test hole.Not bad for small town radio.Like so many other small AMers in the coal region,they went silent perhaps 15 to 20 years ago.I noticed my old home of Hazleton and WAZL radio is now simulcasting some FM station,I believe in Wilkes Barre.And local 1300khz in Hazleton is simulcasting WILK in W-B.So much for local AM radio in the region.Wistfully,I prefer the "olde" days !

Click to expand...

I always wanted to own one of those small town AM stations. I'd be happy to make enough to pay the bills and have a little left over. Those days are gone, never to return. Small towns need a voice, not a relay of some other station.

On a winter's night (no tree leaves), Nigel and Jack, we used to be able to see WMBT's stick blinking on the next hill. Now, only T-102's light and those 500 windmills are in cherry-red evidence at night.

For quite some time, Frank Jordan was the folksy midday jock, live, at WMBT. He was a terrific communicator and DJ -- and he was LOCAL, having been one of the Jordan Brothers from Frackville -- about 2 air miles south of WMBT's standalone building. I believe Frank Jordan was the only live-and-local WMBT host during the time that WMBT hooked up with their satellite oldies format (maybe out of California?).

* * * * * *

Here's an old DX footnote: Back when WMBT was 250 watts, they used to be a sunset regular for our little crew, in our teens, listening with somewhat advanced radios and antennae back near JFK Airport in Queens NYC.
If I'm not mistaken, they were pop music all along, from the day they went on until they went dark. As a pop station, WMBT's mid-60's competition would've been ....

..... who?

WARM 590 wouldn;t have come this way. WISL 1480 Shamokin sent their nighttime signal south. WMIM 1590 Mt Carmel was a strict daytimer. I don't know what WLSH 1410 -- big signal -- used back then as a format.
There was no certified FM pop music station at the time (at least not full time).

So WMBT must've had some pretty nice elbow room in which to romp around.

Thanks for the memories, Jack !