Jax talk radio triplecast?*

[radioguybroadcasting]

If Cox were to purchase WEAG-106.3-Starke, would it be possible to either:

1) Take 106.3 dark, then upgrade 106.5 to full Jax metro coverage

or

2) Take 106.5 dark, then upgrade and move 106.3 in for full Jax metro coverage?

Even if Ben Dickerson would agree to sell WEAG-FM, it would not help WOKV-FM since there is a daisy chain of stations on 106.3 and 106.5 around the state. IF WEAG 106.3 were to go dark, WOKV-FM still has to deal with co-channel WCJX-FM 106.5 Five Points (Lake City). There's also WKBX-FM 106.3 Kingsland, Georgis, located just over the state line North of Jacksonville.

To upgrade 106.5 Jacksonville, Cox would have to acquire or move the affected stations within the daisy chain. WDUV-FM 105.5 New Port Richey was upgraded to a C1 from an A several years ago using the same method. In the case of WDUV, Jacor Communications moved WYKS Gainesville from 105.5A to 105.3 A; WKZM 105.5 A Sarasota to 104.3 A; and WWLL-FM 105.5 A Sebring to 105.7 C3. This enabled the former WGUL-FM (now WDUV) to upgrade to a C1. The same method would need to be implemented in the case of WOKV-FM if it were to increase power. After all is said and done, then the ecomomic feasability would need to be considered relating to cost in moving the affected stations vs additional potential income generated from the newer higher class FM station.

Mark Tillery,
Ocala, Florida
[email protected]

And to do what Mr Tyll suggested would cost way more then it's worth...

 

[MN Maniac]

I knew about 106.5/Five Points, but forgot about 106.3/Kingsland. Sorry. It's been awhile since I've been around those parts. Gotta love the "daisy chain" Class A's on co and first-adjacent channels!

As for WEAG selling/moving/going dark, I'm also glad this has not happened. I was merely inquring to see if it was possible from a technical standpoint.

I'm sure if it were feasible, WEAG would have moved into Gainesville by now. This *should* be technically possible since Cross City moved from 106.3A to 106.9C1 (?)

Mark: I know it's off-topic here, but if you ever get bored, please post the Tampa Bay "musical chairs" process by which 97.1 was created and allocated. I know this involved multiple stations, but I can't remember all of them right now. I know that YOU would know

 

[jmtillery]

If Cox were to purchase WEAG-106.3-Starke, would it be possible to either:

1) Take 106.3 dark, then upgrade 106.5 to full Jax metro coverage

or

2) Take 106.5 dark, then upgrade and move 106.3 in for full Jax metro coverage?

Even if Ben Dickerson would agree to sell WEAG-FM, it would not help WOKV-FM since there is a daisy chain of stations on 106.3 and 106.5 around the state. IF WEAG 106.3 were to go dark, WOKV-FM still has to deal with co-channel WCJX-FM 106.5 Five Points (Lake City). There's also WKBX-FM 106.3 Kingsland, Georgis, located just over the state line North of Jacksonville.

To upgrade 106.5 Jacksonville, Cox would have to acquire or move the affected stations within the daisy chain. WDUV-FM 105.5 New Port Richey was upgraded to a C1 from an A several years ago using the same method. In the case of WDUV, Jacor Communications moved WYKS Gainesville from 105.5A to 105.3 A; WKZM 105.5 A Sarasota to 104.3 A; and WWLL-FM 105.5 A Sebring to 105.7 C3. This enabled the former WGUL-FM (now WDUV) to upgrade to a C1. The same method would need to be implemented in the case of WOKV-FM if it were to increase power. After all is said and done, then the ecomomic feasability would need to be considered relating to cost in moving the affected stations vs additional potential income generated from the newer higher class FM station.

Mark Tillery,
Ocala, Florida
[email protected]

And to do what Mr Tyll suggested would cost way more then it's worth...

And if you will please note, I mentioned at the end of my post the cost factor involved with any such power upgrade on WOKV-FM. If a C, C0 or C1 operation on the Jacksonville station would increase the station's value over and above the cost involved, then it may be feasable to do. Otherwise, although it is technically possibly, it is also impractical from a cost prohibitve factor.

When Jacor Communications upgraded 105.5 New Port Richey, they did so by buying the Sebring station, changing frequncies, then re-selling the station as a class C3. The Sarasota station was just a matter of finding an alternate channel and paying for the move. That one wasn't too bad since they were able to make the changes in Sarasota without having to move the tower site. That left Gainesville moving to 105.3 which Doug Gillen had considered moving anyway. Jacor paid Gillen to move, and Jacor was able to move frequency using the same tower site.

In the case of Jacksonville, it appears there would be more than two or three stations involved to make such a move. So, you are absolutely correct that it would, most likely, cost more to move than the value gained from any such change.

Mark Tillery,
Ocala, Florida
[email protected]

 

[jmtillery]

I knew about 106.5/Five Points, but forgot about 106.3/Kingsland. Sorry. It's been awhile since I've been around those parts. Gotta love the "daisy chain" Class A's on co and first-adjacent channels!

As for WEAG selling/moving/going dark, I'm also glad this has not happened. I was merely inquring to see if it was possible from a technical standpoint.

I'm sure if it were feasible, WEAG would have moved into Gainesville by now. This *should* be technically possible since Cross City moved from 106.3A to 106.9C1 (?)

Mark: I know it's off-topic here, but if you ever get bored, please post the Tampa Bay "musical chairs" process by which 97.1 was created and allocated. I know this involved multiple stations, but I can't remember all of them right now. I know that YOU would know

Sure, I'll be glad to. That move involved several stations. The affected stations went along with the frequency changes due in part because each station realized a power and classification upgrade in the process.

Mark Tillery,
Ocala, Florida
[email protected]

 

[MN Maniac]

This is all incredibly interesting to me. I never knew New Port Richey was the reason WYKS moved to 105.3. I always thought it was so that 105.5/St. Augustine could upgrade from an A to a C3. I'm guessing WYKS' move also made St. Augustine's upgrade possible (?)

Gillen got the worst end of that deal, though. WYKS moved to 105.3, but remained a Class A. Somewhere during this time, the tower height was raised to the equivalent of the new 6kW/300' Class A maximum. But the signal was actually better in Ocala when WYKS was on 105.5. When they moved to 105.3, interference from 105.1/Orlando sliced it up pretty good in parts of Ocala. Since Ocala was now half of the new combined market for Arbitron purposes, WYKS was at even more of a disadvantage.

 

[radioguybroadcasting]

This is all incredibly interesting to me. I never knew New Port Richey was the reason WYKS moved to 105.3. I always thought it was so that 105.5/St. Augustine could upgrade from an A to a C3. I'm guessing WYKS' move also made St. Augustine's upgrade possible (?)

Gillen got the worst end of that deal, though. WYKS moved to 105.3, but remained a Class A. Somewhere during this time, the tower height was raised to the equivalent of the new 6kW/300' Class A maximum. But the signal was actually better in Ocala when WYKS was on 105.5. When they moved to 105.3, interference from 105.1/Orlando sliced it up pretty good in parts of Ocala. Since Ocala was now half of the new combined market for Arbitron purposes, WYKS was at even more of a disadvantage.

Just a small correction, the max for a Class A is 6KW/328 feet.

 

[jmtillery]

This is all incredibly interesting to me. I never knew New Port Richey was the reason WYKS moved to 105.3. I always thought it was so that 105.5/St. Augustine could upgrade from an A to a C3. I'm guessing WYKS' move also made St. Augustine's upgrade possible (?)

Gillen got the worst end of that deal, though. WYKS moved to 105.3, but remained a Class A. Somewhere during this time, the tower height was raised to the equivalent of the new 6kW/300' Class A maximum. But the signal was actually better in Ocala when WYKS was on 105.5. When they moved to 105.3, interference from 105.1/Orlando sliced it up pretty good in parts of Ocala. Since Ocala was now half of the new combined market for Arbitron purposes, WYKS was at even more of a disadvantage.

Originally the WYKS move to 105.3 was an FCC PRM to enable co-channel WSOS-FM 105.5 Saint Augustine to upgrade to a C3. WSOS also proposed a move to 94.1 C3 as an alternate channel to 105.5. The FCC approved the second choice and authorized WSOS to move to 94.1 C3 so WYKS would be unaffected.

When Jacor Communications wanted to upgrade 105.5 New Port Richey, they already knew 105.3 would work in Gainesville from the previous PRM that was proposed from WSOS. Hence, Jacor negotiated with Gillen Broadcasting to move to 105.3. This move opened WTBT 105.5 NPR to upgrade to a C1 along with moving co-channels in Sebring and Sarasota. Jacor paid Gillen well to make the move.

Hence, when all the station frequency moves were completed, this opened up 105.5 in Saint Augustine once again, only this time, due to the Gainesville move to a second adjacent channel, the Saint Augustine 105.5 was made possible to operate as a C3. Another PRM was proposed to the FCC which called for 105.5 C3 be allotted to Saint Augustine Beach as that communities first broadcast service. This gave the Saint Augustine area a third commercial FM broadcast service, leaving Saint Augustine with two commercial FM broadcast services - WSOS-FM 94.1 and WUVU-FM 97.7 (later moved to 97.9 C2).

And that's pretty much how it all came about...

Mark Tillery,
Ocala, Florida
[email protected]