The Southern Ontario/WNY Radio-TV Forum / AM Station Due To Go Silent Monday Gets Sudden Surprise Reprieve

**Posted by RadioActive** November 11, 2024 10:28 am

Last week, I posted the sad news that a local AM (and DX-worthy) station in the town of Hornell, N.Y. (near Rochester) was slated to go dark on Monday, after the death of its owner.

But now it appears WLEA-AM and its FM counterpart won't be signing off for good after all, getting a last minute odd reprieve. But if you do manage to tune in this station on 1480, you may not hear a WLEA I.D. Instead, it could be WYSL (not the famous Buffalo outlet, the one at 1040 in Avon, N.Y.)

They've made a deal to simulcast the latter on both frequencies, saving them both - although clearly, they will no longer have any real local content.

A statement on their website outlines what's next:

"Hello. WLEA and WCKR have reached a solution with a sister station WYSL Avon NY to remain on the air. We will NOT be going silent on November 11th as planned but continuing our service to the community with WYSL streaming over 1480 AM WLEA /106.9 and FM WCKR FM 92.1.

"We will honor all our commercials, advertisements and be able to keep faith with our community and our sponsors.

"We will honor our word and are very grateful to our community.

"We wish to thank everyone who has supported us in this difficult time."

Here's a question for DXers - if you get this station on a band scan, can you log it in as something new, now that it's effectively a different outlet?

An unusual ending to an otherwise sad story. Or should that be a new beginning?

Hornell radio stations get late hour reprieve. WLEA, WCKR to stream Avon station content

**Posted by fybush** November 11, 2024 1:52 pm

I guess I'm wondering why would you count it as a new logging? The station is still licensed as WLEA and will identify as such every hour. It was running syndicated talk under the previous operator and will still do do under WYSL, just a different lineup of syndicated hosts.

It's no different from CHAM changing formats, is it?

**Posted by RadioActive** November 11, 2024 2:02 pm

Don't disagree. That would be my position, also, But I was wondering what others think. I guess I have my answer!

**Posted by Evuguy** November 11, 2024 9:46 pm

I think Saul would be the person to answer that. Good to hear though as the AM band gets quieter and quieter, especially on the Canadian side of the border. Just to mention that WDCX 990 seems to have gone dark as of late last week. Website shows no mention of a change so might be a transmitter problem. It's normally weak where I am so it could also be running low power on a temporary basis.

https://www.wdcxradio.com/rochester/

**Posted by Saul** November 12, 2024 12:03 am

Evuguy wrote:
I think Saul would be the person to answer that. Good to hear though as the AM band gets quieter and quieter, especially on the Canadian side of the border. Just to mention that WDCX 990 seems to have gone dark as of late last week. Website shows no mention of a change so might be a transmitter problem. It's normally weak where I am so it could also be running low power on a temporary basis. https://www.wdcxradio.com/rochester/

Yeah, Better Call Saul!
On counting stations: It's a somewhat informal hobby and practices vary to some extent. I think the majority of 'serious' DXers would consider the two 1480s the same station. Same licence. Seems like a sale or a format change; no material change to transmitter power or antenna location. That question arises a lot, including in Toronto. I consider CKLN to be different than CIND on 88.1 (entirely different licence, no connection whatsoever between the two owners, time lapse in between). Same with CKO and CBLA 99.1 and CBL and CFZM 740.
I haven't made my mind up about the two Aboriginal licencees on 106.5. I think entirely separate, but I just haven't seriously thought that one through. The 93.5 is all one station for counting purposes. I think the FM club, WTFDA, has a practice where there's 25 miles distance considered if a station moves its transmitter. I'd have to check if CFNY Brampton and CFNY Toronto count as separate stations. I think I have treated them that way. If a station moves from one frequency to another, it's definitely a separate station. ... enough of what I think. I'll pass the mike on this one over to Scott Fybush, who knows station changes inside and out. Better Call Scott!

**Posted by fybush** November 12, 2024 10:01 pm

Evuguy - WDCX is definitely on the air here in Rochester. Not sure why you're not hearing it across the lake.

As Saul correctly notes, there's no one "official" way to count a new station. From an RF perspective, there's nothing significantly different between the old CFIE 106.5 and the current CKAV, or between CKLN and CIND, even though they're new licenses on paper and using new equipment.

For that matter, CBLA is basically the same signal that was CKO. So you'd have to dig into the legalities of the situation - that an earlier license was shut down and a new one replaced it - to make the plausible argument that those are all new stations.

There's always going to be a fudge factor, because it's always a moving target. When CJBC-FM signed on at 90.3, it was on the CN Tower. Now it's on First Canadian Place. Different signal, to some extent, but nobody would argue it's not the same station.

Same for CHIN 1540. It's definitely a lesser signal than what it was from the island, but still the same station... right?

**Posted by Evuguy** November 13, 2024 10:59 pm

Thanks Scott. Still nothing today on 990 here in Toronto. I wouldn't think they would have changed their antenna pattern but now this is puzzling. The WDCC 970 Buffalo signal is still good.

**Posted by Evuguy** November 17, 2024 10:14 pm

FYI: I heard 990 again this afternoon. Just to add It's normally daytime only reception for us as I don't hear it at all at night. Nights are CBC Winnipeg, though it is not consistant. Suspect WDCX's night pattern has a null to the NW.

**Posted by turkeytop** November 17, 2024 11:26 pm

Evuguy wrote:
FYI: I heard 990 again this afternoon. Just to add It's normally daytime only reception for us as I don't hear it at all at night. Nights are CBC Winnipeg, though it is not consistant. Suspect WDCX's night pattern has a null to the NW.

Is CBC still on 990 in Winnipeg? I thought they would have gone over to FM years ago. I still have the QSL card I got from them back in the 70s some time.

**Posted by Saul** November 18, 2024 3:58 am

turkeytop wrote:
Evuguy wrote:
FYI: I heard 990 again this afternoon. Just to add It's normally daytime only reception for us as I don't hear it at all at night. Nights are CBC Winnipeg, though it is not consistant. Suspect WDCX's night pattern has a null to the NW.
Is CBC still on 990 in Winnipeg? I thought they would have gone over to FM years ago. I still have the QSL card I got from them back in the 70s some time.

One of very few full power CBCs left on AM