Looks like the FCC will approve an LPFM on 107.3 to Albion NY. Outside of the Village, it's mostly Country out there.
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Buffalo area finally gets a LPFM
- Thread starter RadioGuy1864
- Start date
I don't know that I would call Albion "Buffalo area." The signal won't get anywhere near Buffalo or even Erie County, since it's co-channel to the WWWS translator in Buffalo.
And there are actually closer LPFMs to Buffalo already - WNAR-LP 100.3 in Arcade gets into a corner of Erie County and has been on the air for years.
The problem with getting an LPFM into Buffalo itself is Canada. The rules for border LPFM are complicated, and it's tough to squeeze anything in. I found one possible channel this window but nobody had interest in it.
And there are actually closer LPFMs to Buffalo already - WNAR-LP 100.3 in Arcade gets into a corner of Erie County and has been on the air for years.
The problem with getting an LPFM into Buffalo itself is Canada. The rules for border LPFM are complicated, and it's tough to squeeze anything in. I found one possible channel this window but nobody had interest in it.
Maybe it'll be an outlet for prisoners at Albion Correctional Facility, a medium security women's prison in Albion.
If it was, the sign on song could be “Please Release Me”
Here's what they said in their application:
The Canalside Radio will play a pivotal role in advancing our educational program by serving as a dynamic platform to disseminate valuable information to the local community. Through engaging and informative content, we aim to educate our listeners about various aspects of community life, including:
- Community Events: Showcasing and promoting local events to encourage community participation.
- Local History: Exploring and preserving the rich history of our community.
- Local News: Providing timely updates on news relevant to our community.
- Local Music: Celebrating and promoting the diverse musical talents within our locality.
- Weather: Offering regular weather updates to keep our community informed.
- Emergency News and Weather Information: Serving as a crucial source for emergency updates to ensure community safety.
4. Enhancing Community Engagement:
The Canalside Radio is committed to fostering community engagement by:
- Collaborating with local schools, community groups, and educational institutions to involve them in our programming.
- Encouraging listener participation through call-ins, interviews, and community-driven content.
- Providing a platform for local voices to be heard and stories to be shared.
5. Future Educational Initiatives:
As part of our ongoing commitment to education, The Canalside Radio will continuously assess the needs of the community and explore new avenues to enhance our educational programming. This may include partnerships with local organizations, educational workshops, and the development of specialized content to meet the evolving educational needs of our listeners.
I read the list 1 to 4. aren't these pretty big (and expensive) ambitions for a 50 watt radio station?
I have not read any other LPFM applications. Is this sort of grandiose, but very vague on specifics, promise common to many of them? Or are most more reasonably achievable?
1 to 4 is the number of listeners the station may actually get...
The list sets an ambitious goal. Yes, it's certainly broad, but an argument can be made that it's far more altruistic than the goals that are set by most commercial broadcasters and licensees. This having been stated, most of the goals can be attained by an active community website. This is where we are in the realm of radio and OTA broadcasting these days.
Albion, NY is an interesting community. From my experience, its "allegiance" to services those markets is divided, save perhaps for the Buffalo Bills and Sabres. Located between Buffalo and Rochester, although closer to Rochester, in what might be described as "rural" Orleans County, it once was a depot-port-stop on the Erie Canal, as were many burghs such as Lockport, Middleport, Medina, Brockport, Spencerport and Weedsport (which these days may present a different a robust image. Ahem.) Albion is one of those mid-market communities whose residents can receive signals from both Buffalo and Rochester radio and television. The county's economy is enhanced by the Women's Correctional Facility. Seems to me that a low power FM would have a difficult row to hoe, operating on a shoe string.
Albion, NY is an interesting community. From my experience, its "allegiance" to services those markets is divided, save perhaps for the Buffalo Bills and Sabres. Located between Buffalo and Rochester, although closer to Rochester, in what might be described as "rural" Orleans County, it once was a depot-port-stop on the Erie Canal, as were many burghs such as Lockport, Middleport, Medina, Brockport, Spencerport and Weedsport (which these days may present a different a robust image. Ahem.) Albion is one of those mid-market communities whose residents can receive signals from both Buffalo and Rochester radio and television. The county's economy is enhanced by the Women's Correctional Facility. Seems to me that a low power FM would have a difficult row to hoe, operating on a shoe string.
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Sounds like a group that wants to do hyper-local programming for what's largely a farming community with very different interests from either Buffalo or Rochester. It's also the county seat of Orleans County and the market town for a lot of produce. It has some history in the canal district that remains largely intact and has more development that might be expected because of the local prison. The terrain is pretty flat, so even a 50 W FM should cover the metro area reasonably well. It's also on one of the main roads headed toward the Lake Ontario shore that draws a lot of visitors in the summer. I doubt it's going to be a big money-maker, but there could be enough local support there to keep it afloat. It sounds like they have lofty aims, but their pockets don't have to be that deep to take a crack at fulfilling them as long as volunteer interest doesn't wane. It wouldn't surprise me if the local schools got involved. It could all be done on a website, but it's likely that local internet outside the core area is mostly based on cell phone connectivity that's not particularly fast, reliable, or cheap.
That's a pretty typically generic statement for an LPFM. The FCC doesn't actually hold them to this level of detail, and doesn't go back to check at all once they're on the air.
(Should they? Yes, probably, but that gets into first amendment content regulation that the FCC tries very hard to avoid, as well as requiring enforcement staff that they don't have.)
(Should they? Yes, probably, but that gets into first amendment content regulation that the FCC tries very hard to avoid, as well as requiring enforcement staff that they don't have.)
Hopefully it will play some canal side music...
If they do 331/3 percent of what claim in 1-4 that's still better than the big commercial jukeboxes.
What's the channel? When I looked everything appeared to be either occupied or first-adjacent.
107.3. Works in Albion, but it's off limits in Buffalo because of the translator on that same channel.
WCON, playing all your favorites. We've got 2-lifer Tuesday, workforce double-lethal shots every night at 12:01, no-parole Wednesday and the 100th caller gets a conjugal visit for 2, including dinner and a tossed salad.
Listening to 97 Rock in the 80s you could hear the station do "lunch blocks" at noon. Once or twice a week, they took requests by letter from inmates primarily at Attica but also at the Erie county lock-up in Alden and Wendy, and the Niagara County jail in Lockport. They were called "cell blocks." No kidding. Reportedly, the station received letters from "Son of Sam" killer David Berkowitz, and the man convicted of killing John Lennon, Mark David Chapman. Both Berkowitz and Chapman were incarcerated at Attica State at the time. Very strange stuff, indeed.
I may be over dramatising a bit (too many crime shows) but what if these letters contained a "secret code" to someone on the outside?
iF _ anyone can decipher secret codes,
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