Dark stations length

[johnbasalla]

How long can a station be off-air (remain dark) before they have to surrender their license or become at risk of losing their license?

Is there a difference between taking a station off-air temporarily as opposed to permanently in relation to when the FCC has to be informed? Any differences between AM and FM?

Without special authorization to do so (as in continuing to provide a subcarrier service), how long can a station have a dead carrier on-air before it becomes illegal to have the transmitter on without any modulation?

 

[radioplayer]

How long can a station be off-air (remain dark) before they have to surrender their license or become at risk of losing their license?

Is there a difference between taking a station off-air temporarily as opposed to permanently in relation to when the FCC has to be informed? Any differences between AM and FM?

Without special authorization to do so (as in continuing to provide a subcarrier service), how long can a station have a dead carrier on-air before it becomes illegal to have the transmitter on without any modulation?

John,

30 days is the max length of time (unless one files an STA giving reason for the silent action on the assigned channel)

Dead carrier is a no-no and I don't believe stations can ever do this unless they're running under a CP and testing (prior to pgm tests) Legal ID's must air at least 1x each hour. I suppose one "could" just broadcast the legal by itself and nothing else, but why would you?

Hope that helps-

 

[w9wi]

How long can a station be off-air (remain dark) before they have to surrender their license or become at risk of losing their license?

Is there a difference between taking a station off-air temporarily as opposed to permanently in relation to when the FCC has to be informed? Any differences between AM and FM?

Without special authorization to do so (as in continuing to provide a subcarrier service), how long can a station have a dead carrier on-air before it becomes illegal to have the transmitter on without any modulation?

From 73.1740(a)(4):
"...the station may limit or discontinue operation for a period of not more than 30 days without further authority from the FCC. Notification must be sent...not later than the 10th day of limited or discontinued operation."

From 73.1740(c):
"The license of any broadcasting station that fails to transmit broadcast signals for any consecutive 12-month period expires as a matter of law at the end of that period, notwithstanding any provision, term, or condition of hte license to the contrary."

(the latter rule rises from an Act of Congress - the Commission cannot repeal that regulation)

So, the answer to your first question is one year. You can take a station off the air temporarily for up to a year; at that point the license is lost and the off-air condition becomes permanent... If you want to intentionally take the station off the air permanently, you can surrender the license to the FCC for cancellation.

There is no difference between AM, FM, or TV.

It's illegal to leave a dead carrier on for more than an hour, because 73.1201(a) requires an hourly station identification announcement. As long as you run an ID on the hour, it would be fine with the FCC if you ran silence for the other 59 minutes and 57 seconds.. Oh, you would also have to run the EAS Required Weekly Test and relay the Required Monthly Test. I have not heard of the FCC granting authority to operate without IDs and EAS to keep a subcarrier service on the air, but I suppose it's possible.

(I have a vague recollection of that happening with 89.7 in Miami, when they were transferred from the religious organization to Minnesota Public Radio? I wonder if they did in fact run legal IDs and the EAS stuff but were dead air the rest of the time?)

 

[radioguybroadcasting]

How long can a station be off-air (remain dark) before they have to surrender their license or become at risk of losing their license?

Is there a difference between taking a station off-air temporarily as opposed to permanently in relation to when the FCC has to be informed? Any differences between AM and FM?

Without special authorization to do so (as in continuing to provide a subcarrier service), how long can a station have a dead carrier on-air before it becomes illegal to have the transmitter on without any modulation?

From 73.1740(a)(4):
"...the station may limit or discontinue operation for a period of not more than 30 days without further authority from the FCC. Notification must be sent...not later than the 10th day of limited or discontinued operation."

From 73.1740(c):
"The license of any broadcasting station that fails to transmit broadcast signals for any consecutive 12-month period expires as a matter of law at the end of that period, notwithstanding any provision, term, or condition of hte license to the contrary."

(the latter rule rises from an Act of Congress - the Commission cannot repeal that regulation)

So, the answer to your first question is one year. You can take a station off the air temporarily for up to a year; at that point the license is lost and the off-air condition becomes permanent... If you want to intentionally take the station off the air permanently, you can surrender the license to the FCC for cancellation.

There is no difference between AM, FM, or TV.

It's illegal to leave a dead carrier on for more than an hour, because 73.1201(a) requires an hourly station identification announcement. As long as you run an ID on the hour, it would be fine with the FCC if you ran silence for the other 59 minutes and 57 seconds.. Oh, you would also have to run the EAS Required Weekly Test and relay the Required Monthly Test. I have not heard of the FCC granting authority to operate without IDs and EAS to keep a subcarrier service on the air, but I suppose it's possible.

(I have a vague recollection of that happening with 89.7 in Miami, when they were transferred from the religious organization to Minnesota Public Radio? I wonder if they did in fact run legal IDs and the EAS stuff but were dead air the rest of the time?)

It's my understanding that if you lose audio (lose control of your programming) and can't get it back in 3 mintues, you are to shut off the transmitter.

 

[w9wi]

It's my understanding that if you lose audio (lose control of your programming) and can't get it back in 3 mintues, you are to shut off the transmitter.

I know of no such rule. However...

From 73.1350(b)(2):
"The transmitter control personnel must have the capability to turn the transmitter off at all times. ... the control system must provide this capability continuously or must include an alternate method of acquiring control that can satisfy the requirement of paragraph (d) of this section that operation be terminated within 3 minutes."

(confusingly, paragraph (d) states that a station must cease operation within 3 hours if technical parameters fall outside FCC regulations or the terms of the station's license)

I know some stations have wired silence sensors as this "alternate method of acquiring control". If the remote control fails, turn off the STL or patch out the program feed and within three minutes, the transmitter goes off. Simple, inexpensive, and effective - but not absolutely required by the FCC.

 

[johnbasalla]

Back in 1978 I worked at the first NPR station in Cleveland, Ohio. It was WBOE-FM (which may have been the first FM station on the 88.1-107.9 FM band having gone to 90.3 FM in 1947 or 1948). Anyway, they hosted a subcarrier service for a Radio Reading Service for blind and print impaired persons. The station went dark on October 8, 1978. They received special authorization from the FCC to leave the carrier on with no modulation so that the Radio Reading Service could continue. There was a legal ID at sign on and one at sign off, but no others. This continued until 1982 when the Radio Reading Service ceased operations due to cost.

 

[MickeyD]

How long can a station be off-air (remain dark) before they have to surrender their license or become at risk of losing their license?

Is there a difference between taking a station off-air temporarily as opposed to permanently in relation to when the FCC has to be informed? Any differences between AM and FM?

Without special authorization to do so (as in continuing to provide a subcarrier service), how long can a station have a dead carrier on-air before it becomes illegal to have the transmitter on without any modulation?

From 73.1740(a)(4):
"...the station may limit or discontinue operation for a period of not more than 30 days without further authority from the FCC. Notification must be sent...not later than the 10th day of limited or discontinued operation."

From 73.1740(c):
"The license of any broadcasting station that fails to transmit broadcast signals for any consecutive 12-month period expires as a matter of law at the end of that period, notwithstanding any provision, term, or condition of hte license to the contrary."

(the latter rule rises from an Act of Congress - the Commission cannot repeal that regulation)

So, the answer to your first question is one year. You can take a station off the air temporarily for up to a year; at that point the license is lost and the off-air condition becomes permanent... If you want to intentionally take the station off the air permanently, you can surrender the license to the FCC for cancellation.

There is no difference between AM, FM, or TV.

It's illegal to leave a dead carrier on for more than an hour, because 73.1201(a) requires an hourly station identification announcement. As long as you run an ID on the hour, it would be fine with the FCC if you ran silence for the other 59 minutes and 57 seconds.. Oh, you would also have to run the EAS Required Weekly Test and relay the Required Monthly Test. I have not heard of the FCC granting authority to operate without IDs and EAS to keep a subcarrier service on the air, but I suppose it's possible.

(I have a vague recollection of that happening with 89.7 in Miami, when they were transferred from the religious organization to Minnesota Public Radio? I wonder if they did in fact run legal IDs and the EAS stuff but were dead air the rest of the time?)

When the FCC enforces anything. I know many am and FM stations that have been off the air for longer than a year AND the FCC is aware of it. They don't have the manpower to do anything about it or they just don't choose to.

 

[Kent]

It's my understanding that if you lose audio (lose control of your programming) and can't get it back in 3 mintues, you are to shut off the transmitter.

There is a similar rule to that. It doesn't prohibit broadcasting dead air, though. It looks to apply to only unattended operation, such as if the transmitter stopped receiving anything from the STL. FCC 74.1234 states in part, "The transmitter shall also be equipped with suitable automatic circuits which will place it in a nonradiating condition in the absence of a signal on the input channel."

 

[w9wi]

There is a similar rule to that. It doesn't prohibit broadcasting dead air, though. It looks to apply to only unattended operation, such as if the transmitter stopped receiving anything from the STL. FCC 74.1234 states in part, "The transmitter shall also be equipped with suitable automatic circuits which will place it in a nonradiating condition in the absence of a signal on the input channel."

74.1234 applies only to FM translators. It requires the translator to shut down if the station being relayed goes off the air.

(regular stations are licensed under subpart 73)