How far do the New York stations go?

[DToTheJ]

I can get WABC... pretty clearly in Wilmington, DE during the day. Too much noise at night.

Some would argue there's a lot of noise between the hours of noon and 9 PM... :

 

[radioguy39nj]

I've done a little more research on this, and it's amazing how much of the northeast corridor FM dial was already locked in place by 1963-64, when 101.1 and 100.3 came on the scene in the Philly market.

They weren't necessarily at full class B facilities yet, but here's what was already on the scene, blocking any large-scale moves:

99.1 - New Haven, Binghamton, Zarephath, Annapolis
99.3 (class A channel)
99.5 - Lowell, Schenectady, NYC, Wilmington, Washington
99.7 -
99.9 - Bridgeport, Easton, Frederick MD (but no Ocean City yet)
100.1 (class A channel)
100.3 - Newark NJ, Media PA, Washington
100.5 - New Britain CT
100.7 - Boston, Allentown, Peekskill, Wildwood NJ
100.9 (class A channel)
101.1 - NYC, Philadelphia, Washington
101.3 - Scranton, Lancaster, Hamden CT
101.5 - Poughkeepsie, Trenton, Poughkeepsie, Waynesboro PA, Fredericksburg VA
101.7 (class A channel)

That would already have been a lot of signals to shuffle. Without looking at the spacing rules as they existed in 1963, it's hard for me to say if a full-scale realignment was possible. My guess is that even if it had been possible to somehow rearrange things to get Philadelphia to 100.5/101.3 instead of 100.3/101.1, it would have created some even uglier short-spacings along the way.

It's interesting to note, though, how relatively empty some of those channels were - there was nothing at all in the northeast on 99.7B back then, for instance, and those class A channels were nearly vacant as well. If the FCC had relaxed the distinction between class A and B channels, even if only in Zone I, things could have ended up very different back then.

Very interesting! In Ocean County NJ, a number of class B's have taken air in recent years, effectively reducing the southbound range of a number of NY FMs. 97.1 NY is interfered with by 97.3 and 96.9 from Toms River south; 98.5 interferes with 98.7 NY south of Exit 91 GSP; 100.3 NY loses out to 100.1 in the same area; 99.7 drowns out 99.5 NY south of Toms River; 104.9 drowns out 105.1 NY also south of Toms River; 106.5 does likewise to 106.7 NY in the same area. I think that covers all if not most of them!

 

[fybush]

Very interesting! In Ocean County NJ, a number of class B's have taken air in recent years, effectively reducing the southbound range of a number of NY FMs. 97.1 NY is interfered with by 97.3 and 96.9 from Toms River south; 98.5 interferes with 98.7 NY south of Exit 91 GSP; 100.3 NY loses out to 100.1 in the same area; 99.7 drowns out 99.5 NY south of Toms River; 104.9 drowns out 105.1 NY also south of Toms River; 106.5 does likewise to 106.7 NY in the same area. I think that covers all if not most of them!

Most of these are actually class A stations which came on after the passage of Docket 80-90, which erased the old class distinctions and allowed class A stations on "class B/C" channels and vice versa. 98.5, 99.7 and 106.5 are all As on old B/C channels made possible by 80-90. 100.1 and 104.9 are older class As; they signed on in the sixties and seventies on original class A channels. 97.3 and 96.9 are indeed Bs, and they're not products "of recent years"; both have histories dating back before 1964, if I'm not mistaken.

(And if I am, Tom McNally will surely be along any second now to correct me...)

 

[radioguy39nj]

Very interesting! In Ocean County NJ, a number of class B's have taken air in recent years, effectively reducing the southbound range of a number of NY FMs. 97.1 NY is interfered with by 97.3 and 96.9 from Toms River south; 98.5 interferes with 98.7 NY south of Exit 91 GSP; 100.3 NY loses out to 100.1 in the same area; 99.7 drowns out 99.5 NY south of Toms River; 104.9 drowns out 105.1 NY also south of Toms River; 106.5 does likewise to 106.7 NY in the same area. I think that covers all if not most of them!

Most of these are actually class A stations which came on after the passage of Docket 80-90, which erased the old class distinctions and allowed class A stations on "class B/C" channels and vice versa. 98.5, 99.7 and 106.5 are all As on old B/C channels made possible by 80-90. 100.1 and 104.9 are older class As; they signed on in the sixties and seventies on original class A channels. 97.3 and 96.9 are indeed Bs, and they're not products "of recent years"; both have histories dating back before 1964, if I'm not mistaken.

(And if I am, Tom McNally will surely be along any second now to correct me...)

Why does 'JRZ simulcast on 100.1 and 100.7? The main station is 100.1, I think the 100.7 translator tower is on Hooper Ave in Toms River. Could they better cover the Monmouth-Ocean area with a bigger signal on 100.7 and close down 100.1? I don't listen to 'JRZ but everytime I see a billboard or commercial for the station, it always says "Magic 100.1", never mentioning the simulcast with 100.7.

 

[nd2023]

At least put an HD2 on 100.1 and translate that on 100.7. Or translate WMMR, WBEN, or WPEN on 100.7.

 

[bigtom101]

Why does 'JRZ simulcast on 100.1 and 100.7? The main station is 100.1, I think the 100.7 translator tower is on Hooper Ave in Toms River. Could they better cover the Monmouth-Ocean area with a bigger signal on 100.7 and close down 100.1? I don't listen to 'JRZ but everytime I see a billboard or commercial for the station, it always says "Magic 100.1", never mentioning the simulcast with 100.7.

100.7 exists to correct building penetration issues in downtown Toms River on 100.1 - and the translator is only 250 watts, and gets drowned out by WZXL from April thru September (and even during the 'quiet' winter months at times).

 

[KyleSmith1988]

WJRZ could get rid of the 100.7 translator, in favor of an FM booster on 100.1. Then, in turn WHTZ (or someone else) could put up a translator at 250 watts near the Brick area on 100.5

Also what about WJRZ's other translator at 107.9 in Manahawkin from their studio on Beach Blvd. Manahawkin already receives strong signal on 100.1. If they get rid of it that would free up the airwaves for a new station at 107.7

I bet 99.9% of JRZ's listeners choose 100.1, even in Toms River & Manahawkin.

 

[nd2023]

I bet many of JRZ's potential listeners choose 92.7 or any of the other countless options for AC.