Update 5/30: K-Love made its long awaited debut on 96.7 at 3:33pm. No splashy launch, just joining the national network feed in progress. With the sale of the station complete, the station is now officially operating as WKLV-FM Port Chester.
Update 4/27/11: WCTZ has applied for a license to cover for its move to its new tower in New Rochelle. Once approved, the sale to EMF will close and the station will flip to Contemporary Christian “K-Love” as WKLV-FM. The move should happen on or around May 1.
The signal upgrade is reliant on “Fox Radio 96.7” WTSX Port Jervis, NY to complete its move to Lehman Township, PA. That will begin to occur on May 1, when WTSX will go dark to allow the WCTZ move to take place. WTSX will return to the air from its new location targeting the Stroudsburg, PA market no later than June 30. To fill the hole left by WTSX’s departure from Port Jervis, the “Fox Radio” AC format found on 96.7 has moved to sister Oldies 1490 WDLC and its translator at 107.7.
Original Report 11/5/10: EMF Broadcasting, operators of the national non-commercial Contemporary Christian “K-Love” network will enter the New York metropolitan area for the the first time. EMF has acquired AC “96.7 The Coast” WCTZ Port Chester, NY from Cox Media for an undisclosed amount. The station currently holds a Construction Permit to relocate its tower from Stamford, CT to New Rochelle, NY.
From its new location 96.7 will cover much of New York’s Northern and Eastern suburbs as well as much of the city proper. Unlike most other K-Love purchases, there will be no format change until the new tower is built out and the sale closes.
I’m surprised Cox Media decided to sell WCTZ.
I expected that it would change formats after it movedit’s transmitter, but that it would have flipped to country, to bring that format back to the only major market that doesn’t have a country-music station.
Could “The signal upgrade is reliant on “Fox Radio 96.7†WTSX Port Jervis, NY to complete its move to Lehman Township, PA.” be explained to me? Why does WTSX need to be moved in order to allow the license to move from Cox to EMF?
For WCTZ to move its tower west, WTSX needs to move further away from WCTZ to retain the authorized spacing requirements between stations on a given frequency.