1 of 1- RadioActive
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WECK Buffalo Partners With Two Canadian FMs
I'm not quite sure exactly what this means - the article really doesn't explain what might come from this "partnership" - but independent all oldies WECK-AM/FM has joined in with nearby CFLZ and CJED in an unusual arrangement between cross-border broadcasters. See if you can figure out what this so-called "strategic alliance" is all about.
WECK Cheektowaga-Buffalo Partner With Two Canadian FMs
(And by the way, the announcement notes that, in addition to their FM rebroadcasters, there's a newcomer at 100.1 "coming soon." None of the two others are available in the GTA. It would be great if this one somehow managed to reach us. Doubtful, but we can hope!)
Last edited by RadioActive (March 1, 2020 10:21 am)
- mace
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Re: WECK Buffalo Partners With Two Canadian FMs
I looked at the Radio Locator maps for WECK. 102.9 seems to cover all of Buffalo and the surrounding suburbs. 100.5 covers areas to the east of Buffalo towards Batavia. Both operate at 220 watts. I am not an engineer, so I don't know how far a 220 watt FM signal would travel. I think a third FM frequency seems unnecessary.
- RadioActive
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Re: WECK Buffalo Partners With Two Canadian FMs
I'm guessing the newcomer at 100.1 won't be aimed this way, won't have a lot of wattage and will be obliterated by CKFM anyway.
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Thread Starter- fybush
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Re: WECK Buffalo Partners With Two Canadian FMs
The WECK FM translator signals are all carefully designed to protect the Canadian border - that's what the rules require. Even the 100.5, which is on the WNED tower on Grand Island - where you can literally SEE Canada - still has a directional antenna that's so tight that it doesn't put any meaningful signal over the border. (For that matter, you can spit into Canada from where the 102.9 antenna is, too, on the former HSBC tower in downtown Buffalo.)
The 100.1 will be more distant from the border, on the tower at the quarry just north of the Thruway east of Transit Road. It's designed mostly to serve the eastern suburbs.
- paterson1
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Re: WECK Buffalo Partners With Two Canadian FMs
The only other arrangement I can think of that would be a little similar would be WYLK in Cape Vincent New York which is targeted and primarily focused on Kingston, Ontario. Since 2011 Rogers has operated the station even though it is licensed as a US station and is owned by Border International Broadcasting. WYLK is a member of Numeris and shows up in the numbers for Kingston. Rogers has two FM stations in Kingston CKXC with a country format and CIRK classic rock. WYLK is known as KISS 102.7 with the same logo and format as KISS 92.5 in Toronto.
Kingston is an interesting market with a lot of radio, 14 local stations and another 14 that are across the border in the US from Watertown, and three or four other small communities. In addition Kingston can pick up most of Belleville, Brockville, Ottawa/Gatineau and Cornwall radio off air, so a lot of signals for a metro area of 160,000 people.
- RadioAaron
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Re: WECK Buffalo Partners With Two Canadian FMs
paterson1 wrote:
Kingston is an interesting market with a lot of radio, 14 local stations and another 14 that are across the border in the US from Watertown, and three or four other small communities.
14 local stations might sound to some unfamiliar with the market to be a lot.
7 Rated stations:
Rogers - CIKR, CXKX, WLYK
Corus - CFMK, CKWS
Bell - CFLY, CKLC
Unrated but local:
CBC 1
CBC Music
ICI Radio Canada
CFRC (Queens)
CKAV (High School)
CJAI (Amherst Island Community)
UCB Canada (Christian)
Like-local signals:
BOB-FM Brockville
Froggy 97 Watertown
Magic 103.1 Watertown
NPR Cape Vincent (They promote and solicit donations in Kingston)
And almost every other possible FM frequency has something on it, in at least some of the market.
In addition Kingston can pick up most of Belleville, Brockville, Ottawa/Gatineau and Cornwall radio off air
Ottawa's a stretch. 101.1 often comes in as it's closer to the city, being a Smiths Falls originating signal. 93.9,105.3 and 106.1 sometimes. All the other Ottawa stations are either too weak or 1st adjacent to a local. Cornwall is a no go - as 101.9 is same freqency as CFRC and 104.5 is first adjacent to CKWS.
Last edited by RadioAaron (March 2, 2020 8:11 pm)
- paterson1
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Re: WECK Buffalo Partners With Two Canadian FMs
Kingston is an interesting market with a lot of radio, 14 local stations and another 14 that are across the border in the US from Watertown, and three or four other small communities.
14 local stations might sound to some unfamiliar with the market to be a lot.
7 Rated stations:
Rogers - CIKR, CXKX, WLYK
Corus - CFMK, CKWS
Bell - CFLY, CKLC
Unrated but local:
CBC 1
CBC Music
ICI Radio Canada
CFRC (Queens)
CKAV (High School)
CJAI (Amherst Island Community)
UCB Canada (Christian)
Like-local signals:
BOB-FM Brockville
Froggy 97 Watertown
Magic 103.1 Watertown
NPR Cape Vincent (They promote and solicit donations in Kingston)
And almost every other possible FM frequency has something on it, in at least some of the market.
In addition Kingston can pick up most of Belleville, Brockville, Ottawa/Gatineau and Cornwall radio off air
Ottawa's a stretch. 101.1 often comes in as it's closer to the city, being a Smiths Falls originating signal. 93.9,105.3 and 106.1 sometimes. All the other Ottawa stations are either too weak or 1st adjacent to a local. Cornwall is a no go - as 101.9 is same freqency as CFRC and 104.5 is first adjacent to CKWS.
Yes that will be correct. I was in my car and wasn't always sure where the station was broadcasting from since every frequency as you say had something on it. Also was picking up a fair bit of French programming so I was thinking likely from Gatineau. As I got past Kingston, enjoyed listening to Bell's NRJ (Energie) and Rouge FM, both out of Gatineau. I was going by Wiki for the 14 stations heard in Watertown and thought Kingston likely would get them as well. I guess some of them actually aren't available off air.