Frequency Swaps in NE Geogia and Adjacent Areas of NC, SC

[eacalhoun1]

I saw in today's (June 30) FCC Daily Digest that applications have been filed for numerous frequency swaps in NE Georgia and adjacent areas of NC and SC. What is the "end goal" or benefit of these swaps? Surely, if there was not some common goal these would not be applied for, right? Here they are with the current and applied-for frequency in parentheses...

WGOG - Walhalla, SC (96.3 to 105.5)

WZGA - Helen, GA (105.1 to 100.9)

WNCC - Franklin, NC (96.7 to 105.1)

And, we have a frequency and city-of-license change app...

WRBN - Clayton, GA to Dillsboro, NC (104.1 to 96.3)

If these changes would also require other nearby FMs to downgrade/swap frequency or enbable them to upgrade/swap frequency, please list those.

Thanks...

Eric

 

[jal41]

WLJA Ellijay just moved from 93.5 to 101.1 a couple of months ago.

WSRM Coosa (Rome) has a CP to move from 95.3 to 95.3.

So apparently there is a lot more to this puzzle.

 

[radionut925]

WSRM Coosa (Rome) has a CP to move from 95.3 to 95.3.

So apparently there is a lot more to this puzzle.

Huh? ??? How can a station move from one spot on the dial, to the same spot on the dial?

 

[eacalhoun1]

WSRM Coosa (Rome) has a CP to move from 95.3 to 95.3.

So apparently there is a lot more to this puzzle.

Huh? ??? How can a station move from one spot on the dial, to the same spot on the dial?

I think he meant to type 93.5, WLJA's former frequency.

Eric

 

[kenglish]

Same reason that Garland, Utah has so many radio stations and so few people.....here (Salt Lake City) it's called "Humpy Peak". A tall spot that can "see" metro Salt Lake City well enough to allow a whole mess of "drop-in's", and then allow the operators to put on-channel boosters in the actual metro area.

Most are programmed from within SLC, and (at least in some cases) the "main" transmitters are fed by a mono telephone line, while the 99-watt boosters are direct fed. Sometimes, I've been told, the "mains" aren't even on the air.

Is Atlanta the target market?

 

[Goat Rodeo Cowboy]

Is Atlanta the target market?

I don't see how Atlanta coverage is remotely connected to these moves.

The licensee has an A.M. station in Sylva, and all of these "chess moves" make it possible to add an F.M. station in Dillsboro, which is about three miles away, giving him very effective, improved coverage for Jackson County, N.C. which is far, far away from Atlanta.

The only market involved in all these changes that could even dream of pretending to be "Atlanta related" would be Helen, GA. The reason that market was available for purchase and LMA was that the previous owners finally realized that trying to team up a Helen based transmitter with another transmitter on the south side of Atlanta and thinking they offered full metro coverage was folly. Currently you can listen to Helen in Hall County and Forsyth County, but by the time you get to Alpharetta or Norcross, forget it. That is NOT Atlanta coverage.

None of these moves sets up a situation that compares to Garland, UT. Both before and after the changes, each of these frequencies appears to actually serve the audience that lives near the tower. There are no 'rim-shots' at work here that I can identify. The only market involved that has any "fuzziness" in it's definition would be Helen. It's a small tourism based town in the same county with Cleveland. In past years there have transmitter moves and sales by other operators so we have ended up with this valley, this new made-up marketing area consisting of Cornelia, Gainesville, Helen, Cleveland and Dahlonega.

The only town in all of this that could make any claim of losing something would be Clayton, GA. In that case the licensee previously arranged to have the A.M. station moved from a daytime frequency to a full-time frequency. There are some F.M. translators being operated by this licensee and it may be that one of them will end up enhancing the coverage in Clayton.

Frankly, I think Art Sutton should come up with a mechanism to sell tickets that would allow us to look over his shoulder and learn how small town radio should be done. It would be a very entertaining.... like watching Tiger Woods play golf.

 

[eacalhoun1]

Is Atlanta the target market?

Frankly, I think Art Sutton should come up with a mechanism to sell tickets that would allow us to look over his shoulder and learn how small town radio should be done. It would be a very entertaining.... like watching Tiger Woods play golf.

I agree that Mr. Sutton's methods are "entertaining" but in a "keeps-us-guessing" sort of way. I would buy some of those tickets.

Eric

 

[trusty]

Is Atlanta the target market?

I don't see how Atlanta coverage is remotely connected to these moves.

The key word is "remotely" Cox has a 104.1 (WALR) south of Atlanta that I'm sure they would like to move in to cover the northern burbs. I believe the Clayton station is the only one in the way. Someone is benefiting from these moves, and Cox has been very active in NE Ga. with their new acquisitions.

Of course, I could be wrong, but if you do a little research, you may find a pattern....

 

[Goat Rodeo Cowboy]

The key word is "remotely" Cox has a 104.1 (WALR) south of Atlanta that I'm sure they would like to move in to cover the northern burbs.

I would think 104.3 in Dahlonega would also be an issue to improving 104.1 so, if we see Gold 104 make an application for frequency change then we will know that you are onto something.

At one time 104.3 was going to relocate the transmitter to up around Three Sisters Mountain to accomodate someone.

 

[Rick Rose 2.0]

104.1 and 104.7 are 107km apart from each other and must be at least 94km apart so at current tower locations and power levels Cox has little wiggle room unless they make 104.1 a full class C which requires a 105km separtation. 104.1 is currently shortspaced to 104.3 by about 20km so 104.1 has to protect 104.3 as it currently does.

 

[w9wi]

Note that there's been some activity on this front in Tennessee as well - with 93.7 Ringgold moving to Harrison, Tenn. (a Chattanooga suburb) and 93.5MHz.

 

[Rick Rose 2.0]

The licence to cover permit has been issued in the Chattanooga situation so that means that 95.3 in Coosa can move to 93.5 which removes one more stand in the way station for the eventual move of 95.5 in Atlanta

 

[ATOMO]

So with all those 96.7 vacaters and GOG off of 96.3 could that pave the way for CC to boost 96-7 in the G-SP? Grum?

 

[MarkSC]

Why? Looking at the Spring book, CC clearly doesn't know what it's doing with 96.7 anyway.