AAA WMVY has returned to the terrestrial dial in Martha’s Vineyard, MA.
After selling their 92.7 frequency to Boston University in 2012 the station converted to online operation at MVYradio.com. Friends of MVYRadio, LLC acquired 88.7 WMEX Edgartown last November and returned it to the air yesterday with the MVYradio programming.
Vineyard Gazette reports the station relaunched at 4pm following a brief test phase with the sound of ocean waves. The WMVY call letters are now held by 104.3 Hartford, VT, but the station claims it would return to Martha’s Vineyard within two weeks.
88.7 is currently licensed to operate with 580 watts at 83 meters, but applied earlier this month to increase to 12kW which will give the station additional coverage on Cape Cod. The WMVY programming is also heard on 96.5 W243AI Newport, RI and 102.7 WRNI-HD2 Narragansett Pier.
Joseph_Gallant
Just in time for Memorial Day weekend, the start of the Summer season.
I had not heard until this article that the new home of MVY Radio had applied for an increase in ERP to 12,000 watts.
That could give the new ‘MVY a signal even better than the 92.7 one (assuming it transmits from the same tower the station did in it’s 92.7 days.
This is great news for fans of the station, especially if they get the 12,000 watts.
Below is a link to an FCC map showing what WMEX-88.7’s (soon to be re-named WMVY??) 60 DBU signal area would be like under the new CP for 12,000 watts ERP (about equivalent to the red circle for “local” reception on Radio-Locator.com):
https://maps.google.com/?q=http://transition.fcc.gov/fcc-bin/contourplot.kml%3Fgmap%3D2%26appid%D1635466%26call%3DWMEX%26freq%3D88.7%contour%3D60%26city%3DEDGARTOWN%26state%3DMA.kml .
The new signal could also (depending on one’s radio) be quite good in New Bedford, the northern shore of Buzzard’s Bay, Sandwich, Barnstable, Hyannis, West Yarmouth, and Nantucket.
It will actually be a little larger signal area (albeit directional) than the old 92.7 frequency.
Ended up sending you a dead link.
You’ll have to go to http://www.fcc.gov/encyclopedia/fm-query-broadcast-station-search , type in “WMEX” under call letters, and then click-on under “Output” “FM Query (detailed output +CDBS links)””.
Once on that page, scroll down to the bottom where you can see the CP for 12,000 watts ERP, and click “Service Contour On Google Map (60 DBU)”.
That should get you a look at the 60 DBU coverage area once the power increase is granted.