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The Sneaky Way Broadcasters Are Using TV on the Radio
Some here may well remember the days when CBLT-TV was on channel 6 – and thus receivable at 87.7 on the FM dial in Toronto. After they switched to channel 5, Global’s Desoronto transmitter took its place and I well recall driving somewhere while listening to audio of the Simpsons.
All those signals disappeared in the big switch from analog to digital, but in a quirk of the rules down south, some stations are actually broadcasting on the now abandoned channel just to get their signal out on FM! And according to the linked article, at least one of them is making some inroads in the ratings.
I found this story fairly interesting and I hope some here will, too. I only wish ME TV FM had a live feed on the web. As the embedded video in the article shows, it sounds like a fascinating listen! You can see some of their recent playlist on their site here.
The Sneaky Way Broadcasters Are Using TV on the Radio
Last edited by RadioActive (July 6, 2016 1:54 pm)
- radiokid
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Re: The Sneaky Way Broadcasters Are Using TV on the Radio
87.7 has been around a long while in Chicago as a radio station. It's been the endless wheel of formats too.
I think this is simply a partnership between METV and the owner to try some cross brand/platform awareness in hopes to get someone to try it.
It's been normal for years in the USA to see a Radio station operated on 87.7 (TV CHANNEL 6). There is no rules against it really. The US isn't a strict on stuff as we are in Canada.
Chicago was one of them.
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Re: The Sneaky Way Broadcasters Are Using TV on the Radio
This thread is almost five years old, but it finally gets an update - the FCC is about to force all the so-called "Franken FM's" - stations that use Channel 6 to get a radio signal out to a city - off the air. The one in Chicago has become quite popular, at times hitting #6 in the ratings (how appropriate) despite it being a low power station.
What happens next? We may find out soon. The deadline for these stations to end, barring any changes, delays or last minute appeals, is July 13th.
Goodbye, Frankens? TV deadline approaches
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Thread Starter- MJ Vancouver
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Re: The Sneaky Way Broadcasters Are Using TV on the Radio
I remember years ago driving with family near North Bay and listening to TVO on the radio. TVO had a transmitter on Channel 6 in North Bay.
Back then there weren’t too many radio choices on FM up there.
- RadioActive
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Re: The Sneaky Way Broadcasters Are Using TV on the Radio
When I was a kid, we used to listen to Mr. Magoo cartoons being broadcast on CBLT, CBC's local TV station, which later moved to Channel 5.
Years later, I remember driving my car while hearing The Simpsons fade in and out on the Global Channel 6 transmitter from Paris, Ont.
That's gone now, too.
A long time ago, I had a radio that was capable of getting VHF signals, along with AM & FM. I remember being out walking the dog and listening to Channel 9 or - on a good day - Channel 2 from Buffalo. When digital came in, that ended, but it sure was fun while it lasted! (Are there any radios capable of getting digital audio TV signals today? Probably not, but I'd love to get one of those.)
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Thread Starter- MJ Vancouver
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Re: The Sneaky Way Broadcasters Are Using TV on the Radio
RadioActive wrote:
When I was a kid, we used to listen to Mr. Magoo cartoons being broadcast on CBLT, CBC's local TV station, which later moved to Channel 5.
Years later, I remember driving my car while hearing The Simpsons fade in and out on the Global Channel 6 transmitter from Paris, Ont.
That's gone now, too.
There was also CJOH Channel 6 at Deseronto, which only left the air I think last year. I heard The Big Bang Theory on 87.7 FM driving in Eastern Ontario once a few years ago.
That was probably the last major Channel 6 analog transmitter not only in Ontario, but also in the US as it would’ve been available in areas like Rochester or Watertown, NY.
- Fitz
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Re: The Sneaky Way Broadcasters Are Using TV on the Radio
Franken FM's at 87.7 may be getting a 6 month reprieve to continue to broadcast analog signals going past the July 2021 deadline.
BTW has anyone heard the religious and apparent pirate broadcasting somewhere near Bomanville at 87.7. I have heard them on and off in the car since late winter.
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