Off The Air

Something interesting happened on Monday -- something besides one woman's video going viral.  That something was that two local radio stations, 94.9 FM and 107.3 FM, were switching places for some unknown reason.  In the afternoon, the change had been made, leaving listeners puzzled by the move.  But if that wasn't enough, the signal for 107.3, the new home for the rock station "The Works," went dead. 

I contacted staff at the station and Ms. Ana Rivera had this to say:

Hi, we hear your pain.  We love rock, as well. The fact the The Works is not on the air at this time was not because we did not want it; it is because we were unable to come to terms with the owner of the frequency.  Unfortunately, the choice is not ours.  You can still listen to us online at www. 949theworks.com  Appreciate your passion.

I requested a little more detail from Ms. Rivera but the statement above was all I received.

I'm dumbfounded by the lack of communication from a media company.  And it's strange that they would have to pay somebody ("the owner of the frequency") for the frequency.  I thought radio stations payed dues to the FCC.  Perhaps somebody could shed light on this matter because it sounds a bit off.