Socal gets small taste...

[Les]

Reports of widespread power outage in much of Los Angeles and
adjacent area. Wonder which stations will have working backup
power, how long it took to "come up" and how long they'll have
to use it!

As if the hurricane wasn't enough of an incentive to check
backup systems.....<P ID="signature">______________
I once took something seriously.
And was accused of shoplifting.</P>

 

[xmusicmatt]

> Reports of widespread power outage in much of Los Angeles
> and
> adjacent area. Wonder which stations will have working
> backup
> power, how long it took to "come up" and how long they'll
> have
> to use it!

KABC-AM went to Channel 7 News Audio for coverage, 95.9 the Fish had regular programming but kept mentioning the outage..

KIIS FM said they had no power but would keep playing the hits and did, did not say much about the outage, just kept doing things as normal (including commerical breaks).

Those where the few stations I was able to find on the web (as I live in Ohio)

<P ID="signature">______________
Lenks
Program Director/Music Director
X Music Online
The X
Today's Best Music
http://www.xmusiconline.com/</P>

 

[davideduardo]

> Reports of widespread power outage in much of Los Angeles
> and
> adjacent area. Wonder which stations will have working
> backup
> power, how long it took to "come up" and how long they'll
> have
> to use it!

Most stations today have full backup. The issue in a major disaster is how much fuel they can store to run until there is restoration of power.
>
> As if the hurricane wasn't enough of an incentive to check
> backup systems.....

Stations with generators tend to exercise and test the systems regularly. Most have an instant-on UPS, which gives time for the genny to crank up.

I just noticed a tiny flicker as the UPS transferred, and another when the generator switched. Although power is back, most stations would run an hour or so beyond to make sure everything is stable and that there are no spikes and glitches.

 

[imnabwon2]

> > Reports of widespread power outage in much of Los Angeles
> > and
> > adjacent area. Wonder which stations will have working
> > backup
> > power, how long it took to "come up" and how long they'll
> > have
> > to use it!
>
> KABC-AM went to Channel 7 News Audio for coverage, 95.9 the
> Fish had regular programming but kept mentioning the
> outage..
>
> KIIS FM said they had no power but would keep playing the
> hits and did, did not say much about the outage, just kept
> doing things as normal (including commerical breaks).
>
> Those where the few stations I was able to find on the web
> (as I live in Ohio)
>

Correction, 790 KABC continued to play Sean Hannity even after the second spike. It was much later when they used ABC 7 audio (like 1:30 PM).

 

[davideduardo]

>
> Correction, 790 KABC continued to play Sean Hannity even
> after the second spike. It was much later when they used ABC
> 7 audio (like 1:30 PM).

A lot of stations did not know there was a power failure until either listeners called or when they saw a news reports. No shaking, no winds, and a seamless transfer to a UPS make such things very transparent.

 

[imnabwon2]

> >
> > Correction, 790 KABC continued to play Sean Hannity even
> > after the second spike. It was much later when they used
> ABC
> > 7 audio (like 1:30 PM).
>
> A lot of stations did not know there was a power failure
> until either listeners called or when they saw a news
> reports. No shaking, no winds, and a seamless transfer to a
> UPS make such things very transparent.
>

Please don't post nonsense. We are broadcasters in the number one revenue market. It is OUR job to know or find out and report. It was known within seconds at Clear Channel in Burbank that there was a power outage, to name one. And Burbank had phone lines that worked to accept calls unlike KNX or KFWB.

There was no "seamless" transfer at KCAL, CBS 2 or the Infinity stations in the Citibank buidling, to name a few...if you were listening or watching you'd know.

 

[davideduardo]

> > >
> > > Correction, 790 KABC continued to play Sean Hannity even
>
> > > after the second spike. It was much later when they used
>
> > ABC
> > > 7 audio (like 1:30 PM).
> >
> > A lot of stations did not know there was a power failure
> > until either listeners called or when they saw a news
> > reports. No shaking, no winds, and a seamless transfer to
> a
> > UPS make such things very transparent.
> >
>
> Please don't post nonsense. We are broadcasters in the
> number one revenue market. It is OUR job to know or find out
> and report. It was known within seconds at Clear Channel in
> Burbank that there was a power outage, to name one. And
> Burbank had phone lines that worked to accept calls unlike
> KNX or KFWB.

Phones are usually installed by a subcontractor. The failure may have been a contracotr issue, and I would bet it is resolved.

As I said, most stations with a UPS and such did not know what happened unless they saw a later news report or had a listener call. I learned about it from my constantly refresing Yahoo screen! Glendale had a glitch, not even enough to reset the traffic lights, and unless someone from outside the area called, how would one know about it?
>
> There was no "seamless" transfer at KCAL, CBS 2 or the
> Infinity stations in the Citibank buidling, to name a
> few...if you were listening or watching you'd know.
>

Many places with full UPS gear did not even burp. Some markets have very freuent power failures, and most people on the air would not know were it not for the generator light in the studio going on.

 

[imnabwon2]

> > > >
> > > > Correction, 790 KABC continued to play Sean Hannity
> even
> >
> > > > after the second spike. It was much later when they
> used
> >
> > > ABC
> > > > 7 audio (like 1:30 PM).
> > >
> > > A lot of stations did not know there was a power failure
>
> > > until either listeners called or when they saw a news
> > > reports. No shaking, no winds, and a seamless transfer
> to
> > a
> > > UPS make such things very transparent.
> > >
> >
> > Please don't post nonsense. We are broadcasters in the
> > number one revenue market. It is OUR job to know or find
> out
> > and report. It was known within seconds at Clear Channel
> in
> > Burbank that there was a power outage, to name one. And
> > Burbank had phone lines that worked to accept calls unlike
>
> > KNX or KFWB.
>
> Phones are usually installed by a subcontractor. The failure
> may have been a contracotr issue, and I would bet it is
> resolved.
>
> As I said, most stations with a UPS and such did not know
> what happened unless they saw a later news report or had a
> listener call. I learned about it from my constantly
> refresing Yahoo screen! Glendale had a glitch, not even
> enough to reset the traffic lights, and unless someone from
> outside the area called, how would one know about it?
> >
> > There was no "seamless" transfer at KCAL, CBS 2 or the
> > Infinity stations in the Citibank buidling, to name a
> > few...if you were listening or watching you'd know.
> >
>
> Many places with full UPS gear did not even burp. Some
> markets have very freuent power failures, and most people on
> the air would not know were it not for the generator light
> in the studio going on.
>

There is no excuse for the phones not to be working at the top all news stations in Los Angeles AT ANY TIME. And besides, you said it, this wasn't a real emergency, it was a simple power outage. Which makes it all the more ridiculous.

I wouldn't guess who installed the phone system at Infinity Miracle Mile. I know who designed the system. I've already mentioned his name. No matter who installed it, it should have been checked out BEFORE they moved in.

The power was out at Clear Channel in Burbank and the generator kicked in within 2 minutes. BUT because of the digital HD radio, some stations had no programming for 10 minutes. So you were saying?

I heard all this on the air. Did you even get your radio out, David? If you did, you'd be posting with some knowledge of what really transpired. I personally was disgusted by the lack of professionalism at many stations today with this event.

 

[romer979fm]

BUT because of the digital HD radio, some stations had no
programming for 10 minutes.

How could the IBOC cause the analog audio to be off for 10 minutes?
keep grasping, glenn<P ID="signature">______________
you're not a lawyer, are you?</P>

 

[davideduardo]

>
> There is no excuse for the phones not to be working at the
> top all news stations in Los Angeles AT ANY TIME. And
> besides, you said it, this wasn't a real emergency, it was a
> simple power outage. Which makes it all the more ridiculous.

Things break, new installs glitch. Get over it.
>
> The power was out at Clear Channel in Burbank and the
> generator kicked in within 2 minutes. BUT because of the
> digital HD radio, some stations had no programming for 10
> minutes. So you were saying?

HD has nothing to do with getting back on the air. HD is a parallel but separate service, and is mostly located at the transmitter (unless CC lost power on Wilson, which it didn't... it has no effect). You have, in two posts, shown that you need to run over to the iBiquity site and read up on HD. You have no idea how it works.
>
> I heard all this on the air. Did you even get your radio
> out, David? If you did,

I don't spend a hell of a lot of time monitoring the technical ops of other stations. LA, as a rule, has about the best engineering of any place on the planet, so i do not lie awake nights worrying about it.

As I said, Glendale had a glitch, but not an outage. where I was, the UPS jumped in, and the regular cycle began... UPS till genny came on, and run for a while before switching back in case the line is not pure. No big deal.

We did not see a blackout, so had to wiat till listeners called to learn of it, as would be the case of any station that was not in a powerless zone.

> you'd be posting with some knowledge
> of what really transpired. I personally was disgusted by the
> lack of professionalism at many stations today with this
> event.

It was a minor event that stations, in the Katrina mode, overblew by a quantum amount.
>

 

[imnabwon2]

> BUT because of the digital HD radio, some stations had no
> programming for 10 minutes.
>
> How could the IBOC cause the analog audio to be off for 10
> minutes?
> keep grasping, glenn
>

So were you listening yesterday? Or are you just "grasping" again because you don't know what happended. Just like your Star 98.7 posts when I posted what was going to happen before anyone else including the media and you knocked my posts?

Quite pathetic that no one on this board appears to have listened to any radio or watched any television within in the first 1/2 hour after the power failure. You really are radio people?

 

[imnabwon2]

> >
> > There is no excuse for the phones not to be working at the
>
> > top all news stations in Los Angeles AT ANY TIME. And
> > besides, you said it, this wasn't a real emergency, it was
> a
> > simple power outage. Which makes it all the more
> ridiculous.
>
> Things break, new installs glitch. Get over it.
> >
> > The power was out at Clear Channel in Burbank and the
> > generator kicked in within 2 minutes. BUT because of the
> > digital HD radio, some stations had no programming for 10
> > minutes. So you were saying?
>
> HD has nothing to do with getting back on the air. HD is a
> parallel but separate service, and is mostly located at the
> transmitter (unless CC lost power on Wilson, which it
> didn't... it has no effect). You have, in two posts, shown
> that you need to run over to the iBiquity site and read up
> on HD. You have no idea how it works.
> >
> > I heard all this on the air. Did you even get your radio
> > out, David? If you did,
>
> I don't spend a hell of a lot of time monitoring the
> technical ops of other stations. LA, as a rule, has about
> the best engineering of any place on the planet, so i do not
> lie awake nights worrying about it.
>
> As I said, Glendale had a glitch, but not an outage. where I
> was, the UPS jumped in, and the regular cycle began... UPS
> till genny came on, and run for a while before switching
> back in case the line is not pure. No big deal.
>
> We did not see a blackout, so had to wiat till listeners
> called to learn of it, as would be the case of any station
> that was not in a powerless zone.
>
> > you'd be posting with some knowledge
> > of what really transpired. I personally was disgusted by
> the
> > lack of professionalism at many stations today with this
> > event.
>
> It was a minor event that stations, in the Katrina mode,
> overblew by a quantum amount.
> >
>

Again, David. What did you listen to, EXACTLY during the first hour of the power failure? I don't need a general line about listening all the time to radio.

The power failure may have been a minor event in REALITY but it showcased some unexcusable Los Angeles broadcasting- both radio and television - problems.

And were you at Clear Channel in Burbank at say 1 PM yesterday? And what happened to the "recreation" of the digital HD sound in the studio that caused the jocks to stop? And the computer system? What was being "sent" to the transmitter? I'm waiting for your anwser.

Univision radio isn't the majority of Los Angeles radio. You may not have experienced problems but most of the major stations in Burbank and Los Angeles did. And you'd know that...if you had listened.

 

[noisebox]

take a deep breath.

you're pissed @ socal radio. we got that. YESTERDAY. it's over. they'll do something about it now. hopefully.

<P ID="signature">______________
"TO HELP THE VICTIMS OF HURRICANE KATRINA: 1-800-HELP-NOW"</P>

 

[romer979fm]

> > BUT because of the digital HD radio, some stations had no
>
> > programming for 10 minutes.
> >
> > How could the IBOC cause the analog audio to be off for
> 10
> > minutes?
> > keep grasping, glenn
> >
>
> So were you listening yesterday? Or are you just "grasping"
> again because you don't know what happended. Just like your
> Star 98.7 posts when I posted what was going to happen
> before anyone else including the media and you knocked my
> posts?
>
> Quite pathetic that no one on this board appears to have
> listened to any radio or watched any television within in
> the first 1/2 hour after the power failure. You really are
> radio people?
>

Again...lots of verbage, but you fail to answer a simple question.
No answer? Attack blindly. Good plan. Remember IBOC?
I'm personally tired of giving you the attention you so desperately crave...
so I'm done playing your game. I encourage others to do the same.
<P ID="signature">______________
you're not a lawyer, are you?</P>

 

[BeachBum]

> Quite pathetic that no one on this board appears to have
> listened to any radio or watched any television within in
> the first 1/2 hour after the power failure. You really are
> radio people?
>

Dude, don't do it. I like your posts and want you to stay. They're pushing your buttons because they want you gone. You have gotten out of hand in the past. Let it go.

To be fair to you, though,

1) It seemed like it could have been a big deal in the first hour, after the (bogus) terrorist threat.

2) What if a big deal happens? They need to have their stuff together.

 

[ChannelFlipper]

I listened on my way to lunch. The two newsers were the worst. As already mentioned, no working phones was inexcusable. I felt sorry for the anchors who had to repeat conversations taking place conducted over personal cell phones, since they couldn't get those calls on the air. Each host stepping all over each other, director seemingly not there at all and leaving them stranded to stumble through with no clue as to what was coming next.

I eventually flipped to KFI, who had updates from their newsfolks and John and Ken yammering on. Sad to say, but John and Ken's schtick was better than what was going on at the news stations. At least they were coherent and not stepping all over each other (any more than they ususally do) and presented the news in a calm straight-forward manner.

BTW, I think I mentioned before how important it is to get KFI up to full power as soon as possible so they can be a resource for as many local communities as possibe. With the performance of the news stations, my opinion has only been reinforced. Also funny how David E. mentioned that KFI doesn't have the news resources as the others, yet as far as I was concerned, they were running circles around them.

Glenn is right. This was a dry run for the real thing and too many broadcasters did not pass the test. Let's hope they learn the lessons.


> So were you listening yesterday? Or are you just "grasping"
> again because you don't know what happended. Just like your
> Star 98.7 posts when I posted what was going to happen
> before anyone else including the media and you knocked my
> posts?
>
> Quite pathetic that no one on this board appears to have
> listened to any radio or watched any television within in
> the first 1/2 hour after the power failure. You really are
> radio people?
>

 

[NickMichaels]

The station I was listening to did not miss a beat. Never went off even though they said their buildings power was out.
Since I was stuck in traffic I rather enjoyed the entertainment that was being made by this FM music station.
They had accurate information pretty quickly and the DJ made me nearly wet my pants with an inpromtu song about how we are all going to die. I suppose he was trying to make light of everybody's instinct to think the worst.
This was instant communication in the midst of the news event, very memorable.


> take a deep breath.
>
> you're pissed @ socal radio. we got that. YESTERDAY. it's
> over. they'll do something about it now. hopefully.
>

 

[miamimadman]

Yes very memorable indeed

> The station I was listening to did not miss a beat. Never
> went off even though they said their buildings power was out.
> Since I was stuck in traffic I rather enjoyed the
> entertainment that was being made by this FM music station.
> They had accurate information pretty quickly and the DJ
> made me nearly wet my pants with an inpromtu song about how
> we are all going to die. I suppose he was trying to make
> light of everybody's instinct to think the worst.
> This was instant communication in the midst of the news
> event, very memorable.

You forgot to tell us the name of "this FM music Station". That bit about everyone dying must have been hilarious.

 

[Stick_Davis]

> And were you at Clear Channel in Burbank at say 1 PM
> yesterday? And what happened to the "recreation" of the
> digital HD sound in the studio that caused the jocks to
> stop? And the computer system? What was being "sent" to the
> transmitter? I'm waiting for your anwser.

Just this post alone shows that you don't really understand the engineering aspects of HD-radio.

Jocks are not listening to the recreation of the HD-feed ... otherwise all jocks would be stopping all the time because of the delay of HD! For someone who's so critical of everyone else, you really should know what you're talking about. Maybe you know what happened at CC, maybe you know what was being fed to the transmitters, but you don't know how it works, that's clear.

You may have some points regarding the fact that LA should have NO mistakes, but welcome to the world of humans, no one's perfect.