[Other Topic] CBC station in Dryden, ON petitions for massive DOWNGRADE

[Mr Tony]

Unless they can save a boat load of money I dont know why they would do this

CBC/Radio-Canada is seeking permission for a large downgrade to its CBC Radio One station in Dryden. CBQH/100.9 currently uses 100kW/120m (class C1) and would drop to 1.3kW/105m (A). It would also relocate its transmitter from a site east of town to a TBayTel tower in town also used by Radio-Canada station CKSB-6-FM/102.7 and commercial station CKDR-FM/92.7. The downgrade would remove about 3,000 people from CBQH's total coverage area, representing about 20 percent of the current potential audience

I guess the tower they are using is deteriorating.

 

[Mr Tony]

The only reason I can see downgrading that much is Dryden is kinda in the middle of nowhere and not much around it

 

[SatboyZ]

Hi Ice - will you not be able to receive it anymore? We here in SW Ont. know only too well when we lost CBC tv ota from both London and Kitchener during the digital transition. We no longer have it and refuse to pay for it. There is no money at the CBC and Jon G has gotten himself in a lot of trouble also.

P.s. We are not in the middle of nowhere either


Steve

 

[Mr Tony]

Hi Ice - will you not be able to receive it anymore?

never could get it to begin with. I get 990 Winnipeg at night.

We here in SW Ont. know only too well when we lost CBC tv ota from both London and Kitchener during the digital transition. We no longer have it and refuse to pay for it. There is no money at the CBC and Jon G has gotten himself in a lot of trouble also.

yeah that was crazy when CBC TV was dropped pretty much everywhere outside of their "major" markets

 

[Mr Tony]

I know this is kinda old but I looked it up and it was approved back in May.....but everything I read shows nothing has been changed yet

1. The Commission approves the application by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation relating to CBQH-FM Dryden, Ontario, a transmitter of the English-language radio programming undertaking CBQT-FM Thunder Bay, Ontario. Specifically, the licensee requested to relocate the transmitter to a new site in Dryden, and to change the transmitter’s class from C to A, decrease the effective radiated power from 100,000 to 1,300 watts, and decrease the effective height of the antenna above average terrain from 120 to 105.2 metres. CBQH-FM rebroadcasts Radio One programming originating from CBQT-FM. The Commission did not receive any interventions in connection with this application.
2. The licensee stated that the existing tower is deteriorating and requires significant restorative work. It argued that its proposal, in particular moving the transmitter to a new site in Dryden, will be the most cost effective solution.

 

[jegrant]

I guess they could argue that anyone losing service could always get Sirius XM? Of course, that does cost money, but it's the same way TV's gone - over the air transmitters are turned off or degraded, and people have to either buy really good antennas or find another way to get the signal (Cable, satellite, etc.)

 

[Mr Tony]

It wont affect Dryden proper...its more the folks way out there (looks real rural past the city limits)

 

[Mr Tony]

it says above that approx 20% (3,000) folks would lose it. That makes a 15,000 total listening audience possible. More than half is in Dryden proper (about 8,000)

 

[Mr Tony]

One thing of note is in these smaller communities there is minimal terrestrial stations.....here is Dryden's options (courtesy of northpine)

-Dryden-

92.7 CKDR-FM Acadia Broadcasting Limited 36.8kW (B)
Adult Contemporary

97.3 CJIV-FM Way of Life Broadcasting 50W (LP)
Christian

100.9 CBQH-FM Canadian Broadcasting Corporation 100kW/120m (C) (Application 1.3kW/105m, class A)
CBC Radio One

102.7 CKSB-6-FM Canadian Broadcasting Corporation 1.5kW/100m (A) (Authorization 1.29kW/105m)
La Première Chaîne (French)

104.5 CKQV-FM-1 Norwesto Broadasting Limited 1.8kW/78m (A) (Authorization to move to 104.3)
Hot Adult Contemporary BN "Q104" (relays CKQV-FM Vermilion Bay)

not much there

 

[jegrant]

If there are that few stations, I'm surprised Sirius XM isn't even more popular up north, LOL!

I think it really fractured the market though before the two providers merged because XM had NHL (and the rest of its Canadian channels were throwaways) and all the other worthwhile CanCon was on Sirius (CBC, etc.). So at least you can now get all the "good stuff" on either provider.

 

[Mr Tony]

I guess in towns like that most folks just "get by" with what is there.

When I visited my uncle in Warroad, MN (right on the border) I had the radio on AM more than FM...because AM had the only Rock station in the area (they have since signed on a FM translator there of the AM)

on FM its translators of religious or public radio, an AC station and a country station