Joe Thomas’ 1240 WTON has returned to the air after nearly a year of silence. The Staunton, Virginia, AM station resumed broadcasting just before its temporary authorization expired.
What We Know: 1240 WTON had been silent for nearly a year after the station was evicted from its transmitter site. However, the station continued broadcasting through its 101.1 and 98.9 FM signals in the market during the AM outage. Thomas purchased 1240 WTON in 2024, prompting his departure from WCHV, the Saga Communications news/talk station in Charlottesville, where he had spent much of his career. In addition to owning the Staunton station, Thomas hosts First Thing Today for Talk Media Network. The station’s FM repeaters allowed it to maintain a broadcast presence while its AM signal remained off the air.
What They Said: “Staunton, Virginia’s 1240 AM WTON has come back from the dead! Silent since being evicted from their transmitter site one year ago, and surviving via an STA on their two FM repeaters in Harrisonburg and Charlottesville, their transmitter sprung back to life one day before the STA expired! Ask my high school teachers, all my projects were done just in the nick of time!” -Joe Thomas
What Remains Unclear: It’s unclear what steps Thomas took to restore the AM signal or whether the station has secured a permanent transmitter site. Additional details about the station’s technical operations and its plans for the future haven’t been announced.
What It Means: The return of 1240 WTON restores the station’s AM signal after an extended period of silence. Meanwhile, its FM repeaters helped preserve its presence in the market throughout the outage. The timing also offers a reprieve for Thomas, whose station returned to the air just before its temporary authorization expired.
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