In this week’s issue… FCC picks noncommercial FM window winners – Audacy shifts NYC talent – ATSC 3 launches in Boston – Corus finishes Toronto morning shuffle – New FM in Quebec?
By SCOTT FYBUSH
*If it’s not exactly lightning speed, the FCC is at least moving at a very steady clip as it tries to resolve all the loose ends from last fall’s filing window for new noncommercial FM signals.
After issuing dozens of construction permits for uncontested “singleton” applications last fall, the Commission has now sorted out 34 groups of conflicting (“mutually exclusive” or “MX”) applications, including several in NERW-land.
In southern RHODE ISLAND, Radio Sharon Foundation and Horizon Christian Fellowship both applied for 91.5, which sent them to an analysis under the FCC’s points system. Horizon won two points for diversity of ownership and one for a superior technical proposal, but Radio Sharon won a total of five points, two for diversity and three for local ownership.
There’s a hitch, though: while the FCC designated Radio Sharon as its tentative selectee for 91.5, Horizon immediately responded with a report from a private investigator in which it showed that the family members identified as Radio Sharon’s “local” board members didn’t actually live at the addresses listed on its application. Will the FCC reverse its decision – and take a closer look at other applications from Radio Sharon and related entities? We’ll be watching.
On the NEW JERSEY shore, a four-way battle for 88.7 included Radio Vision Cristiana in Brick, Rejuvenation Outreach Center and Community Public Radio in Lakewood and Cantico Nuevo Ministry in Leisure Village. The FCC’s point system analysis in this group came down to a question of which applicant had the fewest existing authorizations (station licenses plus applications), which gave the nod to Rejuvenation Outreach Center.
Inland, five applicants were seeking 88.9 – Casa de Destino and Calvary Chapel Morris Hills in Bernardsville, Redeemer Broadcasting in Mendham, Transmission Communications Network in Millington and Cantico Nuevo in Watchung. Local ownership gave Calvary Chapel Morris Hills the nod in this group, though it will have to divest its existing low-power FM, WCFT-LP (107.9 Dover), before it can put its new 88.9 signal on the air.
And if you don’t have your Tower Site Calendar, now’s the time!
If you’ve been waiting for the price to come down, it’s now 30 percent off!
This year’s cover is a beauty — the 100,000-watt transmitter of the Voice Of America in Marathon, right in the heart of the Florida Keys. Both the towers and the landscape are gorgeous.
And did you see? Tower Site of the Week is back, featuring this VOA site as it faces an uncertain future.
Other months feature some of our favorite images from years past, including some Canadian stations and several stations celebrating their centennials (buy the calendar to find out which ones!).
We still have a few of our own calendars left – as well as a handful of Radio Historian Calendars – and we are still shipping regularly.
The proceeds from the calendar help sustain the reporting that we do on the broadcast industry here at Fybush Media, so your purchases matter a lot to us here – and if that matters to you, now’s the time to show that support with an order of the Tower Site Calendar. (And we have the Broadcast Historian’s Calendar for 2025, too. Why not order both?)
Visit the Fybush Media Store and place your order now for the new calendar, get a great discount on previous calendars, and check out our selection of books and videos, too!
In this week’s issue… After NAB, hope and confusion - WZLX, WBEB relaunch morning shows - WJTO, WLAM stay alive for now - MBC takes over Bell stations - Remembering Mimi Griswold, Herb Squire By SCOTT FYBUSH Jump to: ME...
In this week’s issue… Fear and Uncertainty in Las Vegas - Memory Stations to sign off - WNED, WBFO rebrand - Najman out at WDEV - Zoomer expands in Ontario By SCOTT FYBUSH Jump to: ME - NH - VT...
A visit to many of the sites in Pennsylvania's Poconos, plus Bold Gold's stations in Scranton
In this week’s issue… Remembering Pittsburgh's Quinn - Seven Mountains enters Harrisburg - My launches new brands - Ryan out at B101 - More cuts at Radio Vermont - Another AM deleted
