WTBS-LP on 87.75?

[MRFLASHPORT]

I know technically this is TV channel 6, but last night after listening to Angelique on WRFG, I spun the dial on my Grundig G3 and heard Spanish music on 87.75. Not having an analog TV anymore (and my three HDTV's have garbage for OTA tuners with indoor antennas for anything analog LP), I could not "see" if there was a placeholder ID.

The only licensee I can find is an APPLICATION and CP for WTBS-LP on analog channel 6, shows to be from 1800 Briarcliff. Also whipped out my ICF-7600GR and could hear it clear on that radio too, scanned the band and it isn't an image. Never heard an ID in the hour I listened (of course if it is a TV LP they only HAVE to ID on their video carrier correct?)

If it is WTBS-LP I guess they aren't waiting for their license. Not like the FCC really cares anymore anyway.

 

[Avid Listener]

I know technically this is TV channel 6, but last night after listening to Angelique on WRFG, I spun the dial on my Grundig G3 and heard Spanish music on 87.75. Not having an analog TV anymore (and my three HDTV's have garbage for OTA tuners with indoor antennas for anything analog LP), I could not "see" if there was a placeholder ID.

The only licensee I can find is an APPLICATION and CP for WTBS-LP on analog channel 6, shows to be from 1800 Briarcliff. Also whipped out my ICF-7600GR and could hear it clear on that radio too, scanned the band and it isn't an image. Never heard an ID in the hour I listened (of course if it is a TV LP they only HAVE to ID on their video carrier correct?)

If it is WTBS-LP I guess they aren't waiting for their license. Not like the FCC really cares anymore anyway.

I had my MP3 Player set to 87.9, because it needs to transmit to an empty station frequency. Lately, there is so much spill over from the Spanish music on 87.7 that I had to find a new blank spot to use. I only have a regular digital radio, that only tunes in the main frequencies. I can't tweak it down beyond the single, odd-numbered single decimal point that regular stations use. But when tuned to 87.7, the Spanish music is really loud. At 87.9, it's still louder and clearer than most AM stations.

 

[MRFLASHPORT]

Interesting how they don't have a valid facility license yet they are on the air anyway. I guess their remittance checks clear and that is all the FCC cares about.

 

[Unregistered]

87.7 fm

Is this frequency legal? they are promoting this frequency as the "new Mega Mundial 87.7fm". They are playing commercials already. For your information guys... the person behind all this is the same guy who was fired from Clear Channel VIVA 105.7 fm a few years ago. Any Thoughts or opinions?

 

[secondchoice]

The FCC gave them a STA:

http://licensing.fcc.gov/cgi-bin/prod/cdbs/forms/prod/getimportletter_exh.cgi?import_letter_id=49132

 

[jefflaurence]

Holy crap..that is amazing...just incredible! Do they need to provide any video at all..like the placeholder slide or something? And no IDs at all? Wow...just wow..

 

[Avid Listener]

Is this frequency legal? they are promoting this frequency as the "new Mega Mundial 87.7fm". They are playing commercials already. For your information guys... the person behind all this is the same guy who was fired from Clear Channel VIVA 105.7 fm a few years ago. Any Thoughts or opinions?

I'm afraid that if I reveal my true opinion about an illegally operating Spanish language station in light of the current situation regarding illegal aliens swarming across the border I'll lose my posting privileges.

 

[secondchoice]

I'm afraid that if I reveal my true opinion about an illegally operating Spanish language station in light of the current situation regarding illegal aliens swarming across the border I'll lose my posting privileges.

I feel your pain, but this station is legal:

http://transition.fcc.gov/fcc-bin/tvq?list=0&facid=53584

If not Clear Channel would have complained to the FCC!

IMHO: The illegal emigration will kill capitalism. Capitalism is based on Economics' supply and demand. If a product's cost is distorted by low wages, then the true cost and benefit can not take effect. Example nobody wants to pick up trash. My service uses a driver an "mechanical arm" that picks up the can dumps it and put it back on the curb. This service is cheaper than the service with guys riding on the back of the truck.


The teenage unemployment rate is high.* Just an example of how a legal work would help the economy and give students an chance earn money for college (or a new tattoo!):

GA's onions crop could be picked by 16 + high school and college students. Of course the grower would have to pay minimum wage (or more). The legal money / wages would be TAXED and spent in the US not money ordered to a foreign country. The kids are not in school so they can work summers. The labor cost would be partially off set by lower taxes (fewer people using the "safety net"). If legal taxed labor causes the price of onions to increase to effect demand then that product wasn't as need as everybody thinks. If things get bad for the grower, then some smart capitalist / grower will figure out how to mechanize the process.

When I was in high school in Tennessee, our district did not start school until after labor day so the kids could harvesting their parents crops. In 1970 and 71 I made twice the minimum wage helping a farmer picking up hay during the summer and cutting tobacco on Saturdays in the early fall. Bought my first car a 1963 Chevy Impala and made on my one of my first mistakes: sold it when I went in the service. I wish I had it now! It was unwrecked and I had a 427 / 4 speed. that Car was fast!

* http://www.bls.gov/web/empsit/cpseea10.htm

Economics

 

[kf4rca]

No responsible person...

would get on the air without proper documentation.
You really don't want those goons kicking your door in at 3AM.
And no responsible person would sneak under the border.
Some other goon might want to use you for target practice.
Last I checked, they were off the air.

 

[davideduardo]

I'm afraid that if I reveal my true opinion about an illegally operating Spanish language station in light of the current situation regarding illegal aliens swarming across the border I'll lose my posting privileges.

As noted, this station is entirely legal. It is the analog audio of a Channel 6 operation, duly operating with an STA.

There are many of these across the country. The most famous was the attempt to make EDM a viable format in New York City on another 87.7 "FrankenFM" called Pulse. Merlin operated one in Chicago, and there are others in LA, Dallas, Las Vegas, Cleveland, etc. The last four mentioned are also in Spanish, legally.

 

[davideduardo]

I'm afraid that if I reveal my true opinion about an illegally operating Spanish language station in light of the current situation regarding illegal aliens swarming across the border I'll lose my posting privileges.

What possible relationship would a pirate (were it actually so) radio station have with the influx of Central American children across the Texas border?

 

[Mike_Rafone]

Only the fact the border invasion is a carefully orchestrated, intentional attempt by the current administration to raise such ire and anger that we will forget about the IRS, NSA, and VA "scandals." pardon me, all the bogus scandals. A clever bunch those in power are. And who would doubt that an illegal -- excuse me, "undocumented" alien -- excuse me again, "migrant" might choose to set up their own little radio station, illegal though it may be, because now they are in AMERICA!!!!!! and they can do whatever they darn well want to, and ain't nobody going to do anything to them.

 

[davideduardo]

Only the fact the border invasion is a carefully orchestrated, intentional attempt by the current administration to raise such ire and anger that we will forget about the IRS, NSA, and VA "scandals." pardon me, all the bogus scandals. A clever bunch those in power are. And who would doubt that an illegal -- excuse me, "undocumented" alien -- excuse me again, "migrant" might choose to set up their own little radio station, illegal though it may be, because now they are in AMERICA!!!!!! and they can do whatever they darn well want to, and ain't nobody going to do anything to them.

The spoiler to this argument is that there are literally no cases of pirate stations in Mexico, Central America, the Spanish speaking countries of the Caribbean and, with one exception, all of South America. Pirate radio stations are pretty much a European and American construct... in other words, something that immigrants learn about once they come to the US.

The one South American country with loads of pirates is Argentina... which we all know is not really in South America as it is the southernmost country in Europe and they are just copying the habits of the largest population group in the country, the Italians, who absolutely love pirates.

In any case, the pirates that have been busted seem to all be operated by citizens or legal residents. Folks here without papers don't tend to put an antenna on the roof and broadcast a signal that says, "come get me".


And I have never heard of a pirate being operated by underage children.

 

[Avid Listener]

What possible relationship would a pirate (were it actually so) radio station have with the influx of Central American children across the Texas border?

Central American children are only a tiny part of the problem of the invasion of illegal aliens of all ages. Of particular importance are the ones smuggling drugs and contraband. The only relationship would be if the broadcasts in Spanish weren't legal.

Illegal aliens crossing our borders is against the law. Illegal aliens living inside the United States is against the law. Failing to deport (or repatriate, if you want a less loaded word) criminals who are in the country illegally is against the law.

And I have never heard of a pirate being operated by underage children.

The use of children as pawns in the campaign to allow hordes of illegal aliens to either enter or remain in the country is a despicable act. But promoting the myth that the problems with illegal aliens is only about children is an equally despicable act of aiding and abetting this huge scale criminal operation.

 

[davideduardo]

The use of children as pawns in the campaign to allow hordes of illegal aliens to either enter or remain in the country is a despicable act. But promoting the myth that the problems with illegal aliens is only about children is an equally despicable act of aiding and abetting this huge scale criminal operation.

Hopefully, this whole thread will get deleted.

There is no connection between the current wave of immigration which consists almost entirely of children sent by their parents to escape horrific urban violence and a legal radio station that can broadcast in any language it chooses.

You said..."in light of the current situation regarding illegal aliens swarming across the border " and the current situation only and specifically involves children. Adults are not coming due to lack of jobs and the fact that the specific law that allows children to remain here does not apply to adults.

As to the "huge scale criminal operation" I see you have your tin foil conspiracy theory hat on again. Yet another reason to end this thread. It's not related to radio and it is bizarre to boot.

 

[Avid Listener]

There is no connection between the current wave of immigration which consists almost entirely of children sent by their parents to escape horrific urban violence and a legal radio station that can broadcast in any language it chooses.

To claim that the current wave of illegal aliens coming across the border is almost entirely children is flat out wrong. I have already acknowledged that my comparison was based on understanding that the radio station in question was operating illegally. I did not persist in claiming that the connection existed after learning that the station was not illegal, even though the aliens swarming over our border and living among us are illegal.

As for a radio station being capable of broadcasting in any language that it chooses, that is irrelevant. Just because a radio station can do something doesn't mean that it should. You would be among the first to cry "foul" over any broadcast of information or opinion that you dislike or disagree with. You're among the first to resort to name-calling! "Tin foil conspiracy theory"? You'll engage in that sort of name-calling and have the unmitigated gall to claim anyone else isn't being polite or is engaging in spreading lies?

And for once, could you maybe just acknowledge the truth? Aliens who enter the country illegally are not immigrants. They are criminals. If someone robs a store at gunpoint to get money, they are criminals. If they reason why they're engaging in criminal activity is because they don't have enough of this or that or cannot feed their children, they are still criminals. The correct and proper response to criminal illegal aliens is to send them back to their homelands. The responsible position for any radio station to take regarding this matter, even if it programs in Spanish, is to call for enforcement of our nation's laws.

 

[davideduardo]

To claim that the current wave of illegal aliens coming across the border is almost entirely children is flat out wrong.

For the last 6 years, the outbound migration of immigrants has equaled or exceeded the inbound migration. That is because the recession has negatively impacted the job market, and many immigrants have chosen to return to their homeland when they could not find employment or lost the jobs they had.

The recent and highly publicized migration from Central America is the exception. It is almost entirely children under the age of majority. They are coming because of a Bush era piece of legislation that requires a hearing prior to deportation. In the time between entering the country and the hearing, they are allowed to stay, generally on their own recognizance.

To give a bit of "radioness" to this discussion, the lack of inbound migration has had a major impact on the Spanish language broadcasting sector. 18-24 Hispanics, previously the demo that represented most new immigrants, has become predominantly filled with US born, second generation Hispanics who are English dominant and listen to CHR, Rhythmic CHR and other stations in English.

You're among the first to resort to name-calling! "Tin foil conspiracy theory"? You'll engage in that sort of name-calling and have the unmitigated gall to claim anyone else isn't being polite or is engaging in spreading lies?

To say there is an "illegal plot" whereby the children from Central America are coming here is definitely a conspiracy theory. There is no evidence that this is a plot. Simply stated, in several nations of Central America where gang violence and crime are now endemic, folks discovered that children who came here would not be instantly deported and could "blend in to the system" and live here permanently. So they started to send the children to relatives who were already here. No plot, no conspiracy. Just the taking advantage of a recently written US law.

And for once, could you maybe just acknowledge the truth? Aliens who enter the country illegally are not immigrants.

Anyone who moves about a country is a migrant. A Puerto Rican who moves to Orlando is a migrant, as is a Texan who relocates to Boston.

Anyone who moves from one country to another is an emigrant from the homeland and an immigrant to the new nation. Legality of the move is not a factor in determining whether a person is an immigrant or not.

The correct and proper response to criminal illegal aliens is to send them back to their homelands.

The problem is that lax enforcement over the last three decades has brought over 11 million immigrants into the country with no papers. There is no way to remove them without destroying the economy and sending the US into deep depression, and, anyway, it is the government's and the nation's fault most have been allowed to stay so long that they have children who are US Citizens and who don't know any other country.

The responsible position for any radio station to take regarding this matter, even if it programs in Spanish, is to call for enforcement of our nation's laws.

If we had believed that a cupla' hundred years ago, we'd still be flying the British flag over here. The responsible position for a radio station is to question whether the existing laws are fair and just and to call for change if appropriate. There are different sides to this, just as there are on gun control, abortion, same sex marriage and a slew of other issues. A radio station that is doing its job should be open to discussion and ready to defend the position its listeners prefer, even if unpopular.

 

[MRFLASHPORT]

Well...I had no idea my post would be turned into a hot debate over immigration. My bad for including the word "Spanish" to describe what I heard on 87.75MHz.

It was been learned that an STA has been issued, and the station is operating legally, which was my only concern. I could care less if they were playing banjo music, let's not turn this into a mud slinging thread. You both sound like the gas bags on talk radio which is why I am sad to say I don't even listen to talk radio anymore. No one wants to debate anything, it's just more banter of "my team rules, your team sucks". Isn't there a "take it outside" forum for this?

anyway, I find it interesting that a station of any kind would invest in running LPTV to gain a RADIO audience. Many FM radios today are PLL synthesized and only tune 88.1-107.9 exclusively. This means many folks in that stations' target won't even know they are there.

 

[Avid Listener]

To say there is an "illegal plot" whereby the children from Central America are coming here is definitely a conspiracy theory.

Again with the name calling. I'm surprised the moderators are ignoring this. Your term "conspiracy theory" is full of connotations. If there was a deliberate plan being carried out that you personally approved of, you'd call it a "well considered plan of action". But, since it goes counter to your personal vested interest in a career that depends in large measure on a particular market niche, you resort to name-calling by implying that the well considered plan of action that has been proven with publicly available evidence is actually some sort of "conspiracy theory", just to cast the statements in a negative light.

Do you really expect anyone to believe that people in Central America simply "discovered" a loophole in American law? That there was no effort made by anyone to deliberately educate them about that loophole? Or that the government's advertising several months ago for people to work in hosting and transporting illegal alien children in preparation of this situation was just a coincidence?

Well...I had no idea my post would be turned into a hot debate over immigration. My bad for including the word "Spanish" to describe what I heard on 87.75MHz.

It was been learned that an STA has been issued, and the station is operating legally, which was my only concern. I could care less if they were playing banjo music, let's not turn this into a mud slinging thread. You both sound like the gas bags on talk radio which is why I am sad to say I don't even listen to talk radio anymore. No one wants to debate anything, it's just more banter of "my team rules, your team sucks". Isn't there a "take it outside" forum for this?

anyway, I find it interesting that a station of any kind would invest in running LPTV to gain a RADIO audience. Many FM radios today are PLL synthesized and only tune 88.1-107.9 exclusively. This means many folks in that stations' target won't even know they are there.

It is interesting. The thing is, when "interesting" things like that happen, when there doesn't seem to be any rhyme or reason for them happening, yet they happen, it's almost impossible to avoid wondering why. And, when one wonders "why?", it's almost impossible for people with active minds to not speculate on the answers. Such speculation, when done in public, is usually referred to as "discussion".

 

[davideduardo]

Again with the name calling. I'm surprised the moderators are ignoring this. Your term "conspiracy theory" is full of connotations.

This is not name calling. A "conspiracy theory" is where, beyond all evidence, a belief is held that there is irregularity behind the scenes scheming and plotting and no transparency.

In this particular case, there is no conspiracy. A few incidents occurred where unaccompanied minors from Central America were allowed to remain in the US pending a hearing. Their relocation to the custody of relatives was facilitated and paid for by ICE. Word got out in Tegucigalpa and San Pedro Sula and San Salvador and Escuintla that if you could get your kids to the border, they would be welcomed and sent on their way to family members in the gentle arms of a benevolent Tío Sam.

But it took several years for anyone to realize that they could send their kids to the US. That's because most people thought they would be turned away or immediately deported. Only after a few serendipitous cases occurred where kids were allowed to stay did an awareness develop. Since most border crossers are not apprehended anyway, it took even longer for an awareness to be created that even in the case of apprehension, there was no immediate deportation.

It did not take the coyote community long to spot a business opportunity, and they organized those excursions to the border with Texas, making lots of money in the process. And as more and more kids were sent on their way to family members in the US, the more people in those gang-dominated communities wanted to send their children.

No conspiracy, just opportunity created by a law that was not thought through well enough to contemplate the eventual discovery of this loophole. As it is, it took years and years from the time Bush signed the law until its new use was discovered. Were there a conspiracy, the effect would have been immediate and not felt after about 8 years from the bill's signing into law.

If there was a deliberate plan being carried out that you personally approved of, you'd call it a "well considered plan of action".

No, I would not. In this case, a poorly crafted law has a loophole that was recently discovered, The law needs to be amended or reversed, for the protection of all these children who suffer the unthinkable while crossing a thousand or so miles of Mexico.

But, since it goes counter to your personal vested interest in a career that depends in large measure on a particular market niche,

My career has mostly been in places in Latin America where there is no issue in this area. And in the US, there are 50 million Hispanics today and the unfettered influx of immigrants stopped in 2007-2008 so I know how to deal with a market fueled by organic growth. It's a non-issue.

Do you really expect anyone to believe that people in Central America simply "discovered" a loophole in American law?

Yes. It took about 8 years for the development of a consensus, grass-roots awareness that the new law allowed for an indefinite stay on deportations for minor children from non-border nations. It was not until late last year that this awareness reached critical mass, in fact.

That there was no effort made by anyone to deliberately educate them about that loophole?

I have friends in radio in Guatemala and Honduras and El Salvador and have worked in all three nations. This took them as much by surprise as it did folks in the US.

Or that the government's advertising several months ago for people to work in hosting and transporting illegal alien children in preparation of this situation was just a coincidence?

The situation did not just occur from one day to the next. It has been building for 9 to 12 months, and the ads were based on dealing with an already expanding problem or situation.