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FCC is being asked to give some AM's an extra hour of “pre-sunrise authority”

B

BarryATL

A year or two ago we talked about pre-sunrise authority (PSA). There was some contention as to whether the 500 watts at 6AM was still valid. Something about the FCC computer generated pre- and post- sunrise authorizations that changed times each month and usually was low power. Also, pre- and post- suntrise authorizations are not the same thing as a PSA. I seem to remember someone else saying that all of the 500 watt PSA records were not complete at the FCC and if the AM station lost the original telegram, they were screwed.

Below is a snipet from the Tom Taylor on Radio-Info email that was sent out today. Do we have any stations in the area still operating under the old pre-sunrise authority (PSA)? The only station that I remember in the metro having pre-sunrise authority was WACX 1600 Austell (now WAOS).

For many stations, morning drive starts at 5, and the FCC is being asked to give some AMs an extra hour of “pre-sunrise authority.”

New Jersey engineer Richard Arsenault saw what he perceived as a problem and decided to do something about it. He filed a petition for rulemaking at the Commission that would grant Class B and Class D AM stations authority to run with 500 watts starting at 5am, instead of the traditional 6am signon.
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BarryATL said:
For many stations, morning drive starts at 5, and the FCC is being asked to give some AMs an extra hour of “pre-sunrise authority.”

New Jersey engineer Richard Arsenault saw what he perceived as a problem and decided to do something about it. He filed a petition for rulemaking at the Commission that would grant Class B and Class D AM stations authority to run with 500 watts starting at 5am, instead of the traditional 6am signon.
Click to expand...
Click to expand...

Can't address your immediate question but I do have a comment on Arsenault's petition.

Stations aren't already allowed to go to 500 watts at 5am because the FCC believes they will interfere with other stations on the channel.

Consider, to pick an example out of the hat, WNIV-970. Allowed to go from 39 watts to 500 at 6am. Let's say the FCC does change the rules and allows WNIV to go to 500 watts at 5am instead of 6. WNIV can now provide (at least some!) service during Atlanta's morning drive.

5am is also drive time in Tampa, and Louisville, and Florence SC. People trying to listen to WFLA, and WGTK, and WJMX... will now suffer interference from Atlanta.

You're providing additional drivetime service in Atlanta at the expense of three other cities.

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To be perfectly honest I have little sympathy for daytimers. They knew they were getting a daytime-only license. If they wanted a full-time operation they needed to pay up to buy an existing full-time license.

I find these moves for enhanced night power to be kinda like the guy who buys the cheap house along Radio Rd., and then tries to get the zoning board to force WXXX to take down the towers that have been up before he was born because they're depressing the value of his property.

(I am pretty much OK with the FM-translators-for-AM-stations thing, as the translators don't interfere with existing service.)
 
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