WNYE 91.5 Applies for Power Upgrade

[pjc1961]

WNYE has applied for an upgrade from its current non-directional (ND) antenna maximum ERP (horizontal and vertical polarization)
of 2.0 kW and an antenna height above average terrain (HAAT) of 281 meters.
It is proposed to increase the ND ERP from 2.0 kW to 3.2 kW. No other changes are proposed.
A continued waiver of the allocation requirements of Section 73.509 of the FCC’s Rules is requested
with respect to WFMU on channel 216A (91.1 MHz) at East Orange, New Jersey.

Full page which includes links to technical info (scroll to end / bottom of page):

Draft Copy « Licensing and Management System « FCC

Licensing and Management System

enterpriseefiling.fcc.gov

 

[TheBigA]

It will be very interesting to see if the new mayor makes any changes with respect to the ownership or operation of WNYE. The station would attract a nice amount of money if it went on the market.

 

[Barry]

If WNYE 91.5 was offered for sale, one scenario I could imagine is that EMF would consider purchasing it. They could move their Air1 Christian music broadcast from WARW 96.7, to the 91.5 non-commercial frequency, which has a superior signal. Then WARW 96.7 could be sold to a commercial broadcaster.

 

[TheBigA]

If WNYE 91.5 was offered for sale, one scenario I could imagine is that EMF would consider purchasing it.

My view is if the city sells the station, they're going to want to have a say in what happens to it after its sold. That's what happened with WNYC. So I doubt they're going to just throw the license up for grabs and let EMF grab it.

The reason I brought up a possible sale is because this move for power upgrade smells like they're fatting the pig before bringing it to market.

 

[Theater of My Mind]

I'm sure it would come down to a bidding war between New York Public Radio and EMF with their bottomless pockets. I'd prefer to see the city hang onto it. I'm pretty sure the station makes money leasing blocks of time to the mostly public radio programs it carries.

 

[Barry]

My view is if the city sells the station, they're going to want to have a say in what happens to it after its sold. That's what happened with WNYC. So I doubt they're going to just throw the license up for grabs and let EMF grab it.

I doubt that the city could compel a potential buyer to provide a specific format on 91.5. And it seems very unlikely that a preferred buyer could be prevented from reselling the station to EMF, or whomever else they would want to.
I have seen discussions that speculated WBAI could purchase 91.5, move their programming there, and sell 99.5 to a commercial broadcaster. The two stations seem to have very similar signals. But WBAI/Pacifica rarely seem to make major decisions based on logic.

 

[TheBigA]

I doubt that the city could compel a potential buyer to provide a specific format on 91.5.

I agree, not a specific format, but they'd want a certain like-minded buyer.

 

[PTBoardOp94]

Mayor-elect Adams will accept bitcoin in the event of a sale.

 

[itsTheRolyPoly]

If WNYE 91.5 was offered for sale, one scenario I could imagine is that EMF would consider purchasing it. They could move their Air1 Christian music broadcast from WARW 96.7, to the 91.5 non-commercial frequency, which has a superior signal. Then WARW 96.7 could be sold to a commercial broadcaster.

ORRRR, crazy idea... sell 91.5 to EMF, they keep 96.7 and sell the legendary 95.5 WPLJ back to commercial ownership to bring its classic format back.

 

[nd2023]

I doubt that the city could compel a potential buyer to provide a specific format on 91.5. And it seems very unlikely that a preferred buyer could be prevented from reselling the station to EMF, or whomever else they would want to.
I have seen discussions that speculated WBAI could purchase 91.5, move their programming there, and sell 99.5 to a commercial broadcaster. The two stations seem to have very similar signals. But WBAI/Pacifica rarely seem to make major decisions based on logic.

WBAI’s programming is better off as a podcast or on AM. They should trade with an AM clear channel like WABC. They’ll be able to be heard further away. Then there will be another frequency for a music format

 

[Gregg.]

I don't think there's any evidence WNYE-FM will be offered for sale. There's an entire city agency that programs WNYE-FM, WNYE-TV and a few other media outlets, filled with city employees who want to keep their jobs and who likely supported Mayor-elect Eric Adams.

If the City of New York were on the skids financially, or being run by a Republican mayor who doesn't like government-run media, then maybe a sale would be likely. It was Republican Mayor Rudolph Giuliani who made WNYC-AM-FM-TV leave city government ownership. And across the river, Gov. Chris Christie, also a Republican, pushed NJ Public Broadcasting (4 UHF TV stations and half a dozen FM non-commercial radio stations) to other ownership and away from state ownership. But I've never heard of a Democrat doing something similar.

BTW, of all of the FM stations in NYC, WNYE started the earliest, 1939. It was originally on the Apex band, sending audio classroom instruction to schools around the city from the Board of Education but not broadcasting to the general public. In the early 1940s, several major radio station owners and networks started experimenting with FM stations but WNYE was already on the air on the Apex band. Eventually WNYE moved from Apex broadcasts to the non-commercial section of the FM dial, winding up on 91.5.