• Get involved.
    We want your input!
    Apply for Membership and join the conversations about everything related to broadcasting.

    After we receive your registration, a moderator will review it. After your registration is approved, you will be permitted to post.
    If you use a disposable or false email address, your registration will be rejected.

    After your membership is approved, please take a minute to tell us a little bit about yourself.
    https://www.radiodiscussions.com/forums/introduce-yourself.1088/

    Thanks in advance and have fun!
    RadioDiscussions Administrators

Syndicated call letters??!!

J

johnbasalla

Many markets have "Air One" affiliates, owned by EMF I believe. These are, as far as I can tell, 100% repeater stations for the Air One "Positive Rock" format run out their home/main facility in Hollister, California. How do I know they hail from Hollister? Because the top-of-the-hour legal ID's, or at least ID's, are always those of the station in Hollister... And they only mention city, not state. I have never heard a local ID giving the name of my city. :eek: :eek:
I assume it's the same everywhere else. I thought all over the air stations had to give their call letters and city of license. The repeater, at 91.9 FM, is not in Hollister California, it's in my town in Ohio. What's the scoop?
 
johnbasalla said:
Many markets have "Air One" affiliates, owned by EMF I believe. These are, as far as I can tell, 100% repeater stations for the Air One "Positive Rock" format run out their home/main facility in Hollister, California. How do I know they hail from Hollister? Because the top-of-the-hour legal ID's, or at least ID's, are always those of the station in Hollister... And they only mention city, not state. I have never heard a local ID giving the name of my city. :eek: :eek:
I assume it's the same everywhere else. I thought all over the air stations had to give their call letters and city of license. The repeater, at 91.9 FM, is not in Hollister California, it's in my town in Ohio. What's the scoop?
Click to expand...

It's probably a translator, not a full-powered station. I'm not sure how often a translator has to ID, if at all. Also, a station's city of license is part of the legal ID, but the state is not.
 
A translator is simply nothing more than a station that rebroadcasts another station on a different frequency. Air One's flagship station is KHRI in Hollister, California, which broadcasts on 90.7 FM, and has 39 translators across the country. For example, W205BT in New Albany, Indiana broadcasts KHRI at 88.9 FM in Southern Indiana and the adjoining portion of Kentucky.

Because the FCC allows translators to be fed by other translators, it is possible for a translator to be on the same frequency as the ultimate parent station (such as K214CI in Eugene, Oregon, which is also on 90.7 FM). Translators in the reserved band (88.1 to 91.9) enjoy the unique option of having their signal supplied by satellite. Translators in the non-reserved band must acquire their signal over the air (such as W284AM, which rebroadcasts WARA on 104.7 FM).

Translators are limited to 250 watts, which in the case of Air One, is actually stronger than some of their "full-power" stations-including KHRI, which broadcasts at only 170 watts. Translators can be as weak as one watt; the lowest-powered translator of KHRI is in Cleveland, Ohio at 5 watts.

All translators have the option of identifying themselves by morse code on the subcarrier. Some translators use the option of being identified aurally at three set times during the day; those IDs are typically heard on the parent station as well.

Ironically, Air One used to identify all of their full-powered stations nationwide near the top of the hour up until a few years ago (2005 IIRC). The last ID given was always the newest station.
 
They should require all translator call letters to be identified at the top of the hour on all frequencies. That way networks like K-Love will not have time to air their programming, they'll just be identifying their translators all the time.
 
Nick said:
They should require all translator call letters to be identified at the top of the hour on all frequencies. That way networks like K-Love will not have time to air their programming, they'll just be identifying their translators all the time.
Click to expand...

Or, they should just ban translators that are outside of the originating station's local market. If these Godcasters want to be a nationwide network, let them compete for full-powered licenses like everybody else has to (and like many of them do).
 
The two full power Air 1 stations in my area, WTAI in Union City, TN and KAIA in Bloomfield, MO do give their call letters on their ID.

I know that some people consider EMF the "Evil Empire" of Christian radio, but if it weren't for them many areas including mine in West TN would have little or no CCM radio because of local owners not having the backbone to do it, and I'm glad they're here.
 
johnbasalla said:
Is "Translator" status based on the station's power?
Click to expand...

A translator is a different type of license. They're licensed under a different Part of the FCC regulations. The maximum power permissible for a translator is 250 watts ERP; the minimum power permissible for a "regular" station is 100 watts; so it is actually possible for a translator to be more powerful than its primary station.

A translator is licensed for the express purpose of relaying the programming of some other station. With VERY VERY VERY limited exceptions, the translator is not allowed to originate any programming of its own -- it must be a 100% relay of the "primary station".

That "primary station" may be a regular FM station; a LPFM station; an AM station (with some restrictions); or the HD-2 or HD-3 subchannel of an HD FM station. It may also relay another translator. At least at one time, a number of TV translators relayed Canadian stations, so I'm pretty sure it's legal for an FM translator to relay a foreign FM station, but I don't know of any right now that do so.
 
Status
This thread has been closed due to inactivity. You can create a new thread to discuss this topic.


Back
Top Bottom