{GHQ} No More Static Between Day & Night Traditional Cache
Hidden : 7/3/2011
Difficulty:
1.5 out of 5
Terrain:
1.5 out of 5

Size: Size: other (other)

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Geocache Description:

Congratulations to barrz123 on the FTF!

This cache is dedicated to a local-gem and staple of Leamington that many folks have enjoyed for years.



The Geocaching History Quest is a series of caches that are at or near important historical sites that can include the places, people, or events that are part of local, regional, national, or international history.  These caches should be a good lesson of the rich history and better understanding for anyone that visits the area that the caches bring you to.  This history surrounds us almost everywhere we go and hopefully will not be forgotten through our stories and caches that are part of each and every one of us.
As always, with ANY geocache hunt, PERSONAL SAFETY is of the utmost
importance and BE AWARE of your surroundings at all times.



    


Nearby is the home for a Leamington Legend and Gem that has been part of the community since 1955, and has been very "Cheery" since the late-1960's.

The station went on the air on February 19, 1955 at 3:30pm (not with the current call-letters) and operated only during Daytime hours (dawn to dusk) on 710kHz with a power of 250 watts (directional).  The Canadian General Electric transmitter with two 235 foot towers was on Point Pelee, four miles south of town. Studios and offices were at 23 Erie Street North (almost 300m due west of here). The station would use McCurdy audio equipment in the studios.

Also during the 1950's, the station aired a program called "57 Time", likely associated with the big employer and sponsor in the region.

The station changed it's call-letters to the currently used ones on June 26, 1967 and also was issued a license to operate on a nighttime frequency of 730 kHz on August 2, 1967. 


The original location on Erie Street North, 1970's

On August 23, 1967 the station increased power to 10,000 watts daytime (directional), using six 250 foot top loaded towers, from a site at Concession B, Mersea Township, about three miles southeast of Leamington. Five of the six towers were used during the daytime 710 operation and towers five and six were used for night service on 730 kHz with 250 watts (directional).   AM 730 then began broadcasting and made for an unusual setup: One station with call-letters having "Y" in them operated during daytime hours on 710 kHz and the same station with an "I" in the call-letters operated from sunset to sunrise on 730 kHz.

This made for a very interesting time to listen to the same station throughout the day, with a minor adjustment on your radio at either sunrise or sunset.

On July 24, 1974, the AM730 signal was given permission to increase power from 250 to 500 watts (Night, directional), using the same towers and site and the "I" letters were changed to the same as the Daytime calls on the 710 frequency.

In 1977, the station upgraded its studio facilities. The control room now provided for newscasting as well as announce-operating.  This was a concept already introduced at its sister station in Hamilton, Ontario.

December 7, 1979, Studios and offices moved from the Erie Street North location to it's present location nearby.


A "Cheermometer" collectible

1980, the night power of the 730 kHz signal was increased to 1,000 watts (directional).

In 1983-1984, the station even broadcast the Toronto Maple Leafs (NHL) hockey games as an affiliate.

In the fall of 1991, the station changed format from Adult Contemporary to Canadian Country. Research showed listeners wanted a station with a strong emphasis on Canadian country music. The station retained its Sunday ethnic programming and play-by-play sports.

On February 11, 1993, the station was given permission to flip from AM to FM. The unique two-channel AM station would move to 96.7 MHz and have an effective radiated power of 19,320 watts. For years the station had been operating on 710 kHz during the day and 730 kHz at night, and had been unable to find a suitable single AM frequency for Leamington. The station had been losing money for the past five years and was denied a move to FM in 1990. Costs for the move to FM were expected to be around $590,000.

Construction of the new FM 500 foot tower began in March, 1993 at the existing AM antenna site. To allow this, all of the AM towers had to be removed, except for one. This permitted the station to operate on 710 kHz only - day & night - at reduced power. Operations on 730 kHz ceased at this time (March).  Testing began in early July, and official operations commenced July 23, at 6:00 a.m.

On September 10, 1993, at 6:00pm Eastern Time, the many years of broadcasting on AM 710 came to an end and for the first time since February 1955, there was no broadcast on AM 710 or AM 730 from Leamington.


Original studio board, 1970's

Years later, On April 22, 2001, the station dropped its longtime country music format and adopted a hot adult contemporary format.

In 2007, there were other changes to come along, including moving the transmitter site (that had been in-use for over 50 years) as well as the Corporate owner receiving permission to operate a new FM-station in Leamington, separate from the existing one.  The company operates Leamington’s only commercial radio station and the proposed new station would offer a Country music format targeting listeners aged 25 to 64, but on a different FM-Frequency. The new station would provide 9 hours and 30 minutes of news in each broadcast week, of which 50% would be devoted to the coverage of local Leamington and area stories. It would also provide extensive surveillance and spoken word programming, including local traffic reports, weather, interviews, sports and relevant community information. The company committed to ensuring the editorial independence of the new FM station from the original station through the hiring of a full-time dedicated news director/ reporter and two additional full-time employees dedicated to programming.

The new station would operate at 92.7 MHz with an average effective radiated power of 960 watts and whether due to nostalgia, or a way to honor the history of Broadcasting in Leamington, the new station was given the same call-letters as the original station had back in 1955.  On March 3, 2008, the new station signed-on with a Country format and the music-format of the original station also changed as well.

Its nice to see this station having survived over the years and being a consistent part of the Leamington community for so many years.  Hopefully this will continue for many years to come and many more listeners will enjoy the programs and music that originate nearby.

Additional Hints ()

Zntargvp fvtarq coa

Decryption Key

A|B|C|D|E|F|G|H|I|J|K|L|M
-------------------------
N|O|P|Q|R|S|T|U|V|W|X|Y|Z

(letter above equals below, and vice versa)

Attributes

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