TIS Abuse

[dbdigital]

Here's an editorial on an issue that I suspected was going in California for quite some time:

"FCC CRACKS DOWN ON TIS ABUSE

Travelers Information Stations ("TIS"), special low power
stations in the AM band, are permitted to transmit only
noncommercial voice information pertaining to traffic and road
conditions, traffic hazard and travel advisories, directions,
availability of lodging, rest stops and service stations and
descriptions of local points of interest. Communicator readers
have pointed out that these stations have been observed
repeatedly abusing the program content rule over the years.

Now the FCC is cracking down on one of the biggest abusers,
the State of California. The violation applies to a TIS facility
in Los Angeles that, according to the FCC, "transmitted only the
same continuous loop recording of, "This is Caltrans highway
advisory radio WPHJ962 broadcasting. This is a test message.""

The editorial also stated that the FCC was busting the City of Santa Monica and their TIS facility for simply retransmitting the National Weather Service station KWO37.

As the editorial concludes:

"In our opinion, unnecessary TIS stations should be shut off - and we suspect
that the State of California operates a lot of unnecessary TIS stations."

http://www.bext.com/_CGC/2007/cgc801.htm

I totally agree.

db

 

[Hamilton]

Apparantly FCC Enforcement has done some reorganizing and is doing more enforcement. I was told by an engineer the other day that he had left his TIS in an audio loop for weeks with a one.. two .. three.. test message. Not a good idea.

 

[Neil E.]

I think it is time to review the public need for TIS.

Here, the TIS broadcasts "Traffic and emergency information station", yet it is useless since the traffic information only applies to special events and when we were under a tornado warning there was nothing broadcast pertaining to this.

Columbus, Oh. has a TIS on 1200 kHz with flashing lights to alert motorists to tune in if the lights are on. I have not seen them on in 5 years, and in fact, a few years ago the control box for the flashing lights near I-270 and Rt. 315 was knocked down and not replaced. The lights are still there, but the brain is dead.

Columbus also has electronic billboards which alert motorists to important conditions and this works very well.

Maybe it was a good idea at the time, but perhaps the band should be opened to LPAM.

Neil

 

[radiocph]

I hear the airport stations (LAX, etc.) and those are good. (LAX plays bumper music! I thought TIS's weren't supposed to play music....They even stream on the internet: http://www.lawa.org/lax/

The Hollywood Bowl has a TIS on 830, same kind of information (parking, etc)

On freeways there are signs directing people to turn to a certain frequency if the lights (on the sign) are flashing. I haven't seen any of this equipment activated in over 10 years....

 

[Black_Shire]

I think it is time to review the public need for TIS.

Here, the TIS broadcasts "Traffic and emergency information station", yet it is useless since the traffic information only applies to special events and when we were under a tornado warning there was nothing broadcast pertaining to this.

Columbus, Oh. has a TIS on 1200 kHz with flashing lights to alert motorists to tune in if the lights are on. I have not seen them on in 5 years, and in fact, a few years ago the control box for the flashing lights near I-270 and Rt. 315 was knocked down and not replaced. The lights are still there, but the brain is dead.

Columbus also has electronic billboards which alert motorists to important conditions and this works very well.

Maybe it was a good idea at the time, but perhaps the band should be opened to LPAM.

Neil

I think there are too many TISs, but they do have their appropriate places, such as:

[1] Communities where all of the local radio stations are automated and have no live human being the local emergency management personnel can call to speak to the public. (This actually happened in a small North Dakota town when a train loaded with a toxic chemical cargo de-railed, and none of the local radio stations had a live person on staff at that hour.)

[2] Small and/or isolated communities that have no other radio stations. (Some otherwise "station-less" small towns and hamlets in the Western states have TISs that were set up to provide wildfire and flood warnings, and they also serve as non-profit & non-commercial community radio stations during normal circumstances. The TIS content rules are loose enough to permit this as long as one is careful to observe the limits and prohibitions.)

[3] Tourist attractions, particularly large ones covering many square miles such as Florida's Kennedy Space Center (KSC) and Denali National Park in Alaska. When I visited KSC in 1979, they had a TIS running a concise and highly informative message loop that explained where all important stopping points (for food, film, and souvenir shops) were located. The TIS at Denali National Park does an admirable job of informing vistors where lodging, dining, parking, recreation areas, and points of interest are located in the huge park.


-- Black Shire

 

[Marathon Don]

I'm just elated that SOMEBODY has started a post about ANYTHING other than that Part 15.219 rule. Me thinks they've about beat that horse to death. ;D

 

[Black_Shire]

I'm just elated that SOMEBODY has started a post about ANYTHING other than that Part 15.219 rule. Me thinks they've about beat that horse to death. ;D

Heartily agreed! I'd like to see postings from folks in small towns that use their TISs as community radio stations (how they program their TISs within the content restrictions, etc.).

Regarding the FCC busting the Santa Monica TIS for only re-broadcasting the local NOAA Weather Radio Station, I don't think the FCC is upset because they did that (as NOAA weather radio is certainly non-commercial as the TIS rules require), but rather because the TIS re-broadcasts the NOAA station but *nothing else*. If that TIS broadcast non-meteorological information useful to motorists along with occasional NOAA weather updates, the FCC would probably have no objection to its program content.


-- Black Shire

 

[jammerdave]

The Roseville, CA TIS station on 530 has had nothing but a NWS rebroadcast for years... I wondered about that..

df

Here's an editorial on an issue that I suspected was going in California for quite some time:

"FCC CRACKS DOWN ON TIS ABUSE

Travelers Information Stations ("TIS"), special low power
stations in the AM band, are permitted to transmit only
noncommercial voice information pertaining to traffic and road
conditions, traffic hazard and travel advisories, directions,
availability of lodging, rest stops and service stations and
descriptions of local points of interest. Communicator readers
have pointed out that these stations have been observed
repeatedly abusing the program content rule over the years.

Now the FCC is cracking down on one of the biggest abusers,
the State of California. The violation applies to a TIS facility
in Los Angeles that, according to the FCC, "transmitted only the
same continuous loop recording of, "This is Caltrans highway
advisory radio WPHJ962 broadcasting. This is a test message.""

The editorial also stated that the FCC was busting the City of Santa Monica and their TIS facility for simply retransmitting the National Weather Service station KWO37.

As the editorial concludes:

"In our opinion, unnecessary TIS stations should be shut off - and we suspect
that the State of California operates a lot of unnecessary TIS stations."

http://www.bext.com/_CGC/2007/cgc801.htm

I totally agree.

db

 

[dbdigital]

I think it is time to review the public need for TIS.

Here, the TIS broadcasts "Traffic and emergency information station", yet it is useless since the traffic information only applies to special events and when we were under a tornado warning there was nothing broadcast pertaining to this.

Columbus, Oh. has a TIS on 1200 kHz with flashing lights to alert motorists to tune in if the lights are on. I have not seen them on in 5 years, and in fact, a few years ago the control box for the flashing lights near I-270 and Rt. 315 was knocked down and not replaced. The lights are still there, but the brain is dead.

Columbus also has electronic billboards which alert motorists to important conditions and this works very well.

Maybe it was a good idea at the time, but perhaps the band should be opened to LPAM.

Neil

Where I live, Los Angeles, most traffic information is displayed on electronic boards along the freeway and the updates are immediate. Even though the FCC licensed 1610 to the state of California it isn't used much, at least not by CalTrans.

But there are few applications in which a TIS station is a better alternative to an LPAM manned by a live person or staff. Rural communities and small towns could certainly be better served by a small AM station than a TIS service. In times of emergency, local broadcasters, who truly know and live in the community, would know best what measures are in place and what roads to use, etc. for the public's safety. And, of course, an LPAM would be just as accessible to local emergency personnel as would a TIS station.

I know of only one TIS station that has a warm body delivering up-to-the-minute information on a daily basis and has regular listeners, the one at Cal State Long Beach broadcasting parking information. But here again, most of the kids have cell phones and text message and are comfortable using that form of communication. Could these technologies be somehow employed instead?

So, I agree, it's time to re-think the value of TIS stations particularly over the value of an LPAM service.

BTW, Dodger Stadium has a Part-15 AM system in place at 1620 broadcasting parking and exit traffic information.

db

 

[Timewarp]

I doubt anybody is listening to these TIS stations. Well, maybe one person. LPAM
would be a much better service for the community. The FCC should convert them!!

 

[Tom Wells]

A new TIS just showed up on AM 1630 in the Chicago O'hare airport area in just the last week or so.

TEST MESSAGE ONE.


Not too useful. Perhaps they have gotten an assignment for a parking info station on 1630, since WBBM AM 780 has
completely wiped out the original info station on 800 khz with their iBOC sidebands.

How long are they permitted to run such a test message?

 

[murphmac]

I agree - there are too many useless TIS Stations. Why can't these stations be turned in useful, informative and entertaining community stations that serve the community with local events, news, emergency advisories when necessary plus be allowed to program music if desired. I think these stations would not only serve their communities but put legal low power AM to good use. I can never understand the purpose of these useless TIS Stations. I had a community part 15 station on 1630am which used the Hamilton Rangemaster Transmitter. I was broadcasting community events, along with a music format. I was wiped right off the air by a useless TIS in Fort Lee, NJ which took over 1630 AM. This station plays the same boring loop over and over and over again. At one time, they were broadcasting only the National Weather service 24 hours a day. They then added a loop on snow removal which ran right through July and August!! Useless, Useless, Useless. Nobody but us radio people listen to these stations and most do not even know that they exist. Why not allow 10 watt community radio and eliminate these "wasted" Frequencies. Will they ever learn?????

Jim Murphy
Edgewater Radio

 

[rickradio]

Will they ever learn?

Remember about whom you're talking, Jim. The words "bureaucrat" and "learn" should never be in the same sentence as it's impossible for one to do the other. Another antonym of "bureaucrat" is the word "speed." It takes them two weeks to open an envelope.

There's a TIS near me too, although it's not operated quite as mindlessly as others who have posted here. While it's on my frequency (1670), they at least have the sense to turn the stupid thing off when there's nothing going on rather than just looping worthless crap that nobody listens to or even cares about, even when there are signs posted telling you about it. I would absolutely LOVE to have an LP license and the power they have! I would fill a real hole where I am with how I would program it. Snow removal in summer?!!? Nothing further, Your Honor...