Which Local Station Would Make Sense on a Translator?

It has become fairly common in some other cities to rebroadcast AM and HD2 stations on translators to increase their reach, and audience. In the case of HD2 stations, it's almost like introducing a new station into the market, as so few people have HD radios.
So far there has been no translator doing this within NYC. But if the F.C.C. approves the application for W293BU to relocate from Union City NJ to 4 Times Square and broadcast on 106.3 with 99 watts, a signal that is expected to cover most of Manhattan, and parts of the surrounding area could be created.
Which station, such as an HD2 or AM would be appropriate to relay from such a facility? W293BU in Union City with its tiny signal is said to be currently rebroadcasting country WLTW HD2. But that may only be temporary. I could imagine a news/talk station such as WINS or WFAN leasing the translator so that they could also heard on FM (without an HD radio). Or one of the many HD2's that are offering music formats currently unavailable elsewhere on the dial.
One unfortunate result though is that country WKMK 106.3 from NJ could become even harder to receive in New York.

Proposed Coverage for 106.3 translator: http://cdbs.recnet.net:8080/goo_curves.php?data=40.756|73.987|0.099|271.2|60|104180|292|0|1

Party FM!

WCBS-FM would make sense in some parts of Middlesex County due to the interference from WBEB.

Also, I personally would love a translator of WXRK-HD2 in this area. That station fades out too frequently over here (not that too many people own HD radios anyway), and it would fill the void left by G-Rock.

As discussed in another thread, putting WLTW-HD2 on a translator makes sense since country is a huge format hole in the area. WLTW has nothing to lose by doing so.

ansky212 said:

As discussed in another thread, putting WLTW-HD2 on a translator makes sense since country is a huge format hole in the area. WLTW has nothing to lose by doing so.

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A better option would be to translate Thunder Country 106.5 on the 106.3 translator. I know over the air reception would be impossible, but if the translator's owned by another company, it can be fed another way. This way, it won't hurt reception of Thunder 106.3. And the Long Island one could translate 96.1 WJVC.

I would love to see 107.1 WXPK on the 103.1 W276AQ Fort Lee translator.....WXPK's signal hurts in the Fort Lee area and points south b/c of WWZY.

This is too easy...

One of the AM talk stations. Look at what KEX in Portland and WIOD in Miami have done recently.

Nick said:

A better option would be to translate Thunder Country 106.5 on the 106.3 translator. I know over the air reception would be impossible, but if the translator's owned by another company, it can be fed another way. This way, it won't hurt reception of Thunder 106.3. And the Long Island one could translate 96.1 WJVC.

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If Thunder was on the 106.3 translator would that cause any interference with WKMK's signal on 106.3 since there would be some overlap in signal from the 2 transmitters?

WKMK is a good country station, and I would love to be able to hear it over a wider area.
But I doubt that it would make business sense for most out of town commercial stations to lease a translator in New York. Thunder Country's advertisers are based in NJ and aim their ads at people that live or work there. I believe little would be gained financially by having their signal brought into New York. Party 105 in LI tried this by leasing WNYZ 88.7. After a short time they apparently realized that as a station based rather far away in Suffolk County, having a signal in New York was not worth the expense.
I believe the late Y107 had a similar problem. That former country station had the same programming fed into 4 stations located in coastal NJ, distant northwest NJ, Westchester and LI. But the vast majority of the advertisers were located in the same general area of coastal NJ served by WKMK. They probably gained little by having the other three sticks.

I would say one of the New York translators in the western part of Essex county or wherever the hills hurt the signals.

I think the Y107 transmitters were all synchronized so they would have little interference in NYC itself, so they all had to air the same commercials.

mjb1124 said:

WCBS-FM would make sense in some parts of Middlesex County due to the interference from WBEB.

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That's been a no brainer for years! CBS-FM is very difficult to receive from around East Brunswick to Plainsboro in Middlesex County. They've also got reception issues in Morris as well. WBEB actually shows up in Morris County books. WBEB has twice the power of CBS-FM.

The use of the 101.1 frequency in NY and Philly may have been grandfathered long ago, but why was WBEB allowed to use twice the power of CBS-FM. That puts CBS-FM at a competitive disadvantage in its own market area.

Because CBS-FM is from the t-t-t-t-t-top of the Empire State Building!