1110 New Format

[Josh Owens]

well as mentioned before, this isn't really a stunt, nor was it designed to drum-up interest for 1110

Yeah, what he said.

if or when something new happens on 1110 they'll have to spend a lot of money advertising it outside of the AM band to get anybody there. if they had something amazing to offer that could generate big numbers they'd still have to generate interest. they'll have to find something, some stunt or something, that would get people to sample 1110 again. would an elaborate april fools day stunt generate enough free publicity?

True as well and dunno on the question.

 

[secondchoice]

Has a Class A AM license been turned in to the FCC in last 20 years? I know several Class B* AMs have gone dark or down graded to D.

I know after the St. Louis AM auction the Commission has just let AM stuff die but IIRC those were Class B AMs.

Would they allow an existing AM station to file a CP to take over the defunct Class A AM channel?

* Class B AMs only have to have 250 watts on a non class D frequency at night so there are a bunch of these stations

 

[kevtronics]

1540 WDCD (ex-WPTR) in Albany, NY was a full-time 50 kW station that went dark in 2018... but they were directional Class B, rather than non-directional Class A, and at the top of the dial.

 

[secondchoice]

Some Class A AMs are directional too like WOR New York, WWL New Orleans, KSTP to name a few. These are really old stations and one would have to look at the history cards or really know 1930s and 1940s FCC history to find out why. Especially what happened in the great frequency shuffle in the early 1940s.

 

[K.M. Richards]

I can hazard and answer to one of the questions:

I know after the St. Louis AM auction the Commission has just let AM stuff die but IIRC those were Class B AMs.

Would they allow an existing AM station to file a CP to take over the defunct Class A AM channel?

Actually, I think your own preface to the question is the reason why I believe the answer is "no".

But there is nothing preventing an existing AM to purchase the license and facilities of a Class A that would otherwise go silent and move their call letters and programming there.

After the St. Louis auction, there's not much interest at the FCC in keeping AM alive anymore.

 

[secondchoice]

You still have the issue of the current Class A AM owner wanting to kill off the station "to thin the herd" and not having the competition. Conservative talk still works on AM (a little).

In reference to Saint Louis I would rather have a class A AM in Charlotte than 2 or 3 class B AMs in Saint Louis. Charlotte is growing much faster than Saint Louis.

I would come out of retirement and move to Charlotte if the terms were correct. Not having to deal with U1 would be a start.

 

[K.M. Richards]

@secondchoice: Let me know when pigs fly and your idea gets any traction at the FCC, would you please?

 

[PTBoardOp93]

Would they allow an existing AM station to file a CP to take over the defunct Class A AM channel?

No. Allowing someone to "take over the defunct ... channel" would violate the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1993 (as amended), which requires most new FCC licenses and major modifications, including all such applications on the AM broadcast band, to go through an auction.

EDIT: I should add: not a lawyer and I did not stay at a Holiday Inn last night.

 

[amos1001]

if 1110 were to re-engineer to operate at a lower power on one tower, therefore non directional at night, do you think they could get enough power to cover the market? We radio nerds love the "Maine to Miami" coverage, but as many have pointed out that's not saleable and therefore not important.
If R1 or anybody puts any format on 1110 it still needs to cover the market day and night. Not only is the AM band a weakness, the directional signal not covering Gastonia is one as well. (or maybe another solution still protecting KFAB but not so tightly nulled toward Gastonia?)
Of course there are a thousand reasons why 1110 won't succeed. But if you had a class A wouldn't you at least try to fix that part of the problem before you totally gave up on it?
What was 1110's coverage map like when it was operating (i think on one tower) after Hugo?

 

[secondchoice]

@secondchoice: Let me know when pigs fly and your idea gets any traction at the FCC, would you please?

I know it's not happening, That's why I made the statement. My wife would divorce me. However moving would be easy, she would have almost all of our stuff! I would have to deal with living in a city again. That's why I live 50 miles north of Atlanta. Access to decent health care without the day to day traffic grind.

That being said someone 55+ with experience with spoken word formats who has be downsized by (name your favorite radio company) could generate enough cash for a decent retirement.

IMHO Republican or Conservative Talk is sellable in large markets Southern Areas. Even in a "purple" State.

 

[secondchoice]

No. Allowing someone to "take over the defunct ... channel" would violate the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1993 (as amended), which requires most new FCC licenses and major modifications, including all such applications on the AM broadcast band, to go through an auction.

EDIT: I should add: not a lawyer and I did not stay at a Holiday Inn last night.

I forgot about that one. The Commission should "open a 90 or 180 day period window" after receiving the license with no minimums. The FCC figured out a way to get the translators assigned the AMs without wide open expensive bidding wars.

I stayed at Holiday Inn last month. I'm still not a lawyer or licensed to give legal advice.

A decent Lawyer almost always get paid. Someone needs to come up with a parity to the Toby Kieth song. "Should have been a Lawyer" instead of Cowboy.

 

[K.M. Richards]

The original part of the so-called "AM Revitalization Act" was a specific window to apply for acquiring and moving an existing translator up to 250 miles. The later parts were filing windows for new translators tied to their respective AMs.

The problem was that it didn't "revitalize" anything but the translators.

But as I hinted earlier, and which @PTBoardOp93 confirmed ... once an AM is gone, it's gone. No revitalization (or reincarnation) possible.

 

[K.M. Richards]

The FCC figured out a way to get the translators assigned the AMs without wide open expensive bidding wars.

Actually, the second and third rounds were conducted as auctions. See the timeline here:

AM Revitalization

In Docket 13-249, the FCC is making an effort to revitalize the AM broadcasting service through rule changes and the use of FM translator (repeater) stations by AM broadcasters. Changes already adopted include changes to AM daytime and nighttime community coverage standards, elimination of the...

www.fcc.gov

 

[secondchoice]

Actually, the second and third rounds were conducted as auctions. See the timeline here:

AM Revitalization

In Docket 13-249, the FCC is making an effort to revitalize the AM broadcasting service through rule changes and the use of FM translator (repeater) stations by AM broadcasters. Changes already adopted include changes to AM daytime and nighttime community coverage standards, elimination of the...

www.fcc.gov

But I believe 2017 auction was limited to AM licence holders only making hard for speculators to "squat" on licences. I guess in some areas you might have some localities that didn't have enough channels available for every AM station but unlike some of the FM licenses rewarded in the previous century l doubt most of these translators where not bid up to crazy levels.

 

[K.M. Richards]

But I believe 2017 auction was limited to AM licence holders only making hard for speculators to "squat" on licences.

It was, but that statement still contradicts your statement in post #1,171. (#1,171? Really?)

 

[Josh Owens]

Some Class A AMs are directional too like WOR New York, WWL New Orleans, KSTP to name a few. These are really old stations and one would have to look at the history cards or really know 1930s and 1940s FCC history to find out why. Especially what happened in the great frequency shuffle in the early 1940s.

WWL is directional? I didn't know that! Used to listen to Country Music, The Way It Used To Was with Honest John Parker as a kid. Further back than that, back in 1977, a ministry friend of mine in NWGA heard The Faithful Witness Hour with the now-late Evangelist Billy Mitchell and through that, they developed a life-long friendship, until Brother Mitchell's death.

 

[secondchoice]

It was, but that statement still contradicts your statement in post #1,171. (#1,171? Really?)

IF you read the third paragraph that limits it to existing AM's only. I know for example 98.1 in Jasper only had one bidder. WPGY Ellijay. I guess you went not around when folks (some were non profits) like grabbed a bunch translators and FM allocations never intending to actually build them out.

 

[Josh Owens]

if 1110 were to re-engineer to operate at a lower power on one tower, therefore non directional at night, do you think they could get enough power to cover the market? We radio nerds love the "Maine to Miami" coverage, but as many have pointed out that's not saleable and therefore not important.
If R1 or anybody puts any format on 1110 it still needs to cover the market day and night. Not only is the AM band a weakness, the directional signal not covering Gastonia is one as well. (or maybe another solution still protecting KFAB but not so tightly nulled toward Gastonia?)
Of course there are a thousand reasons why 1110 won't succeed. But if you had a class A wouldn't you at least try to fix that part of the problem before you totally gave up on it?
What was 1110's coverage map like when it was operating (i think on one tower) after Hugo?

Hmmm, some interesting thoughts/questions here. Thanks Amos.

 

[K.M. Richards]

IF you read the third paragraph that limits it to existing AM's only.

Yes, because it was part of the AM Revitalization Act, Why is that so hard to follow?

 

[secondchoice]

Yes, because it was part of the AM Revitalization Act, Why is that so hard to follow?

As I said the FCC actually help the small AM stations. They got an FM signal relatively cheap. The only drawback was the had to keep the AM signal.


Back to the original subject:

1110. I am afraid this is not going to well.