It was once a construction permit owned by notable radio industry figure Randy Michaels. Since its February 2010 sign-on, its been owned and operated by the Seneca Nation of Indians.
Now, eleven years and two months after its debut, this Class B1 FM with a signal stretching as far north as the Buffalo Bills’ home stadium and into the Twin Tiers of Pennsylvania and New York is set to sign off the air.
There’s no buyer, or format change in the works. Rather, the station is going dark.
WGWE-FM 105.9, licensed to Little Valley, N.Y., and serving the Salamanca area between Jamestown and Olean — the “yogurt capital of the U.S.” — will be shutting down operations on March 31.
A scrawl notifying local businesses and listeners of the decision appears on the station’s website.
WGWE offers a Classic Hits format featuring a wide variety of songs from the 1970s and 1980s. The 10am hour on Wednesday (10/24) included “Georgy Porgy” by Toto and “Run Runaway” by Slade. On Sundays at 5am, That Thing with Rich Appel can be heard. Saturday nights, WGWE airs a syndicated offering starring the late Wolfman Jack.
In one week, there’ll only be static.
Why, the station tells the FCC that it must cease operations as “it faces financial distress, including long-term losses, in its operation of the station.”
This has been “exacerbated” by the COVID-19 pandemic, now entering its 13th month.
Will WGWE end up in a new owner’s hands? That’s a possibility that has no answer, as the Seneca Nation moves forward with a silent STA request.
Dr. Jason Corwin, Executive Director of the Seneca Nation Media & Communications Center, was not immediately available for comment.
However, WGWE Station Manager Chris Russell spoke with a free weekly publication serving Ellicottville and Chautauqua, N.Y., which WGWE advertises in. He said the Seneca Nation Council made the decision, and that he was subsequently informed of the station’s shutdown due to the pandemic.
With WGWE’s shutdown, Media One Radio Group and Seven Mountains Media cement their presence as the dominant owner/operators of radio stations along the Route 17 corridor between the Thruway and Binghamton.
