The two remaining applicants for a new non-commercial allocation on 92.1 in the Buffalo, NY suburb of Amherst have come to a settlement agreement leading to Calvary Chapel of the Niagara Frontier being granted a Construction Permit for the new station.
CCNF and Medaille College were the final two of the original nine applicants for the Class A allocation in Amherst during a 2010 filing window. Six were dismissed on the points system used by the FCC to select a winner while Lockport Seventh Day Adventist Church was dismissed on technical grounds in 2012. As part of the settlement, Calvary Chapel of the Niagara Frontier will reimburse Medaille $20,000 for expenses incurred in the application process.
CCNF’s application indicates the station will operate with 1.05kW at 102 meters from the tower of Public News/Talk 88.7 WBFO Buffalo (Coverage Map). The related Calvary Chapel of The Finger Lakes operates “The Word” 99.7 WZXV Palmyra/Rochester, which is heard in Buffalo on 93.3 W227BW Buffalo.
The article doesn’t seem to mention a frequency for the new station?
Correct me if I’m wrong, but were all these low-power FM’s that are flooding our dials with the same program on several different frequencies, all of which can often be heard in a given area, the idea of what low-powered FM’s were supposed to be about? What about areas where there may be pockets of the population underserved by the local commercial stations? As an example, in an area where there are large populations of retirees, a low-powered station that can address their needs? How about Native American reservations? And why is the FCC not cracking down on the illegal “bootleg” stations more than they are? I don’t get the logic.