Gainesville-Ocala Wish List...

[ThatGuyOnTheRadio]

As for WAJD-- I did hear it on the air today, the PM drive guy, Dave from KISS 105.3 is the image voice. No idea who is programming.

But in all honesty, that format actually makes sense. Especially given the part of town the stick is in.

As for WERF-- I heard one of the aforementioned sports show a few weeks ago, road to atlanta or something. Whilst listening they took a commercial break (yes, a call to action commercial break... not allowed on LPFM's I do not believe) that featured a law firm and the same :30 spot the commercial guys are playing from GRU.

 

[Kmagrill]

As for WERF-- I heard one of the aforementioned sports show a few weeks ago, road to atlanta or something. Whilst listening they took a commercial break (yes, a call to action commercial break... not allowed on LPFM's I do not believe) that featured a law firm and the same :30 spot the commercial guys are playing from GRU.

The GRU "Spot" isn't a spot at all. It's a PSA. GRU is a non-profit organization and the call to action involves no picuniary interest, so it clears on both counts. They sent the script of that one to FCC legal and got their blessing on it. Not sure about the Law firm announcement, but if you know which one it is, let WERF know by using the contact form on the WERF website. There is a carefully worded agreement that the sports guys are supposed to abide by that specifies no commercials, only "Enhanced underwriting" in sports broadcasting. If the sports company is slipping spots by, the station owners won't approve. I've not heard the law firm announcement, so I cannot comment on it. I do know that the FCC paid a visit to a nearby LPFM a few months ago and got them for some commercials in a syndicated show that they were running, but they didn't get them for anything in the "Drive to Atlanta" show.

Candidly, I think it's crazy for the FCC to expect LPFMs to survive by selling underwriting. At best, it's a break even proposition for those lucky enough to survive. I'm not sure how any of them make enough to survive, let alone thrive. But that's a discussion for another thread, I suppose.

 

[jmtillery]

Vadar, what would you suggest flip to CHR to serve Ocala?

I know 104.3 in Inglis is always looking to sell, though even with a C3 upgrade-- I don't think it would cover the southern half of the market very well.

I always thought a WYKS/WOGF simulcast-- but the more I look at the coverage map, the less I think a good idea it would be (probably why Gillen never acted)

WOGF will not cover Ocala with a serviceable signal even at C3 power levels, so 104.3 is out as an Ocala CHR. I had previously stated on another thread that WMFQ is the most logical choice to flip to CHR provided there is a market void for the format. WOGK, WTRS and WNDD are well positioned and are doing fine. I'd leave those stations alone and as is.

A much better alternative to WMFQ for CHR would be WXRA-FM 99.3 Inglis as its tower is located two miles North of Dunnellon and the signal places a 60dbu contour over half of Ocala.

 

[ThatGuyOnTheRadio]

We must be thinking of 2 different GRU spots, because the spot I heard talked about the $500 summer sweepstakes.

Granted, this was several weeks ago-- but I'm 99% sure that is what I heard.

Mark, WXRA wouldn't be half bad but WMFQ would still be better. Trouble is, I don't know if I see Mr. Flinn parting ways with WXRA.

I never thought of Ocala having a stand alone CHR, but rather a simulcast by Mr. Gillen at WYKS. I know in years past he thought about and shopped for a stick in the south but never acted on anything.

 

[Kmagrill]

We must be thinking of 2 different GRU spots, because the spot I heard talked about the $500 summer sweepstakes.

Granted, this was several weeks ago-- but I'm 99% sure that is what I heard.

I never thought of Ocala having a stand alone CHR, but rather a simulcast by Mr. Gillen at WYKS. I know in years past he thought about and shopped for a stick in the south but never acted on anything.

The GRU $500 sweepstakes deal is an inducement for existong customers to pay their GRU bill online. The reason it's supposedly okay is because GRU doesn't induce them to actually buy anything. The customers are already buying service from a municipal non-profit monopoly and they don't have to spend anything to enter the sweepstakes, nor is it based on their consumption. There was a lot of discussion about that announcement but when you analyze the thing, it's not at all like a store that wants you to come in and buy something you wouldn't otherwise. The fact that GRU is a not-for-profit corporation also makes a difference. Even if they were inducing (which they're not), it would be like an announcement for a church or school carnival where an admission was charged and I think that's probably legal.


On the Ocala CHR, I would also consider that there are several commercial translator applications that have been stuck in limbo for almost 8 years in both Ocala and Gainesville. There's some indication that the FCC may make a move on those in the next few months, which may change the radio landscape and open up some new opportunities for servicing the other side of the market. As of today, only one commercial translator operates in Ocala on 100.1, simulcasting WMOP. There are none currently authorized in Gainesville. All of the new grants would be prohibited from carrying AM stations, so only FM stations can utilize them unless the FCC modifies the rules. On the other hand, any translator can convert HD2 or HD3 transmissions into analog, so the possibility of more formats potentially arises from that. Also, translators used as fill-ins have no restriction on antenna height. They simply cannot exceed the service contour of the parent station and cannot cause interference to other stations. I have seen translators whose coverage exceeded that of a Class A and a few that approached class C3.

 

[cd637299]

BTW, when did the FCC decide that it was okay now to relay AM stations on FM, outside of Alaska? (referring to 100.1, who as far as I know, don't usually refer to themselves as 900)

cd

 

[Kmagrill]

BTW, when did the FCC decide that it was okay now to relay AM stations on FM, outside of Alaska? (referring to 100.1, who as far as I know, don't usually refer to themselves as 900)

cd

In 2005 or 2006, the FCC started letting translators apply for STAs to broadcast AM stations. These worked but were a pain in the neck because they had to be renewed periodically at the cost of $400+ for each renewal. I don't recall if it was every 90 days or every 180, but the costs do add up, as does the paperwork burden. So, in 2008, the FCC officially changed the rules to allow carriage of AM stations, provided that the translator's service contour is entirely contained within the AM station's service contour. In a nod to LPFM proponants like Prometheus, the FCC also stipulated that only translators authorized prior to May 2008 could carry AM stations, presumably to thwart an imaginary landrush of AM stations seeking new translators. That was impossible, of course, since translator applications are only filed during windows, and the last one was in 2003.

 

[ThatGuyOnTheRadio]

Kyle, you're right-- lots of translators on file for both Gainesville and Ocala. Some of the frequencies make me scratch my head.

Like 101.7 in downtown Gainesville and 106.9 in Ocala.

 

[cd637299]

BTW, when did the FCC decide that it was okay now to relay AM stations on FM, outside of Alaska? (referring to 100.1, who as far as I know, don't usually refer to themselves as 900)

cd

In 2005 or 2006, the FCC started letting translators apply for STAs to broadcast AM stations. These worked but were a pain in the neck because they had to be renewed periodically at the cost of $400+ for each renewal. I don't recall if it was every 90 days or every 180, but the costs do add up, as does the paperwork burden. So, in 2008, the FCC officially changed the rules to allow carriage of AM stations, provided that the translator's service contour is entirely contained within the AM station's service contour. In a nod to LPFM proponants like Prometheus, the FCC also stipulated that only translators authorized prior to May 2008 could carry AM stations, presumably to thwart an imaginary landrush of AM stations seeking new translators. That was impossible, of course, since translator applications are only filed during windows, and the last one was in 2003.

Okay, but re the contour: Although I do not live in Ocala, I go there a few times a year to see family....and I can tell you, that night signal hardly goes anywhere.....I'd much rather hear it on the FM! (I figure that if there is any local advertising at night, they truly depend on the FM!)

Or is the stipulation *daytime* contour only?

Sorry to de-rail the thread. I'm great at that.

cd

 

[Kmagrill]

... in 2008, the FCC officially changed the rules to allow carriage of AM stations, provided that the translator's service contour is entirely contained within the AM station's service contour.

Okay, but re the contour: Although I do not live in Ocala, I go there a few times a year to see family....and I can tell you, that night signal hardly goes anywhere.....I'd much rather hear it on the FM! (I figure that if there is any local advertising at night, they truly depend on the FM!)

Or is the stipulation *daytime* contour only?



cd

Yes, the rules specify that it is the AM station's daytime contour that defines the limits of the translator coverage, thus it's a fantastic deal for daytime only AM stations. The translators can also broadcast in stereo, regardless of if the AM normally broadcasts that way. Also, as is the case for all fill-in translators, there is no need to receive off-the-air. Programming can be delivered by STL or whatever method is desired.

 

[jmtillery]

Mark, WXRA wouldn't be half bad but WMFQ would still be better. Trouble is, I don't know if I see Mr. Flinn parting ways with WXRA.

I never thought of Ocala having a stand alone CHR, but rather a simulcast by Mr. Gillen at WYKS. I know in years past he thought about and shopped for a stick in the south but never acted on anything.

My first choice for an Ocala CHR is WMFQ. My second back-up choice is WXRA. As for Dr. Flinn selling WXRA, one never knows for sure what possibilities lie ahead unless one asks the correct question from the correct person. "Seek and ye shall find".

 

[radiobum]

Gotta hand it to WMFQ for weekend features . They just did same song title-different artists and I heard them play "What's Your Name" by Don and Juan and then "What's Your Name" by Skynyrd.

Now that's radio !

 

[jmtillery]

Radiobum - There's no doubt about it. Shane Finch has done an outstanding job programming Classic Hits Big 92.9. It has the music I like and the station, overall, sounds very much like a step back in time to the 70s and 80s. In other words WMFQ, to me, sounds almost exactly like a 1970s / 1980s CHR / Top 40 radio station which energy, fun and excitement. That's my opinion.

 

[MN Maniac]

Radiobum - There's no doubt about it. Shane Finch has done an outstanding job programming Classic Hits Big 92.9. It has the music I like and the station, overall, sounds very much like a step back in time to the 70s and 80s. In other words WMFQ, to me, sounds almost exactly like a 1970s / 1980s CHR / Top 40 radio station which energy, fun and excitement. That's my opinion.

Shane Finch was a CHR jock in the 1980s. When I was a "Baby DJ" just starting out in Fort Dodge, Iowa, Shane was my competition on Q-102/Des Moines. He "gets it", both with the music and the approach.

Remember too that WMFQ *has* to sound great since Orlando's Sunny 105.9 puts a local grade signal into Ocala.

 

[MN Maniac]

What a cluttered FM for a smaller market....

And that's not even counting all the Orlando FMs that get into Ocala!

BTW, the LPFM situation in Gainesville is as bizarre as I've ever seen. 3/4 stations sharing ONE frequency? (94.7) That's crazy!

95.7 has a good format but a lousy signal where most of the population is located. It's too far west of the city to cover effectively.

107.7 is basically a waste of electricity. Unless you're within a few blocks of the transmitter, it gets clobbered by Magic 107.7's 100kW @ 1600 feet from Orange City.

 

[ThatGuyOnTheRadio]

But if you ARE close, 107.7 is an over modulated splattering mess.

I was at the corner of 39th and Main in the summer near all the dealerships and 107.7 was all over 106.9.

 

[jmtillery]

Shane Finch was a CHR jock in the 1980s.He "gets it", both with the music and the approach.

And it shows!

 

[Kmagrill]

But if you ARE close, 107.7 is an over modulated splattering mess.

I was at the corner of 39th and Main in the summer near all the dealerships and 107.7 was all over 106.9.

I suspect that's receiver overload. I've not been over to 107.7 in about two years, but they were not overmodulating when I last saw them and they sound okay on my radio, even on 39th Ave. Their transmitter is very near to that intersection, though so receiver overload is a real possibility. That happens to mine when I'm out near the end of Parker Road, close to WERF. Now, if the 107.7 signal only went more than about 10 blocks, they'd actually have something.

 

[ThatGuyOnTheRadio]

Yeah, that's true... Same thing happens to a lot of the more distant stations on Tower Road. All the intermod from WJLF and WYKS I'm sure.

WPZM's signal isn't THAT bad, I'm surprised how far I've been able to take it sometimes.

 

[Kmagrill]

WPZM's signal isn't THAT bad, I'm surprised how far I've been able to take it sometimes.

We once tested them on 107.5, hoping that Congress was finally going to let the FCC drop 3rd channel protections back in 2008. I didn't drive it, but some of their staff did and reported that they could hear it clearly all over town and as far east as Hawthorne. On the very few days when WMGF isn't swamping them, they do get out fairly well. The problem is that WMGF has a 50+ dBu signal in Gainesville and it takes about a +20dB margin on a co-channel to overcome all interference, so poor old WPZM is basically only viable to about the 70dBu contour on most days.