Erie has an open frequency for a Class B FM!

[RadioPhillyFan]

92.7 -

Right?

 

[fybush]

No...not right.

There is just barely room in Erie for a signal on 92.7, but only a class A, and with a very significant directional antenna limitation to protect CJBX on 92.7, just across the lake in London, Ontario.

And you're not the first to notice this. In fact, it was noticed a decade ago, a petition was filed to add 92.7A to the table of allocations (at "Lawrence Park, Pennsylvania," because the FCC prefers to give "first local service" to communities that don't already have stations licensed to them), and the channel then went up for auction, as new commercial allocations do.

Last year, a former Erie broadcaster named Rick Rambaldo and a car dealer in town got together and won the auction with a bid of $2,068,000. That's just for the license...now they have to build a studio and a transmitter site and hire a staff and promote the thing when it gets to the air, probably sometime later this year or early next.

It's an expensive game...

 

[RadioPhillyFan]

No...not right.

There is just barely room in Erie for a signal on 92.7, but only a class A, and with a very significant directional antenna limitation to protect CJBX on 92.7, just across the lake in London, Ontario.

And you're not the first to notice this. In fact, it was noticed a decade ago, a petition was filed to add 92.7A to the table of allocations (at "Lawrence Park, Pennsylvania," because the FCC prefers to give "first local service" to communities that don't already have stations licensed to them), and the channel then went up for auction, as new commercial allocations do.

Last year, a former Erie broadcaster named Rick Rambaldo and a car dealer in town got together and won the auction with a bid of $2,068,000. That's just for the license...now they have to build a studio and a transmitter site and hire a staff and promote the thing when it gets to the air, probably sometime later this year or early next.

It's an expensive game...

Once again, thanks. I'm really sorry about all the mistakes I've had, and the arguing about 94.9 - I really appreciate your continued kindness and your explanations.

 

[RadioPhillyFan]

Assuming 107.9 isn't open for a Class A because of Y108 Pittsburgh, and if it is I'm sure a null would be the only way it would happen. Is 107.9 open for a translator or a Class A? (I actually know the Erie market, I've been there six times)

And let's not even mention 96.7 or 103.1
96.7 is shortspaced to an Ohio FM and a New York FM

103.1 would be second adjacant to a station about 20 miles.
96.7 would work for a translator, and class A if BKX and REO were another five or ten miles away.

Feel free to correct me, I've always DX'd in Erie. Great place to do so.

 

[fybush]

Once again, thanks. I'm really sorry about all the mistakes I've had, and the arguing about 94.9 - I really appreciate your continued kindness and your explanations.

No problem!

This site can be a great place for learning, if you come to it with an open mind. I'm always happy to share what I know.

Here's a useful resource to start figuring out FM spacing:

http://transition.fcc.gov/mb/audio/spacing/index.html

So for the use of 107.9 as a class A facility in Erie, you'd have to have a site 178 km from Pittsburgh and 178 km from the WENZ site east of Cleveland. You're significantly short to both, especially WENZ, and there's also a Canadian station (CJXY Burlington) on the channel.

A directional antenna can help somewhat here - but there are rules restricting how much shortspacing can be cured by a DA, too.

On 103.1, A to A co-channel spacing is 115 km, which I believe is short to Russell PA on that channel. Second-adjacent A to A spacing is 31 km, and I'd have to look to see if the Wattsburg station fits or not. Then there's a first-adjacent issue to WYFM in Sharon and a co-channel issue with St. Thomas, Ontario.

96.7, as you note, is incurably short to both WBKX and WREO. There's also a co-channel issue with the 96.7 in Portville/Olean NY.

At this point in the history of FM allocations, there's pretty much no space left anywhere in the northeast for a brand-new class A anywhere that there's population. Even remote areas like northern Maine are getting surprisingly full when you factor in nearby Canadians.