This is also the new pattern - get your AM format out on FM, while retaining the big signal.

WBBM Chicago is still spitting out 50K of news at 780, but they're also now on 105.9. WFAN New York still sports 660, but you can also hear it at 101.9 in New York. KDKA Pittsburgh is on both 1020 and 100.1 and KYW Philadelphia now doles out the headlines on clear channel 1060 and 103.9. And don't forget WABC is both 770 in New York and WLIR at 107.1 in Long Island. 

How they all found room on a crowded dial in those cities is another question. You'll note that all of the above are spoken word stations, not music. A waste of a precious FM position or the logical progression of AM? You can decide for yourself but it's a trend that's been increasing in (you should pardon the expression) frequency for a few years now. 

You are wrong.

There was one on-air person at Jack - they didn't even have a Smiths Falls studio or office anymore. The one announcer was working from home.

You don't re-brand three frequencies to save a single salary

In fact, they're now down one station worth of ad dollars. This was an investment.
 

Last edited by RadioAaron (December 16, 2020 7:08 pm)

Radiowiz wrote:

Why do you keep saying it's just one person? 
There were others doing other shifts. From home? Maybe? But it was not just one person.

One person; Wayne Kavanaugh. Been there 30+ years. Everything else was out-of-market VTs or just straight music. Imaging done from another JACK; ditto music.

 

I think it would be a great idea (but doubt if this would work) if another broadcaster like My Broadcasting, Vista, Torres Media, the owners of CHLK-FM 88.1 Perth, etc. would try and submit applications to the CRTC to operate a new locally produced FM radio station at Smiths Falls besides Rogers-owned CKBY-FM 92.3, if the simulcast of CIWW AM 1310 on 101.1 is now an Ottawa station. My Broadcasting had made an attempt to open a new FM radio station at Carleton Place in 2014 but got turned down by the CRTC. https://crtc.gc.ca/eng/archive/2014/2014-157.htm

RadioAaron wrote:

One person; Wayne Kavanaugh. Been there 30+ years. Everything else was out-of-market VTs or just straight music. Imaging done from another JACK; ditto music.
 

https://web.archive.org/web/20200518020204/https://www.jack923.com/shows/
https://www.insideottawavalley.com/community-story/6124688-popular-radio-personality-wayne-cavanagh-signs-off-after-46-years/
 

Last edited by Radiowiz (December 16, 2020 10:01 pm)

Radiowiz wrote:

https://web.archive.org/web/20200518020204/https://www.jack923.com/shows/
 

Nicolle - tracked from JACK Halifax
Veronica - Copywriter in Ottawa who tracked evenings
Kenny - Tracked specialty shows from Kiss Winnipeg and later Star Chilliwack.

Again, JACK had one full-time on-air staffer.
 

Last edited by RadioAaron (December 16, 2020 10:25 pm)

RadioActive wrote:

This is also the new pattern - get your AM format out on FM, while retaining the big signal.

WBBM Chicago is still spitting out 50K of news at 780, but they're also now on 105.9. WFAN New York still sports 660, but you can also hear it at 101.9 in New York. KDKA Pittsburgh is on both 1020 and 100.1 and KYW Philadelphia now doles out the headlines on clear channel 1060 and 103.9. And don't forget WABC is both 770 in New York and WLIR at 107.1 in Long Island. 

How they all found room on a crowded dial in those cities is another question. You'll note that all of the above are spoken word stations, not music. A waste of a precious FM position or the logical progression of AM? You can decide for yourself but it's a trend that's been increasing in (you should pardon the expression) frequency for a few years now. 

Seattle has several instances of this: news/talk KOMO on 1000 AM and 97.7 FM (licensed to Oakville, WA); also NPR member KUOW 1340 AM (licensed to Tumwater, WA) and 94.3 FM. There also used to be KIRO 710 AM which started simulcasting on 97.3 FM in 2008. However in that case the simulcast lasted less than a year, with the AM becoming all-sports ESPN in 2009.

And of course in some Canadian cities this situation also exists with CBC Radio One - mainly in Western Canada where AM stations cover a wide area but the urban area doesn't have a strong AM signal due to interference so an FM station is used to repeat the AM. At least in Vancouver's case, the FM is a full-power repeater of 690 on 88.1, though I think nested low-power repeaters are used in some other cases.

Aside from what Ottawa now has with 1310/101.1, I'm not aware of this situation anywhere else in Ontario, aside from what CKDO in Oshawa does (but that's also not a news station).

Last edited by MJ Vancouver (December 18, 2020 7:33 pm)

It's not quite the same, because the FM is a lot weaker, but who could forget that AM 740's monster signal is matched on 96.7 FM in "Downtown Toronto," although it goes a bit farther than that.

I've always found it telling that when a station simulcasts its AM signal on FM that the I.D. almost always mentions the FM first. 740 does this, despite its counterpart's more vastly limited signal, and so does CKDO.

So sad indeed! 🙁 Hopefully some local broadcastcaster may apply for a license for a new locally produced radio station in Smiths Falls if all works out. There's still some available vacant frequencies in the Smiths Falls area. Just a thought! 🙂