The Heartfelt Story of the 1950s Radio Station's Last Voice

[@AbandonedUrbexCanada]

This is fantastic! Well done once again. I had a tear in my eye during the interview with Anne 🥲

[@AbandonedAtlasFoundation]

Thank you, we are excited to see your video coming up!

[@denniswofford]

What a great tribute! Well done!

[@AbandonedAtlasFoundation]

Thank you! It was such a beautiful place / story.

[@GCF-Media]

October 2023 Update!!! KNBY/KOKR as well as all but one Sudbury Broadcasting stations in Arkansas have been purchased by Eastern Arkansas Broadcasters! The company's plan is to bring the station back on the air! The news was shared publicly. (KOKR has been off the air since atleast March of 2023. KNBY has been off the air since atleast 2021.) We may see a powsible building restoration. I will update as the story developes.

[@NebulaHatesWatchdog]

Likely chance, big radio companies won’t restore a building or care about the community. They gobble up the dial and put up their transmitters and towers as cheap as they can.

[@scratchpad7954]

I just looked this up and both KNBY-AM 1280 and KOKR-FM 96.7 are still on the air in Newport, AR. KNBY broadcasts an oldies format and KOKR broadcasts a country format.

[@GCF-Media]

KNBY has been down for years. SUDBURY was using the old AM transmitters in the old building up until atleast 2021. KOKR went silent around March 2023 (possibly mid to late 2022 but was confirmed off the air in March 2023). However, Eastern Arkansas Broadcasters recently bought Sudbury Broadcasting out except for their Blytheville station. So they will go back on the air.

[@maryrafuse2297]

Time to get together an historical association to clean and then rebuild this sight as an important museum. I cannot believe that determined local people cannot undertake such an important project?

[@rickbowers4600]

Sad the city will not restore. Would make a great museum

[@AcidGamesYT]

Again Abandoned Atlas provides a fantastic video full of detailed information, amazing storytelling, and incredible skill in videography. This video gives you a fantastic look back into the past at a building with such a rich and deep history and a place that means a lot to people of that area. The team here did a great job not only scouting this location but doing the research and filming this entire thing (im sure there is a lot more footage than was shown here) and the editing and overall final product is on par with most discovery and nat geo documentaries. Places like this may fall abandoned and may fade away but with the work of urban explorers and historical preservationists we will make sure its never forgotten. Keep up the fantastic work and can't wait to see the next one.

[@AbandonedAtlasFoundation]

Thank you so much for your comment! We love what we do and we are happy to tell the stories of yesteryear through these mini documentaries. The radio station was very important story to tell. Thank you so much.

[@raul6562]

No podemos pretender eternidad en nada humano, si no lo és la vida misma pero tener un final digno y decoroso, si es humanamente posible. Es triste y penoso que sucedan estas cosas.

[@calvinclemons7584]

Wow Noow I know I want to own a radio station A web radio business and broadcast worldwide music I've 24 7

[@smokeandmirrors01]

Sad

[@darrylevans4401]

We can cooperate America for getting rid of local radio stations like this one.

[@voiceofjeff]

She talks about taking a Marti out to do a remote... she knew her way around a radio station! I always loved using a Marti. If it was setup right, it sounded incredible!

[@ka4dqe606]

Great story. Subscribed. I look forward to scoping your channel. Thanks. Cheers.

[@AbandonedAtlasFoundation]

Thank you!! Lots of new content coming soon!

[@kenlompart9905]

Good job getting former employees to tell their stories, it sounds like it was a great place to work. Brent from Abandoned Urbex sent me BTW.

[@KCGeno]

As an old broadcaster myself, this is really sad. Hard to believe that everybody just bugged out and left pretty much everything to rot. Unfortunately, broadcasting is rapidly becoming a far less vital service. I'm retiring this July after 50 years in the biz, including some big markets. Young people just aren't interested in local radio or TV.

[@therealjeo]

It has definitely sunset as a medium, but if it helps, I really think modern day podcasts and video/streaming online channels really still hold that spirit that radio had. There's a lot more noise but in a way there's a lot more opportunities for reality interesting, creative and amazing voices to be heard, and in any subculture you can imagine. The idea of having a voice and a message to broadcast has moved from this medium and grown into a whole wack of new and amazing new places, and that's a hell of a legacy

[@peggywatson7527]

Oh my goodness!! This brings back so many memories!!

[@DanielGlover]

Nice video. Was thinking a dodgy explore, Get in an old building with headband torch. Flashlights/ torches. A proper well researched video with interviews, old photos. So with someone to do with the place, as a permission visit. When I see the 14 inch TV, was thinking not 1950's, late 90's. so left it and shut up 2004, 18 years ago. That is an impressive mast, antenna. Light still working, maintenance, would be easier and a bit of cost but then done, no light to maintain if the tower got taken down. Nice land doing nothing but said if flooods. Not best prime building land. Someone cutting the grass, too tidy. Guess they check building, get in every now and then. Notice recordable CD's. put it early 2000's, Was right. sort off, bit later than I was guessing.

[@DanielGlover]

OK,noticed on the web page info piece, antenna and AM transmitter equipment there still working, antenna still live. Thought an odd thing to leave up when no use. It still is.

[@JohnShinn1960]

Abandoned Urbex Canada sent me. Subscribed! And belated congratulations on 1k!

[@AbandonedAtlasFoundation]

Thank you! Glad to have ya!

[@glennso47]

This reminds me of WCCI FM in Savanna, Illinois which is a local area station. It is still on the air.

[@toothlessfatoveralls]

Newport was hoppin then.

[@AbandonedAtlasFoundation]

Yes it was, would have been really cool to see it back then!

[@rickautry4822]

@7:05 and 11:06. Who made that control board?

[@GCF-Media]

Ramko Research. Believe it's a version of the DC12. It's been saved.

[@voiceofjeff]

Yep. It's a Ramko. I bought an FM station that had one just like it. I sold it and put in an Auditronics. Can't say I'm a fan of those Ramkos.

[@vintagecapgunsatyourmomshouse]

This was really excellent. I've only seen a handful of urbex videos that included interviews with people who actually loved and worked on the property. This is reporting as well as exploring and I was really impressed

[@AbandonedAtlasFoundation]

Thank you for the kind words! We have more coming soon!