1560AM going bye-bye in NYC? Here's why.

[ThaDood]

I've heard why from a dude whom lives up that way. Clark, N1BCG, on a 3873AM QSO, told me that the station was offered $51M for, not the station and tower array, but for the +5 acre property alone! Whoa!!!! Somebody wants that space. O.F.W., at this point, is anyone going to miss it? Hey!!!! Maybe, another opening for Part #15 AM'ers.

[redhat]

In the words of Steve Miller... https://youtu.be/CkcrndYye60

+-RH

[ThaDood]

Yeah!!!! No doubt about that. Whatta' turn-around.... Cosmikdebris linked me to this,   https://radioinsight.com/headlines/204891/1560-wfme-new-york-to-suspend-operations-friday/?fbclid=IwAR1kenc07C6mIatMofEurpBAQMOnzDi7LukPdUGFcrqnbef8B-ljZz0gVhI

[ChrisSmolinski]

Same thing happened to the old WMAL site here in MD: https://wtop.com/local/2020/11/gone-in-23-seconds-dc-radio-towers-demolished-new-homes-coming/

[autovon]

GH talked about this at the end of the latest World of Radio episode.

[Ct Yankee]

Here's the math - I grew up in Queens in the 60's in a brick 2 family when they were the homes of first/second generation-Americans.  A formerly owned brick 2 family on a tenth of an acre now goes for $1,500,000 plus  - a new one more.  If you put ten of them on an acre (radio site was 5 acres) and get $2 million per for new construction, you have earned $100 million less land/construction costs.  That's with only 50 units built.  A single apartment building, condo complex, or commercial building would probably net more.

Here's an example of a Queens brick 2 family, just the half of the building on the right for sale.
https://www.realtor.com/realestateandhomes-detail/16126-28th-Ave_Flushing_NY_11358_M48617-45137

RH, you're right.  This is take the money and run to the new second house in the Hamptons.

[myteaquinn]

My god Ct Yankee. By my fuzzy math it looks like the property taxes went up 440% in 10 years. Unreal. How in the hell do people afford the prices? Would like to see the sales history of the building. I'm going to go out and kiss the ground of my 5 acres of Ohio flatland just like the pope.

[jta]

It's all about the money:

They sold the original WFME (FM) for $40 Million.
They bought 1560 for $12 Million.
They sell 1560 for $51 Million.

You do the math.

[ThaDood]

Probably should be under the MW DX posting, but while we're still on the 1560AM subject here... I wonder if one of those other 1560's were what I heard air Fibber McGee & Molly at 3AM last night. No ID, no promos, but damn good S+20/9 signal off the Windom, and very little fading. Hmmmmmmmm??? Who' dat, who' dat???

[redhat]

Prices in the city are insane.  See any of Louis Rossmann's videos for more on the subject.

+-RH

[jta]

OK, they sold the site but did they turn in the license? If not, they could make even more money by selling it to a party interested in rebuilding for the frequency...

[ThaDood]

Word on da street has it that the NYC 1560kHz FREQ will be back on-air with 5kW. Anyone else heard that?

[ThaDood]

UPDATE: JTA heard it on a couple of night ago, and it sounds like I heard it on the drive home at 04:25UTC last night, playing a slow, acoustic guitar, music. No announcements. So, did anyone miss 'em?