I noticed that 107.3 WKVB is only running 2,100 watts, even though it used to run 9,600 watts. Yet it also has three booster stations: WKVB-1 Boston (13 watts), WKVB-2 Lexington (630 watts) and WKVB-3 Waltham (1,400 watts). Here's the FCC.gov website: https://transition.fcc.gov/fcc-bin/...&slat2=&NS=N&dlon2=&mlon2=&slon2=&EW=W&size=9
For decades, 107.3 was WAAF Worcester, a rock station that marketed itself to the greater Boston area. It was powered at 16,500 watts on a 730 foot tower that was east of Worcester, so it could hit as much of the Boston market as possible. It had a good enough signal and rock programming that it made the Providence, Springfield, Manchester and Hartford ratings as well. But as time went on, management knew more profit could be made if WAAF could move all the way into the Boston metro, even if it had to give up its signal in other parts of New England. It changed its city of license to Westborough, a Boston suburb. It reduced power but climbed up a taller tower.
Entercom, the owner of WAAF, announced in February 2020 that it would sell 107.3 to the Educational Media Foundation for its K-Love non-commercial Christian Contemporary network. Price tag: $10.75 million.
I suppose since then, EMF has been tinkering with the signal, trying to get more of it around the Boston metro? I know in more rural markets, stations have co-channel booster transmitters to improve listening in outlying areas. But I never heard of an FM station in a large market DOWNGRADING its main signal so it could put booster stations in other parts of the market.
For decades, 107.3 was WAAF Worcester, a rock station that marketed itself to the greater Boston area. It was powered at 16,500 watts on a 730 foot tower that was east of Worcester, so it could hit as much of the Boston market as possible. It had a good enough signal and rock programming that it made the Providence, Springfield, Manchester and Hartford ratings as well. But as time went on, management knew more profit could be made if WAAF could move all the way into the Boston metro, even if it had to give up its signal in other parts of New England. It changed its city of license to Westborough, a Boston suburb. It reduced power but climbed up a taller tower.
Entercom, the owner of WAAF, announced in February 2020 that it would sell 107.3 to the Educational Media Foundation for its K-Love non-commercial Christian Contemporary network. Price tag: $10.75 million.
I suppose since then, EMF has been tinkering with the signal, trying to get more of it around the Boston metro? I know in more rural markets, stations have co-channel booster transmitters to improve listening in outlying areas. But I never heard of an FM station in a large market DOWNGRADING its main signal so it could put booster stations in other parts of the market.
