I think the chance of a foreign language station moving to 640 is slim, unless it's with a significantly smaller signal. The main 3rd language stations are already on FM (88.9/100.7/101.3) Maybe 1430?

RadioActive wrote:

CHIN AM is looking for a new home to replace 1540. They've already asked about 900. Could 640 be next?

If they can find a way to put a better signal on 640 than they'll be able to on 900, sure.

I don’t think that any ethnic radio operator is prepared to make a multi million $ investment in land and infrastructure for AM at this point.  Why would they do it?  Revenues are in fast decline for ethnic radio in the GTA market.  Any new site requires an investment in land - that’s not cheap.  Plus most AM stations have aging transmission plants which will require expensive remediation.  The story on CHIN is simple.  They “lost” their Toronto Island site, due to a reconstruction of a the City of Toronto’s water and sewage infrastructure.  They relocated to the CHLO site west of Toronto on 1540, but don’t have a directional array out there that would permit pre-dawn or post dusk operation and power was reduced.  The signal quality in Toronto wasn’t particularly good.  They have an application before the CRTC for 900 using a fibreglas antenna at a Church site near DVP and Lawrence.  Cheap antenna, cheap (land) rental, reasonable coverage, at a very, very, very low cost with no siginficant capital investment.  They also have a good FM rebroadcaster on the air for CHIN-AM, which costs very little to operate.  I’m not saying “never say never” but 900 should work just fine for CHIN and brokers will continue to pay for airtime.   Fairchild remains on Toronto Island on 1430 and leases its site from the City of Toronto at a very reasonable amount.  They don’t want AM…but there’s no FM frequencies available.  They received approval last week to shut down their Vancouver AM.- CJVB due to high AM operating costs and increasing losses on AM.  They will do well with only FM in Vancouver.  As much as people on this board “love” the AM experience, there has to be a business case with a good rate of return for any broadcaster to take on the cost of acquiring and maintaing a costly AM site.

Radiowiz wrote:

RadioAaron wrote:

If it's true, given the date, the most likely answer is Christmas Music until the new year to get attention.

Nope. Just a switch to Christmas music and back to the regular format on Boxing day.

Read that again...

Judging by the playlists on 95.3’s website after the All Chrstmas music It is playing the exact same songs as Fresh 103.1 in London and Magic 106.1 in Guelph.

Fitz wrote:

[
As I wrote upthread there was actually such a thing and it was called "Cowpunk" or Alt Country but what I failed to mention before is that there was a radio station called KFAT that might be called cowpunk ( Even tho the start of the station actually predated the advent of Cowpunk, the spirit was the same). You can find air checks of the station on the internet archives. Also cowpunk itself was predated by country rock like the Flying Burrito Bros, Poco, New Riders of the Purple Sage etc.The successor to KFAT is KPIG and they have been going since I believe the 90's. Which plays Americana, Alt Country and free form music. A commercial station no less as was KFAT. Only in California.
 

I fondly remember a small music fest devoted to Cowpunk called Americanarama, held in the 90s at the Pierce Arrow bar on Elmwood Avenue in North Buffalo.  The Cowslingers from Cleveland (later the band morphed into the Whiskey Daredevils) attended, as well as local WNY bands.  I seem to recall some of the music branded as Western Swing.  The WNY band Red Headed Stepchild I recall attending, their female sax player / vocalist was Kathryn Koch.

Last edited by Easily Amused (December 27, 2025 1:06 pm)

tvguy wrote:

Fairchild remains on Toronto Island on 1430 and leases its site from the City of Toronto at a very reasonable amount.  They don’t want AM…but there’s no FM frequencies available.  They received approval last week to shut down their Vancouver AM.- CJVB due to high AM operating costs and increasing losses on AM.  They will do well with only FM in Vancouver.  As much as people on this board “love” the AM experience, there has to be a business case with a good rate of return for any broadcaster to take on the cost of acquiring and maintaining a costly AM site.

On the subject of Fairchild and its soon-to-be silent Vancouver AM:

CRTC allows Fairchild Radio to close AM station in March and broadcast more Chinese content on its FM station