Should Cora, Wyo., population 142, have an FM radio station?
Wind River Broadcasting thinks so, and it petitioned the FCC to amend the local table of allotments by allocating 102.7 MHz for a Class C2 station there, indicating that if the channel is granted, it will participate in the ensuing auction.
As tiny as it is, the community of Cora — in Sublette County of western Wyoming mountain country — has its own ZIP code. Cora is 10 miles from the county seat, Pinedale, in a gateway area for travel to Yellowstone; and the town of Jackson, Wyo., is a 70-mile drive away.
“The proposed change in the FM Table of Allotment warrants consideration because it would provide a first local service,” the Audio Division staff wrote. “Although Cora is not an incorporated community, it is listed in the United States Census, and thus satisfies a minimum requirement for being considered a community for allotment purposes. A staff engineering analysis indicates that Channel 274C2 can be allotted to Cora, consistent with the minimum distance separation requirements of the commission’s rules, without a site restriction.”
So now the commission is taking comments in a notice of proposed rulemaking (MB Docket No. 17-196, RM-11794).
The staff wrote in the NPRM that Wind River Broadcasting will be expected to answer whatever questions are presented in the initial comments and, if the channel is indeed allotted, to confirm its interest and intention to apply and, if authorized, build a station promptly.
Blake Coble is president of Wind River, and the company lists no other broadcast holdings.
