KR4BD said:
till the owner operator dies, or the tube does...
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1280 Station in Lancaster KY
- Thread starter RadioDave160
- Start date
till the owner operator dies, or the tube does...
I agree with an earlier post, the station does have some history of local involvement and broadcasting in the public interest. The station was started in the 60s with South Bevens as the first owner. I cut some liners and did some quick-fix engineering work for the station back then. I remember the publicity they got when they went with an all female staff. It was very disappointing when I tuned in a few months ago and discovered their demise. I think it was the first time my AM radio had been on 1280 in twenty-years.
knowbetter said:
According to the FCC filing:
"THIS EXTENSION IS NECESSARY TO ALLOW WKYY TO CONTINUE TO BROADCAST PENDING ACTION ON ITS APPLICATION FOR LICENSE RENEWAL. IT HAS JUST BEEN ASCERTAINED THAT THE MAJORITY OWNER PASSED AWAY IN NOVEMBER 2007; THAT KNOWLEDGE WAS NECESSARY TO SUBMIT AN ACCURATE OWNERSHIP REPORT. "
https://licensing.fcc.gov/cgi-bin/w...xt=25&appn=101545340&formid=911&fac_num=36476
I'm not familiar with KY laws but in a lot of states estate executor / executrix have to be bonded. There is an "insurance fee" or bond expense. Unless the former owner had a huge complicated estate, this should be settled in a couple of months, not 5 + years.
not really, The station must have some value (land), the heir(s) would most likely want cash if they don't care about the station. The FCC sooner or later will want renewal fees, some will have to write a check, Also there is a liability issue. If I was an heir, I would want this cleaned up.
secondchoice said:
Right but, there is an issue about that pesky "D" in front of their calls.
You're assuming that an Heir wants to keep this thing on the air. It may be sucking money out of the estate.
Any ideas as to how hard it is to sell a small market, stand alone, AM that cannot modulate?
I have a listing on an AM with FM Translators (full power), big time cashflow and am hustling to find a qualified buyer.
You are correct about the "hard sell" factor. just a quick look at the town / county:
http://www.city-data.com/county/Garrard_County-KY.html
mainly Garrard County, I question the available revenue without actually going there, Would 88 watts allow HS sports? Is there a FM translator that can be moved there? This would be a time and money consuming deal to make viable even if you you bought it for $1.00. Not impossible but most likely a "labor of love". If I was 20 years younger and independently wealthy, I might be interested. Looks like a good place to raise a family.
http://www.city-data.com/county/Garrard_County-KY.html
mainly Garrard County, I question the available revenue without actually going there, Would 88 watts allow HS sports? Is there a FM translator that can be moved there? This would be a time and money consuming deal to make viable even if you you bought it for $1.00. Not impossible but most likely a "labor of love". If I was 20 years younger and independently wealthy, I might be interested. Looks like a good place to raise a family.
T
TalentAgent
Guest
WKYY aka WIXI AM Lancaster,Ky
Questions about WKYY-AM? Well.....You got the right guy here. I was a Staff Announcer in the
70's. Left the Station in 1975. The Station in the early 80s did feature All females. In the late 80's
the station was sold. It went to a All Gospel Format. this lead to it's demise. The Station had about
4/5 listeners. It's really too bad too. When I worked there, it was a very fibrant Top Country, with a
little mix of Pop. I still have some old Air-checks . (In the 50s/60s/70s the Radio
Station was WIXI-AM. (Owned by South C. Bevins.....who also Owned WANO-AM, in Pineville,Ky ,
during this time. I really loved the Town of Lancaster. John Richards.
Questions about WKYY-AM? Well.....You got the right guy here. I was a Staff Announcer in the
70's. Left the Station in 1975. The Station in the early 80s did feature All females. In the late 80's
the station was sold. It went to a All Gospel Format. this lead to it's demise. The Station had about
4/5 listeners. It's really too bad too. When I worked there, it was a very fibrant Top Country, with a
little mix of Pop. I still have some old Air-checks . (In the 50s/60s/70s the Radio
Station was WIXI-AM. (Owned by South C. Bevins.....who also Owned WANO-AM, in Pineville,Ky ,
during this time. I really loved the Town of Lancaster. John Richards.
Lancaster's 1280 is still "on the air" if you call it that. I just dialed it up and they still feature 5% (maximum) distorted modulation. This has been going on for two, maybe three years! They seem to operate from 8 AM to 4 PM most days. I do not hear them on Sundays. They play gospel music with a few taped preachers thrown in during the day. At the top of the hour, you sometimes will hear a possibly live weather forecast and ID (always a female voice). I am in Lexington, where 1280 should have a fairly audible signal during daylight hours. They are authorized for nighttime operation with 88 watts, which would easily cover 5-10 miles around Lancaster at night. They have never used this night authorization, to my knowledge. What amazes me is how they can continue to operate with 5% distorted modulation and program only 8 hours a day, Monday to Saturday...
Sounds like they are in violation of the FCC rule concerning minimum operating schedule:
§73.1740 Minimum operating schedule.
(a) All commercial broadcast stations are required to operate not less than the following minimum hours:
(1) AM and FM stations. Two-thirds of the total hours they are authorized to operate between 6 a.m. and 6 p.m. local time and two-thirds of the total hours they are authorized to operate between 6 p.m. and midnight, local time, each day of the week except Sunday.
They are fine operating 8am-4pm Monday-Saturday if they are a daytime only station. But I think they also have to operate 2/3 of the hours between 6pm and midnight to comply with their nighttime authorization.
Not to mention 73.1570:
§73.1570 Modulation levels: AM, FM, TV and Class A TV aural.
(a) The percentage of modulation is to be maintained at as high a level as is consistent with good quality of transmission and good broadcast service, with maximum levels not to exceed the values specified in paragraph (b). Generally, the modulation should not be less than 85% on peaks of frequent recurrence, but where lower modulation levels may be required to avoid objectionable loudness or to maintain the dynamic range of the program material, the degree of modulation may be reduced to whatever level is necessary for this purpose, even though under such circumstances, the level may be substantially less than that which produces peaks of frequent recurrence at a level of 85%.
It's one thing to have a broken transmitter and be limping by. But it's not supposed to go on two years. Legally they have to fix the modulation issue.
§73.1740 Minimum operating schedule.
(a) All commercial broadcast stations are required to operate not less than the following minimum hours:
(1) AM and FM stations. Two-thirds of the total hours they are authorized to operate between 6 a.m. and 6 p.m. local time and two-thirds of the total hours they are authorized to operate between 6 p.m. and midnight, local time, each day of the week except Sunday.
They are fine operating 8am-4pm Monday-Saturday if they are a daytime only station. But I think they also have to operate 2/3 of the hours between 6pm and midnight to comply with their nighttime authorization.
Not to mention 73.1570:
§73.1570 Modulation levels: AM, FM, TV and Class A TV aural.
(a) The percentage of modulation is to be maintained at as high a level as is consistent with good quality of transmission and good broadcast service, with maximum levels not to exceed the values specified in paragraph (b). Generally, the modulation should not be less than 85% on peaks of frequent recurrence, but where lower modulation levels may be required to avoid objectionable loudness or to maintain the dynamic range of the program material, the degree of modulation may be reduced to whatever level is necessary for this purpose, even though under such circumstances, the level may be substantially less than that which produces peaks of frequent recurrence at a level of 85%.
It's one thing to have a broken transmitter and be limping by. But it's not supposed to go on two years. Legally they have to fix the modulation issue.
You stopped too early
. It's a Class D station, which is exempt from the minimum operating schedule rules between 6pm & midnight, even if it does have some authorized night power:You stopped too early
Ah! Good point.
But they still can't operate legally for an extended period of time with a transmitter incapable of at least 85% modulation.
The question I want asked is how are they staying on the air? Who in their right mind, would advertize on a station operating like this and who would then listen?
I haven't heard any ads on 1280....just continuous tapes of gospel music between 8 and 4 (Mon-Sat) interrupted a few times a day with a very distorted (audiowise, that is) preacher programs. Admittedly, I don't listen for hours and hours, but I do dial it in a few times a week to see if its still going...which it is. I am SERIOUS about the 5% modulation. Obviously, Someone must be paying the light bill.... If you are near Lancaster, take a listen. This has been going on for years ... REALLY!!!
Just an update....
1280 in Lancaster is still hitting modulation peaks of 5% Max. This has been going on for years. They are on the air Monday to Saturday only from 8 AM to 4 PM. I just don't understand how (and why?) they remain on the air. Does anyone know if they ever got their license renewed?
1280 in Lancaster is still hitting modulation peaks of 5% Max. This has been going on for years. They are on the air Monday to Saturday only from 8 AM to 4 PM. I just don't understand how (and why?) they remain on the air. Does anyone know if they ever got their license renewed?
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