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WJIB

raccoonradio

raccoonradio

Bob Bittner on facebook:
"NO CHRISTMAS MUSIC ON WJIB DUE TO POWER OUTAGE IN MAINE, the source of most WJIB programming.
A comedy of errors up here…. WJTO Generator not working, my car is stuck in the mud from so much rain, and even if I could get to Cambridge by car to re-program the WJIB-Cambridge computer (what you’re hearing now with regular programming) it would not be safe to leave here to get on the glass-frozen roads we call the flash-freeze. Central Maine Power says we’ll have power restored on the 25th by 10:30 pm. Now 215,000 Maine customers without power. Cape Cod WBAS is off the air entirely, so is WJTO, and separately WLVP. WLAM in Lewiston is still on the air, last I knew.
Sorry folks. Maybe I’ll put all Xmas/holiday music on Monday."

Facebook

www.facebook.com www.facebook.com
 
Bittner update via Facebook:
Comcast still not functioning. The problem is in Maine, therefore no Christmas music in neither Boston or Cape Cod. Comcast says they’re “working on it” but that’s doubtful. It’s an area-wide problem in this part of Maine.
 
I thought the music playlists were programmed many days in advance. Why would you have to go to the transmitter site on Dec. 23rd to program the 24th and 25th?

Hey, I understand this is a small budget operation, a labor of love. But it still doesn't make sense. We knew Christmas Eve and Day arrive every December 24th and 25th. And we knew the storm was coming days in advance, as well.
 
Gregg. said:
I thought the music playlists were programmed many days in advance. Why would you have to go to the transmitter site on Dec. 23rd to program the 24th and 25th?

Hey, I understand this is a small budget operation, a labor of love. But it still doesn't make sense. We knew Christmas Eve and Day arrive every December 24th and 25th. And we knew the storm was coming days in advance, as well.
Click to expand...
I believe it's because everything comes from Maine via a private stream to the transmitters for WJIB and WBAS. However since everything was dead at WJTO, the Christmas tunes programmed in advance there were not playing out to feed to Cambridge and the Cape. WJIB and WBAS were on the air but automatically switched to a backup automation programmed with evergreen regular format music. 364 days a year that would be fine but alas on Christmas that backup automation did not have Christmas playlists set up. If the roads were not bad, he could have gone to Cambridge and loaded a Christmas playlist. Makes perfect sense if you know how radio works.
 
DawsonM said:
I believe it's because everything comes from Maine via a private stream to the transmitters for WJIB and WBAS.
Click to expand...
Yes, and I believe that private stream is sent from WJTO in Maine to WJIB and WBAS via high-bandwidth Comcast phone lines, which are almost always the cause of audio failures on the two affiliates, plus sometimes circumstances where the programming stays on the air but with glitchy sounds and artifacts. As stated above, he can switch the affiliates to local automation, but it may not be programmed for special events.

There HAS to be a better, more reliable, but still low (or perhaps lower) cost method of sending the signal to the affiliates other than relying on Comcast. I have no experience with using Comcast for that purpose, but I was forced to use them for four years in the late 20-teens when my late father, in his early 90's, lived in an assisted living facility that contracted with only Comcast for landline phone (essential for seniors suffering from dementia who can't remember how to use a cell phone) and cable TV (and internet that he did not use).

The amount of frequent difficulties I had just getting Comcast to set up and maintain simple basic landline phone and cable TV service for the last four years of my elderly father's life was unbelievable. At some of their "outages", they completely forgot that our account existed. They would lose all records of it by numbers, name, or anything, and we would have to start all over with a new account. That happened at least a few times in the four years, and as the payer, I never missed paying the bills.

I use Verizon for my own service at my apartment, and though I've occasionally had some problems with them, Comcast makes Verizon look like rocket scientists.
 
With last weeks storms then deep freeze, I guess I did pick the right week to leave the country for vacation! Glad the station got back up on Christmas.
 
Eli Polonsky said:
Yes, and I believe that private stream is sent from WJTO in Maine to WJIB and WBAS via high-bandwidth Comcast phone lines, which are almost always the cause of audio failures on the two affiliates, plus sometimes circumstances where the programming stays on the air but with glitchy sounds and artifacts. As stated above, he can switch the affiliates to local automation, but it may not be programmed for special events.

There HAS to be a better, more reliable, but still low (or perhaps lower) cost method of sending the signal to the affiliates other than relying on Comcast. I have no experience with using Comcast for that purpose, but I was forced to use them for four years in the late 20-teens when my late father, in his early 90's, lived in an assisted living facility that contracted with only Comcast for landline phone (essential for seniors suffering from dementia who can't remember how to use a cell phone) and cable TV (and internet that he did not use).

The amount of frequent difficulties I had just getting Comcast to set up and maintain simple basic landline phone and cable TV service for the last four years of my elderly father's life was unbelievable. At some of their "outages", they completely forgot that our account existed. They would lose all records of it by numbers, name, or anything, and we would have to start all over with a new account. That happened at least a few times in the four years, and as the payer, I never missed paying the bills.

I use Verizon for my own service at my apartment, and though I've occasionally had some problems with them, Comcast makes Verizon look like rocket scientists.
Click to expand...

He's not using a phone line, hes using a private webstream.. probably with a Barix device (look it up)

There really is no more reliable way except getting a 4g/5g cellular broadband card, a router and have it auto fail over.. and that gets costly... thats another $50-60 a month plus the equipment needed.. and bob is pretty fiscally responsible.
 
Eli Polonsky said:
Yes, and I believe that private stream is sent from WJTO in Maine to WJIB and WBAS via high-bandwidth Comcast phone lines, which are almost always the cause of audio failures on the two affiliates, plus sometimes circumstances where the programming stays on the air but with glitchy sounds and artifacts. As stated above, he can switch the affiliates to local automation, but it may not be programmed for special events.

There HAS to be a better, more reliable, but still low (or perhaps lower) cost method of sending the signal to the affiliates other than relying on Comcast. I have no experience with using Comcast for that purpose, but I was forced to use them for four years in the late 20-teens when my late father, in his early 90's, lived in an assisted living facility that contracted with only Comcast for landline phone (essential for seniors suffering from dementia who can't remember how to use a cell phone) and cable TV (and internet that he did not use).

The amount of frequent difficulties I had just getting Comcast to set up and maintain simple basic landline phone and cable TV service for the last four years of my elderly father's life was unbelievable. At some of their "outages", they completely forgot that our account existed. They would lose all records of it by numbers, name, or anything, and we would have to start all over with a new account. That happened at least a few times in the four years, and as the payer, I never missed paying the bills.

I use Verizon for my own service at my apartment, and though I've occasionally had some problems with them, Comcast makes Verizon look like rocket scientists.
Click to expand...
It would not be a phone line. There really isn't any such thing as a broadcast line available from any carrier any more. It is a Barix box or maybe a Comrex BricLink at each end using the internet and it is streaming directly from one IP address to another similar to a VPN.
 
If he can afford it and wishes to use...Hobby, break even, listener supported.
WJIB is old fashioned local radio, not iHeart.
Due to costs etc he does not stream. Money for any equipment used comes from listener contributions.
He does not run ads nor does he want to.
As far as I know his stations are licensed as commercial but not sure about all of them.
 
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There is an unconfirmed report that Bob Bittner passed away this morning according to the New England Broadcasting History Facebook Group. Now I see a post saying Bob Fuller has said this as well:

>>I just heard the news that Bob Bittner passed away this morning. I have no more details than that (the news came from his wife Raisa). When I know more, I'll post it, but this is truly sad news. I knew Bob for many years, as I am sure many of you did too.

Awaiting more word--tragic if so

www.facebook.com

New England Broadcasting History

New England Broadcasting History. 2,828 likes · 8 talking about this. A look back into the rich history of radio and television in Boston and the rest of New England.
www.facebook.com www.facebook.com
 
raccoonradio said:
There is an unconfirmed report that Bob Bittner passed away this morning according to the New England Broadcasting History Facebook Group. Now I see a post saying Bob Fuller has said this as well:

>>I just heard the news that Bob Bittner passed away this morning. I have no more details than that (the news came from his wife Raisa). When I know more, I'll post it, but this is truly sad news. I knew Bob for many years, as I am sure many of you did too.

Awaiting more word--tragic if so

www.facebook.com

New England Broadcasting History

New England Broadcasting History. 2,828 likes · 8 talking about this. A look back into the rich history of radio and television in Boston and the rest of New England.
www.facebook.com www.facebook.com
Click to expand...
Donna Halper is the source of the Facebook post - sigh
 
I am truly saddened by this. I always loved him and his radio stations. Though I will admit I am a bit curious as to what will happen with them. I know it may be too soon to worry about it, but I am. I’m listening to 740 right now and it is still on the air.
 
I Gotta Be Me was running when I got into car not long ago.
10 stations total--5 AMs each with an FM
Translator. Cambridge, Cape Cod, Portland, Bath, Augusta.
All kinds of possibilities --the Cambridge duo having a good FM translator can drive price up.

In the meantime hopefully a tech whiz will be appointed and on call to program comp and deal with any outages (some of which were the cable company's fault..) Going silent for a time IF necessary but not for TOO long.
 
The fifth station is Lewiston (WLAM), not Augusta, which Bob sold a few years ago.

Engineer Bob Perry is still looking after the stations in the short term. There will be decisions made about the longer term, but not immediately.
 
Thank you for that info; OK, Lewiston (thought calls stood for Lewiston-Augusta-ME) and I thought his memories station site still listed it. I do know he sold WJYE in Gardner ME (now WHTP I think)
 
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