CJME 980 REGINA EXPANDS REACH

[Dan Sys]

CJME 980 Regina signed on their new high powered repeaters yesterday (each with 100,000 watts). CJME will now cover all of southern Saskatchewan loud & clear with the new transmitters located in Gravelbourg at 107.1, Swift Current at 101.7, and Warmley (Weyburn-Estevan) at 107.3.

[pave]

AM/FM simulcast. This does not bode well. Oshawa already gets away with it.

[TRENT310]

So does CKYL, but I guess not with 100kW each. I'd like it if that happened more often instead of full AM to FM switches.

[andysradio]

Not quite a simulcast. These transmitters extend the stations reach esp. at night.

This is not like CFCO, CHOK & prairie CBC/SRC's that are using nested FM signals to augment the AM signal.

[Dan Sys]

Simulcasting with a high powered FM transmitter in the same market as an existing AM station is currently not allowed in Canada. CJOB 680 Winnipeg found that out a few years ago when their application for a 100KW repeater in Winnipeg was rejected. The 3 locations that CJME launched the repeaters in are obviously not considered part of the Regina market even though I imagine they are audible in Regina.

To quash any speculation, CJME's sister station CKOM 650 in Saskatoon has no immediate plans to follow suit in Northern Saskatchewan.

[TRENT310]

By the way, where is the line drawn for high power vs. low power? 1kW is relatively low power in the broadcast world, and the TPO is probably lower, but it is still a respectable amount of ERP at the end of the chain. Like my CKYL example, they're running 3kW for their FM transmitter in the same area as the AM.

[Dan Sys]

Good question Trent. I guess the CRTC determines that on a case-by-case basis.

Your CKYL example is a good one, but out here CBU 690's repeater on 88.1 is a whopping 19,500 watts (both facilities licensed to Vancouver). Originally the CBC had proposed an outright flip to 88.1, but there was such a stink raised that the compromise was to keep 690 on the air and make 88.1 a nested repeater.

I'm also hearing that once CHEK TV-6 Victoria goes digital and no longer broadcasts their audio on 87.7 the CBC will be seeking a power increase for 88.1.