What is with WAMG-0.890? They had been at reduced power for the last few months, and now have been totally off for a couple weeks(?) now, but the 96.5 FM xltr has still been on. No STA or anything with the FCC.
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WAMG Off-Air (W243DC-96.5 still on)
- Thread starter Uncle Kaimbridge
- Start date
I'm seeing this a lot these days. I know of a couple of AM stations that are co-owned and have been running on extremely reduced power for months for no tangible reason except to reduce the electric bill so that they can legally keep those FM translators up and running. I am talking about a pair of stations that are licensed for 1000 watts operating with 50 watts....
I don't know if it is related or not, but WLLH-1.400 has also been off for the last several days, too. 🤔
What about the 95.1 FM translator in Lowell for 1400 WLLH?
No other station would have any reason to complain about a 2.5kw or 1kw station operating at 20 watts. It's only the overpowered stations and those running daytime power at night that cause problems. WAMG will probably be able to operate like that indefinitely, just like Clark Smidt's little oldies peashooter down in Hamden, CT, WATX 1220.
It was on last night.
They’re not on low power, they’re completely off the air.
Both 95.1 and 96.5 xltrs have been on (that's why I'm curious, I don't see anything on their FCC page requesting STA or acknowledging their situation). 😎
The FCC site sometimes is "slow" in posting stuff. The worst I have seen was a week.
But if your AM signal is off and nobody complains, you might be inclined to "take your time" fixing it. Not legal, but the Commission doesn't make and effort to enforce this unless there is publicity or someone makes a formal complaint.
Back on.
Yup, noticed yesterday c.3pm, though WLLH-1.400 is still off. Also for the last several days, WORC-1.310 has either been off-air or with greatly reduced power.
K.M. Richards
Program Director, The Eighties Channel™
Best guess here, nothing more: The owners either aren't aware that the translator cannot legally operate if the AM is off the air (with the usual exception of a daytimer's translator being allowed to stay on and originate programming at night) ... or they do know, and also know that the FCC never allows a STA for a translator to stay on when the AM is off for an extended period, so they don't file for a silent STA for the AM and hope they won't get caught.
(See WJLX for an egregious example.)
Sounds to me like it might be with reduced power.
Or in the case of technicsl issues keeping the AM signal off air….where they seek a waiver for a period.
K.M. Richards
Program Director, The Eighties Channel™
As I said previously -- in the post you replied to! -- the FCC never grants a STA for a translator to operate on its own. If the associated AM is silent for technical reasons, the FCC considers the translator to be an extension of the AM license and it must also remain silent until the AM resumes operation.
I saw your post....but I believe you didn't cite anything to back it up. No matter hoe many underlines and BOLDS you type with. ;-)
Can you cite a case where a temporary waiver was applied for and denied?
Hard to believe that if, say, an AM tower fell, the licensee would be barred from servicing a community until they put a new tower up.
But what do I know. ;-)
P
Well, for at least the last year or so, they've (WAMG) seemed to be at reduced power (and, again, I haven't seen anything acknowledging it on their FCC page 🤔).
It's probably back to that same status then...
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