 Its owner, Horne Radio, determined that it would be financially infeasible to return the station to the air.In October 2008 Horne announced that it would sell WATO's transmission site and would surrender the station's broadcasting license to the Federal Communications Commission.On February 19, 2009 the Federal Communications Commission granted an application to temporarily move the transmitter site, with reduced power, to a site 5 miles west of the original transmitter site, broadcasting from a tower formerly used by WORI which is now silent.