1550 CBE Windsor, Ontario. News, Weather and Sign-off. 1985

1550 CBE News, Weather and Sign-off October 27, 1985. 1:00 to 1:15 a.m. Received in Philadelphia. Heard over WCVL Crawfordsville, Indiana.

[@TrentJordan3198]

After the 10 minute mark, you can hardly hear "What a Fool Believes" by the Doobie Brothers.

[@DrewTechner]

That was WCVL Crawfordsville, Indiana in the background.

[@CrowTRobot-ni7zu]

You picked this up better than I used to from my own home in Livonia, Michigan, about 25 miles from Windsor. Thank you for posting this, from a border listener.

[@christopherbubb2890]

I know what you mean. I live in Whitmore Lake (about 10 miles north of Ann Arbor) and I typically get WDLR Delaware, OH on 1550 at night. 1550 Windsor (now CBEF) comes in only during the day (and not very strongly at that).

[@ChristopherSobieniak]

I suppose CBC didn't like making that signal go into the Detroit area.

[@1L6E6VHF]

The channel is a Mexican Clear Channel. They used a Directional array to bar their signal such that it would be less than 5 microvolts per meter (a phenomenally weak signal) anywhere in México. It had a strong signal in Detroit's East Side (we lived in zip 48224). It was my father's favorite station.

[@jeffk7734]

1L6E6VHF I never would have guessed that it couldn’t be received in other parts of the Detroit Area. I lived in both Grosse Pointe Farms, and the City of Grosse Pointe. Now, I am in Rocheester, New York, and receive them at night.

[@WPM_in_ATL]

Look up some of the stories about WWKB (ex-WKBW-AM) in Buffalo. They are on 1520 kHz and have to protect the 1520 kHz station KOKC (ex-legend KOMA) in Oklahoma City. At night, you could not get this station in much of the Buffalo area, but you could get it in SCANDANAVIA (yes, that is true). I know I heard it in Boston, stronger than a nearby 1510 kHz station...has to do with the antennas in use. "KB" is said to have had 225 degree towers at night.

[@DrewTechner]

1550 CBE News, Weather and Sign-off October 27, 1985. 1:00 to 1:15 a.m. Received in Philadelphia. Heard over WCVL Crawfordsville, Indiana.

[@retrorewindnl7691]

miss the old CBC chime. similar to the one used on CBC TV from 1974-1985. Sounds like Alan Maitland for the CBC ID at the beginning. Long time announcer, most notably for "As It Happens"

[@WPM_in_ATL]

I was going to comment that it sounded like Mr. Maitland.

[@joshgalka9414]

Sign off starts at 10:27

[@hf6150]

The anthem is the audio of what plenty of Canadian TV stations played to sign off at the time. You can find that all over KZbin.

[@jeffk7734]

This station that broadcasts in French. I can get them very well here in Rochester, New York. Anyone know how much power they use on this channel? The 103.1 frequency that was mentioned is not very strong and I'm not sure if that is still French or not in the Detroit area. For all my years of DX saying I only picked that station on 103.1 up once or twice.

[@CrowTRobot-ni7zu]

Manyvideointerests1 I believe the 103.1 FM station is still there, and still broadcasting in French. However, since it’s in Leamington, and I’m in Livonia, MI, it’s hard to hear it.

[@someguy23475]

1550 is 10,000 watts.

[@WPM_in_ATL]

From a displaced Rochesterian (currently in Richmond, VA): The CBC (SRC in French) has spent years moving AM stations to FM. Exhibit A (or exhibit EH?) is CBL Toronto, which moved off 740 kHz to 99.1 MHz FM and is now legally CBLA-FM. This took place back in 1999. Both CBC flamethrower AM signals in Montreal were moved off AM. I am sure others have been moved but I haven't kept score. I am sure you will agree Jeff that AM 740 and AM 860 (CJBC, French SRC) have good signals in Rochester. Back to Windsor: The CBC found a (barely) satisfactory FM frequency in Windsor to move CBE to FM. It does not cover like CBE (AM) once did, but the CBC is more concerned about covering Metro Windsor (smaller than Greater Rochester) than anywhere in the US. Pity for us, It's good radio. It's directional away from the US. They did not find a satisfactory FM for CBEF and moved it to AM 1550 (10, 000 watts directional) in the fall of 2012. I understand the 540 kHz array was in decrepit shape at the end and the AM 1550 kHz frequency is on a Canadian/Mexico Clear Channel. AM 540 is also a Canadian/Mexican AM clear, so moving CBEF off 540 kHz cleaned that up too for two other CBC properties on the frequency. With apologies to Wikipedia and Scott Fybush.

[@jeffk7734]

@@WPM_in_ATL how long had 540 been on the air? It was on the air for years, and like I have said in the post I originally made is that I’ve only picked up 103.1 FM maybe once or twice. The same holds true for CFCO which has always had an impressive signal on 630 AM, but 92.9 FM was another weak channel. At least for many of us who are on the boarder with Canada we get to have some music like on 740 which comes into Rochester great all the time, but I’ve picked them up in TN when at my mother’s house at night. Have no idea what the deal is with 540 AM in the Detroit area, but when I was in Michigan for a week in 2013 I was picking a station up from Clarksville, TN with sports talk. Do you know what’s going on with 580 CKWW? Are they still classic hits?

[@hf6150]

At @5:50, the sports guys totally missed the key moment in the bottom of the ninth. Any Royals or Cards fan can tell you what that was.

[@eric21200]

That was the missed call at first, correct?