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How can we announce that we're off the air when we're off the air?

V

vchimpanzee

There was severe weather in my area (North Carolina) last night and one of the stations I listen to was off the air.

For some reason, I wondered how they would announce they were off the air. But they're off the air. Actually, in this day and age they can announce it.

But I was reminded of an episode of "WKRP" where the transmitter building was blown up and someone answered the phone, saying to the caller essentially "How can we announce that we're off the air when we're off the air?"

Johnny was so paranoid he ran out of the building (I don't remember why they were in the transmitter building) when he heard sirens. Venus followed. This saved both their lives.
 
The way most stations do it is on their web site and social media. Typically even if the air signal is down, the station's stream will continue (if the station streams).
 
That reminds me of a story my group manager at one station told me about a station he worked as a program director. He has a jock a couple of weeks in to his first gig in the 7 to Midnight slot. The station got knocked off the air. When he shows up and walks in the studio the kid diligently cracks the microphone every 30 seconds and says "we are experiencing technical difficulties, please stand by". He said the guy had his headphones on and eyes glued to the clock. Holding back a laugh without the kid noticing, he slipped out of the studio undetected. Later he complimented the guy for his diligence. He never had the heart to tell the guy nobody heard him. I know from being behind the microphone when the transmitter goes down, the first instinct is to tell the audience until you realize you can't. Now a quick post on Facebook, Twitter, etc., gets the word out via today's version of the 'request line'.
 
When I'm "on the air" in 2018, I'm on:

- one terrestrial AM transmitter
- one FM translator for the AM
- either one or two full-power FM transmitters
- another FM HD2 that relays the AM
- two streams
- and, depending on the hour, my newscast is being recorded for later on-demand playback in an app

So, yes, I absolutely do keep going even if we're "off the air" on one of those signals - and I'll probably make an announcement about it, if it's relevant to listeners hearing me on one of the other feeds.
 
fybush said:
When I'm "on the air" in 2018, I'm on:

- one terrestrial AM transmitter
- one FM translator for the AM
- either one or two full-power FM transmitters
- another FM HD2 that relays the AM
- two streams
- and, depending on the hour, my newscast is being recorded for later on-demand playback in an app

So, yes, I absolutely do keep going even if we're "off the air" on one of those signals - and I'll probably make an announcement about it, if it's relevant to listeners hearing me on one of the other feeds.
Click to expand...

Even in the pre-Internet, pre-translator days I've always required the person on air (if the station is live) to continue regular programming so that there is continuous audio so that engineering can verify the full audio path and to have viable content available the moment the signal is back on the air. Of course, with automation systems this is a moot point, but I have seen many cases where a station was in live assist when it went off and the system was halted, causing there to be no audio when the problem was resolved resulting in open carrier until the studio could be contacted.
 
My first couple of stations were co-located with the transmitter so the engineer just said "go". I can remember tracking a CD on an overnight shift, then doing the legal ID (required but I may have been the only DJ in America who did after returning to the air). Other places,, the automation kept rolling.
 
That exact thing happened to me not long after the 'KRP episode. We were off the air and someone indeed called in about it and said we should announce it!
 
Reverse case. I was driving near the studios when the audio went down. Stopped off at the studio and told them their audio was down. Automation and nobody in the building was actually listening :)
 
Wasn't there a situation like this on M*A*S*H when Radar ran out of supply chits to order more supply chits?
 
In the coin collecting realm, a chit was a paper (usually thick) or metal token with a specific value either in merchandise or service (a meal or drink) or a certain monetary value. Various companies and the military issued chits. Chits were also used for company stores and farms. A person hired to pick strawberries at harvest might be given a chit for each tray of strawberries picked and would later turn in the chits for cash payment at the end of the day or harvest. Sometimes chits were accepted at stores where the farmer was known but only when the chit showed a monetary value and the farm name or farm owner. A coal company in the mountains might pay workers in chits redeemed at the company owned store. Bars were big on handing out chits for a free draft beer at one point. A farm chit might say 1 basket. A farm chit might be, say 5 cents or simply V.

Dairies almost always used chits. Either they were used to place an order by dropping a chit in an empty glass milk bottle or if the dairy could, they would discount the price to get a customer to buy a certain number of bottles of milk in advance using chits to order the prepaid milk.

On the farms, workers sometimes worked the fields and harvested the crop, living on the farm during the growing season. Since the farmer was cash poor, chits in monetary amounts were used and accepted at certain stores where the farmer had a good relationship with the store owner. When the farmer had a buyer for his crop and was paid, the workers and all businesses got payment. This was more common in pre-World War II days with minimum wage requirements halting the chit system.

A chit of paper is usually about the size of a ticket (if you have seen a roll of tickets like those a non-profit or carnival might use) and custom printed. Metal chits came in several sizes. Sometimes an issuer had various shapes to designate value for those workers who may not 'read'. Ironically I learned back then a person that did not read usually knew the Roman numeral system (which I thought was strange), so Roman numeral were sometimes used. In most instances they were brass or aluminum and round, generally slightly bigger than a nickel and slightly smaller than a quarter. Most were struck with metal letters to impress the characters in to the metal disc. A coin has it's impression raised above the metal. Many hardware stores could fulfill orders for metal chits.
 
b-turner said:
In the coin collecting realm, a chit was a paper (usually thick) or metal token with a specific value either in merchandise or service (a meal or drink) or a certain monetary value. Various companies and the military issued chits. Chits were also used for company stores and farms. A person hired to pick strawberries at harvest might be given a chit for each tray of strawberries picked and would later turn in the chits for cash payment at the end of the day or harvest. Sometimes chits were accepted at stores where the farmer was known but only when the chit showed a monetary value and the farm name or farm owner. A coal company in the mountains might pay workers in chits redeemed at the company owned store. Bars were big on handing out chits for a free draft beer at one point. A farm chit might say 1 basket. A farm chit might be, say 5 cents or simply V.

Dairies almost always used chits. Either they were used to place an order by dropping a chit in an empty glass milk bottle or if the dairy could, they would discount the price to get a customer to buy a certain number of bottles of milk in advance using chits to order the prepaid milk.

On the farms, workers sometimes worked the fields and harvested the crop, living on the farm during the growing season. Since the farmer was cash poor, chits in monetary amounts were used and accepted at certain stores where the farmer had a good relationship with the store owner. When the farmer had a buyer for his crop and was paid, the workers and all businesses got payment. This was more common in pre-World War II days with minimum wage requirements halting the chit system.

A chit of paper is usually about the size of a ticket (if you have seen a roll of tickets like those a non-profit or carnival might use) and custom printed. Metal chits came in several sizes. Sometimes an issuer had various shapes to designate value for those workers who may not 'read'. Ironically I learned back then a person that did not read usually knew the Roman numeral system (which I thought was strange), so Roman numeral were sometimes used. In most instances they were brass or aluminum and round, generally slightly bigger than a nickel and slightly smaller than a quarter. Most were struck with metal letters to impress the characters in to the metal disc. A coin has it's impression raised above the metal. Many hardware stores could fulfill orders for metal chits.
Click to expand...

It looks like a lot of people know quite a bit about something I've never heard of. Thanks again.
 
FCC regulations state that if a station is off the air and is unable to transmit a signal, they are allowed to mount a megaphone at or near the top of their tower and broadcast a message such that a listener with average hearing would hear it at a distance not to exceed the 1v/m AM contour appropriate for the pattern they would be on at the time in any direction, nor the 120dbu FM contour in any direction; commercial advertisements are disallowed.
 
And to put a more "modern" spin on this......You're having trouble with your Internet....so you call Repair -- and get:
"Thank you for calling.....all representatives are busy assisting other customers.....If you prefer not to hold, you can ALWAYS GO TO OUR WEBSITE at WWW......."!!:mad:
Right!!! And get....WHAT????!!! "This Page Cannot Be Displayed".......???!!

OR:

(Telephone ringing....) ---"Hi, Al's Garage...."
"Hi, Al.....hey, my car just quit running....Can ya help me out?"
"Sure.....I'm here 'til 4....just drive her in and I'll have a look!":rolleyes:
 
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