Pompton Lakes may acquire radio station WGHT

POMPTON LAKES — Officials are considering acquiring local radio station WGHT after the owner offered the possibility of donating it to the borough. The mayor and council passed a resolution Wednesday to execute an agreement but are months away from completing any deal, Mayor Michael Serra said.

"Unfortunately, the radio station, for whatever reason, has decided to sell, or donate to us," Serra said. "We don't know the full extent."

WGHT is a 1,000-watt, daytime oldies and news station based in Pompton Lakes that broadcasts in the New York metropolitan area on 1500 AM. The station is online at wghtradio.com.

It's not clear if or when the station will go dark, or what the station's motivations are. The owner, John Silliman, said Thursday that "there is no story yet" and "nothing has been done yet." 

He wouldn't say whether he was looking into other options, or if the station would be closing down.

"I have to settle things first," he said.

A message on the station's website says: "WGHT Radio is not 'going dark!' WGHT Radio will continue on our path, serving the community."

Silliman does a midday weekday show, starting at 11 a.m., that features daily contests with prizes.

The station is at the end of Lincoln Avenue near the Wayne border in a flood zone. It's on about 5 acres of property, 4½ of which are protected by the Department of Environmental Protection, Serra said. The property's last assessment was $289,700. 

Serra said Silliman first approached him with the idea of running the radio station. 

"And I said, 'I'll tell you at this time, no,' " he said. " 'We just don't have the manpower and staff to do that.' "

They then discussed the idea of a donation of the property, and after the mayor talked it over with Borough Council members, the borough attorney and local school representatives, a decision was made.

"We've all decided that we think it's a good option for us at this point," Serra said. "If they're going to donate the property it's a nice gesture for the town. There is some value to it, and we could use it."

The borough would be restricted from selling or breaking off parts of the station for three years, the mayor said. This includes broadcast towers, equipment and the building.

"It doesn't have to stay as a functioning radio station," he said. "It just can't be broken apart for three years. We haven't made a decision one way or the other what's going to happen with the radio station."

Serra didn't rule out the possibility of part-time radio station broadcasts.

"We are going reach out to ... local colleges, and I know the high school is already interested in being part of it," he said. "We might some day — I'm not saying it's going to be this year — we might have a part-time radio station going. We might use the property for something else. We don't know."

Serra said the borough is looking at a six-month window in which inspections and environmental tests will need to be done. The borough will need to hire a specialized FCC attorney to review the deal.

A member of the public spoke up before the council Wednesday and said he hopes it remains a radio station.

The station began in 1964 as WKER. The call letters were a play on the name of the couple who established the station, Bob Kerr and Joan Brooks Kerr. Tom Niven owned the station from 1982 to 1993, when it was acquired by Silliman, who changed the call letters to WGHT.

The station features music from the 1950s through the 1980s, some religious programming and a team of local news reporters who cover local towns.

The station has been recognized for community service and donates air time to events in the listening area. 

The station helped launch several careers, including that of sports broadcaster Kevin Burkhardt, who does professional play-by-play on television.

Visit the station's website for programming information.

Email: Agnish@northjersey.com