WINT is in trouble as it appears. The letter sounds like the station is dealing one bad situation after another. The death of its engineer was perhaps the biggest blow.
-
Get involved.
We want your input!
Apply for Membership and join the conversations about everything related to broadcasting.
After we receive your registration, a moderator will review it. After your registration is approved, you will be permitted to post.
If you use a disposable or false email address, your registration will be rejected.
After your membership is approved, please take a minute to tell us a little bit about yourself.
https://www.radiodiscussions.com/forums/introduce-yourself.1088/
Thanks in advance and have fun!
RadioDiscussions Administrators
1330 AM?
- Thread starter johnbasalla
- Start date
This is the first time I've ever heard of surface wave technology. Why in the world would anyone spend twelve years and, as the letter says, "hundreds of thousands of dollars" in their own money to apply it to an AM station that already had an FM translator? I don't think the FCC is going to allow them to just be on the FM translator.
He left out "How much do we need to put into your pocket to continue this endeavor?"
Where do you get that?
So I took 5 minutes to read this letter and the first I have heard of this "new technology" they were working on to "revitalize" AM radio... Not sure but sounds like they spent a lot of money on vaporware and now stuck in a tough situation as the cash flow to fund this has run dry and now they want the FCC to allow them to turn a translator into a stand-alone station and shutdown the AM that it's tied.
If that analysis is correct, the owners appear to be asking the FCC to create a new type of license, commercial low power FMs that can originate original programming and don't need a mother station.
I heard the FCC might be considering such a move but it may not come in time to save their operation. Many of the AMs using FM translators could probably do as well if their AMs went away.
Or they could just be asking for permission to keep operating the translator while they work on the AM.
I heard the FCC might be considering such a move but it may not come in time to save their operation. Many of the AMs using FM translators could probably do as well if their AMs went away.
Or they could just be asking for permission to keep operating the translator while they work on the AM.
Ehhhh, it's political so I won't expound further so this thread doesn't devolve into mudslinging.
I certainly feel bad for the WINT folks, but whatever their late engineer was selling them, it sure looks like snake oil.
As for the request to use the translator without the AM, the FCC has been extremely rigid about this particular set of rules.
Best as I can tell, the Commission has never approved such a request, and for a good reason - it opens a huge can of worms by setting a precedent for potentially thousands of AM stations to make a similar request.
The official FCC position is that as soon as an AM license is completely off the air (even if it has an engineering STA), the translator MUST also go off.
We know that many AMs keep their translators on without telling the FCC, and generally tend to get away with it.
This case may not end well for WINT, because now they've gone and admitted to the FCC that they've been running the translator without the AM being on the air, which for now is still extremely against the rules.
So even if the FCC were at some point inclined to open the floodgates for these applications, this isn't the way they'd want to set the precedent, because it would appear to reward a station that's been openly flouting the rules.
If there's ever going to be a change on this, it's much more likely to come from a formal rulemaking proposal than a one-off waiver request.
I think WINT is just in a really bad place here.
As for the request to use the translator without the AM, the FCC has been extremely rigid about this particular set of rules.
Best as I can tell, the Commission has never approved such a request, and for a good reason - it opens a huge can of worms by setting a precedent for potentially thousands of AM stations to make a similar request.
The official FCC position is that as soon as an AM license is completely off the air (even if it has an engineering STA), the translator MUST also go off.
We know that many AMs keep their translators on without telling the FCC, and generally tend to get away with it.
This case may not end well for WINT, because now they've gone and admitted to the FCC that they've been running the translator without the AM being on the air, which for now is still extremely against the rules.
So even if the FCC were at some point inclined to open the floodgates for these applications, this isn't the way they'd want to set the precedent, because it would appear to reward a station that's been openly flouting the rules.
If there's ever going to be a change on this, it's much more likely to come from a formal rulemaking proposal than a one-off waiver request.
I think WINT is just in a really bad place here.
The letter says:
“As the first step of avoiding bankruptcy and continuing broadcasting service to the 1,000,000-plus population of Cuyahoga, Lake and Geauga Counties, we respectfully request that we be allowed to terminate broadcasting on 1330AM (or allow us to permanently broadcast at very low power) but that we may continue to serve our audience by broadcasting full-time on 101.5FM.
So they’re asking to either be allowed to turn off the AM & just use the translator, or to be allowed to permanently broadcast at very low power on the AM.
I wonder what they consider “very low power” and if the FCC would go for that.
“As the first step of avoiding bankruptcy and continuing broadcasting service to the 1,000,000-plus population of Cuyahoga, Lake and Geauga Counties, we respectfully request that we be allowed to terminate broadcasting on 1330AM (or allow us to permanently broadcast at very low power) but that we may continue to serve our audience by broadcasting full-time on 101.5FM.
So they’re asking to either be allowed to turn off the AM & just use the translator, or to be allowed to permanently broadcast at very low power on the AM.
I wonder what they consider “very low power” and if the FCC would go for that.
Operating non DA at power as low as 50 watts could be possible but would that change require applying for a CP, getting approval and then building it out? Maybe they can't afford to do that and are asking, essentially, for a hand out, or up.
It also puzzles me why a little hand to mouth local station would put out that kind of money chasing a tech dream rather than go the conventional and likely cheaper route as soon as the towers fell.
It also puzzles me why a little hand to mouth local station would put out that kind of money chasing a tech dream rather than go the conventional and likely cheaper route as soon as the towers fell.
The FCC won't license an AM station at less than 250 watts (or equivalent lower power when using a very efficient, i.e. tall, radiator.)
And because of everything else nearby, it may not be possible for WINT to go non-directional at 250 watts and still maintain contour protection to the 1330 stations in Erie and Youngstown.
And because of everything else nearby, it may not be possible for WINT to go non-directional at 250 watts and still maintain contour protection to the 1330 stations in Erie and Youngstown.
At this point it seems like the land may be more valuable then maintaining the station. I can see their point in not wanting to give up the station as it's their legacy but at their age, if they die I[hope not, hope they live a lot longer], the can of worms that's going to explode when they pass on it's going to make what's happening now like a day at Cedar Point. Might be time to file bankruptcy, sell whatever they can to pay off creditors and call it a day.
If you go back and look at the timing of this mess and on line records, a case could be made that the “fall” of the first tower with subsequent STA and the very late disclosure of the second tower failing and likely insurance settlement, could have funded the Translator purchase.
Many of these smaller AM stations are in real financial trouble and many will be turning in their licenses or cashing out to some religious group. I will add that a directional AM tower site usually takes up a lot of land and some of the owners are finding out that the land is worth more than the station!
Looks like Spirit Broadcasting and Ray Somich keep a seat warm at Lake County Court of Common Pleas
Can't open this link. What is happening?
What's the case #
Try that. May take you direct to results page and you can search the individual cases