NEW NONCOM STATIONS IN MAINE & COLORADO • PERFECT HOLIDAY GIFT FOR RADIO GEEKS

MAINE CLASSICAL ADDS ANOTHER SIGNAL

Maine Public Radio is adding another new signal to its emerging statewide Classical music service. Maine Public announced this week that is acquiring commercial station WRMO 93.7, licensed to Milbridge. 

The purchase price was $150,000. 93.7 covers coastal Maine (map on the right) including Bar Harbor, Ellsworth and Calais.

In just over a year Maine Public Classical net has gone from being a single HD channel to become a viable second service covering most of the population centers in the state. 

Maine's other channel now features NPR News 24/7 statewide.

Maine Public Classical’s flagship is 91.5 WFYB Fryeburg, which provides a signal to Portland. Maine Public says 93.7 should be fulltime Classical by December 1^st.

ANOTHER ROCK FM NOW ON-AIR IN BOULDER

The Front Range of Colorado has another rock oriented FM signal.  Boulder’s Daily Camera newspaper reports [link] that Colorado University’s student station, KVCU-AM Radio1190, is now being simulcast on 98.9 FM.

Mikey Goldenberg, Radio AM 1190's general manager and the station's only full-time employee told the Daily Camera:

"Don't get me wrong, AM radio is quaint, AM radio serves a multitude of amazing organizations and people, but AM radio specifically is a little tough to listen to at times. FM legitimizes what we are on a bigger level, in a bigger way because people take it more seriously; the students take it more seriously of wanting to get involved through our educational component."

(I can’t recall hearing AM radio being called “quaint” recently. But I guess it fits.)

KVCU-AM [link] has been serving a steady diet of independent music on 1190 AM since 1989. The station's programming is also available online at Radio1190.org.

The new FM signal is unique because technically it is a LPFM station. The FCC granted the construction permit for 98.9 in May. KVCU AM/FM is a training ground for CU students, who can get hands-on experience in everything from marketing to journalism to engineering. Radio 1190 has 10 paid students managers and more than 100 volunteers.

RADIO GEEK GIFT IDEA

A few years ago my wife bought me a terrific, inexpensive gift: Scott Fybush’s Tower Site Calendar. Fybush is a consulting engineer and publisher of the blog North East Radio Watch [link]. 

The calendar features 12 broadcast tower sites in unusual and often picturesque locations.  Many of the sites have historical significance. The calendar costs around $20.00.  More information is available at [link].

LAST YEAR'S CALENDAR

Last year’s calendar featured South Mountain, home of Phoenix's TV and most of its FM stations, Grimsby, Ontario tower farm overlooking Lake Ontario and The Empire State Building tower farm.

Why have a tower site calendar on the wall?   

It is a great conversation starter. You might have noticed that erect towers are phallic symbols.

In case Fybush or others are looking for new ideas for a calendar, I present these suggestions:

MOST OVER-CROWDED PATCH BAYS

ON-AIR STUDIO CHAIRS THAT ARE CERTAIN TO CAUSE BACK PAIN

GREATEST STATION VANS