AM 970 WNYM Streaming Question

[Doctor_Technical]

Hoping Phil Boyce is still keeping an eye on this board.

Mr. Boyce, how much oversight do you have over the stream of WNYM, or of any other Salem operations?

This is both a direct and general question. Direct, in order to compliment you (or somebody) for the obvious audio clarity of WNYM's stream, and general, in order to ask why the rest of Salem's streams don't quite match up.

I listen to Dr. Bennett every morning, and if only to "tour the US" I enjoy streaming the show from various Salem markets. For the same show -- which I am very familiar with -- I can compare audio quality and the ability to handle coverage of local breaks.

This isn't a complaint, rather it's an attempt to open some discussion on how a detail-guy like yourself views and supervises your stream. I have talked about this with more than one PD of other N/Ts, and the too-often answer of "I dunno, that's handled by the IT department" seems odd coming from guys who normally obsess about every other part of their sound.

Your thoughts?

Thank you,

Paul E. Burt, Chief Engineer
ALERT FM, an RDS-based alerting company

 

[TimeIsTight]

Just to inject some thoughts before Phil Boyce gets to make the definitive answer about the "Answer" stream.

Direct, in order to compliment you (or somebody) for the obvious audio clarity of WNYM's stream, and general, in order to ask why the rest of Salem's streams don't quite match up.

If I were in a life or death situation that required a technical fix, without a doubt, the Chief Engineer at WNYM is the guy I would want to help me make anything technical "work fine and last a long time." When it comes to making things work correctly they don't come any more talented or dedicated than he is. Electronics and computer stuff are among his passions. I have known many engineers over the years, but none better when it comes to practical "get the job done right" skills.

IMHO, WNYM has a problem in that it's best directional signal goes where it's least likely to find its programming target audience, and doesn't go where most of its target audience lives. However, its signal audio is always clean and up front, and overall the station always sounds good. From a technical standpoint, it's legal signal couldn't be any better than it is. It's unfortunate that its network programming doesn't match the social and political preferences in the areas where its signal is sometimes the loudest and clearest on the dial, and the legal RF signal is just not strong enough to overcome modern electrical noise in suburban areas where it otherwise surely would find many more regular listeners.

The reason some of the other Salem streams don't sound as good as WNYM, is that they don't have the same CE making them sound good.

 

[DanStrassberg]

If I were in a life or death situation that required a technical fix, without a doubt, the Chief Engineer at WNYM is the guy I would want to help me make anything technical "work fine and last a long time."

Whoever designed the 50 kW directional pattern was no slouch either. Salem has most, though not all, such work done for it by the Carl T Jones Co. I don't know whether WNYM's 50-kW-D upgrade was a Jones project or not.

Lots of constraints and very little room for error. Had to be done with the three existing towers at the existing site, which is shared by WWRV (1330). Had to protect first-adjacent WELI despite the salt-water path across Long Island Sound. The daytime signal in Manhattan (at least on the west side) has to be one of the best on the AM band in the New York market.

Part of the applause should be reserved for the ownership some 60-odd years ago, which moved what was then WAAT from S Kearney to Hackensack, thereby making it possible for the station to increase its night power to 5 kW and cover most of the five boroughs. The S Kearney site was excellent for covering the then CoL (Newark), but protection of co-channel WCSH in Portland ME necessitated a deep null over most of the Bronx, Queens, and northern Manhattan.