NERW today is reporting that Four Rivers Community Broadcasting has passed the first step by the FCC for a new station in Morrisville, Bucks Co. 250 watts, non-directional day and night from a tower on the north side of Levittown. Anyone know what the plans are for this station? It's in a tight spot with 1390 Lancaster & Poughkeepsie, 1380 Wilmington, 1370 Pottstown, 1400 Easton & Pleasantville...is this supposed to be a full-fledged commercial station or some low-power station (like the guy on 1620 in Lansdale running old radio show tapes as WNAR)?
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New 1390 Morrisville?
- Thread starter John1
- Start date
K
K-Tel
Guest
From what I gather it'll rebroadcast The Word FM out of Sellersville, PA. They've applied for many translators in the area, and I guess why not an AM too.
If any (or all) of the adjacent channel stations add HD radio to their sidebands the 1390 Morrisville coverage won't be worth, nor go as far as spit.
K-Tel said:
At the risk of sounding like I have an agenda (WFIL vs. The Word), isn't enough that the multiplicity of these FM translators-boosters-lowpower stations (Word-FM, WRTI, etc) have taken up so much spectrum with the same programming that someone who might want to actually do LOCAL community radio or other serrvice can't find spectrum in the area? Now they're going to trash what AM band as well? It's pathetic.
C
chuckydoll
Guest
AM 1390 approved for Lower Bucks
It'll fit thanks to the poor ground conductivity in the Northeast.
The other 2 stations on 1390 are directional; 1400 is a graveyard channel; 1380 is flea-power; 1370 runs only 1 kw. Plus you've got other stations on 1360, 1380 (NYC), 1410 and 1420.
John1 said:
It'll fit thanks to the poor ground conductivity in the Northeast.
The other 2 stations on 1390 are directional; 1400 is a graveyard channel; 1380 is flea-power; 1370 runs only 1 kw. Plus you've got other stations on 1360, 1380 (NYC), 1410 and 1420.
rtetro said:
But, Rene -- If The Word-FM and WRTI hadn't filed for these frequencies and built their stations first, they probably would have been snatched up by Moody (from Chicago), Family Stations (from California), Donald Wildmon (from Tupelo, Mississippi), or Jimmy Swaggert (from an alligator-infested swamp.)
At least Four Rivers is locally-based and their Sellersville headquarters is in the same county as Morrisville, probably within the 25 mile radius normally required for a commercial station's main studio.
As for local programming on WNTP (controlled by a corporation in California), let's see... it's Bill Bennett, Laura Ingraham, Prager, Medved, Hewitt, Savage, etc. How much of that originates locally?
I fail to agree that Word-FM and WRTI are guilty of major abuse with their regional networks, all of which would probably fall within the same daytime coverage footprint of a single potent AM signal like WBAP or WNAX.
Play Freebird said:
Let me take the above comments one by one:
Point 1: I would agree with your comment about Four Rivers. Same with WRTI. I was using them as examples of a preponderance of "regional" or national (Family Radio, Moody, etc) that are not really serving the communities they are licensed to because local programming does not originate on these low-power
"repeater" stations. For instance, with WORD-FM's programming being oriented toward Northen Montgomery and Bucks Counties, does their WZZD-FM near Reading really provide local coverage of Christian events and news? Would not those listeners be better served by a local Christian Community station?
Point 2: RE: WNTP - your comments are really a bit off-topic. Even if all of WNTP's hosts are national, there is a load of local Philadelphia material on the air, including hourly local news and traffic between 5AM and 7PM, and additional traffic (4 times an hour) during drive time. Also, WNTP has no regional network: it is one radio station. One more point, I am speaking in all of this as a private radio listener, not as an employee of Salem. My concerns are my concerns, not those of my employer. That is why I began my post acknowledging that it could be construed that I have an agenda. In fact, I do; but it has nothing to do with my work. It is the concern of a long-time radio listener over the diminishing presence of local community-oriented radio.
Point 3: I would agree that I would much rather have a regional group like Four Rivers or Temple University with a regional network, than a lot of repeaters for national groups like Family Radio, Moody, Calvary Satellite, or other national group (be it secular or religious).
I hope I have cleared up my comments and have expressed, in a more complete way, where I stand. I do stand by my comments, particularly those surrounding the new Morrisville operation. Wouldn't Morrisville be better served by a Morrisville radio station than by a regional network that can only provide a mordicum of local material (if any)?
I would disagree that Word-FM only serves Montgomery and Bucks counties. Four Rivers does an excellent job of covering local events, PSAs, and weather from Hawley to Chambersburg. Except for Chambersburg, at this point, traffic is done for the entire eastern PA network on the morning commute. Thus far, live remotes have been done for events from the upper Poconos to Allentown to King of Prussia to Reading. In September, Word-FM will be traveling to Chambersburg to broadcast from an event there. I can't say that it's any more or less community focused than WRTI (I'm not a regular Temple listener), but in my opinion they do a much better job at serving their communties than most of the local commercial stations (religious or otherwise) do with their one community and certainly more so than the national networks like Moody or Family.
I will agree that multitudes of 10-watt translators can be annoying in clogging up the dial, but as far as Word-FM listeners in those areas go, they are given as much equal community representation as possible.
KSB said:
Perhaps I am not explaining myself well.
When I refer to "Local community radio" I am speaking of radio stations that operate WITHIN a local community, by and for the people of that community. In other words, radio that originates and serves a SPECIFIC community, not an entire region. There are plenty of stations that serve regions - most of the commercial AMs and FMs in Philly would qualify. Their informational programming is general, therefore, at best. Example: KYW. There is no way that such a station can orient their programming to one specific community within its coverage (although, of course, the main emphasis will be on Philly, its city of license).
How much SERIOUS community coverage can a regional station give, whether it is KYW, WRTI, WORD-FM, or my own stations? WAMC in Albany is an example of a regional network of stations that does indeed attempt to do so, but with coverage extending from the Adirondacks to New York City, it cannot cover local news and events in, for instance, the lower Hudson Valley as can a station licensed to Peekskill, Newburgh, Poughkeepsie, etc.
This is the point I am trying to make. I am not picking on WORD-FM, or WRTI. I am simply noting that a localality can be better served by a station within that locality than by a regional network that must, by necessity, generalize its programming, and offer only "bits and pieces" of local coverage from the various communities within its "consolidated footprint." Does a listener in Hawley, for instance, really care about news or community events in Chambersburg? Is it relevant to the public interest in Hawley? Of course not.
There is, indeed, room for the regional networks; but priority in licensing should always be given to operators who plan to actually operate within the community-of-license, not from 50, 60, 70, or 80 miles away.
But how can a well-minded community leader get an allocation whereas a satcaster or non-comm only need sneeze and the FCC coughs up enough spectrum for 5 more translators for these groups? Sure, there are people and/or groups who would love to sign on a station and serve their COL, but they are hamstrung. I'd love to serve my community, and a few surrounding municipalities, but there is no room. So, I have to go the Part 15 route. And, only, if I upgrade the antenna (a little out of the budget right now) will I get out to even a TENTH of what I could with a full power. Then, it becomes the "guy operating a station out of his bedroom to hear himself talk" old gag.
Rockin Rob said:
Ah, in lies the rub.
I'm in the same boat as you. In West Point I'm running under part 15 because there is no available spectrum in Lansdale...well, there is but there isn't. Hopefully they will change the third adjacent rules for LPFM. That will open up a few frequencies in this area. I already have an engineeing study complete for a freq. if and when that happens. In the meantime I am doing an allocation study for an AM, but that is not ideal in this day.
Rene, I read on another board about some Am'ers might soon be able to get FM "translators". I know, its been discussed for years, but it may finally come true. WNPV-FM? Perhaps???
BTW, I know what you feel about the space near L-Dale, I'm in Worcester and its tough to find a free freq for my crappy XM Unit!!!
BTW, I know what you feel about the space near L-Dale, I'm in Worcester and its tough to find a free freq for my crappy XM Unit!!!
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