In this week’s issue… AM-FM swap in Ontario? – NYSBA names Hall of Famers – EMF’s next NYC step
By SCOTT FYBUSH
Jump to: ME – NH – VT – MA – RI – CT – NY – NJ – PA – Canada
*Will CANADA‘s regulators approve a swap of AM and FM formats, along with a power upgrade, west of Hamilton?
In the US, of course, the FCC doesn’t regulate formats, so this would be a non-issue. But north of the border, it’s a different story rooted in some recent acquisition history.
Dufferin says as the only broadcaster in Brantford, it should have wide latitude to rearrange its formats and signals for maximum coverage. Moving the Christian format to 1380, it says, will address complaints from listeners about limited range on the existing signal as well as eliminating reliability issues from the current 93.9 transmitter site (“being held together with Band-Aids,” says CFWC in its application) on a church steeple; putting country on a bigger 93.9 signal, meanwhile, would repatriate listeners who now tune to out-of-market country stations such as CHKX (94.7 Hamilton) and CIKZ (106.7 Kitchener).
Will the CRTC see things Evanov’s way? Without any competing broadcasters right in Brantford to complain, it’s at least possible, and we’ll keep you updated as these applications move through the pipeline.
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If you have already ordered your calendar, make sure you check out the other items in the store, too!
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*EMF made the next step in its NEW YORK format shuffles on Friday, dropping the promotional loop on its suburban 96.7 signal directing K-Love listeners to WPLJ (95.5) and relaunching the Port Chester-licensed 96.7 with Air 1 as WARW. (Those calls move downstate from 93.5 in Remsen, which becomes WAWR.) The HD2 signal on 96.7 is now directing former Air 1 listeners there to 96.7-HD1; HD3 is still carrying K-Love Classics at the moment, while there’s been no HD at all on WPLJ in recent weeks.
*In the heat of summer, it’s hard sometimes to look ahead to autumn – but October will, as always, find us in New York City at the AES/NAB New York conventions, which also bring the New York State Broadcasters Association’s annual luncheon and Hall of Fame induction.
*Radio People on the Move: Joe Limardi is ditching radio for beer – and doesn’t that sound good on a steamy July Monday? The veteran programmer has been with Townsquare in Poughkeepsie for five years, serving as OM/brand manager for rocker WPDH (101.5), but now he’s leaving to become director of brand experience for Half Full Brewery in Stamford, Connecticut.
In Buffalo, Entercom’s WLKK (Alternative Buffalo 107.7) has reworked its schedule, moving middayer Brandi into the morning show vacated by Emily Wild’s exit and night guy Axe into middays. Weekend/fill-in jock Kennedy takes over Axe’s former night shift.
*And we close out a quiet summer news week in VERMONT, where Zeb Norris revealed his new gig last week. The veteran PD at Steve Silberberg’s “Point” AAA stations is joining Radio Vermont Group, where he’ll be programming “101 the One,” the classic hits simulcast of WCVT (101.7)/WEXP (101.5) based out of Waterbury.
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