WITI Fox 6 back on the radio

[troyriley]

Formerly at 87.7 on the FM dial before the analog shutoff June 12, WITI Fox 6 audio can now be heard again on the radio on WMIL-HD3 (106.1). It has been available for a couple weeks now, but I'm not sure I remember seeing any posts here.

[tbarney]

Formerly at 87.7 on the FM dial before the analog shutoff June 12, WITI Fox 6 audio can now be heard again on the radio on WMIL-HD3 (106.1). It has been available for a couple weeks now, but I'm not sure I remember seeing any posts here.

I'm not sure why they didn't just turn off the TV signal and keep the audio working. I doubt that range of the audio spectrum is being sold off to the highest bidder since every FM radio can pick it up.

[LoadStar]

I'm not sure why they didn't just turn off the TV signal and keep the audio working. I doubt that range of the audio spectrum is being sold off to the highest bidder since every FM radio can pick it up.

87.75 falls under TV authorization rules, not FM authorization, and WITI's license to broadcast a TV signal at that frequency expired at the digital transition date. (Even though most FM radios can pick it up, it's not technically part of the FM frequency band.)

Now, it MIGHT be possible for them to apply for a low-power analog TV station at that frequency, but I'm not sure if the FCC would approve... and it would be a fairly expensive proposition that a fairly cash-constrained owner like Local TV LLC might not want to go through.

(And not EVERY radio can pick it up; my car radio cannot, for instance.)

[WITI6fan]

Now, it MIGHT be possible for them to apply for a low-power analog TV station at that frequency,

Shhh! You're going to give Weigel ideas!

[tbarney]

87.75 falls under TV authorization rules, not FM authorization, and WITI's license to broadcast a TV signal at that frequency expired at the digital transition date. (Even though most FM radios can pick it up, it's not technically part of the FM frequency band.)

That's strange. Every radio I can think of that I have ever had was able to go even lower than 87.7, but just by a little.

[John L]

There is a smooth jazz FM station from Chicago that shows up there at 87.9 Mhz. Its  very powerful station.

[ddeerrff]

I believe the 'official' FM broadcast band is 87.9 - 107.9 MHz.

[foxeng]

Technically it is 88.0 to 108.0 with 87.9 (channel 200) to be used for NCE use under special circumstances.

[DXer720]

Yes, John L, there is a smooth jazz station from Chicago on 87.75.  It's actually WLFM-CA, a low power analog TV station broadcasting from the top of the Hondcock Building in downtown Chicago.  

The audio is FM stereo with RDS & all, so a radio tuned to that frequency would receive it like any other FM station.

The analog video (there's no DTV) is just a still of the station's logo.  

The station comes in very well here in Lake Geneva.  

Tbarney, you're pretty much right.  Most FM radios do go down lower than 87.75.  All the analog-tuned FM radios do.  Most of the digitally-tuned FM sets go down to 87.5, but that's up to the individual manufacturer.  My 2002 GM car radio only goes to 87.7, my home stereo to 87.9.  I have a speaker system dock for my Zune that has an FM tuner on it.  That stops at 88.1.