Northwest To Lose A 50,000 Watt AM Powerhouse

[Bongwater]

Vancouver's CBU, AM 690 and one of the regions most powerful AM signals has plans to move it's signal to FM 88.1 at a much lower power. The CBC Radio One station is the CBC's most powerful radio outlet with a 50,000 watt clear channel signal that can clearly be heard in Seattle.

The loss of the CBC Radio One signal on AM is one more casualty of the mass Canadian radio migration to FM and one of the most significant.

88.1 is mostly used in the Puget Sound as a translator frequency for KPLU and the CSN religious bandwith hogs out of Twin Falls. According to the CBC itself, it will take two FM frequencies to begin to make up for the loss of signal reach in Vancouver and the Sunshine Coast that the one AM 690 signal provided and will provide none of the signal reach south of the border of the AM station. The closest CBC Radio One FM frequency is CBCV 90.5 FM out of Victoria, which is killed by KEXP (90.3) and KSER (90.7) in the Seattle area and can only be heard as far south as Langley on Whidbey Island and even that is compromised by KSER and an occasional bleed in of KEXP.

While this opens up the 690 frequency for DXers to hear XETRA 690 out of Tijuana/San Diego and their 70,000 watt signal, the AM band locally will lose a gem.....

 

[cyberdad]

I doubt that the 690 signal will go away. The CRTC will probably simply auction/realocate another broadcaster to the vacated frequency just like they did with Toronto (740) in Montreal (940 and 690 once again).

As for the CBC extending their over-the-air reach "south of the border"....that's not a concern for them.

 

[sdwulfdawg]

While this opens up the 690 frequency for DXers to hear XETRA 690 out of Tijuana/San Diego and their 70,000 watt signal, the AM band locally will lose a gem.....

If in fact XETRA 690 can be heard in Seattle, Seattlelites will get their dose of programming en espagnol. The ironic part is that XETRA is a now a VERY low rated station which used to be on top of the ratings heap...and now doesn't even register a blip in the San Diego/Tijuana DMA.

 

[Bongwater]

I do remember picking up XETRA in a North Seattle suburb when CBU was off the air for a night in 1986. They were oldies and called "XTRA Gold" at the time. In the Seattle area, you can hear XETRA percelating just under the boom of the CBC station at night, so it should come in fine.

Speaking of border blasters from down south. When I was living in the Spokane area, XEPRS 1090 used to blast in as loud as a local at night (the Seattle 1090 is extremely directionalized at night and only in the 6-7:00 hours when they went to the day pattern and full 50,000 watt blast could you hear it on that side of the Cascades.)

 

[LITTLEBOYBLUE]

With regard to "fading" or "dying" AM signals ... I wonder if it makes sense for DOT to take over one of those and broadcast non-stop traffic. Granted DOT not exceptional in their programming history on notable signals like 530, etc. .... but I often think it would be great to have 24-hour info source like that. Could include bulletins of closures, pass conditions, ferry waits, and of course, all the issues and travel times of freeway network.

730 in Vancouver (RIP, 'lg 73) has done that as a commercial venture (Corus) --- but I often think the concept of doing as government service may be more practical. Then it's not a ratings issue but an actual INFORMATION service.

Of course, AM news-talks that thrive on traffic would hemmorhage over the concept ...

 

[Bongwater]

It COULD work. But God forbid our tax dollars should be spent on ANYTHING that supports our actual infrastructure.


I would LOVE to hear a 24 hour (i.e. LIVE, NON-TAPE LOOP) traffic station in the Seattle area, a'la 730. Hell, bring back the KCMU calls-"Northwest Commuter Radio, AM ---0". It could work in this mess from Tacoma to Everett and even further north and south....

(Now bracing myself for a response from AQH on why somehow THIS would NEVER work. You'd have to either ride the bus or ride a bike to make a living to understand WHY not....)

 

[LITTLEBOYBLUE]

I came close to doing this 16 years ago when KIXI was being purchased by Sandusky and they were spinning 1540. I did the tests to figure the signal basically would cover the I-5/I-405 loop, and wondered if we could automate Metro segments (update a specific zone only as it changed) and run one 15s spot every 2 or 3 minutes. Idea was that you'd tune this in for about 5 minutes ... then go to your "real" station was the decision(s) were made. But, bailed before I got in too far over my head with an idea that I figured most people wouldn't adopt. But I think it has merit as a government service.

Kicker is I really wanted to trade calls with Kirkland and put it on as "KARR-154"! Station was on the verge of selling for about $75K (pre-duopoly and the KIXI deal was IMMINENTLY closing ... they wanted to unload the old AM very badly and quickly! These days that kind of pressure doesn't exist...)