WTHU
has same name, but a new sound
By James Rada Jr.
News Editor
THURMONT,
Md. – The sounds of summer will be a bit different this
year as WTHU comes under new management.
According to
Chuck Walmer, owner of WTHU Radio in Thurmont, he has entered
into a sales agreement with the Christian Radio Coalition
to sell the station as of Feb. 15. Because the Federal Communications
Commission needs to approve the sale, it is not expected to
be finalized until June.
“I have
had other offers for the station, but I liked the package
they came in with,” Walmer said. “They are going
to continue with a lot of the things we had and add some to
it.”
Michael Betteridge
is the operations manager with www.WJTM.org, the on-line radio
station the Christian Radio Coalition operates. His plan is
the blend WJTM’s programming with a lot of the local
programming WTHU already runs.
For instance,
they already have a good program on Sundays from Pioneer Baptist,”
Betteridge said. “A lot of what is at the station will
stay. That is the purpose of local programming.”
The reported
purchase price for the 500-watt station is $150,000, which
includes the 5-acre property on Radio Lane in Thurmont. The
station’s broadcast area covers all of Frederick County
and even beyond. The station’s call letters will remain
WTHU and while Walmer is selling the radio station, he said
he is retaining his newspaper, Thurmont Times Monthly.
Walmer had been
at WTHU since 1989 and owned it since 1992. Of the things
he was proud about during his ownership was, “I liked
the local flavor of being in the community with local programming.”
Betteridge agreed.
He is distressed by the growth of large radio networks that
broadcast “canned programming you neither want nor need.”
Betteridge plans
to have local news, local weather and even local ski reports
on the new WTHU. Programming will be broadcast on the new
web site www.wthu.org and the community will also be able
to rate programming and access other features from the web
site.
“We really
welcome the involvement of the community in building this
station,” Betteridge said.
When the official
changeover in ownership happens, Betteridge plans on having
a gala celebration to announce it to the community.
