wxox/today:

[Radio_bored-Op]

any one care to ponder, ten years later,
if given the chance, what impact 'the spot'
would have had on ?buffalo-rochester radio?

Or, if not here, how *big* this station would
have been in small-town batavia?

it was sold ten years ago, this month.

 

[qman]

"The Spot" hardly made an impact at all in the Rochester market at all since the signal barely reached the Western portion of Monroe County. Also, The Nerve owned the modern music audience at the time and The Zone was just getting started.

 

[Bob1370]

A Class-A signal 35 miles from both Buffalo and Rochester isn't going to make much impact in either market, whatever it programs. Programming is most of the battle...but you also have to have the signal to win. They didn't.

 

[JustPastBuffalo]

I used to keep my ears and eyes on this frequency and listened to the station from time to time when it was country-oldies-AC as WBTF, then Alternative as WXOX. Always thought "The Spot" moniker and call letters were cool. Could have called the station "The Ox (That Rocks)" if the format needed to go that way.

There was a time when I thought a few partners and I could swing a deal for the AM & FM. I did a bit of preliminary due diligence. Along the way, I speculated that the antenna could have been moved from it's present location to a high point approximately 2.5 west, on Route 77, a killer location that would have provided a straight line-of-sight shot to Buffalo and its eastern suburbs. My speculation was called "a stretch" by one of the engineers I talked to.

Now, many years later, comes word that the present licensee will move the TX and antenna site further west than I'd speculated, inside Erie County, which will provide a very good 60dBu contour over Buffalo and the eastern (hot zip) suburbs of Lancaster, Cheektowaga and Amherst. There is a corresponding change in the COL from Attica to Alden, NY. Give credit where credit is due for the legal and techinal maneuvering.

1490 WBTA & 101.7 WBTF was once an excellent small town combo for Batavia. The owner split the combo, first selling the FM to Holy Family and later the AM to Dan Fischer's group. Now each is a stand alone. Economics is a cold dictator. As it stands, 101.7 might make an excellent FM partner for an eastern rim AM such as WXRL or even WJJL, should the latter follow through on its CP to move to West Seneca.

 

[JustPastBuffalo]

Correction. Re-checked the FCC application. The new COL for WLOF is Elma, NY.

 

[SirRoxalot]

I doubt that the Catholic Diocese of Buffalo will give up a signal that promises to improve coverage in the city of Buffalo and it's most populous suburbs. Not that they're the owner, of course. Just a VERY influential player.

 

[ThePickleReport]

I doubt that the Catholic Diocese of Buffalo will give up a signal that promises to improve coverage in the city of Buffalo and it's most populous suburbs. Not that they're the owner, of course. Just a VERY influential player.

No not really. The owners have complete control.

 

[Yeziknoradio]

A Class-A signal 35 miles from both Buffalo and Rochester isn't going to make much impact in either market, whatever it programs. Programming is most of the battle...but you also have to have the signal to win. They didn't.

The Spot picked up in the Scarborough part of Toronto Ontario, Canada when it wanted to, so I did find that interesting.

It's sad to see that it went to catholic programming, rather than going to a home for the rookie to get their start, or a nice place to polish up if need be.

That station sounded good, and should have remained as a good "farm team" source.

It's tough enough to get a start or polish up, why make it tougher?
Plus, the music was really good too!

 

[Element9]

A Class-A signal 35 miles from both Buffalo and Rochester isn't going to make much impact in either market, whatever it programs. Programming is most of the battle...but you also have to have the signal to win. They didn't.

The Spot picked up in the Scarborough part of Toronto Ontario, Canada when it wanted to, so I did find that interesting.

It's sad to see that it went to catholic programming, rather than going to a home for the rookie to get their start, or a nice place to polish up if need be.

That station sounded good, and should have remained as a good "farm team" source.

It's tough enough to get a start or polish up, why make it tougher?
Plus, the music was really good too!

The guy who bought 101.7 put up $700k to buy the station and give Catholic teaching a non-commercial 6 kW voice in the market. Give him some credit, afterall, the Baptists have 100kW of pray for pay on Crawford's WDCX, a cash cow.