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WVIN FM

M

Mark Giardina

Driving home from my cousin's wedding near Bath two weekends ago I turned on the car radio (first time in many years) and came across the first radio station I worked for. The call letters were different back then I might note.

What amazed me is the coverage WVIN-FM out of Bath/Hammondsport has. When I worked there the signal was lost a few miles outside of Bath. As I was near the Dansville exit on Route 390 North, the signal was just starting to fade.

Am I wrong in assuming that WVIN received permission from the FCC to increase their coverage area?
 
You're not wrong, Mark. 98.3 in Bath (originally licensed to Hammonsport) has had a couple of power increases since the original WEKT days. I believe they are now running 4.5 kw. I've been able to hear them quite well in Corning and Penn Yan, among other places.

The station's fate will be decided at an auction later this month. It's been reported that something called "Great Radio LLC" has made a $510.000 bid fot WVIN and WABH (ex WFSR-WGHT). It looks to me like this "new company" is somehow connected with Sound Communications, which owns a cluster in Corning/Elmira, and which recently acquired 105.3 in Hornell.

The reason I suspect that Sound is involved is because the call letters WYDC were mentioned. WYDC is a television station in Corning licensed to Vision Communications, a sister company to Sound.

Additionally, Sound Communications itself has placed a $75.000 bid on WQRW in Wellsville, the other Pembrook Pines station up for auction.

My guess is that Great Radio was formed to make it possible for Sound to get around the FCC market cap, and acquire more stations.

My biggest fear is that the new owners will close the Bath studios, and relocate the stations to their complex in Corning. As to programming, there will surely be changes. "V 98.3" competes directly with Sound's AC "Magic" simulcast, which Bath listeners can hear via WENI-FM (97.7).

One possible scenario might be a simulcast of classic hits "Gem" (WGMM 98.7 Corning), while the AM could become a simulcast of News/Talk WENY/WENI (1230/1450). I've heard that the ESPN Radio affiliation for WABH is not part of the deal, so it's a fairly safe assumption that there will at least be changes on 1380.

We'll find out soon enough.
 
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