WRKL Format Switch

Sometime this past week, I believe Thursday 6/2/11 or thereabouts WRKL AM 910 new City, NY flipped from their former Polskie Radio Poliish language format to an LMA with Pastor Erick Salgado and his Radio Cantico Nuevo.

They presently have a webstream up at http://unored.com/streams/flash/910am.html

Appears that leasing the frequency to another programmer will bring in more money than the 'Polskie Radio' format that was produced in-house by Polnet Communications, but the decision still seems unusual because the company specializes in Polish programming.

In the Chicago area, Polnet does however lease 2 stations full time to outside ethnic producers, as well as 2 more stations that are programmed in-house: 1 that's all Polish and 1 that's all Spanish.

I suppose that AM 910 WRKL's former listeners will have to go on the internet to listen to sister station AM 1030 WNVR Vernon Hills, Illinois. WRKL and WNVR used to simulcast during some parts of the broadcast day...

http://www.polskieradio.com/

avtosalon said:

Appears that leasing the frequency to another programmer will bring in more money than the 'Polskie Radio' format that was produced in-house by Polnet Communications, but the decision still seems unusual because the company specializes in Polish programming.

Click to expand...

They've been leasing 1580 in Patchouge, Long Island to a Spanish Language Broadcaster for several years. First it was running Radio Formula. Then they switched to Spanish Christian Programming.

Wasn't AM 1580 WLIM also a simlucast of 'Polskie Radio' for a short period of time after Polnet bought the station?

I remember the Chicago station used to insert a top-of-the-hour legal ID for the trimulcast (WNVR - WRKL - WLIM). This was used until about 2009, but obviously was false.

I'm still puzzled by the recent decision. Doesn't 'Polskie Radio' want coverage in the most populated city in the U.S.? Perhaps they have other plans for New York which are not announced yet...