Since translators are generally deployed to reach well-populated areas, that's a non-factor. If given a choice of a stand-alone 250-watt FM station in a prime location and a 5,000-watt AM station with a translator, I'm sure EMF would choose the lower-powered FM with no hesitation. It would save them money and reach the people EMF wants to reach in that area just as effectively. But because of the FCC's desperate life-support measures for what should be turning into a ghost band otherwise, EMF is forced to pay the bills on an AM it neither wants nor needs.
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EMF grabs another signal in the area
- Thread starter tablin
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Doesn't make much matter in this case since EMF did not buy the AM.
That depends on whether you would like to listen.
I just checked the Wikipedia link that says "listen live" and I'm getting "Real Country 1490".
You can listen to Air1 on many different sources. In short order I found Air1 on the TuneIn app on my phone. I looked at their website for list of stations. The are the HD-2 of 96.1 WHQC and the HD-2 of 94.1 WWLV. They are also on a number of FM translators. Not a single AM.
WEGO is gone. 2B Productions filed an application to take it silent. It may be back some day but for now it is gone.
Yeah, if someone REALLY wants to buy an HD receiver, and then the signal actually has to be good.
I keep forgetting to turn on the station. Oh, wait, I could turn on a real radio and see if it works.
WSTP is on the air.
They're really making a big deal about this. They're saying people in High Rock and Davidson County will hear it. A translator? I have my doubts.
Translators are great for polluting FM. If you're in one place great! That slightly out of market signal is gone but that's what the big groups want anyway, it reduces their competition. Problem is, people move around and when you're out of range of the translator you can't enjoy that slightly out of market signal because when you hill top the translator comes back just enough to make a mess.
Most people under 40 are not far from their phones where they can listen to anything they want free of commercials. One day soon the car radio will be replaced by an Aux jack or USB port. For many that's all they use now.
Most people under 40 are not far from their phones where they can listen to anything they want free of commercials. One day soon the car radio will be replaced by an Aux jack or USB port. For many that's all they use now.
I heard the old station ID on WSAT this morning. I haven't checked to see if they're doing new ones with the new translator.
However, the announcer said "This week's" St. John's Lutheran service. That service starts at 11 and the Sunday after Thanksgiving I heard "Come Ye Thankful People Come". They really ought to say it's last week's. And if WSTP is back on the air, why not put the 11:00 service there?
However, the announcer said "This week's" St. John's Lutheran service. That service starts at 11 and the Sunday after Thanksgiving I heard "Come Ye Thankful People Come". They really ought to say it's last week's. And if WSTP is back on the air, why not put the 11:00 service there?
WSAT was still doing the old station ID last time I checked.
The newspaper article about the change said WEGO sold to K-Love, which isn't true. I told the newspaper but haven't heard back.
The newspaper article about the change said WEGO sold to K-Love, which isn't true. I told the newspaper but haven't heard back.
Yes translators pollute indeed. They provide a new signal for a limited area but block distant signals from neighboring markets that used to come in clear. That's why you can no longer receive B-93.7 in parts of Mecklenburg County or Mix 107.9 in parts of Greenville County.
And the top of the hour station ID now has the new translator.
And the guy still says, "You guys are the best!"
And the guy still says, "You guys are the best!"
People in Concord complained about the loss of Memories 98.3, but the local newspaper (3 times a week for more than 100,000 people just in the one city) only mentioned 101.7, which apparently reaches more listeners than your average translator, but probably not Concord. 1280 AM is better than nothing! Friday Five: New restaurant and dentist office coming, store leaving and more
Mike Sheridan points out a dislike for translators. He says they pollute the FM and make it impossible to hear stations 'just out of range'.
Every translator and LPFM is licensed by the FCC because they do not interfere with any stations otherwise the application would be rejected. Those stations you can't hear any longer weren't supposed to reach that far anyway but did because the interference free hole went unfilled until it was
Stations don't care about 'out of area' listeners. Commercial radio stations are businesses. They sell in their coverage area and they try to attract as many listeners in that coverage area as possible. If you aren't in the area you aren't buying from their town's stores.
How do you know this is what the big groups want. Admit it, you have an issue with big radio companies.
By the way, the first translator was a small market station. In fact, before they were called translators, WAMB in the Nashville market got a 75 watt FM to operate sunset to sunrise because the night signal of the AM was destroyed by a Cuban station. After 5 years of writing a letter a day to the FCC they finally gave him what was essentially the very first translator before translators existed.
Should you want to reach the people responsible. contact the FCC. They are the ones that created and apply the rules pertaining to radio.
Every translator and LPFM is licensed by the FCC because they do not interfere with any stations otherwise the application would be rejected. Those stations you can't hear any longer weren't supposed to reach that far anyway but did because the interference free hole went unfilled until it was
Stations don't care about 'out of area' listeners. Commercial radio stations are businesses. They sell in their coverage area and they try to attract as many listeners in that coverage area as possible. If you aren't in the area you aren't buying from their town's stores.
How do you know this is what the big groups want. Admit it, you have an issue with big radio companies.
By the way, the first translator was a small market station. In fact, before they were called translators, WAMB in the Nashville market got a 75 watt FM to operate sunset to sunrise because the night signal of the AM was destroyed by a Cuban station. After 5 years of writing a letter a day to the FCC they finally gave him what was essentially the very first translator before translators existed.
Should you want to reach the people responsible. contact the FCC. They are the ones that created and apply the rules pertaining to radio.
If you were in a heavily populated area, maybe that’s true. If you’re in a mostly rural, vast area, no it isn’t. And stations target listeners in their primary coverage area - they largely don’t target those in the fringes. A translator wasn’t designed to ‘reduce competition for the big companies’ by blotting out an already out-of-market signal - that’s hogwash.
Those of us who enjoy listening to distant stations agree.
I have always enjoyed long distance listening from radio stations in neighboring markets. It provides more variety and choices. And back in the day the broadcasters used to promote their long distance signals and welcome long distance listeners. Now the business model seems to have changed and they just don't care any more. It's all about just the local advertisers revenue.
But for example, in Greenville, SC you used to be able to enjoy reliable reception of several Charlotte signals, including 95.1, 96.1, 101.9, 102.9, 105.3, and 107.9. Now several are spotty at best due to interference from LPFM signals and translators. You could also back in the day pull in 97.1 from Atlanta, but now there is a Spartanburg sports station on the same frequency.
And I wonder if the high altitude super signals from 99.9 and 106.9 near Asheville still reach into multiple states, such as Georgia, Tennessee, Virginia, and Kentucky? Or have localized low power signals proven detrimental to those strong mountain signals?
And on a related note, the Charlotte signals from 95.1, 96.1, and 107.9 used to make it into Johnson City, Tennessee and other locations along the I-81 corridor between Knoxville, Abdingdon, Va, and Roanoke. Probably polluted and not the case any more.
But fortunately here in Spartanburg, most major radio and TV signals from Charlotte come in strong and clear with my attic antenna. WBTV channel 3 is very strong just like a local channel, along with WJZY channel 46 and WCNC channel 36. And WSOC-TV has a translator on Crowder's Mountain that provides a strong signal for Channel 9, although I can also pull in the main signal from Charlotte along with WCCB, which are more on the fringe. But as the result of a potential translator problem upcoming from 13-WLOS in Asheville, I may lose channel 18 from Charlotte as the proposed translator for WLOS will also be on channel 18, which is disappointing as it will likely create interference.
And when I say WBTV channel 3 comes in strong just like a local channel in Spartanburg, that is no exaggeration. With a basic rabbit ears and loop, it is easier to receive WBTV-3 than WSPA channel 7, which is the official CBS designated market signal for Spartanburg. You have to tinker a bit more with the rabbit ears to pull in WSPA which transmits on channel 11, while the UHF loop pulls in WBTV easily on channel 23. Without amplifier. WJZY is about the same as WBTV, while WCNC is just a bit weaker. All 3 broadcast from the tall towers in Dallas, NC west of Charlotte in Gaston County, along with 95.1, 96.1, and 107.9 radio signals.
And for ABC, Channel 9 from Charlotte is much easier to receive than 13-WLOS from Asheville, which suffers from interference issues. In Spartanburg WSOC-TV tunes in easier than WLOS, both on main 9.1 and the translator on 9.5. The other GSP stations WSPA-7, WYFF-4, WHNS-21, and SCETV tune in fine. WSPA is strong and by no means problematic, but WBTV is super strong and very easy to tune in. So fringe reception is important for those of us who rely on TV antennas, as sometimes the official market signals don't perform as well as the unofficial distant ones.
And for ABC, Channel 9 from Charlotte is much easier to receive than 13-WLOS from Asheville, which suffers from interference issues. In Spartanburg WSOC-TV tunes in easier than WLOS, both on main 9.1 and the translator on 9.5. The other GSP stations WSPA-7, WYFF-4, WHNS-21, and SCETV tune in fine. WSPA is strong and by no means problematic, but WBTV is super strong and very easy to tune in. So fringe reception is important for those of us who rely on TV antennas, as sometimes the official market signals don't perform as well as the unofficial distant ones.
You mention the business model changed. You could not be more correct. When I got in the business our radio stations could never have enough revenue but in reality we had more than was needed and quite frankly didn't really adequately canvas the town's businesses for revenue. Radio needed much more cash then because radio stations were manned every hour the transmitter was on and there were other expenses like the long distance point to point phone line for that radio network or teletype and another for the National Weather Service. Equipment was more expensive than it is today. I don't recall if it was one or both lines that ran us $600 a month but that's what I was making per month as a DJ. Along the way the FCC licensed more stations and triple the number of stations resulted without an expanded economy. Then came newspaper shoppers, cable TV and online advertising. All took a chunk out of the advertising pie.
Once upon a time, from figures I saw, radio could generate up to $5.20 per thousand dollars in retail sales, depending on the market. These days if you can do $1 per thousand, you are doing okay. It's number of stations and number of advertising options that causes this, not a demise of radio or mass exodus of listeners as radio isn't hurting there. It's getting the revenue that's hurting radio. And figuring how to make online breakeven.
So yes, the model changed and we're too busy trying to find some dollars and reaching the target audience to acknowledge distant listeners. We all have to work harder and longer to generate the revenue ad maintain it.
I used to love to hear distant stations. In fact, I even had a minidisc AM/FM recorder/player in my car to record stations when I traveled.
Once upon a time, from figures I saw, radio could generate up to $5.20 per thousand dollars in retail sales, depending on the market. These days if you can do $1 per thousand, you are doing okay. It's number of stations and number of advertising options that causes this, not a demise of radio or mass exodus of listeners as radio isn't hurting there. It's getting the revenue that's hurting radio. And figuring how to make online breakeven.
So yes, the model changed and we're too busy trying to find some dollars and reaching the target audience to acknowledge distant listeners. We all have to work harder and longer to generate the revenue ad maintain it.
I used to love to hear distant stations. In fact, I even had a minidisc AM/FM recorder/player in my car to record stations when I traveled.
Translators work very well in some (usually smaller) markets. In large markets like New York or Miami with lots of geography to cover, not so much. If you are in Key West or Okeechobee FL, Elizabeth City NC or Doswell VA you can cover the entire population area with a single translator. It just becomes another station. These are towns and small cities that were under-served by major stations. Now you can hear the local news, the local high school football game or spots for a locally owned furniture store. (Note the continued use of "local.") There is a market for this type of service.
And yes, the big boys want to maintain their signal dominance. Look at the original clear channel allocations. Now too many stations are owned by too few people with out-of-market voice tracking.
Unfortunately the AM band is slowly withering. A lot of this is due to blunders like the Kahn fight that killed AM stereo or Ibiquity pushing their proprietary IBOC rather than something like DRM. Since DRM is open source, there is no money to advocate for it like Ibiquity dumped into their for-profit system.
I am glad it's the sunset of my time in the business. What used to be fun is now a PC cranking out nationally programmed music while sitting alone in a dark, empty studio.
And yes, the big boys want to maintain their signal dominance. Look at the original clear channel allocations. Now too many stations are owned by too few people with out-of-market voice tracking.
Unfortunately the AM band is slowly withering. A lot of this is due to blunders like the Kahn fight that killed AM stereo or Ibiquity pushing their proprietary IBOC rather than something like DRM. Since DRM is open source, there is no money to advocate for it like Ibiquity dumped into their for-profit system.
I am glad it's the sunset of my time in the business. What used to be fun is now a PC cranking out nationally programmed music while sitting alone in a dark, empty studio.
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