WEPN 98.7 to Be Rebroadcast On New LI Sports Station

[Barry]

Hope Radio, a station broadcasting Christian Contemporary music from eastern Long Island on WLIR 107.1 FM, will flip to all-sports Champions Radio on August 5, according to the trade publications. It will rebroadcast WEPN for at least 12 hours a day; sometimes more when games are being broadcast.
So WEPN joins WQXR in extending its reach by simulcasting on other stations.
Hope Radio is heard on 6 translators throughout LI. It is not clear at this point whether all will rebroadcast the new Champions Radio.

From Newsday: http://www.newsday.com/sports/media/espn-radio-coming-to-east-end-1.5788813

 

[MarcB]

Big deal. ESPN New York was simulcasting on 107.1 WLIR until they got sold to the Christian outfit that owns the station presently.

 

[Barry]

As it makes sense for WEPN to have this station to improve their coverage of Long Island (especially when they may be bidding for the Yankees or Mets), I wonder why they did not outbid the religious group for WLIR, when it was available in 2011.
As a result they did not have a good signal in eastern Long Island for over two years, and will still be relayed there for only about 12 hours a day.
It may also be noteworthy that Champion Radio will be Long Island's first all-sports station with some locally produced shows.

 

[JoeyBagODonuts]

Also noteworthy in Neil Best's article:

To further cover central Suffolk, WLIR also will be heard at 96.9 FM, a translator based in Selden that should fill in most gaps between the 107.1 signal and ESPN's primary outlet at 98.7 FM.

In that area of central Suffolk both 98.7 and 107.1 are hard to pick up. I think that translator was used by Scotty Hart's RadioX a few years ago.

 

[Barry]

WLIR 107.1, The Voice of Hope has been rebroadcast on 6 translators throughout LI, including 96.9.
There has been no information on whether the other 5 will continue to rebroadcast WLIR. I suppose if the station is no longer a non-profit, the more distant ones cannot legally do so, since they are not in the station's protected contour. But could there could be a loophole if the owner is still Livingstone Broadcasting, and they are a non-profit corporation?
The translator on 101.5 can be heard, in addition to a decent chunk of Nassau County, in parts of the Bronx, Westchester and Fairfield counties. Not bad for 10 watts. I believe it carried Party 105 a few years ago.

 

[nd2023]

It would be awesome if 101.5 became Party 101.5 again, as long as Party 105 keeps the same format they have now.

 

[davideduardo]

But could there could be a loophole if the owner is still Livingstone Broadcasting, and they are a non-profit corporation?

I don't think the owner has had the station reclassified as non-commercial, which, if I interpret the rules correctly, is the essential part of the translator-outside-the-contours part.

The translator on 101.5 can be heard, in addition to a decent chunk of Nassau County, in parts of the Bronx, Westchester and Fairfield counties. Not bad for 10 watts. I believe it carried Party 105 a few years ago.

While a signal may be "heard" at some distance, it won't be listened to unless it meats certain strength minimums. Even with considerable height, the useful range of a 10 watt signal is only a few miles.

 

[Barry]

Champions Radio is now apparently (I cannot receive it over the air at my location) on the air on WLIR 107.1 and its 96.9 translator in Suffolk County, with its sports format.
It turns out that the other 4 translators (94.9, 96.5, 101.5 and 104.5) that carried Hope Radio with its Christian format will continue to do so.
It seems strange that a chain of translators can originate its own separate programming, rather than rebroadcasting a terrestrial format or HD2 as usual. Did WLIR 107.1 perhaps go HD, and add an HD2 for Hope Radio?
I believe it is also unusual for a station owned by a religious broadcaster to have an all-sports format. One of the sweepers on Champions Radio that I heard via the website resembles a gospel tune.

Champions Radio Website: http://championsradio.com/

 

[w9wi]

But could there could be a loophole if the owner is still Livingstone Broadcasting, and they are a non-profit corporation?

I don't think the owner has had the station reclassified as non-commercial, which, if I interpret the rules correctly, is the essential part of the translator-outside-the-contours part.

You're right: according to CDBS WLIR holds a commercial license.

Barry: you're also right, that a translator cannot originate its own programming. (beyond a VERY minor exception of a few seconds per hour)

 

[Barry]

I believe I may have figured out what is feeding the 4 LI translators that are continuing to carry religious Hope Radio, after WLIR switched to all-sports Champions Radio.
According to FCC records, W268AN the 101.5 translator is now rebroadcasting WBLI. So apparently 'BLI now has an HD2 or HD3 broadcasting Hope Radio. As I cannot receive WBLI in HD, can anyone confirm whether this is correct?

 

[nd2023]

As of last week WBLI didn't have an HD2

 

[YoYoGo]

According to FCC records, W268AN the 101.5 translator is now rebroadcasting WBLI. So apparently 'BLI now has an HD2 or HD3 broadcasting Hope Radio. As I cannot receive WBLI in HD, can anyone confirm whether this is correct?

Hope Radio legal id states WBLI-HD2 along with the other 4 translators.

Smart move but I would have thought they might try to work out something with 100.3 WAPP-LP from Westhampton. It recently came back to life after being silent for almost a year due to financial problems.

 

[Barry]

This appears to be an example of HD2/HD3 signals acquiring some value in recent years, as they continue to be used to provide programming for additional stations transmitted by translators.
Another recent local example is Cumulus soon offering additional programming to Rockland County via the newly beefed up translator in Pomona, with content to be provided (probably) by WPLJ HD2.