WREN (AM) - Falling Silent

Falling Silent

The station fell silent on September 29, 2008, and the licensee applied to the FCC for special temporary authority to remain silent for 180 days. The licensee cited "the current economic conditions in Pickens County, Alabama" and "some other personal family health issues" for the suspension of operations. They stated they expect to resume operations in "the Spring of 2009". The application was accepted for filing by the FCC but later dismissed when the station resumed broadcasting on May 28, 2009.

WREN fell silent again on July 16, 2009, and Serendipity Ventures again applied to the FCC for authority to remain off the air temporarily. The station's owners sought to "resolve the terms of a potential time brokerage agreement" and made the request "out of an abundance of caution". This time the Commission granted the request and on November 2, 2009, gave the station until May 2, 2010, to return to the air or ask for an extension. Citing "economic conditions" the station filed for the extension in January 2010 but this application was dismissed when the station resumed broadcasting on June 29, 2010.

Citing "staffing" and "continuing economic conditions", WREN's licensed holder took the station silent again on July 5, 2010. They again sought permission from the FCC to remain silent and this was granted on September 16, 2010. The special temporary authority was scheduled to expire on March 15, 2011. In March 2011, with the deadline fast approaching and family health and economic concerns unresolved, the station filed for an extension.

This time, however, the station did not return to the air within a year of falling silent. The license holder submitted a Notification of Suspension of Operations to the FCC on July 4, 2011, and formally submitted their license for cancellation in a letter dated September 14, 2011. Under the terms of the Telecommunications Act of 1996, as a matter of law a radio station's broadcast license is subject to automatic forfeiture and cancellation if they fail to broadcast for one full year. The FCC cancelled WREN's broadcast license on September 21, 2011.