Last week, we completed work on WCJW's northern Livingston County translator which transmits on 104.3 from the top of a big blue silo between Avon and Le Roy; the new callsign (license app pending) is W282BQ. This signal fills in an area that wasn't well covered by the 105.5 Batavia and 100.9 Nunda translators. We would be interested in any reception reports from this area - and stay tuned for some exciting programming changes in the next few weeks.
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WCJW's Avon Translator on 104.3
- Thread starter Play Freebird
- Start date
Scott Fybush said:
This is the problem with the translator craze that's sweeping radio. I don't get it. Maybe because I'm "just a listener." Take the Breeze translator on 102.9, for example. It has a limited range and is sandwiched between a 100k FM on 102.5 and a 50k FM on 103.3, each broadcasting HD, splattering 200k aside. Broadcasters delude themselves into thinking "Wow, if I put my AM on an FM translator, it'll get me a five share." That's radio's alternate reality. Listeners aren't glued to one spot all day. They jog, walk, drive around. One of radio's remaining strongholds is in-car listening. The other is at-work listening. We've all watched people in cars surfing through radio stations. It is not pretty. It's downright ghastly if you're watching a 17 year old (who for some unknown reason was separated from his iPod, iPhone or iPad.) If your translator signal sizzles, dr_ps o_t and p_ck_tt fen_es, you lose, especially if your competitor has 50k next door. You can have five translators, but in 2011, soon to be 2012, the harsh reality is, you're not going to beat the big 50 offering similar programing at one consistent, well-known dial position. The rolling hills and deep hollers of Wyoming county and Livingston county are especially unforgiving. Give me WBEE or WYRK, Star or the Drive, 97 Rock or WCMF... or WBEN or WHAM. That is, if and when I'm listening to radio.
In fairness to WCJW, it should be noted that I'm not anywhere near their target audience. I'm quite sure Lloyd and Mark have no intention of using that 104.3 signal to reach Brighton, or Henrietta, or Monroe and Oxford.
But what they've done very successfully down there at CJ is to use some decently-signalled translators to turn a daytime-only AM signal into something that's on the FM dial 24/7 to serve those "rolling hills and deep hollers." Turns out that hilltop piece of land on Merchant Road might be only so-so for an AM signal, but it's a nice high place for an FM translator (103.7) that's one of the strongest things on the dial in Warsaw and Wyoming. And the 105.5 in Batavia does a nice job serving central Genesee County. 100.9 in Nunda is still at a temporary site, if I recall correctly, but it's a fairly solid signal in southern Livingston, and now 104.3 will hit northern Livingston. By themselves, those may not be especially populous areas...but I'll bet there are a lot of businesses there that might be able to afford to advertise on WCJW but could never afford WBEE or 97 Rock or WBEN (nor would they have any need for the wide coverage of those signals.)
Yes, I'm a fan of what they're doing down there in Warsaw. I like local radio, and they seem to be executing it increasingly well lately. No, it won't reap a five share in the Rochester book. It doesn't need to.
But what they've done very successfully down there at CJ is to use some decently-signalled translators to turn a daytime-only AM signal into something that's on the FM dial 24/7 to serve those "rolling hills and deep hollers." Turns out that hilltop piece of land on Merchant Road might be only so-so for an AM signal, but it's a nice high place for an FM translator (103.7) that's one of the strongest things on the dial in Warsaw and Wyoming. And the 105.5 in Batavia does a nice job serving central Genesee County. 100.9 in Nunda is still at a temporary site, if I recall correctly, but it's a fairly solid signal in southern Livingston, and now 104.3 will hit northern Livingston. By themselves, those may not be especially populous areas...but I'll bet there are a lot of businesses there that might be able to afford to advertise on WCJW but could never afford WBEE or 97 Rock or WBEN (nor would they have any need for the wide coverage of those signals.)
Yes, I'm a fan of what they're doing down there in Warsaw. I like local radio, and they seem to be executing it increasingly well lately. No, it won't reap a five share in the Rochester book. It doesn't need to.
If your commute is from the house to the barn to the tractor, a translator that's close enough will do just fine in the valley or "holler" that you spend most of your time in. If you get lucky, it will even carry you from the barn to the closest Agway and/or Tractor Supply.
Scott Fybush said:
And if anyone needs proof of this, go to www.fmfool.com (an excellent FM coverage prediction tool) and test various locations in these counties.
For example, enter 35 S. Main St in Warsaw, 14569 (the address of the post office), or One Batavia City Centre, 14020, which is Batavia City Hall. A trustworthy estimate of our new 104.3 signal in Avon can be found at the Town Hall, 23 Genesee St, 14414.
This is "cellular" FM radio, an approach that's worked in Europe for years -- but with the help of RDS alternate frequency switching.
Wait'll they start networking dozens of Part 15 transmitters...
Scott Fybush said:
I'm not speaking for Lloyd or Mark either but to some of the skeptics out there I would mention that using the FM translators WCJW has been very successful broadcasting live high school football and basketball. Successful being defined as selling out some of the games and doing very well on the others. Scott has a nice summary of what's going on in "CJ Country".
They sound like they're doing just what they should be doing - serving their audience and improving their product. May they live long and prosper. \\//
Play Freebird said:
I will try to pick the station up in Webster. If I hear it I will let you know.
I will tell you that I am having problems getting WBEN's FM station at times because of an overlapping signal from a as yet unknown station.
Despite every sad story we read here about CC, Cumulus, Citadel, etc., it's nice to occasionally read something good and that's the case here with WCJW. Best of luck to CJ Country and congrats to their new PD, RJ Jordan.
BTW, I was in Warsaw earlier this year. I my mind I always pictured it as not being much of anything, but it's actually a nice, cozy little town. Has a friendly, Mayberry/Bedford Falls feel to it(I mean that in a good way).
Mark_Giardina said:
Mark, your mystery 107.7 is likely CKDO's FM relay in Oshawa...it should be playing oldies, parallel with 1580 AM.
Because of where you are up by the lake, you're probably not going to get CJ's 104.3 translator, either...you're more likely to be hearing WFRG from Utica (country) or CKWS-FM from Kingston (oldies).
There's no doubt this thread is instructional, and although I'm still not buying into linked translators, I get what posters here are saying. For the record, I do appreciate the fact that stations like WCJW provide more localism in one week than many of the Big C and E stations provide in a month, such as high school basketball and football as well as community news and events. I concede the well made points that these stations use translators to enhance their public service and in many cases, make a pretty good buck doing so. As such, one might wonder why some stations aren't adopting the same approach rather than being a jukebox.
Scott Fybush said:
You are right Scott I can not pick up CJ's 104.3 translator.
There is a station from Canada that does comes in nice and clear. I think it is called "The Breeze" on 107.9 or close to that. Not a bad sounding station. At least their playlist is larger than similar formatted stations here in Rochester.
BTW: Thanks for mentioning Dean Close on your website. I know he would have appreciated being remembered.
MG
John C said:
That's the work of CanCon, once referred to as the "Anne Murray Effect". When CanCon was brought in during the 70's, there was lots of Gordon Lightfoot and Anne Murray played to meet the quotas.
Canadian radio content is heavily regulated by the CRTC (Canada's FCC equivalent). Stations that play popular music (Category 2), are required to play 35% of their selections from Canadian artists from 6a-10p. In bilingual markets such as Montreal and Ottawa, English-language stations are required to play 50% non-hit music in addition to the CanCon requirements. A hit is classified as any song that ever was on the Billboard top 40.
Makes for some interesting programming....
Yeah, when I was at CKLW in 1973, CanCon was referred to as The Stiffs List. While CanCon gave us Anne Murray, Lighthouse, Guess Who, the Five Man Electrical Band and Gordon Lightfoot, it also gave us....Edward Bear. And The Incredibile Bongo Band.
Occasionally I would drive home to Rochester via the southern route across Ohio, instead of through London and Hamilton (usually because of construction on Canadian expressways.) It was hilarious to hear all the little daytimers and Class IVs in Ohio playing crap like the Bongo Band, because all the 20ish jocks and PDs were enamored of The Big 8 and were playing all those horrible CanCon stiffs to emulate CKLW.
Occasionally I would drive home to Rochester via the southern route across Ohio, instead of through London and Hamilton (usually because of construction on Canadian expressways.) It was hilarious to hear all the little daytimers and Class IVs in Ohio playing crap like the Bongo Band, because all the 20ish jocks and PDs were enamored of The Big 8 and were playing all those horrible CanCon stiffs to emulate CKLW.
Savage said:
As I've been told, many of the DJs would introduce CanCon songs with "here's another one for the CRTC...". There was a great documentary made in the early 2000's called "Radio Revolution: The Rise and Fall of the Big 8". It's a great view for anyone who loves radio.
CanCon has gotten better over the last few decades, so the 35% ratio is not too bad for a CHR or AC station to follow. In Ottawa and Montreal, you still end up with some really creative programming to skirt CRTC non-hit and French-language requirements in those markets. One of the most innovative concepts to come out of this regulation is the "Montage". Ottawa and Montreal stations have to either play 65% French-language music (if you're licensed French) or 50% non-hit music (if you're licensed English). Quotas are counted on a per-song basis across a broadcast week.
In order to have listenable programming, stations either give-up on audience after 6PM to dump all of their non-hit quota at night or will put together mixes of 2 minute clips of songs strung together in a 10 or 15 minute montage, megamix, or "blast".
The montage allows 3 or 4 hits to be played and count as one hit, thus requiring one non-hit to balance it out. This idea came out of the 310KW French Top-40 powerhouse of Montreal, CKOI (C'est Quoi?), which used the montage to pack more-popular English hit music every hour.
I'm glad the FCC doesn't regulate content........
B
Bob1370
Guest
"I'm glad the FCC doesn't regulate content........"
Wait 'till you see what happens if the Supreme Court does what a lot of people expect it will do sometime next year, and use the "wardrobe malfunction" case as precedent to strip the FCC of its power to sanction "indecent" programming on grounds you can't define "indecent" in a way that doesn't walk all over the First Amendment.
How long will it take for Cumulus to make Howard Stern an offer he can't refuse?
Wait 'till you see what happens if the Supreme Court does what a lot of people expect it will do sometime next year, and use the "wardrobe malfunction" case as precedent to strip the FCC of its power to sanction "indecent" programming on grounds you can't define "indecent" in a way that doesn't walk all over the First Amendment.
How long will it take for Cumulus to make Howard Stern an offer he can't refuse?
Oh, I dunno 'about that, Roberto. Even assuming SCOTUS is actually interested in "wardrobe malfunctions" and an appropriate plaintiff comes along (or is recruited) last I checked, Howard Stern won't work for $275 a week + trades for new aluminum siding on his house, a set of new snow tires, and some "Tussy dusting powder and a Bissell mop head" from the Cumu-del prize closet. 
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