User talk:Mlaffs/Archives/2013/June

WMUU

Isn't it possible to retain WMUU as a separate article? After all, WMUU still has an internet presence under that name; and WGTK has different owners, format, and call letters. I know of a North Carolina community college that moved into a former elementary school, and it would strike me as odd to see a redirect that gave the history of the elementary school under the heading of the community college.--John Foxe (talk) 15:12, 21 May 2013 (UTC)

Sorry to take so long in answering. It's a fair question. The difference in your example is that the community college and the elementary school are separate institutions, that just happen to have used the same building. Unless the building itself is notable on its own, the articles would be about the institutions. The practice is that articles about radio stations (and television stations too, for that matter) are articles about the license that's issued by the FCC. In North America, those articles happen to be named used the call signs assigned to them. As a license changes owners, or formats, or call signs, you'll see that information worked into the thread of the article. And if the license changes call signs, then the article has to be renamed to the new call sign, as I did with WMUU-FM becoming WGTK-FM.

It's likely that there's enough history here with this station that the internet station might still be notable, in which case a new article could be created about it. That article could include much of the history about the licensed radio station that was at that call sign, or could include a "see also" link to the WGTK-FM article. Mlaffs (talk) 22:07, 25 May 2013 (UTC)

Thanks for replying. You say (in the passive) "The practice is...." Whose practice is? By what authority?--John Foxe (talk) 22:56, 25 May 2013 (UTC)

See WP:RADIONAMING. That's the guidelines for the Radio Stations Project with regards to naming articles. I wouldn't say it's by any authority — more that it's the way I've always seen it done in the 5.5-6 years I've been around. There are multiple call sign changes among radio stations each week all year 'round, and it's always handled that way. Mlaffs (talk) 00:18, 26 May 2013 (UTC)

Thanks, that sounds reasonable. Still, there's this note: "In some rare situations, it may be unclear whether a new call sign should be considered a successor to an old one or an entirely new station. If there is any doubt, solicit opinions on this project's talk page." Ever come across one of these "rare situations"?--John Foxe (talk) 00:43, 26 May 2013 (UTC)

I don't know of one off the top of my head, but I'm quite sure they're out there. I know that I've seen articles entitled 'XXXX (defunct)', where a station has changed call signs (and owners and formats) but has a 40-50 year history at the previous call sign. The article at the new call sign is cut down to a summary of the history from the previous call sign, and links to the 'XXXX (defunct)' article, which is populated with the complete details that were originally in the article. That's similar to what I'm suggesting in this situation. There could be an article at 'WMUU (internet radio station)' that describes the current state and details of the station, and also copies over the WMUU history from the WGTK-FM article. The WGTK-FM article could then have that section summarized, with a link to the 'WMUU (internet radio station)' article.

That said, throwing up a note at the WP:WPRS talk page to solicit some more opinions is a perfectly fine idea if you're not convinced. The project per se isn't as active as it used to be, but the folks who do still watch the page are a pretty reasonable and helpful lot.Mlaffs (talk) 02:21, 26 May 2013 (UTC)

Thanks for those good suggestions. I think I'll wait a year or so to see if the internet station is viable over the long haul. If advertising is a proper guide, the demographic for WMUU was quite elderly, and I'm not sure those folks are listening to the old format via the internet. Thanks again for your help.--John Foxe (talk) 10:53, 26 May 2013 (UTC)