WEMR
Encyclopedia
WGMF is an AM
radio station licensed to the city of Tunkhannock
, Pennsylvania
and is part of the Scranton
/Wilkes-Barre
radio market. It broadcasts on a frequency of 1460 kHz with 5,000 watt
s daytime, and 1,000 watt
s nighttime power with a directional signal. WZMF is an AM
radio station licensed to the city of Nanticoke
, Pennsylvania
and is part of the Scranton
/Wilkes-Barre
radio market. It broadcasts on a frequency of 730 kHz with 1,000 Watt
s daytime, and 12 Watt
s nighttime power. The WGMF-WZMF studio is located on Wilmar Drive in Tunkhannock, Pennsylvania with phone number 570-836-4200. WGMF formerly simulcast the adult contemporary format aired by its sister station, WCOZ
, , now KZ104, in neighboring Sullivan County
, but now airs a classic hits
format. The station identifies itself primarily by its translators at 104.3 and 104.5 MHz, hence the name "Gem 104".
, and the rugged mountainous terrain often inhibited weaker radio signals from surrounding markets. One of the owner principals for Endless Mountain Broadcasting was Don Sherwood
, a Tunkhannock Chevrolet dealer who would go on to pursue a career in politics, leading him to a congressional seat that he would hold from 1999 to 2007. Sherwood and Norman Werkheiser http://www.keystonecaps.com/contact/index.html, founder and president of Keystone Caps, a truck camper top manufacturing company, were the two majority shareholders in the company.
The station was granted approval for a construction permit in November 1984, and made its debut as WEMR in 1986 with a country music format, as well as a live, local real-time airstaff. Off to a good start, Endless Mountain Broadcasting decided to petition the FCC for an FM license. Former sister station, WYMK (now WCIG and owned by Family Life Ministries), made is debut in July 1990, with the help of additional investors with the resources necessary to put the station on the air.
The addition of WYMK into the WEMR portfolio however, did not meet the financial goals expected by Endless Mountain Broadcasting, and both stations were sold in 1997 to Citadel Licenses, Inc. Operations for both stations were later moved from the WEMR transmitter site on Wilmar Drive in Tunkhannock to Baltimore Drive in Wilkes-Barre
, where they occupied space shared with other Citadel-owned stations.
The acquisition of WEMR and WYMK by Citadel did little to reverse its fortunes, with both stations being utilized as little more than simulcast outlets of other Citadel-owned stations. Both stations were sold on May 20, 2003 to its present owner for $515,000.
AM broadcasting
AM broadcasting is the process of radio broadcasting using amplitude modulation. AM was the first method of impressing sound on a radio signal and is still widely used today. Commercial and public AM broadcasting is carried out in the medium wave band world wide, and on long wave and short wave...
radio station licensed to the city of Tunkhannock
Tunkhannock, Pennsylvania
Tunkhannock is a borough in Wyoming County, Pennsylvania, 31 miles northwest of Wilkes-Barre. In the past, lumbering was carried on extensively. The chief industry was tanning and there were spool and tub factories, furnaces and machine shops, stave and planing mills, and witch hazel distilleries....
, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
and is part of the Scranton
Scranton, Pennsylvania
Scranton is a city in the northeastern part of Pennsylvania, United States. It is the county seat of Lackawanna County and the largest principal city in the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre metropolitan area. Scranton had a population of 76,089 in 2010, according to the U.S...
/Wilkes-Barre
Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania
Wilkes-Barre is a city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania, the county seat of Luzerne County. It is at the center of the Wyoming Valley area and is one of the principal cities in the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre metropolitan area, which had a population of 563,631 as of the 2010 Census...
radio market. It broadcasts on a frequency of 1460 kHz with 5,000 watt
Watt
The watt is a derived unit of power in the International System of Units , named after the Scottish engineer James Watt . The unit, defined as one joule per second, measures the rate of energy conversion.-Definition:...
s daytime, and 1,000 watt
Watt
The watt is a derived unit of power in the International System of Units , named after the Scottish engineer James Watt . The unit, defined as one joule per second, measures the rate of energy conversion.-Definition:...
s nighttime power with a directional signal. WZMF is an AM
AM broadcasting
AM broadcasting is the process of radio broadcasting using amplitude modulation. AM was the first method of impressing sound on a radio signal and is still widely used today. Commercial and public AM broadcasting is carried out in the medium wave band world wide, and on long wave and short wave...
radio station licensed to the city of Nanticoke
Nanticoke, Pennsylvania
Nanticoke is a city in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 10,465 at the 2010 census.-History:The name Nanticoke was derived from Nantego, the Indian tidewater people who moved here when their Maryland lands were spoiled for hunting by the colonial settlement in...
, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
and is part of the Scranton
Scranton, Pennsylvania
Scranton is a city in the northeastern part of Pennsylvania, United States. It is the county seat of Lackawanna County and the largest principal city in the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre metropolitan area. Scranton had a population of 76,089 in 2010, according to the U.S...
/Wilkes-Barre
Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania
Wilkes-Barre is a city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania, the county seat of Luzerne County. It is at the center of the Wyoming Valley area and is one of the principal cities in the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre metropolitan area, which had a population of 563,631 as of the 2010 Census...
radio market. It broadcasts on a frequency of 730 kHz with 1,000 Watt
Watt
The watt is a derived unit of power in the International System of Units , named after the Scottish engineer James Watt . The unit, defined as one joule per second, measures the rate of energy conversion.-Definition:...
s daytime, and 12 Watt
Watt
The watt is a derived unit of power in the International System of Units , named after the Scottish engineer James Watt . The unit, defined as one joule per second, measures the rate of energy conversion.-Definition:...
s nighttime power. The WGMF-WZMF studio is located on Wilmar Drive in Tunkhannock, Pennsylvania with phone number 570-836-4200. WGMF formerly simulcast the adult contemporary format aired by its sister station, WCOZ
WCOZ
WNKZ is a radio station licensed to serve Dushore, Pennsylvania, USA. WZKN is a radio station licensed to serve Ridgebury, Pennsylvania, USA. WZKN-FM2 is a radio station licensed to serve Towanda, Pennsylvania, USA...
, , now KZ104, in neighboring Sullivan County
Sullivan County, Pennsylvania
Sullivan County is a county located in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. As of 2010, the population is 6,428. Sullivan County was created on March 15, 1847, from part of Lycoming County and named for Charles Sullivan, leader of the Pennsylvania Senate...
, but now airs a classic hits
Classic hits
Classic hits is a radio format which generally includes rock and pop music from 1964 to 1989. The term is sometimes erroneously used as a synonym for the adult hits format, but is more accurately characterized as a contemporary style of the oldies format...
format. The station identifies itself primarily by its translators at 104.3 and 104.5 MHz, hence the name "Gem 104".
History
WGMF's beginnings trace back to the mid-1980s, when a consortium of eight local businessmen pulled their resources together to form Endless Mountain Broadcasting. There was no radio station on the air at that time serving Tunkhannock or Wyoming CountyWyoming County, Pennsylvania
Wyoming County is a county located in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. It was created in 1842 from part of Luzerne County. Its county seat is Tunkhannock.-Geography:According to the U.S...
, and the rugged mountainous terrain often inhibited weaker radio signals from surrounding markets. One of the owner principals for Endless Mountain Broadcasting was Don Sherwood
Don Sherwood
Donald L. "Don" Sherwood is an American politician. He served as a Republican member of the United States House of Representatives, representing Pennsylvania's 10th congressional district, from 1999 to 2007...
, a Tunkhannock Chevrolet dealer who would go on to pursue a career in politics, leading him to a congressional seat that he would hold from 1999 to 2007. Sherwood and Norman Werkheiser http://www.keystonecaps.com/contact/index.html, founder and president of Keystone Caps, a truck camper top manufacturing company, were the two majority shareholders in the company.
The station was granted approval for a construction permit in November 1984, and made its debut as WEMR in 1986 with a country music format, as well as a live, local real-time airstaff. Off to a good start, Endless Mountain Broadcasting decided to petition the FCC for an FM license. Former sister station, WYMK (now WCIG and owned by Family Life Ministries), made is debut in July 1990, with the help of additional investors with the resources necessary to put the station on the air.
The addition of WYMK into the WEMR portfolio however, did not meet the financial goals expected by Endless Mountain Broadcasting, and both stations were sold in 1997 to Citadel Licenses, Inc. Operations for both stations were later moved from the WEMR transmitter site on Wilmar Drive in Tunkhannock to Baltimore Drive in Wilkes-Barre
Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania
Wilkes-Barre is a city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania, the county seat of Luzerne County. It is at the center of the Wyoming Valley area and is one of the principal cities in the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre metropolitan area, which had a population of 563,631 as of the 2010 Census...
, where they occupied space shared with other Citadel-owned stations.
The acquisition of WEMR and WYMK by Citadel did little to reverse its fortunes, with both stations being utilized as little more than simulcast outlets of other Citadel-owned stations. Both stations were sold on May 20, 2003 to its present owner for $515,000.