94.1 "Gone , gone , gone"

[xmusicmatt]

It's a very sunny day over at Sunny 95.. SAGA won against Wilks broadcasting which moved it's translator from 102.3 to 94.1 after interference issues... FCC sided with SAGA and renewal of 94.1's license was dismissed.. (Wilks made a mistake of taking to long to build out the facilities at 94.1 that the FCC had approved).

I noticed today 94.1 is 'dark'

http://somethinglikenothing.net/ttn/ttn-06212013.html

http://transition.fcc.gov/Daily_Releases/Daily_Business/2013/db0620/DA-13-1408A1.pdf

I'm not really seeing how 94.1 interfered with a 22 kW station at 94.7.. Some would say the HASH that Sunny's HD signal spews is more garbage than a 50 watt translator @ 300 ft.

 

[alans613]

Once again, Wilks fails. :

 

[gabigley1]

This may open up the 94.1 frequency for another LPFM station in Columbus. From the FCC site:
"The next LPFM filing window is projected to be about October 15, 2013."

 

[xmusicmatt]

This may open up the 94.1 frequency for another LPFM station in Columbus. From the FCC site:
"The next LPFM filing window is projected to be about October 15, 2013."

Just what we need.. Another LPFM with lousy audio quality... (FCC should require anyone with a license to maintain standards).. or not have a station on air.

Clearly Wilks messed up here ... the site was already built they made an error leaving it off the air for too long while fighting SAGA over the move. (When the FCC would have likely sided with Wilks if they had built out) .. 94.1 was less likely to interfere with 94.7 than 98.3 could with 97.9.

(Even less likely because 94.1 shared the SAME tower as Sunny did at 94.7 so any chance of interference would be near the tower site.. and clearly 22kw would wipe out any chance of interference from 50 watts a few channels down).

 

[knowbetter]

This may open up the 94.1 frequency for another LPFM station in Columbus. From the FCC site:
"The next LPFM filing window is projected to be about October 15, 2013."

Just what we need.. Another LPFM with lousy audio quality... (FCC should require anyone with a license to maintain standards).. or not have a station on air.

while i tend to agree on some type of standard, the FCC is likely only to care about RF, vs audio and anything else. And you can bet Saga is going to fight an LPFM here too, although I would expect the commission to allow it over objection. I don't remember, but wasn't that 94.1 downtown on WBNS's tower? If that's the case, it would be a wonderful LPFM location, (but not on the BNS tower, $$$)

 

[xmusicmatt]

while i tend to agree on some type of standard, the FCC is likely only to care about RF, vs audio and anything else. And you can bet Saga is going to fight an LPFM here too, although I would expect the commission to allow it over objection. I don't remember, but wasn't that 94.1 downtown on WBNS's tower? If that's the case, it would be a wonderful LPFM location, (but not on the BNS tower, $$$)

Yes; 94.1 was located on the WBNS Tower... same exact tower as Sunny in fact ... I can only imagine the rent costs though -- I know Channel 6's tower down the road isn't cheap (I remember when Cedarville was selling their stuff and the FCC docs got posted on assets and costs etc... the rent they paid for the 88.3 (now 99.3) translator was not cheap for such a small signal).

I would likely not want to locate an LPFM downtown on any of the two big tower sites... 100 watts limit at the feet limit for an LPFM seems like you would not cover as much ground (would be tougher getting out into the suburbs) -- then again if you were a group trying to target near downtown -- then that might be the best place for one... I guess it all depends on the engineering aspects of the signal (height vs power).

 

[Cheddar299]

well, there goes listening to Jim Rome on my lunch hour...

 

[the marv]

That WINF translator seems to go pretty far with the power it has even though it's not as tall as the 94.1 translator was. If I think right the 99.3 translator is only 43 watts instead of 100 and I pick that up here in Pickerington. Maybe if they went to 93.9 instead of 94.1 they might have been able to stay on. I don't know if WQIO would protest though.

 

[techie2]

Just what we need.. Another LPFM with lousy audio quality... (FCC should require anyone with a license to maintain standards).. or not have a station on air.

Yes, there are too many out there using those cheap Comet whip antennas, crummy transmitters, and lousy audio processing (or none at all). Then they wonder why those 100 watts don't cover well. I understand budgets are on a shoestring, but there are ways to get quality used equipment and not have a second-rate sound on the air.

 

[knowbetter]

I would likely not want to locate an LPFM downtown on any of the two big tower sites... 100 watts limit at the feet limit for an LPFM seems like you would not cover as much ground (would be tougher getting out into the suburbs) -- then again if you were a group trying to target near downtown -- then that might be the best place for one... I guess it all depends on the engineering aspects of the signal (height vs power).

Actually, downtown Columbus would be a really good place to put an LPFM... not on the BNS tower, but there are other buildings that would suffice...the obvious advantage is the central location, and if you were able to get to height, along with really good engineering, you would do well. if you are high enough, 30 watts goes to Pataskala...certainly to most of the inside circle...

but you are talking real good engineering and a working budget... It would be a stretch to get more than a couple of hundred feet, short of the existing 102.1, which to me at least, would appear to fit at 250 watts or so..(another story). 94.1 from downtown would be a great signal though.

of course, this really requires a whole lot of commitment..something you are not that likely to see...

Not to mention...I think Saga would challenge whomever tried to put it in...add a few years for that!