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A CBS Boston exec told me WSCR headed to 104.3 shortly

The Other Leading radio messageboard Site has quoted the website The Villager (http://www.thevillager.com/?p=6864 ) as reporting that noncommercial WBAI in New York (which broadcasts on a commercial allocation of 99.5) could soon be up for sale due to severe financial problems that, depending on who you believe, could sink the noncommercial broadcaster.

I suspect there will be several broadcasters looking at 99.5, including CBS Radio. A CBS purchase of that frequency in turn could bring a WFAN move from AM to FM (to have the CBS Sports Radio Network go 24/7 on 660), or more likely, an AM/FM simulcast of "The Fan".

And WFME, also broadcasting on a commercial allocation (94.7) could also be up for sale, and it too could return to commercial status.

Within a few months, CBS may have an all-sports FM station in New York and who knows......even country music could be back on the Big Apple airwaves! ;)
 
Joseph_Gallant said:
I suspect there will be several broadcasters looking at 99.5, including CBS Radio. A CBS purchase of that frequency in turn could bring a WFAN move from AM to FM (to have the CBS Sports Radio Network go 24/7 on 660), or more likely, an AM/FM simulcast of "The Fan".

And WFME, also broadcasting on a commercial allocation (94.7) could also be up for sale, and it too could return to commercial status.

Within a few months, CBS may have an all-sports FM station in New York and who knows......even country music could be back on the Big Apple airwaves! ;)
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99.5 FM in New York will definitely be of interest to any number of operators but it won't be CBS since they're maxed out in NY. 94.7 cannot be built out or moved to the ESB. WBAI could move to 94.7 and 99.5 sold to a commercial operator.

If WFAN moves to FM, it will be on 92.3 or 102.7. 92.3 NOW-FM is currently in 17th place in the NY ratings. Country on a full-market B? I doubt it! :)
 
DavidEduardo said:
WMVP puts a 5 mV/m over 9.1 million, just about the population of the Metro Survey Area (Cook, IL, DuPage, IL,Grundy, IL,Kane, IL,Kendall, IL,Lake, IL,McHenry, IL,Will, IL,Lake, IN,Porter, IN,Kenosha, WI) but I suspect that some of it is lost over IN and IL counties not in the metro. Still, a very adequate signal.
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Used to listen to 1000 AM Chicago when it was Super CFL in the 60s and 70s. The station had a great signal from Chicago to the East Coast at night. Not a great signal west of Chicago since it had to protect KOMO Seattle. :)
 
Fenway1912 said:
Mushnik in the Post claims WEPN-FM will chase after the Mets and not the Yankees. However if they do that they will have to build a network which is something the Mets have not had since they moved to 660. Last I checked they had 2 stations upstate and none in Connecticut.
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None at the Jersey Shore either. 98.7 puts a usable signal into cars from Toms River north, but a Mets' affiliate in the area would be a necessity. :)
 
Joseph_Gallant said:
The Other Leading radio messageboard Site has quoted the website The Villager (http://www.thevillager.com/?p=6864 ) as reporting that noncommercial WBAI in New York (which broadcasts on a commercial allocation of 99.5) could soon be up for sale due to severe financial problems that, depending on who you believe, could sink the noncommercial broadcaster.
Click to expand...

I've seen enough evidence over the last 50 years of the near-anarchistic state of the Pacifica operations that I believe that it would take a number of years for 99.5 to move to a new licensee.

First, the existing staff and listeners... as few as they are... would protest mightily. This alone is enough to delay things for a long time and maybe "forever".

Then, if the non-profit does run out of resources and excuses, it might take a decade to liquidate it as it would be fairly certain that there would be countersuits and objections galore.
 
radioguy39nj said:
99.5 FM in New York will definitely be of interest to any number of operators but it won't be CBS since they're maxed out in NY... WBAI could move to 94.7 and 99.5 sold to a commercial operator...
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1. As is Clear Channel...

2. Doesn't 99.5 have to file a request to a commercial license before a sale involving any commercial broadcaster?
 
DavidEduardo said:
Joseph_Gallant said:
The Other Leading radio messageboard Site has quoted the website The Villager (http://www.thevillager.com/?p=6864 ) as reporting that noncommercial WBAI in New York (which broadcasts on a commercial allocation of 99.5) could soon be up for sale due to severe financial problems that, depending on who you believe, could sink the noncommercial broadcaster.
Click to expand...

I've seen enough evidence over the last 50 years of the near-anarchistic state of the Pacifica operations that I believe that it would take a number of years for 99.5 to move to a new licensee.

First, the existing staff and listeners... as few as they are... would protest mightily. This alone is enough to delay things for a long time and maybe "forever".

Then, if the non-profit does run out of resources and excuses, it might take a decade to liquidate it as it would be fairly certain that there would be countersuits and objections galore.
Click to expand...
@DavidEduardo....David, do you have the technical specs for Chicago's WXRT-FM? An incredibly far- reaching signal. Do they effectively cover Illinois, Indiana, Wisconsin and possibly part of Michigan?
 
WXRT is now directional, apparently to protect WNDV South Bend. They used to be nondirectional 50000 watts from 500 feet from the WSBC tower. They moved to one of the much taller downtown facilities, closer than the old grandfathered site, and had to directionalize. They don't get into Michigan as well as before, at least on paper. There are advantages to taller towers in extending the line of sight. Well beyond the line of sight, ERP is more important, as the intensity of tropospheric scattering is dependent on ERP. So I don't know which facility you are referring to as being superior. It depends on what location you are listening to it which is better.
 
Since I only occasionally visit the Chicago area, I had to look up the address that WXRT used to be at officially. It is 4949 W. Belmont Ave. It's very historic for both WSBC and WXRT. There still is an auxiliary transmitter and antenna on the WSBC tower there for WXRT, but it is only authorized to use 14 kW ERP, to keep the contours inside the 1 mV/m contour of the main facility. I doubt if 14 kW would have the superior signal you refer to.
 
Schroedingers Cat said:
Since I only occasionally visit the Chicago area, I had to look up the address that WXRT used to be at officially. It is 4949 W. Belmont Ave. It's very historic for both WSBC and WXRT. There still is an auxiliary transmitter and antenna on the WSBC tower there for WXRT, but it is only authorized to use 14 kW ERP, to keep the contours inside the 1 mV/m contour of the main facility. I doubt if 14 kW would have the superior signal you refer to.
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When any of CBS radio stations go on backup, the signal isn't as strong in NW Indiana (especially when you get along US 30, where it goes in & out). I noticed this alot on WCFS-FM when it was still Fresh.
 
The reason why they don't multiplex WXRT is that they are directional. But it looks like WBBM-FM also has one auxiliary at 4949 W. Belmont Ave, and that is directional, even though the main facility is now nondirectional. I was surprised that WBBM had a auxiliary facility at the Belmont location.
 
You know cbs radio. I'm fairly certain the executive meetings go something along these lines:
"People are actually listening to one of our stations!"
"Oh Dear Lord! No! QUICK! CHANGE THE FORMAT TO POLKA NOW!"
[/quote]

Really? Because, I'm fairly certain you're out of touch with CBS Radio in 2012.

Listen, no radio company is perfect. But, I would put the current incarnation of CBS Radio - led by Dan Mason - up against any big owner in the country. Dan is a smart guy, and a leader in brand expansion to new platforms. And...he came from the programming side, not sales. Again...no company is perfect. But, I'm proud of my company, and the people I work for and with.
 
Steve Scott said:
Again...no company is perfect. But, I'm proud of my company, and the people I work for and with.
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Nicely said.
 
Schroedingers Cat said:
The reason why they don't multiplex WXRT is that they are directional. But it looks like WBBM-FM also has one auxiliary at 4949 W. Belmont Ave, and that is directional, even though the main facility is now nondirectional. I was surprised that WBBM had a auxiliary facility at the Belmont location.
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When CBS took over of the FM's they now have in Chicago, I heard it was their plans to use the tower on Belmont as a back-up site for ALL of their Chicago FM properties. I do not think that would work, because I do not think the Belmont antenna could handle anything more than 50-KW total.



Old Chicago
 
Depending on the "wind-loading and weight" limitations of the tower, a tower can handle multiple antennas. CBS could have a "community" antenna that has power limitations on it but that can be replaced, or simply another antenna is mounted just below the existing antenna. This is a back up site and 20 or 30 feet is not critical ratings and coverage wise. Hopefully the site is never used (except for testing).
 
Chicago is class B FM country. FM Stations (unless grandfathered) are limited to 50,000 watts @ 492 feet. If a station go higher with the antenna the power must be cut. WLS FM for example is 4400 watts at 1535 ft. In theory 1535 @ 4400 watts equals 50 KW at 492 ft. This facility is only meant to be a "back up" in case something catastrophic happens. Example 911 NYC only had Channel 2 for days after the attacks on the World Trade Center because they had a back up site on the Empire State Building. The other major TV stations only had the WTC. Lets hope this site (and the other back ups) are never is the only transmitter sites in Chicago.
 
secondchoice said:
Chicago is class B FM country. FM Stations (unless grandfathered) are limited to 50,000 watts @ 492 feet. If a station go higher with the antenna the power must be cut. WLS FM for example is 4400 watts at 1535 ft. In theory 1535 @ 4400 watts equals 50 KW at 492 ft. This facility is only meant to be a "back up" in case something catastrophic happens. Example 911 NYC only had Channel 2 for days after the attacks on the World Trade Center because they had a back up site on the Empire State Building. The other major TV stations only had the WTC. Lets hope this site (and the other back ups) are never is the only transmitter sites in Chicago.
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The backups are also meant to keep their radio stations on the air when work is done on the John Hancock, or Sears Tower. When they do go on backup, their signals aren't as strong in NW Indiana. WBBM-TV will also be adding a UHF translator to that tower, that will be full-time, cause some people in the city can't get their VHF signal on RF 12. The translator got moved to that site, instead of the Sears Tower as originally planned, because the FCC saw interference issues with W25DW-D, that the FCC denied their original request. I don't know if they'll consider a VHF backup on that tower too, since I'm not aware of them having a backup TV antenna. Their original equipment was all installed on the John Hancock for channels 2 & 3, while they're using WTTW's old antenna for their signal on the Sears Tower.
 
Fenway1912 said:
I was talking to a high level management person at the CBS-Boston cluster tonight at Fenway Park.

He said New York has decided to move WSCR to WJMK's slot on FM in a matter of weeks. He said it will be a simulcast until CBS Sports Radio fires up at which time 670 will carry the new network similar to what they plan to do in Philadelphia with WIP-AM.

CBS is planning on feeding Nanci Donnellan overnights on the new network and WBZ-FM in Boston has been told to clear her even though they run the popular JT Brick overnight. Nanci is doing a soft launch overnights on the new CBS station in Tampa ( WHFS )

He also told me the only big market CBS can't figure out how to get cleared is New York as because of New York geography WFAN is still better off on AM as it can deliver Long Island, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Cape Cod, New Jersey and Delaware which a FM stick can not do.

WSCR on FM can deliver the Chicago billable market.
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So how does The Score sound on FM? ;D
 
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