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Bad Audio On WRCA-1330

J

Joseph_Gallant

For the last week or so (as of this writing, January 4th, 2023), I have noticed distorted audio on WRCA-1330, the Boston affiliate of Bloomberg Radio. One could listen to it, but the audio sounds crappy.

WRCA has an FM translator on 106.1 but I live in Norwood, Massachusetts, which is the outer fringe of the translator's signal area. I do receive 106.1 on my better FM radios, but where I live, 1330 is much stronger than 106.1.

Hopefully, this situation will be rectified.
 
Joseph_Gallant said:
WRCA has an FM translator on 106.1 but I live in Norwood, Massachusetts, which is the outer fringe of the translator's signal area.
Click to expand...

In my home office I put on Bloomberg on WBOS-HD2 which has a pretty good reach.

I enjoy the local hours from 2-5PM....and the Joe Mathhius politics show at 5PM.

Joseph_Gallant said:
For the last week or so (as of this writing, January 4th, 2023), I have noticed distorted audio on WRCA-1330, the Boston affiliate of Bloomberg Radio. One could listen to it, but the audio sounds crappy.
Click to expand...

Just more evidence that AM is really not even relevant anymore, no one at the station (Bloomberg or Beasley) has even noticed. No one cares.
 
Sounds like clipping / overmodulation at the moment. Imagine the average listener trying to report that. Who do they call or email? Bloomberg, Beasley, WRCA? What is the chance of reaching anyone?
 
channel99 said:
Sounds like clipping / overmodulation at the moment. Imagine the average listener trying to report that. Who do they call or email? Bloomberg, Beasley, WRCA? What is the chance of reaching anyone?
Click to expand...
I called Bloomberg last week about reception problems in the Boston area
I haven't done it yet , but
they told me to contact this person

Anthony Mancini

[email protected]

212-617-1112
 
It's on WRCA. It's their station. Bloomberg pays them to run their audio feed. It's WRCA's job to keep that feed broadcasting correctly.
 
That's still WRCA's job to make sure what is broadcasting on their airwaves is not distorted. If the problem is Bloomberg, they need to contact Bloomberg and get it taken care of. If a station is broadcasting distortion or overmodulating and it's bypassing legal limits, the FCC will not fine the programmer, they'll fine the station. That's not saying WRCA is doing any of this, but what I am saying is that it is the responsibility of the station to make sure what they are broadcasting sounds right, regardless of where it is coming from.
 
JeremyAndrews said:
That's still WRCA's job to make sure what is broadcasting on their airwaves is not distorted. If the problem is Bloomberg, they need to contact Bloomberg and get it taken care of.
Click to expand...

In a time long passed, in a world far, far away....

JeremyAndrews said:
If a station is broadcasting distortion or overmodulating and it's bypassing legal limits...
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No one is saying they are over modulating or bypassing legal limits.

Distortion is a question of severeness and degree.
 
Wimmmex said:
No one is saying they are over modulating or bypassing legal limits.

Distortion is a question of severeness and degree.
Click to expand...
If a malfunctioning or maladjusted audio component (amp., preamp, etc...) in the airchain, or audio feed, is overdriving its levels into distortion, but a compressor farther down the airchain at the station regulates (lowers) the overall modulation to stay within legal limits, then you can have distorted sound from the overdriving component or feed earlier in the airchain, but with the final modulation levels from the station still legal.
 
Wimmmex said:
In a time long passed, in a world far, far away....



No one is saying they are over modulating or bypassing legal limits.

Distortion is a question of severeness and degree.
Click to expand...

I wasn't saying that they were. What I was saying is assuming they were, they would be the ones who the FCC would fine. Not the programmer.

Bloomberg leases the airtime. WRCA runs their programming on the air. WRCA does the engineering. Whatever is wrong, it's WRCA's job to figure out how to fix it. It's going thru their equipment. If Bloomberg is giving them bad audio, they need to make sure Bloomberg follows the LMA.

In the LMA it states that it's Bloomberg's job to offer them a quality audio feed and it's WRCA's job to handle the engineering, and have full power and control of the station and to have employees there to make sure the station operates correctly.
 
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It’s all in the Public File about how Beasley will retain a manager and someone to operate the station. Probably just the cluster GM and an engineer
 
JeremyAndrews said:
It’s all in the Public File about how Beasley will retain a manager and someone to operate the station. Probably just the cluster GM and an engineer
Click to expand...

The Market Manager who is spending all their time and effort thinking about the 5 Major FM's they have to operate.

The Engineer who is charged with keeping five major FM's on the air.

How much time do you think they'll spend studying the audio of 1330AM?
 
Eli Polonsky said:
If a malfunctioning or maladjusted audio component (amp., preamp, etc...) in the airchain, or audio feed, is overdriving its levels into distortion, but a compressor farther down the airchain at the station regulates (lowers) the overall modulation to stay within legal limits, then you can have distorted sound from the overdriving component or feed earlier in the airchain, but with the final modulation levels from the station still legal.
Click to expand...
Very well articulated, Eli!
 
Wimmmex said:
The Market Manager who is spending all their time and effort thinking about the 5 Major FM's they have to operate.

The Engineer who is charged with keeping five major FM's on the air.

How much time do you think they'll spend studying the audio of 1330AM?
Click to expand...
I still don't get this "business" of radio. If an owner, e.g., Beasley, doesn't want to invest a dime in an AM station when they have FIVE FMs to occupy their attention, then why not just turn in the license for 1330 AM?

Granted, I speak with forked tongue, because where I reside, I'm right between the coverage edges of both 106.1 FM Bloomberg signals, so, if I wanted to hear Bloomberg in my area, I'd need 1330 AM. I don't have HD either in my car or at home. I haven't tuned in to 1330 AM since the audio complaint was reported herein. I'm betting Eli captured the essence of the audio chain issue very nicely. There's also the possibility of a bad satellite receiver or IP link 1330 uses to connect to Bloomberg.
 
nowradioguy said:
I still don't get this "business" of radio. If an owner, e.g., Beasley, doesn't want to invest a dime in an AM station when they have FIVE FMs to occupy their attention, then why not just turn in the license for 1330 AM?
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Because they are no doubt posting a little profit from it with very little effort and expense.

People have asked about “turning in a license” about WBOS, etc. and now wrca

You would keep the license valid so it doesn’t fall into the hands of someone who might take revenue or program against you.

Remember 1330 isn’t the asset here it’s 106.1. Turn in the license for 1330am and you lose 106.1
 
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