For the first time in many decades, America's largest city will have new opportunities for noncommercial full-service FM broadcast stations, which are long overdue for the city that is home to more diverse ethnic groups of any American city.
In order to protect WPVI-TV in Philadelphia, full-service stations would be placed in Band 5 (76~82 MHz). This would require the displacement of Channel 5 LPTV stations WXNJ-LD, West Orange, NJ and WNYX-LD, New York, NY.
New York is also the home of LPTV FM6 station WNYZ-LD, which currently carries programming from NY Radio Korea. The LPTV station would be displaced and replaced with a commercial allotment on 87.7. That allotment would need to use a directional antenna on a waiver basis in order to continue to protect WPVI-TV.
FM stations operating in Band 5 will need to protect full-service TV stations WMDE, Dover, DE and WGBH-TV, Boston, MA. From some sites, this may require the use of a directional antenna.
For full-service FM, wide coverage from the Empire State Building may be possible on at least five channels.
There are also many LPFM opportunities available in Band 5. LPFM is also available in Band 6, but in many cases, may be impractical or require a coverage limiting directional antenna in order to maintain protection to WPVI-TV.
NCE-FM Allotments in the NYC Area with wide coverage potential
| 77.1 | C2 | New York, NY |
| 77.9 | C2 | Newark, NJ |
| 78.7 | C2 | Jersey City, NJ |
| 79.5 | C2 | Yonkers, NY |
| 80.3 | C2 | Patterson, NJ |
Additional urban and suburban allotments within 40 miles of New York
| 78.3 | C2 | Stamford, CT |
| 79.1 | A | Brentwood, NY |
| 79.9 | A | Islip, NY |
| 80.7 | A | West Babylon, NY |
| 80.9 | A | Elizabeth, NJ |
Potential locations for LPFM stations in Band 5
| 76.5 |
Upper Manhattan 10025 |
| 76.7 | Bronx 10475 Brooklyn 11226 |
| 77.5 | Lower Manhattan 10002 |
| 79.1 | Hackensack, NJ 07601 |
| 79.9 | North Bergen, NJ 07047 |
| 81.3 | Bronx 10466 Brooklyn 11220 |
| 81.5 | Jackson Heights 11373 Union, NJ 07083 |
| 81.7 | Staten Island 10314 Bronx 10469 Rosedale (JFK airport area) 11422 Passiac, NJ 07055 |
| 81.9 | Manhattan Upper East Side 10021 West Orange, NJ 07052 |
Restrictive LPFM opportunities in Band 6
There are also many LPFM opportunities on 82.5 through 87.3, but those will require directional antennas, which have more costly technical requirements and will have limited coverage. Here is an example of the coverage areas of LPFM stations in Band 6 using directional antennas and a demonstration of how a LPFM station protects a Channel 6 TV station.
