So where is the broom closet that houses WBZU's automated operation? Out in California, or did EMF have to rent space someplace in the COL or nearby to be able to say WBZU is in Worcester
-
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
WAAF sold to EMF....
- Thread starter Time Traveler
- Start date
So where is the broom closet that houses WBZU's automated operation? Out in California, or did EMF have to rent space someplace in the COL or nearby to be able to say WBZU is in Worcester
Maybe they have a special arrangement with IHeartRadio as 100.7 is seemingly carrying K-Love at the moment also.
Stations no longer have to have a main studio in the COL. And having the operation at the transmitter is totally permitted and has been for many, many decades. A "studio" is an antiquated term; a studio today is a computer that can integrate audio from anywhere in the world.
(I know of several stations already that have asked sellers and talent to work from home, with no meetings and no contact due to the non-beer Corona thing.)
The station is not licensed to Worcester. It moved about 15 years ago to Wesborough, which made it in the Boston MSA so it was (back in the diary days) "above the line" as a local Boston station.
A full signal LA FM was sold for $35 million just 5 months ago. At the "turn of the century" SBS paid $250 million for an FM that was not even up on the mountain and the Radio One deal was valued at $400 million.
So today's prices are about 10% to 15% of the pre-recession value.
The Network Affiliation Agreement on file with the FCC notes that Entercom can still program the station from 6 a.m. to 8 a.m. on Sunday mornings -- surely for public affairs programming. While there are different ways you could set this up, you'd have to imagine Entercom is pulling K-Love off 100.7 HD-3 from Birmingham Pkwy 98.8% of the week, and inserting the local programming for those two hours through existing systems. To stay legal, 100.7 HD-3 wouldn't need to ID over the air -- you'd just need a written legal ID "WZLX HD-3 Boston" in the HD text output.
Many many years ago, was involved in a similar transaction -- without the public affairs piece. The buyer installed everything at the transmitter site, and we had the ability to override the source and return it to our control when needed. Unfortunately, this also meant a major T1 expense for us until the deal was done (buyer was able to microwave to the transmitter site, so no hassle for them).
Although the RDS text display says “WZLX 100.7 HD3 K-Love” and the format (PTY) field says “Religious Music”, the audio on this subchannel is not K-Love (yet). It’s just a simulcast of WZLX’s classic rock programming from their main analog/HD1 channel.
That means that 107.3 is not pulling K-Love audio from this subchannel, at least not yet.
Unless maybe the WZLX HD3 subchannel has K-Love running on an SCA that 107.3 is decoding.
That means that 107.3 is not pulling K-Love audio from this subchannel, at least not yet.
Unless maybe the WZLX HD3 subchannel has K-Love running on an SCA that 107.3 is decoding.
If 107.3 was getting audio from a HD3 or subcarrier, it would sound horrible. That is definitely not the case.
It could sound ok if it was getting it from an HD 3.. but about 10 years ago, i knew an AM that was rebroadcast on a translator but instead of the translator being fed in some method by the am, it was fed by one of the sub carrier chnanels of the full pwoer fm and it sounded horrible
Slightly off topic, but back to station values.... WABC AM 77 NYC just sold for $12.5 million.
EMF could build a studio at the Channel 27 site in Boylston. Since the sale, have wondered if EMF will look to acquire the Channel 27 tower all together as the TV function is moving east to Needham.
Does a person have to take readings on the transmitter or is that no longer required?
My sense of it is that they'll look for a way to rent something existing. Don't know what the plans are for the Boylston site after 27 moves. Looking at it on Google, it's pretty extensive, well-fenced. All EMF needs is rack space in the transmitter shack. No local studio necessary. Transmitter readings are all done automatically.
27 has already recently made that move.
The transmitter can be controlled by remote control from anywhere. And the readings can be done electronically, without "pen and paper".
I don't know who owns that tower, but many stations sold off their vertical real estate and leased back space for no other reason than the regulatory compliance and maintenance issues are best pawned off to someone else.
Between keeping the site secure, towers lit, towers painted, reporting issues to the FAA when there is a light out ( NOTAM needs to be created) etc etc etc it is just easier to pay a company that deals with all the BS on a regular basis.
All they need to do is contract a Chief to look in on it once in a while, do the proof of operations, etc.
Chances are they will contract the former C.E. for the transmitter issues
Keep that nitrogen tank filled, try to keep rodents and snakes out of the transmitter cabinet, clean the air filters for the cooling fans if there are any.
PS the registered owner for the Stiles Hill (former Ch 27) tower is Walter F Ulloa, who is the Chairman of the Board, Chief Executive Officer of Entravision Communications Corporation.
Between keeping the site secure, towers lit, towers painted, reporting issues to the FAA when there is a light out ( NOTAM needs to be created) etc etc etc it is just easier to pay a company that deals with all the BS on a regular basis.
All they need to do is contract a Chief to look in on it once in a while, do the proof of operations, etc.
Chances are they will contract the former C.E. for the transmitter issues
Keep that nitrogen tank filled, try to keep rodents and snakes out of the transmitter cabinet, clean the air filters for the cooling fans if there are any.
PS the registered owner for the Stiles Hill (former Ch 27) tower is Walter F Ulloa, who is the Chairman of the Board, Chief Executive Officer of Entravision Communications Corporation.
It has those great flashing white lights right off of Route 290 that you can see from many places in the metro-northwest.
I can't verify if the station was down 5 days or not but a major issue or new equipment install or relocation can cause a station to be off several days. Since most major market stations derive their income from the sale of commercials, many stations have alternate sites allowing them to switch to a different site at reduced power if there is a major issue. Since each commercial missed may or may not be able to be made good later, the revenue lost can be substantial, not to mention listeners that now switch to competitors. An operation like K-Love relies on listener donations so being off the air a few days because of a major issue is less economically dramatic and listeners to that format tend to be quite loyal.
I'd be careful in basing your info solely on his posts.. that poster also once claimed WJNC 1360 was off because for a week or more they couldnt afford to pay the power, neither of which was true.. it was less then a week, and it was because of equipment failure.
WKVP does appear to have issues but I'd be suspect of it being off for 5 days
Look at Washington, D.C. Mix 107.3 was a solid top 10 performer in Adults 25-54 (perhaps on the cusp of top 5). Do you see anyone bringing back that station? Nope. That said, I would not rule out Entercom returning 94.7 MHz to Hot AC in the next year or two if ratings from the Classic Hits format disappoint.
They are identifying 107.3 as WKVB Westborough-Boston.
- Status