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August 15, 2019 8:52 pm  #1


Muskoka Radio Station Silenced By Arsonists

I've never heard of Hunters Bay Radio (aka CKAR-FM at 88.7) in Huntsville, but they were apparently taken off the air for several hours Thursday after an arsonist set fire to their transmitter. The last time I can remember something even close to this happening was in 1986, when two idiots cut the guy wires to the Studio-Transmitter link tower on the old CHUM Building at 1331 Yonge St. 

Arson Takes Hunters Bay Radio Off The Air

 

August 15, 2019 9:38 pm  #2


Re: Muskoka Radio Station Silenced By Arsonists

Terrible thing to do. Station appears to be on reduced power. I have it in at my Kawarthas post, but the station is definitely in trouble over-the-air wise because a classical station I'm presuming is in Interlochen Michigan is overtaking it at times and conditions aren't anything special right now. This is a very good community station, one of the presets on my non-DX listening dial up here.
 

Last edited by Saul (August 15, 2019 10:30 pm)

 

August 15, 2019 10:49 pm  #3


Re: Muskoka Radio Station Silenced By Arsonists

Idiots!   Hope the morons are caught and dealt with.

I also recall another incident of tower vandalism in the late 80s.   Three yahoos cut the guy lines to a Bell Telephone Microwave Relay Tower in Eastern Ontario. I recall watching news coverage stating that it occurred near Cornwall, Ontario. But I have also read that it happened near Brockville.

Major disruptions to long distance phone service as well as network television feeds occurred until restoration crews could re-route and then replace the tower and relay equipment.



 

Last edited by Glen Warren (August 15, 2019 10:55 pm)

 

August 16, 2019 7:28 am  #4


Re: Muskoka Radio Station Silenced By Arsonists

In the mid 70's a construction dig in Sudbury cut the Bell lines to both CKSO 790 and CHNO 550 taking both off the air. In the rush to repair the lines they somehow got switched and CKSO was on 550 and CHNO on 790 for awhiile (just a short period of time but somewhat amusing).

 

August 16, 2019 10:29 am  #5


Re: Muskoka Radio Station Silenced By Arsonists

RA.  When I was a kid and we were vacationing up north I remember CKAR  in Huntsville very well.  Then years later; when the late George Grant bought CKLB in Oshawa, he bought the call letters.  Perfect call letters for the Motor City.  Then; when the station was sold again they went back to the original call letters; prior to CKLB; which was CKDO.  It remains that today.  Huntsville somehow got their old call letters back.  Hence CKAR in Huntsville.

 

August 16, 2019 11:36 am  #6


Re: Muskoka Radio Station Silenced By Arsonists

John D wrote:

RA.  When I was a kid and we were vacationing up north I remember CKAR  in Huntsville very well.  Then years later; when the late George Grant bought CKLB in Oshawa, he bought the call letters.  Perfect call letters for the Motor City.  Then; when the station was sold again they went back to the original call letters; prior to CKLB; which was CKDO.  It remains that today.  Huntsville somehow got their old call letters back.  Hence CKAR in Huntsville.

I always wondered about those floating call letters. Thanks for filling in the blanks. Frankly, they were lucky to get those back. The possibilities for branding using "KAR" are pretty great, so someone else could have snapped them up in the meantime. 

There used to be a radio station in Detroit called WCAR. Again, perfect for the place that was home to automobile plants. (Grilled.Cheese will be happy to know that Coast to Coast's George Noory once worked there.)

Today those calls are in Livonia, Michigan and it's a low powered all sports format at 1090 AM. The outlet at 1130 in Motown is now WDFN - also all sports.  

I have no idea where I got the wrinkled T-shirt pictured below, but it came my way from somewhere - you should pardon the expression - down the road. 

     Thread Starter
 

August 16, 2019 1:40 pm  #7


Re: Muskoka Radio Station Silenced By Arsonists

maybe my tinfoil hat is on too tight but isn't it unusual for a transmitter to be hit with a "random" act of arson?  in my experience when something happens at a tx site, it's someone with a bone to pick with the station.

 

August 17, 2019 4:31 pm  #8


Re: Muskoka Radio Station Silenced By Arsonists

John D wrote:

RA.  When I was a kid and we were vacationing up north I remember CKAR  in Huntsville very well.  Then years later; when the late George Grant bought CKLB in Oshawa, he bought the call letters.  Perfect call letters for the Motor City.  Then; when the station was sold again they went back to the original call letters; prior to CKLB; which was CKDO.  It remains that today.  Huntsville somehow got their old call letters back.  Hence CKAR in Huntsville.

All true John.  The station with the letters isn't the original custodians.  That was the other station in town...located now at 105.5.  I remember rowing all the way across Pen Lake and climbing up the steepest ski-hill located at Hidden Valley in order to watch 2 guys doing a live radio show/cut-in from the top floor of the 3 story tower located at the summit.  I'd have been maybe 10 years of age.  I knew THEN what I was gonna do for a living.

Meanwhile anyone who messes with a transmitter is messing with a federally licensed outlet and should be doing JAIL TIME.  THAT...is terrorism.
 

 

August 18, 2019 12:34 am  #9


Re: Muskoka Radio Station Silenced By Arsonists

Huntsville OPP Detachment are asking HBR (the community radio station) to not refer to this incident as "arson"

https://muskokaradio.com/news/article/opp-asks-hunters-bay-radio-not-to-call-the-fire-an-arson

 

September 16, 2019 10:06 pm  #10


Re: Muskoka Radio Station Silenced By Arsonists

They're almost back on the air after the fire, having amassed some $10,000 in donations. Unfortunately, that's not near enough -  the cost of the damage is estimated at $75,000 and they're trying to raise the rest. Still no word on who did it or why. 

Hunters Bay Radio Thanks Supporters

     Thread Starter
 

September 17, 2019 12:10 am  #11


Re: Muskoka Radio Station Silenced By Arsonists

OPP now classify the incident as arson...


Arson Added To List Of Crimes Committed In Transmitter B&E

https://muskokaradio.com/news/article/arson-added-to-list-of-crimes-committed-in-transmitter-be

Last edited by Glen Warren (September 17, 2019 12:13 am)