Can Radio Stations Increase Power During National Emergencies?

[TheBigA]

As far as the original topic, I strongly doubt the FCC would come after any daytimer who operated at night, or who operated at higher power than their authorized night time power level for a brief period of time (meaning hours or days), particularly if there is evidence of special programming during those times.

One key phrase in Mr. Oxenford's blog is "non-commercial basis." So no cashing in on an emergency.

 

[radioman148]

I remember WZFG in the Fargo, ND area staying at 50KW ND at night during the floods some years back. They really wreaked havoc on WTAM's signal for a few weeks.

 

[davideduardo]

KWIP Dallas OR on 880, and there's now a 1460 in Stayton, KCKX.

At this time with AM being less and less valuable, I doubt FCC will let power levels go up. However, it could apply to all-news stations, like KOMO 1000, WCBS 880 or KNX 1070. Could we see a increase to 100KW? In other countries some MW stations can go as high as 2MW.

As b-turner accurately indicated, it would take a month or more to get a high power AM transmitter. Add in the time the FCC would need to approve, and you are far from getting this done.

The entire system from the transmitter to the antenna likely would not handle double the power. Coax, insulators in the transmitter building, the "dog house" and the tower base and guy insulators might all be inadequate.

And going from 50 kw to 100 would only increase coverage by 25%. It would take 200 kw to double the coverage.

High power transmitters are not an in-stock item. One in the 100 kw range could take several months or longer to have ready for shipping. The higher the power, the longer the delay time in building and shipping. I understand that the new 500 kw transmitter in Bonaire took over a year from the order to delivery.

However, if there are daytime AMs in smaller markets, particularly rural ones, that don't have a local FM that reaches the "market" area, they could easily go on full-time, with no commercials, and just submit the necessary notification within a few days to the FCC.

 

[davideduardo]

All that's great, but I still don't see any connection between this current "national emergency," declared by the president, and a daytime AM radio station staying on the air.

If the station is uniquely able to provide information, it is justified in staying on the air.

During several hurricane events, 690 in Jacksonville, which is 50 kw non-directional in the daytime, has stayed on to serve areas up to the Carolinas and down to just north of the Palm Beaches when local stations have had their news services cut off or are off the air entirely.

Today, there are some high power stations in the West that go very directional at night or reduce power for the same purpose of protecting other stations. Those might stay on at night with the day facility to serve under-served areas with information, particularly if they are already set up to obtain information.

For example, KRVN in Lexington, Nebraska, 50 kw on 880, could stay non-directional at night to serve a predominantly rural area not served by local stations that have news facilities; KRVN is prepared to cover news extensively and has a large staff. Going non-directional with its 50 kw would provide enormous service to areas that don't have stations with strong local news departments.

In any case, a station does not have to get approval to stay on or to operate at night with a day facility. If it believes it is serving the community and has information to provide with no commercials, it can do so.

 

[TheBigA]

If the station is uniquely able to provide information, it is justified in staying on the air.

How many daytime AM stations have their own medical correspondent? I think we have to be realistic here. This isn't a flood or a hurricane, where geography provides an advantage. We have a national pandemic that will strike everyone and every place regardless of location. The major stations have the resources, knowledge, and expertise to provide the information people need and want. This isn't a local medical emergency. This emergency is national.

 

[davideduardo]

How many daytime AM stations have their own medical correspondent? I think we have to be realistic here. This isn't a flood or a hurricane, where geography provides an advantage. We have a national pandemic that will strike everyone and every place regardless of location. The major stations have the resources, knowledge, and expertise to provide the information people need and want. This isn't a local medical emergency. This emergency is national.

There are a number of daytime or highly directional stations in the mountain west and the western Great Plains states that are highly equipped with a news and weather and farm staff that would have all the local, state and national contacts for their area and could provide better service even that TV stations in the bigger cities.

They have connections with the local communities, mostly agricultural and ranching, that they serve. And that means that they can get local health authorities almost instantly due to their reputation.

WNAX is a good example, and better known, but I used KRVN in Lexington because it is a full 50 kw, restricted only by having to be directional at night. Both of these, and several dozen stations have the power and the staff to be of real service. For example, the Seatons are apparently interested in the big station in Grand Junction, and could provide excellent service to the Western Slope area with a 50 kw station on 1100; they own the local newspaper and have great resources to provide superior service to the area.

There are quite a few of these cases of big stations that could go non-directional and serve vast underserved areas... and they are mostly stations with good resources.

 

[Steve Green NEPA]

Why am I getting the notion that the powwow between the administration and the FCC possibly could wind up with 'non-commercial' restrictions being lifted during such times?

You know .... 'it'll stimulate business' .... 'let the markets decide' ...

Covid-19 recognizes no state / federal boundaries. Why should AM radio signals be limited?

I'm not recommending this. Just saying.
The understaffed FCC has had compliance itches and rashes the past decade with AM signals' compliance. So what's one more topic to wash their hands of ?

 

[TheBigA]

There are quite a few of these cases of big stations that could go non-directional and serve vast underserved areas... and they are mostly stations with good resources.

Has anyone done it yet?

Another option is having the well-staffed stations create their own state/regional network, providing content to the weaker stations. That might be easier than changing the power or directionality of an existing station.

Covid-19 recognizes no state / federal boundaries. Why should AM radio signals be limited?

Because of interference. Too many stations.

 

[davideduardo]

Another option is having the well-staffed stations create their own state/regional network, providing content to the weaker stations. That might be easier than changing the power or directionality of an existing station.

That is certainly a valid option; with the Internet providing a good, reliable audio link system it could be done quickly.

However, for a night directional station to go to the daytime non-directional operation is simply the push of a button or the reprogramming of an automated system switch. The same goes for daytimers running fulltime or stations running day power at night.

 

[cyberdad]

If the station is uniquely able to provide information, it is justified in staying on the air.
For example, KRVN in Lexington, Nebraska, 50 kw on 880, could stay non-directional at night to serve a predominantly rural area not served by local stations that have news facilities; .

Indeed this has happened with KRVN on occasion. During blizzards and other severe weather outbreaks, IIRC.

 

[asugeorge1]

That is certainly a valid option; with the Internet providing a good, reliable audio link system it could be done quickly.

However, for a night directional station to go to the daytime non-directional operation is simply the push of a button or the reprogramming of an automated system switch. The same goes for daytimers running fulltime or stations running day power at night.

This is very true David. I can definitely see this situation playing out soon in different parts of the country, especially if hospitals are getting overrun with patients. Increasing power to anything above 50,000 watts would be too difficult from a technological standpoint, but stations remaining on non directional daytime power is a very real possibility. I can see it playing out like this: radio stations, especially in more rural areas like KRVN in Lexington, Nebraska, could direct people to the right hospitals that have beds or availability for treatment. In rural areas, hospitals can be several miles away and heading to the wrong hospital in an emergency could be a life or death situation. This would also be true in urban areas that are not properly served by FM stations due to terrain issues in which AM stations could provide better coverage on daytime power.

Unfortunately, as every day goes by, the worse this pandemic seems to be and the more likely it is that our local hospitals will be overrun with patients. Hospitals are already setting up tents outside my fiancé’s hospital where she works in California. Hopefully just a precaution for a worst case scenario. On the radio programming side, I have heard sports stations giving Coronavirus updates here in Phoenix. Only a matter of time before some AM stations in the US stay on daytime power at night to serve the public with crucial life-saving information.

 

[Steve Green NEPA]

Was anyone here on the earie when WOKV (the station I'll forever regard as The Big Ape 690) in Jacksonville stayed on its 50,000 watt omni day signal for coverage vis-a-vis Hurricane Hugo that night in 1989?

I don't even remember if their calls were WOKV at the time. I was listening from Northeast Philly that night, and The Big Ape was right there on the dial, solid, between WFAN and WOR. The info they provided about Hugo turned out to be necessary -- vital -- to listeners in the potential swath that the 50K omni signal reached. There turned out to be two Charlestons affected, with Charlotte sandwiched between them.

So since I honestly don't remember from 31 years ago, I'm asking if The Big Ape -- which had a nighttime program log because they were full-time *anyway* -- had to lose the commercials for the duration.

I don't see why there would've been needed a commercial curfew. No one in Senegal or Sierra Leone (where their signal usually reaches at night) cares about a car dealership in Jacksonville, or an eatery, or a tattoo parlor. So why would a listener in Morehead City or Atlanta or Nantucket take offense? There would be nothing mercenary or profitable about the programming.

As has been suggested in this terrific thread, there are asterisks in such situations and then there are asterisks.

Conelrad, anyone?

 

[Kelly A]

However, the topic here is if they can raise power, and they have to be able to justify it in some way. Not sure any radio station can claim increasing its power will help in a pandemic.

Yeah that reason wouldn't fly. It's not like the virus is effecting the ability to broadcast news and safety-related information to the surrounding community like even weather emergencies would. The juice of justifying the act, wouldn't be worth the squeeze.

 

[davideduardo]

I don't see why there would've been needed a commercial curfew. No one in Senegal or Sierra Leone (where their signal usually reaches at night) cares about a car dealership in Jacksonville, or an eatery, or a tattoo parlor. So why would a listener in Morehead City or Atlanta or Nantucket take offense? There would be nothing mercenary or profitable about the programming.

Any station broadcasting outside its authorized facility to serve the public during an emergency must do so without commercials. It's FCC policy and there have, to the best of my knowledge, never been exceptions.

Otherwise, some station would say it was an emergency to stay on the air at night because the local high school was playing in the state championship.

 

[radioman148]

WWL was the only station operating during Hurricane Katrina as I recall, but at 25000 watts.

After hurricane Katrina WQNO or whatever their call letters were then, was operating with higher power and possibly ND at night. Their signal was quite strong into the Chicago area which is far from normal.

 

[semoochie]

Any station broadcasting outside its authorized facility to serve the public during an emergency must do so without commercials. It's FCC policy and there have, to the best of my knowledge, never been exceptions.

Otherwise, some station would say it was an emergency to stay on the air at night because the local high school was playing in the state championship.

Sure, why not, as long as there are no ads? It's certainly in the public interest and how long can the game last?

 

[b-turner]

That is true. Operating a station outside the licensed hours of operation and/or power, is done so on a non-commercial basic required by the FCC.

Lots of broadcasters forego commercials in such times. Television stations operating during an emergency situation might continue non-stop for hours on end wit no commercials by choice. I have heard radio stations go non-commercial and wall-to-wall when they are authorized to be on the air and at licensed power levels.

At one station I worked, a small subdivision was struck by a tornado. We ran for hours commercial-free. After the danger passed we announced businesses that were opening to assist the victims in supplies they needed and announced phone numbers for insurance agents. This was an FM station (authorized 24/7) and the owner said to blow off the commercials, that we'd make them good the next day or two if we could.

 

[TheBigA]

At one station I worked, a small subdivision was struck by a tornado.

However, a national pandemic is very different from a local tornado.

 

[tested]

On the East and Gulf Coast areas, there are thousands of incidents of daytimers running all night and directional stations going non-directional during hurricanes. Similar cases, although less frequent, have been heard for tornado situations, major floods, extreme storms and other disasters.

As long as those situations are not commercialized, it is permitted. Almost any reasonable explanation has seemed to be valid over the decades.

Few stations have equipment that allows raising the power, although there have been many, many of the ones I described where a station has remained on day power at night and operated non-directionally.

One of the stations that has given great service during hurricanes is the 50 kw 690 AM station in Jacksonville. During many Atlantic hurricanes, from Miami up to the Carolinas, it has remained on the air all night with the daytime non-directional facility to give emergency information.

Glad you mentioned that. I heard that station and WIOD Miami here in North Texas during a big hurricane (might have been Andrew) years ago. I did not know why I was hearing them then when I could never hear them otherwise.

 

[gr8oldies]

The Cleveland Indians PBP announcers even mentioned that if you're hearing another station in the background, it's because of the flood emergency in the Fargo area.

I remember WZFG in the Fargo, ND area staying at 50KW ND at night during the floods some years back. They really wreaked havoc on WTAM's signal for a few weeks.