Blackburn Media has announced it’s transitioning Chatham-Kent heritage radio station, CFCO, to a new home on FM, starting April 25.
After broadcasting on the AM band since 1927, most recently at 630 AM, in addition to being heard on low-power 92.9 FM since 2000, Blackburn says CFCO’s move to 91.3 FM “positions the station for long term sustainability while delivering a stronger, more reliable signal to listeners across Chatham-Kent.”
Blackburn says station programming will remain unchanged with CFCO to continuing to serve the community as “Chatham-Kent’s Country.” The station is currently in a simulcast period, broadcasting across 630 AM, 92.9 FM, and the new 91.3 FM frequency. The AM signal and 92.9 FM are set to go dark at the end of April.
“The reality is that the long-term viability of AM radio is coming to an end,” said Blackburn Media Vice President Walter Ploegman, in a company announcement. “To sustain CFCO for the next 100 years, moving fully to the FM band was a necessary step. This conversion addresses challenges with aging AM infrastructure and ensures we continue to serve Chatham-Kent with a strong, dependable signal.”
Blackburn says the decision reflects changing audience habits away from AM radio, which has been compounded by the lack of AM in electric vehicles, signal reliability challenges during adverse weather, in addition to the increasing cost of maintaining aging AM transmission facilities. The new FM signal will broadcast at 1,250 watts from a new tower location, as well as continue to stream online via the iHeartRadio app.
