Christian Station Hampered By Theft, Red Tape

Scott Heckel photo

The fifth time was the charm for WINW Joy 1520 AM Radio in Canton, OH.

Well, not really. On Feb. 23, the station, which features black-gospel music, was rendered silent after copper thieves damaged its transmitter located in Plain Township, according to a story by Charita Goshay at cantonrep.com.

It marked the fifth time that burglars hit the transmitters, said station owner/manager Curtis A. Perry III.

Here’s where it gets complicated. Perry, entered a $300,000 purchase agreement for Joy 1520 in 2001 under a “time-brokerage” agreement, which is similar to a land contract. He completed payment for the station in 2008, but still is awaiting transfer of the license from its former owner.

Perry said after the burglary, an anonymous letter was sent to the Federal Communications Commission, claiming the station had been off the air for a year without notifying the agency — a violation of FCC law and cause for license cancellation.

The FCC sent Perry a letter requesting more information, but the letter was sent to an outdated address. By the time the FCC located the correct address and re-sent the letter, the agency canceled WINW’s license March 3, based on the fact Perry had not responded to the inquiry within 30 days.

Perry has since requested reinstatement with hopes of being back on the air before summer’s end.

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