Channel 6 Audio on 87.7 FM after digital transition

[w9wi]

The applications have been filed. I'm not thinking the FCC is going to accept them.

http://www.fcc.gov/Daily_Releases/Daily_Business/2008/db0321/DA-08-626A1.txt details a case where an existing non-commercial FM station (KFLO 89.1 in Louisiana) sought to double their power and add horizontal polarization. They'd been limited by proximity to KTAL-TV channel 6. KTAL's permanent DTV facility will be on channel 15 - channel 6 will not be used in the area post-Transition. KFLO promised that if the new facilities were granted, they would not implement them until after next February, after KTAL ceased analog operations. And they presented a letter from KTAL consenting to the arrangement.

The FCC dismissed the application. Among other things, the Commission stated that granting KFLO's application would be unfair to other potential FM applicants in the area who were holding off on filing because their applications couldn't comply with the rules *as they stand now*.

Well, I posted this yesterday morning.

About two hours later the FCC posted yesterday's Daily Digest.

In which they reconsidered and granted KFLO's upgrade.

It would be interesting to know why. Whether KFLO convinced them to make a general change in policy, or if there was something specific to KFLO's case. (for example, would the presence of KFLO's existing signal make it impossible to grant any other upgrade or new-station application? Would this change in policy apply ONLY to KFLO?)

 

[Morgan Wick]

I know that the audio for the digital television stations cannot be picked up on an analog radio. However, I am wondering -- can the audio from Channel 6 digital transmission be picked up at 87.7 FM on a digital HD radio? or are the two systems incompatible?

HD Radio which by the way does not stand for "high def," (rant, I wonder why they allowed such a misleading name LOL) is COFDM. COFDM is used for TV in some countries but not the US. Here we use 8VSB for our digital TV.

Really? What DOES it stand for?

 

[tripinva]

HD Radio = "Hybrid Digital." Though that may be a backronym.

- Trip

 

[MotoMuzak]

;D Someone rather notorious (and shall remain unnamed here) in one of the other boards says it stands for "Horribly Defective". If s/he is referring to the Medium-Wave implementation, I can see how they would reach that conclusion. ;D

The FM implementation, on the other hand, does have some merits.......

 

[ixnay]

I did some checking on dtvallocations.com and see only 9 stations will be broadcasting digitally on Channel 6 -- and my guess is that most of them probably are still on analog on Channel 6 now and will switch to digital 6 after transition, but I haven't verified that. The Channel 6 digital TV cities are
New Haven, CT
Schenectady, NY
Philadephia, PA
Pelham, GA
Wrens, GA
Birmingham, AL
Ensign, KS
Butte, MT
Casper, WY

For those like me who had not heard of Pelham, Wrens, or Ensign (well, I may have vaguely heard of Ensign), I enlisted the help of Messrs. Rand, McNally, and MapQuest, who I thank....

Pelham, GA... midway between Albany, GA and Tallahassee, FL... Tallahassee or Albany market?
Wrens, GA... 30 miles sw of Augusta... Augusta market, I assume.
Ensign, KS... 13 miles sw of Dodge City (is Dodge City a market?).

ixnay

An occasional listener in my youth to WPVI-6 Phila. on 87.7 (it was on 87.7 that I heard [from Cosell on MNF] of John Lennon's death)

 

[w9wi]

I did some checking on dtvallocations.com and see only 9 stations will be broadcasting digitally on Channel 6 -- and my guess is that most of them probably are still on analog on Channel 6 now and will switch to digital 6 after transition, but I haven't verified that. The Channel 6 digital TV cities are
New Haven, CT
Schenectady, NY
Philadephia, PA
Pelham, GA
Wrens, GA
Birmingham, AL
Ensign, KS
Butte, MT
Casper, WY

For those like me who had not heard of Pelham, Wrens, or Ensign (well, I may have vaguely heard of Ensign), I enlisted the help of Messrs. Rand, McNally, and MapQuest, who I thank....

Pelham, GA... midway between Albany, GA and Tallahassee, FL... Tallahassee or Albany market?
Wrens, GA... 30 miles sw of Augusta... Augusta market, I assume.
Ensign, KS... 13 miles sw of Dodge City (is Dodge City a market?).

Pretty much all of Kansas is in the Wichita market. (except for a few areas in the extreme east of the state near Topeka, Kansas City, and Pittsburg.)

To address HoustonListener's comment:
The stations in Schenectady, Philadelphia, Ensign, and Butte are on channel 6 with their analog signals. Also Casper, but Casper is a new-to-air station that didn't receive a second channel. They will be flash-cutting from analog to DTV on channel 6.

New Haven is on channel 65 and is a "four letter LPTV" - it holds a regular license but is less powerful than many LPTV stations.

Pelham and Wrens are on analog channels 14 and 20. Birmingham (actually Tuscaloosa) is on analog channel 23.

 

[tripinva]

Given that WABW in Pelham had a permit at one point to co-locate with the rest of the Tallahassee stations, I'll say it's in the Tallahassee market.

WCES Wrens is the PBS for Augusta.

Dodge City is part of the Wichita market, KBSD Ensign repeats KWCH in Witchita. (CBS)

- Trip