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A different Legal ID Question

W

wxctintern

Guest
Is it required that a station give their legal ID when they switch their antenna pattern? I listen to WTIC 1080 in Hartford and when they switch their antenna pattern at 7:15 PM Eastern every night they play a recorded legal ID even when their in the middle of programming. They switch the antenna pattern and then you hear WTIC Hartford.
 
> Is it required that a station give their legal ID when they
> switch their antenna pattern? I listen to WTIC 1080 in
> Hartford and when they switch their antenna pattern at 7:15
> PM Eastern every night they play a recorded legal ID even
> when their in the middle of programming. They switch the
> antenna pattern and then you hear WTIC Hartford.
>

no
 
> > Is it required that a station give their legal ID when
> they
> > switch their antenna pattern? I listen to WTIC 1080 in
> > Hartford and when they switch their antenna pattern at
> 7:15
> > PM Eastern every night they play a recorded legal ID even
> > when their in the middle of programming. They switch the
> > antenna pattern and then you hear WTIC Hartford.
> >
>
> no
>

Though.. If for some reason they'd use a different transmitter for day and night, wouldn't it be then since one transmitter is leaving the air and the other is coming on-air?

(I really have no idea if they do or not, this is just hypothetical)

Hell... Where I work, I'm probably the only person who actually runs a legal ID if the transmitter gets knocked off-air from a power hit.

-A<P ID="signature">______________

</P>
 
The bigger question here is why is WTIC switching to nighttime pattern at 7:15pm in February? Februrary sign-off for CT daytimers, and the switch to night pattern for full-timers is 5:30pm.
 
WTIC does not have to switch until the pattern change
time each month for KRLD (both "class 1-B" stations
protect each other), which in February is 6:15pm CST.

FCC AM Query for WTIC:
"Comments: DA-N in use after local sunset at Dallas, TX."

Couldn't find any remark for the reverse, but can KRLD
go to day (ND) pattern at Hartford sunrise?
 
> WTIC does not have to switch until the pattern change
> time each month for KRLD (both "class 1-B" stations
> protect each other), which in February is 6:15pm CST.
>
> FCC AM Query for WTIC:
> "Comments: DA-N in use after local sunset at Dallas, TX."
>
> Couldn't find any remark for the reverse, but can KRLD
> go to day (ND) pattern at Hartford sunrise?
>

I don't think so... I believe that they'd have to still be on the DA since going ND would put interference towards WTIC.

-A<P ID="signature">______________

</P>
 
> > WTIC does not have to switch until the pattern change
> > time each month for KRLD (both "class 1-B" stations
> > protect each other), which in February is 6:15pm CST.
> >
> > FCC AM Query for WTIC:
> > "Comments: DA-N in use after local sunset at Dallas, TX."
> >
> > Couldn't find any remark for the reverse, but can KRLD
> > go to day (ND) pattern at Hartford sunrise?
> >
>
> I don't think so... I believe that they'd have to still be
> on the DA since going ND would put interference towards
> WTIC.

If there is no notice to the contrary, WTIC would be authorized to return to non-directional at Hartford sunrise. KRLD, having no special authorization, is obligated to remain on night directional until Dallas sunrise.<P ID="signature">______________


</P>
 
> Is it required that a station give their legal ID when they
> switch their antenna pattern? I listen to WTIC 1080 in
> Hartford and when they switch their antenna pattern at 7:15
> PM Eastern every night they play a recorded legal ID even
> when their in the middle of programming. They switch the
> antenna pattern and then you hear WTIC Hartford.
>
I have never come across any station that ID's when switching from day pattern to night pattern and vice versa. In the case of WNTD Chicago, their day site in the 1500 block of S Western in Chicago operates 1kw ND, while their night site is in Burnham IL and operates on 6 towers at 5kw. When they switch from their day site to their night site, there's a brief drop out in audio before the other site starts transmitting. I believe this now happens with WYLL Chicago now that they have a separate night site, which also is 50kw, like their day site, but the day site only operates on 2 towers days (and used to operate on 4 from the same site at 5kw night), & 6 towers at the new night site. Otherwise I always heard brief static when an AM station changes patterns at the same site.
 
Yet another different Legal ID Question

Were the very long legal IDs that many daytimers used to run at signoff actually required? I'm talking about the ones that would give the ownership, studio location, power and frequency.
 
Re: Yet another different Legal ID Question

> Were the very long legal IDs that many daytimers used to run
> at signoff actually required? I'm talking about the ones
> that would give the ownership, studio location, power and
> frequency.
>

No. Only thing required is a legal ID. Don't even have to say
goodnight.
 
Based on the rules, I think they are actually following the rules the way they are meant to be followed. Read it for yourself (Obviusly there is no way the FCC can enforce the rule, or care) but rules is rules and they say anytime you begin or end operations you must legally ID yourself, taking the carrier off the air and then back on again is a beginning and ending of operation. So how many of us are in violation? How many of our jocks know to say call letters plus COL after we are knocked off the air by a power outage/ or the AM directional stations that are program automated and have automated transmitters...and we just keep the audio potted up....whatever happened to reading common point with no audio?...ooh I long for the days of third class licenses with broadcast endorsement....at a minimum. Do many board ops know what to do when the EAS system goes off? What is the public interest?...another nine songs in a row?

Code of Federal Regulations]
[Title 47, Volume 4, Parts 70 to 79]
[Revised as of October 1, 2000]
From the U.S. Government Printing Office via GPO Access
[CITE: 47CFR73.1201]

[Page 282-283]

TITLE 47--TELECOMMUNICATION

CHAPTER I--FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS
COMMISSION (Continued)

PART 73--RADIO BROADCAST SERVICES--Table of Contents

Subpart H--Rules Applicable to All Broadcast Stations

Sec. 73.1201 Station identification.

(a) When regularly required. Broadcast station identification
announcements shall be made:
(1) At the beginning and ending of each time of operation, and
(2) Hourly, as close to the hour as feasible, at a natural break in
program offerings. Television and Class A television broadcast stations
may make these announcements visually or aurally.
(b) Content. (1) Official station identification shall consist of
the station's call letters immediately followed by the community or
communities specified in its license as the station's location:
Provided, That the name of the licensee or the station's frequency or
channel number, or both, as stated on the station's license may be
inserted between the call letters and station location. No other
insertion is permissible.
(2) A station may include in its official station identification the
name of any additional community or communities, but the community to
which the station is licensed must be named first.
(c) Channel--(1) General. Except as otherwise provided in this
paragraph, in making the identification announcement the call letters
shall be given only on the channel identified thereby.
(2) Simultaneous AM (535-1605 kHz) and AM (1605-1705 kHz broadcasts.
If the same licensee operates an AM broadcast station in the 535-1605
kHz band and an AM broadcast station in the 1605-1705 kHz band with both
stations licensed to the same community and simultaneously broadcasts
the same programs over the facilities of both such stations, station
identification announcements may be made jointly for both stations for
periods of such simultaneous operations.
(3) Satellite operation. When programming of a broadcast station is
rebroadcast simultaneously over the facilities of a satellite station,
the originating station may make identification announcements for the
satellite station for periods of such simultaneous operation.
(i) In the case of a television broadcast station, such
announcements, in

[[Page 283]]

addition to the information required by paragraph (b)(1) of this
section, shall include the number of the channel on which each station
is operating.
(ii) In the case of aural broadcast stations, such announcements, in
addition to the information required by paragraph (b)(1) of this
section, shall include the frequency on which each station is operating.
(d) Subscription television stations (STV). The requirements for
official station identification applicable to TV stations will apply to
Subscription TV stations except, during STV-encoded programming such
station identification is not required. However, a station
identification announcement will be made immediately prior to and
following the encoded Subscription TV program period.

[34 FR 19762, Dec. 17, 1969, as amended at 37 FR 23726, Nov. 8, 1972; 39
FR 6707, Feb. 22, 1974; 39 FR 9442, Mar. 11, 1974; 41 FR 29394, July 16,
1976; 47 FR 3791, Jan. 27, 1982; 48 FR 51308, Nov. 8, 1983; 56 FR 64872,
Dec. 12, 1991; 65 FR 30003, May 10, 2000]
 
> How many of our jocks know to say call letters
> plus COL after we are knocked off the air by a power outage/

I think you’re exaggerating just a bit.

If you look at it that way, then you’d have to run the legal ID before the unexpected loss of electricity kills the transmitter, since technically that is the ending of operation. I believe the rule implies “scheduled sign on and sign off” as beginning and ending of operation. I don’t think the FCC’s spirit of the rule implies unscheduled disriptions / restorations. I mean really, no one can predict when unwanted losses of electrical service will occur. Even then, stations running completely unassisted automation would probably be out of luck finding a way to automatically insert the legal ID in such situations.
<P ID="edit"><FONT class="small">Edited by randrewsIII on 02/26/06 07:34 AM.</FONT></P>
 
> > How many of our jocks know to say call letters
> > plus COL after we are knocked off the air by a power
> outage/
>
> I think you’re exaggerating just a bit.

I can imagine the nasty memo hung in the control room by
the GM: "if I don't hear a legal ID on the air when we
get knocked off the air by a power outage.."

Uhh....

I'm sure the writer meant "upon returning to the air"...of
course, rules aside, one has to ask what logic there is in
requiring a legal ID right when you turn the carrier back on as
there's likely to be nobody to hear it.
 
> > > How many of our jocks know to say call letters
> > > plus COL after we are knocked off the air by a power
> > outage/
> >
> > I think you’re exaggerating just a bit.
>
> I can imagine the nasty memo hung in the control room by
> the GM: "if I don't hear a legal ID on the air when we
> get knocked off the air by a power outage.."
>
> Uhh....
>
> I'm sure the writer meant "upon returning to the air"...of
> course, rules aside, one has to ask what logic there is in
> requiring a legal ID right when you turn the carrier back on
> as
> there's likely to be nobody to hear it.
>
This is going back to the mid-70's, when I first got in the business. I think the rule of thumb was...if you got knocked off the air for some reason you had to legal ID when you went back on the air. Additionally, I remember a competitor across town doing a legal id on both sides of pattern change. The rules can be interpreted that way. My point is; it would be nice if the industry was at least acquainted with the rules...with the old licensing program, the operator/jock at least had a hint of the rules. Now in many cases, only the chief operator (who often works on a contract basis) has a clue to the rules. Even the GM's of the stations are clueless to many of the actual rules....legal id, sponsorship identification, public file, tower lights/painting, EAS operation, etc.
 
Re: Yet another different Legal ID Question

> > Were the very long legal IDs that many daytimers used to
> run
> > at signoff actually required? I'm talking about the ones
> > that would give the ownership, studio location, power and
> > frequency.
> >
>
> No. Only thing required is a legal ID. Don't even have to
> say
> goodnight.
>


When I was at WBIS in Bristol CT we did the ID/ownership/studio location/etc promo at sign-on and sign-off. Included the National Anthem (short version) at sign-on, and a short version of the "state song" (at the time anyway), "Yankee Doodle Dandy" on our sign-off.
 
Re: Yet another different Legal ID Question

> Included the National Anthem (short version)
> at sign-on...

OK, I'll bite. What is the "short version"
of the National Anthem?

A 45 edit for Top 40 stations? ;-)
 
> Now in many
> cases, only the chief operator (who often works on a
> contract basis) has a clue to the rules.

Um...nah. Not even.

I like the idea of licensing for something as important to the public good as the local class A FM (or class D AM). Should all board ops care about how the tower is painted? No. Should they all have some idea what to do when the EAS fails to automatically go off? Yes. (Activate manually and read the alert off of the AP wire). Is that the case? No.

(Major proponent of community service stations)
 
Re: Yet another different Legal ID Question

> > Included the National Anthem (short version)
> > at sign-on...
>
> OK, I'll bite. What is the "short version"
> of the National Anthem?
>
> A 45 edit for Top 40 stations? ;-)

Hehehehe :)

There are quite a few good versions where the tempo is fast enough that the NA’s running time is under 90 seconds. I’ve heard some versions at sporting events with tempos so slow that it takes three minutes (sometimes more) to complete. Ugh! Horribly slow...!
 
> > Now in many
> > cases, only the chief operator (who often works on a
> > contract basis) has a clue to the rules.
>
> Um...nah. Not even.
>
> I like the idea of licensing for something as important to
> the public good as the local class A FM (or class D AM).
> Should all board ops care about how the tower is painted?
> No. Should they all have some idea what to do when the EAS
> fails to automatically go off? Yes. (Activate manually and
> read the alert off of the AP wire). Is that the case? No.
>
> (Major proponent of community service stations)

We're on the same page sort of.
 
Re: Yet another different Legal ID Question

> > Included the National Anthem (short version)
> > at sign-on...
>
> OK, I'll bite. What is the "short version"
> of the National Anthem?
>
> A 45 edit for Top 40 stations? ;-)
>


It was the whole Anthem, just that it came in, as I recall, at under 50 seconds instead of the usual much longer versions (it was a faster version of the song).
 
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