The Latest News
May 25, 2011
More refinements will be coming to the WILW Radio and Low Power AM Radio Network website later this year. Updates will continue to be infrequent due to time constraints with other projects that I have going on at home.
It now appears as though a move to Indianapolis is out of the picture right now and it is now likely that I will be staying in the KC region indefinitely. Once I can get my debt nearly wiped out it will be easier to relocate. Another move to a community outside of the KC metro area is still a possibility but only if I can find one that will have the potential to develop my commercial Part 15 AM venture.
April 16, 2011
Thanks to the state of the economy and in general, world affairs, I’ve finally come to the realization that I may have to stick around here for a few more years. Next weekend I will be visiting a few communities in Indiana to see if any will be suitable homes for my proposed commercial Part 15 AM radio venture. I will make a decision by the end of this year whether or not to transfer with my existing employer to Indianapolis and start up my station in one of those towns or to stay in my current home or another nearby town outside of the immediate Kansas City area.
February 3, 2011
I’ve finally had a chance to resume work on the websites. Right now I am in the process of updating The Low Power AM Radio Network site and the new edition will make its debut this month. You’ll notice that some of the WILW Radio site content has moved over to the LPAM.net site but the radio commentary and industry news will still remain on this site. Thanks for your patience.
December 18, 2010
I have not had a chance to do any regular updates for the months of November and December. Unfortunately I came down with a bad cold and sinus infection in early November and it took a while to recover. Between that and having a lot of extra work do to around the house and I simply have not had time to do what I would like with this site.
Some changes will be made with this site as well as the LPAM Network site over the winter. I’ll be reworking each one and will change the focus of the WILW Radio site to one that is more of a personal site. Most of the radio content will move over to the LPAM Network website. I am streamlining each site in order to make updates a little easier. I should be able to get back to regular updates starting by the end of January 2011. Thank you for your patience.
August 15, 2010
Well, I finally have some time to get back to making some updates to the website. While there is still plenty of work to be done around the house, I at least now have a place that is comfortable enough to live in while I whittle away at a few other things over the course of the next year.
Right now I am uncertain as to how long I will be staying in the new community. I now live in a small rural town outside of Kansas City. While I am more at home here and basically content to live here for now, I don’t believe this area or even any of the nearby communities is the right place to launch my radio station. After talking to two local people that I am acquainted with about this area I am now having second thoughts about even trying to get on the air here. It sounds like I would be better off trying to do it someplace else.
For now I am planning to stay here while I watch which way the economy decides to go. If we continue along at the present pace or doldtrums if you will, then a move to a community which is right for my station can occur at some point in the next three years. But... If we start to see a real economic disaster unfold over the next year then I will likely have to stay put here indefinitely until I can find a way to relocate. I already have two communities picked out in the Midwest for the site of my station, one of which is probably the best place I’ve found out here. But a move to that location or the second one nearby unless I can be certain that I can transfer with my existing company and that I’ll have enough work to keep a roof over my head. Watching and waiting...
May 1, 2010
Regular updates to this site should resume in July. I’ve purchased a home in a rural community about 40 miles outside of Kansas City and I plan to stay in the area another three years while I pay down debt. After three years has come and gone I’ll review my current situation here and then determine if I need to move on to a place where I can develop a successful commercial Part 15 AM radio station or can do it in my present community. In addition, other factors taking place such as the state of the economy, potential new taxes, health care legislation etc. will all likely impact my final decision.
March 24, 2010
It looks like I will be taking a break from making regular updates to this website. I’ll explain. First, I need to spend a little less time working and more time resting because I am physically and mentally weary from the demands of my day job and then all of the work that I do in my spare time in radio and with these websites. After working seven days a week for the last four years and only taking a day or weekend off now and again, I’ve come to the conclusion that I should try to take it easy for a little while.
In addition, after seeing the health care bill being passed into law, I’ve decided it is best to purchase a house near Kansas City and stay in my current job for the time being. I am going to try to purchase a house in a small town outside of KC that appears to have some potential to develop my commercial Part 15 AM radio station. If I am able to purchase a home here within a reasonable amount of time, I will then plan to stay for at least three years (unless I become unemployed) and launch the radio station as a non commercial entity just to gauge interest in the new community. If after a year or two I determine I may be able to earn a modest living from the radio station there, I may stay here. Other factors come into play though that will impact my decision to stay or leave. These factors are on a personal level and not professional. Not having any family or friends in the KC area is a real impediment to staying here. In the meantime I will still be looking at other communities to relocate and start the radio station. After I see how the health care issue plays out in court, I will have a better idea of how, where and when to proceed.
At this point I would have to say that I’ll be taking a break for about two to three months from the updates on this site. Once I get into a house and have it fixed up to the point where it is livable I will have more spare time and can resume the regular updates to the site. If some major news breaks of extreme importance to the Part 15 AM community, I will definitely get that reported ASAP. Otherwise, regular updates will likely resume in June or July of this year. A new and very brief Randumb Thoughts for April and a new link in the Food section is the only update at this time.
March 8, 2010
I’ve been under the weather the last few weeks battling one cold after another which is all too common at this time of the year for me. Regular News updates will resume as soon as I have a little more energy. As it is, nothing really news worthy to report right now or at least nothing that has a pressing need to be reported.
Yet again another problem has arisen with trying to relocate ANY PLACE!. Health Care Deform. Until I see how this plays out I won’t be able to commit to relocating to anywhere in the next couple of years. As mentioned in the last update on Feb. 16, it looks like I will be staying in the KC area for the next three years until I can better position myself to make a move. Too many things are going wrong right now and in this economy, a move could prove fiscally irresponsible to say the least.
One thing is certain. Assuming that Health Care Deform is passed and it now looks like it will be, I have decided that I will end up moving and living in a state that will offer its residents and “Opt Out” option from the Socialist Health Care system that Washington is forcing onto the citizens of the United States. Some states including Arizona, Indiana, Georgia and Minnesota already have plans in the works to either not formally recognize the new Health Care system or to draft legislation that if passed into law, would allow the residents of that state to opt out of the nationalist health care plan. I would rather live in a state where I have the power to decide what is best for my own health and not have the State tell me what I can and cannot have done and when or where and how it should be done.
February 16, 2010
Unbelievable! Just prior to my scheduled trip to the community I mentioned in the post below to look at properties, Simon Bar Sinister and Cad pulled out their Snow Gun and iced over the entire region to the tune of 30 inches of the white stuff. And they are back at it again this week adding several more inches. Having experienced such events in New England I can tell you that it will be at least April before all of that snow is melted. Until temperatures are consistently above freezing, that 30 plus inches of snow will not be going anywhere.
Yet again, my plans to relocate on my timetable is in serious jeopardy. In fact, this is going to put me at least three months behind schedule and in the meantime that means more money out of my pocket. As a result I’ve decided to alter my plans and relocation time table in order to improve my bottom line and still give this community a chance at being the home for the radio station in the future. Barring a miracle, I will be staying in Kansas City indefinitely. I have to wipe out most of my personal debt before I can make a move.
In the meantime I am going to try to purchase a fixer upper in a community in the Kansas City area and get the radio station up and running as a hobby in order to work out the kinks in the system. In the meantime I will see if any more properties in my price range and have the attributes that I need to facilitate the development of the radio station will come on the market over the course of this year. It is a hit or miss proposition in this community and many others and it could be several months or more than a year before that happens again. I’ve been through this more than once with this community and others that I’ve looked at in recent years. In addition, I am not going to throw all of my eggs into this one basket so to speak, and I will have a Plan B and Plan C backup community just in case...
January 31, 2010
I’m finally making some real progress with finding a suitable location to start my Part 15 AM radio station. Currently I am assembling the last few pieces of equipment that I need to outfit a fully functioning AM radio studio, production room and office. My apartment is a real mess what with all the boxes and equipment laying around but I’ll gladly trade the lack of space for having the opportunity to put everything together, albeit in a limited operational capacity, to have a little station up and running later this year from this location. This will give me the perfect opportunity to work out the bugs with the system before I move and have everything set up for “Prime Time”.
I am currently talking to people in a community with no local radio about bringing my station to that community. This past Friday we had a meeting with the local Chamber Director and it went fairly well. If all goes well and I don’t hit any further potholes along the way, I will be searching for a house starting in February and hope to have something lined up by spring. Then my next goal is the arduous task of having it fixed up and ready for occupation by the end of 2010. Then, crossing my fingers as I say this, if my financial status is still fairly decent like it is right now, I’ll be moving at the end of this year!
Look for more updates within the week. I’ve been under the weather last few days and have not had time to spend on the computer. I’ve spent most of my spare time in bed!
