so where does XWA Montreal fit into it?

[Dan.Strassberg]

Was CKAC on 730 prior to NARBA (3/31/41)? I doubt it. IIRC, NARBA was
what inserted 730 as a Mexican IA channel, which could be used by
Canadian Class IIs that protected the Mexican border. Full-time
operation by US stations on the Mexican IA channels of 730, 900, 1050,
and 1220 (except for 1050 in New York and 1220 in Cleveland, which
were covered by separate treaties) began only about 20 years ago (with
the Rio treaty, I think). Initially, except for the two exceptions I
mentioned, US AMs on those frequencies were restricted to 500W at
night.

CKAC has been on 730 with 50 kW-U for many decades but has only
nominally been a Class A (albeit, like many Canadian Class A's,
without protection of their skywave service) for about 20 years (since
the Rio treaty, I believe). I had always thought that CFCF's
relegation to 600 was the result of the politics of language. Montreal
and the Province of Quebec have always been majority Francophone. CFCF
broadcast in English. CBF (French) got the plum 690 (full Class IA)
assignment in Montreal; CBM (English) got the slightly inferior IB
assigmnent on 940. CKAC (French) got the 50-kW DA-1 (initially Class
II) assignment on 730; CFCF (English) got what was initially
Montreal's best Class III assignment (600, the frequency on which it
had operated long before NARBA). In a sense, given the great
preponderance of Francophones in the population of Montreal and QC,
those assignments still did not provide Francophone/Anglophone parity.

-----
Dan Strassberg (dan.strassberg@att.net)
eFax 1-707-215-6367

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Kevin Vahey" <kvahey@comcast.net>
To: "(newsgroup) Boston-Radio-Interest"
<boston-radio-interest@bostonradio.org>
Sent: Thursday, March 05, 2009 1:06 AM
Subject: so where does XWA Montreal fit into it?


> When talking about commercial radio at the beginning one has to
> include XWA Montreal that started in 1919 and then became CFCF in
> 1920. The station was owned by Marconi of Canada for years. They got
> shafted in their final dial placement of 600 as CKAC was given the
> blowtorch at 730.
>
> Today the license lives on 940 and for the most part is playing
> oldies
> that FM stations in Montreal can't (only the CRTC could come up with
> that)  They tried to be news-talk when they moved to 940 but it
> never
> caught on as CJAD just owns the market.