How do you say you're not on the air if you're not on the air? 
In today's times, you say so on the internet. 

Radiowiz wrote:

How do you say you're not on the air if you're not on the air? 
In today's times, you say so on the internet. 

That's true, but what's very odd is there's nothing on their website about this outage that I could find. You'd think they'd pin that to the top to let listeners know. Instead, there's nothing about it at all. 

Any DX catches while CKTB was/is silent? Maybe WTVN Columbus?

Just got ujp to DX site last night. Was gonna hook coax to two outdoor loop antennas and DX but with 3-4 feet of new snow on the ground I'm not sure I can manage that during daylight today, never mind at night last night... I can almost climb onto parts of the roof...

POSTSCRIPT: Well, that was shockingly easy. My first strategy was to shovel pathways. I quickly realized this would take a few hours and exhaust me. I then realized I can swim, and the snow is just crystalized water powder. And the snow is in drifts. Some were indeed as high as 4 feet. Others maybe a foot. Directional west loop antenna is fixed in place, just needed to get coax and an amp onto the west end. I changed the route of my temporary south-north loop antenna, which gets folded up and collapsed when I'm not here, to be more ne-sw to make it easier to access. I'll be ready when sunset arrives, but I betcha CKTB will be back!

Last edited by Saul (February 19, 2025 11:04 am)

Whiteoaks might have takin over before they get back on air.

NW wrote:

Here's hoping that you are wrong and it was worth putting up the antenna.    At 1 a.m. and 3 a.m. WTEL-Philadelphia was duking it out with WTVN. I know that WTEL and WTVN certainly would not be worth you driving up.
 

I wouldn't mind W2PLY from Roanoke. It's not logged here. Lots I need on 610, actually. The CKTB-WTVN combo pretty much keeps the channel full and loud. We'll see what sunset brings...

My hips are about done for the day from crawling through the snow to set up for DX. Looks like the roof will need a shoveling for the second time in a week. Glad I'm hiring out for that because my roof shoveling days are in the past tense.
 

Bell media also had these problems with CHAM in its commedy days.
CHAM was off the air once the weakend after Canada day in 2021.

Bell does not have a good rep for its small and mid market Am stations.
London closed and the ones that are getting sold or are sold went off the air more times than not.
Neeti is not having tech problems with cham so far.

Scarboroughbluffsradiof99 wrote:

Bell does not have a good rep for its small and mid market Am stations.
.

They're no better or worse than anyone else; they just have (had) more of them.

NW wrote:

CKTB was still absent at 6:50 a.m. this morning.  The folks in St. Catharines would been enjoying KFNZ Kansas City with sports talk instead.

I recorded overnight to 0630 and when I upwoke it was all WTVN Columbus with some KDAL Duluth MN. I did hear Kansas City during something like the Reagan or Carter administrations. Someone on Fakebook asked if anyone had any idea how long this transmitter outage might last. Good question...
 

Scarboroughbluffsradiof99 wrote:

RadioAaron wrote:

Scarboroughbluffsradiof99 wrote:

Bell does not have a good rep for its small and mid market Am stations.
.

They're no better or worse than anyone else; they just have (had) more of them.

The smaller broadcasters don't go off the air as much as bell's stations did.

Sounds as though you're basing that on your gut feel.  What source are you using to confirm that?

Bell's still programming the station from what I know.
I think whiteoaks will keep the egsisting power for CKTB.
Maybe they will also add some ethnic programs like in the 90s with radio india.

Last night at local midnight with no CKTB there was the added bonus of Cuban station Radio Rebelde underheard WTVN.  Easily recognizable with the Cuban national anthem that all Cuban stations play at that time.  

NW wrote:

Last night at local midnight with no CKTB there was the added bonus of Cuban station Radio Rebelde underheard WTVN.  Easily recognizable with the Cuban national anthem that all Cuban stations play at that time.  

Conditions are pretty abysmal for AM DX the last few days. Pretty solid wall of WTVN Columbus and WTEL Philly, with very weak stuff underneath. I've had Fox Sports Radio on south and west antennas, presuming Roanoke VA and Kansas City MO but I wopn't count these in my log as nothing definitive on either. South antenna also had African American gospel music that briefly sounded the same as what I heard on an internet-enabled software defined radio (SDR) from Birmingham AL. But at times the gospel music didn't sound exactly like that at all. So I had either or both of stations in Birmingham and/or Pensacola FL. I did some recording. But after awhikle I ghave up live listening because there's only so much I could take of listening to Sean Hannity (WTVN) and Black Information Network (WTEL) duke it out. Maybe conditions will improve...
NW et al, if things get super auroral there's three Rebeldes on 610, two at decent strength. Maybe there will be an echo effect with two or more in. There is also a Reloj outlet in Cuba on 610, with the tick-tock sound that really cuts through. I'd also watch for Colombia (30kw station) and even Uruguay has a 50kw signal. That's if we get any auroral storming like we had in October and at New Year's, and CKTB is still MIA or weakened.