Telecommunication
The other meaning of the term "channel" in telecommunications is seen in the phrase communications channel, which is a subdivision of a transmission medium so that it can be used to send multiple streams of information simultaneously. For example, one radio station can broadcast radio waves into free space at frequencies in the neighborhood of 94.5 MHz (megahertz) while another radio station can simultaneously broadcast radio waves at frequencies in the neighborhood of 96.1 MHz. Each radio station would transmit radio waves over a frequency bandwidth of about 180 kHz (kilohertz), centered at frequencies such as the above, which are called the "carrier frequencies". Each station in this example is separated from its adjacent stations by 200 kHz, and the difference between 200 kHz and 180 kHz (20 kHz) is an engineering allowance for the imperfections in the communication system.
WXDU
Getting an FM station on the air is no trivial task: among other things, WDUK would need a large amount of funding, University support, an FCC license, and a place to put the transmitter. The decision on where to put the transmitter was pivotal. Due to nearby stations of 88.5 and 88.9, a new station on 88.7 would not be able to operate at a very high power level. If the transmitter were put on campus, it could operate at a couple of hundred watts of power, and could reach almost a hundred square miles. If the transmitter were put at a location in the Duke Forest in Hillsborough, NC, it could operate at over one thousand watts, and could reach over three hundred square miles. The latter option would be a gamble, however, as studies showed that reception on campus could turn out to be marginal.