I received a news flash from WBEN saying their 930 AM signal was off the air due to technical issues but 107.7 was on the air. What's going on over at Grand Island?
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WBEN 930 Tecnical Issues
- Thread starter Mike Sheridan
- Start date
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GeorgeKramer
Guest
Something happened. I got an email alert about it yesterday afternoon.
Wasn't listening at the time, but it advised me to tune into 107.7 FM or wben.com to listen to Sandy's show.
How long was 930 AM not functioning for?
Wasn't listening at the time, but it advised me to tune into 107.7 FM or wben.com to listen to Sandy's show.
How long was 930 AM not functioning for?
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Bob1370
Guest
Whatever it was, it didn't last too long...I got that same e-mail and was curious to tune in to see what was happening when I left work to go home, but they were back on the air on AM by 5 PM yesterday at what seemed to be their usual signal strength in downtown Rochester, and I assume they were at pretty much normal strength on their day pattern everywhere. They were also apparently OK this morning.
Lots of things can happen--a blown final amp in the transmitter (whether tube or solid state) combined with a glitch that keeps the backup transmitter from coming on line right away without human intervention on site; an interruption in the STL signal that leaves you with a dead carrier and no programming; a power failure at the transmitter site combined with difficulty in getting the emergency generator up and running; a crash at some vital part of the chain at the studio end; or any of a hundred other things. We get used to things running smoothly in whatever station we're associated with. (I don't remember more than a minute or two of lost signal in the 3+ years I was there at WBEN; a minute or two was about the time it took to get the alternate main transmitter powered up and feeding the towers whenever the other transmitter went down.) When things don't go right with today's solid-state equipment, it's news.
Lots of things can happen--a blown final amp in the transmitter (whether tube or solid state) combined with a glitch that keeps the backup transmitter from coming on line right away without human intervention on site; an interruption in the STL signal that leaves you with a dead carrier and no programming; a power failure at the transmitter site combined with difficulty in getting the emergency generator up and running; a crash at some vital part of the chain at the studio end; or any of a hundred other things. We get used to things running smoothly in whatever station we're associated with. (I don't remember more than a minute or two of lost signal in the 3+ years I was there at WBEN; a minute or two was about the time it took to get the alternate main transmitter powered up and feeding the towers whenever the other transmitter went down.) When things don't go right with today's solid-state equipment, it's news.
Bob that's why I was curious. A station like WBEN probably has backups for the backups! You're right it's not common for stations these days to have problems, especially WBEN.
Yes, we do have backups for the backups...Mike Sheridan said:
The tower with our microwave STL dish collapsed due to metal failure of one of the guy anchors. When it happened I was out in Whethersfield working on rebuilding our HD box.... all it took was a call to the remote control and I switched to our telco 15kc loop audio backup.
The tower with our microwave STL dish collapsed due to metal failure of one of the guy anchors.
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That's the second time in not too many years that STL tower has come down. Back in '98 it came down a few days before Christmas for the same reason. In that case it was the northern anchor that failed but since the station was still on Elmwood Ave. and thus very close, the STL kept right on working albeit at a much lower signal level. There was a temporary yagi installed on the roof of the building until the tower was repaired.
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That's the second time in not too many years that STL tower has come down. Back in '98 it came down a few days before Christmas for the same reason. In that case it was the northern anchor that failed but since the station was still on Elmwood Ave. and thus very close, the STL kept right on working albeit at a much lower signal level. There was a temporary yagi installed on the roof of the building until the tower was repaired.
TVJunkie12 said:
That's the second time in not too many years that STL tower has come down. Back in '98 it came down a few days before Christmas for the same reason. In that case it was the northern anchor that failed but since the station was still on Elmwood Ave. and thus very close, the STL kept right on working albeit at a much lower signal level. There was a temporary yagi installed on the roof of the building until the tower was repaired.
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Yeah, and they punched a hole through the glass block in a building that should be a designated historic landmark.
Nothing with those stations surprises me. I mean, Entercom took the nice installation that Adelphia had in WXfield and turned it into a pile of half-functioning crap. Just about every other site, plus the studios, are all jury-rigged and on the brink of disaster.
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GeorgeKramer
Guest
I think it is up to the producers of each talk show and newscast to remind the on-air talent to TURN OFF THEIR CELL PHONES!!!
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GeorgeKramer
Guest
Lots of younger guys in the Engineering Dept. now. Older fellas have been phased out.
GeorgeKramer said:
Always good to save $$ by weeding out those pesky guys who have experience and knowledge but want a living wage and replace them with well meaning but inexperienced people. Small wonder that technical types have abandoned engineering and gone to be IT guys.
True, budget and salary cuts have taken their toll, especially under the management of the Yachtsman Of The Year. The engineers at Entercom probably are smart and competent, but overworked trying to take care of four AMs, three of which are directional, and three FMs, one of which is in East Cowshit. Wouldn't be a bit surprised if the Entercom engineers are being pulled in ten different directions. Hard to take care of the core responsibilities of engineering when you're a slave to the sales department and setting up remotes taking precedence over RF maintenance, audio, IT and construction.TVJunkie12 said:
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GeorgeKramer
Guest
Ron Dobson is a really good talk show host. WBEN has their bases covered whenever Bauerle or Beach are on vacation or call in sick as long as he is available.
What else does he do for work? I was told her was going to do some part-time sales work @ Entercom Buffalo but the circle of sales guys and gals I talk to say they don't see him in the building unless he's subbing for either Tom or Sandy.
Talented guy.
What else does he do for work? I was told her was going to do some part-time sales work @ Entercom Buffalo but the circle of sales guys and gals I talk to say they don't see him in the building unless he's subbing for either Tom or Sandy.
Talented guy.
GeorgeKramer said:
I agree. I've liked Dobson for a loing time. I wish there were more hosts like him on talkradio. So tired of the predictable talking points crowd...on both sides.
Didn't hear anything about him doing sales. I've heard him mention on air that he occasionally does out-of-town fill in gigs. Don't know what his plans are, but I'm glad he's still around.
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GeorgeKramer
Guest
Dobson on weekdays from 7-10 pm was very enjoyable to listen to.
I understand why they changed the weekday lineup and now have the ultimate fill-in host in Dobson, but I miss his show, especially during the winter months.
I understand why they changed the weekday lineup and now have the ultimate fill-in host in Dobson, but I miss his show, especially during the winter months.
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Bob1370
Guest
Nights 7-midnight used to be a real cash cow for WBEN when Stan Barron, John Murphy and later Chris "Bulldog" Parker did that timeslot...and Ron Dobson pulled well with issue talk when he held down the shift, too. But now, it has the feel of a throwaway daypart and that's never good business. A good nighttime show, as WBEN proved for years from the 60s until recently when they went to the satellite, can be a money-maker. Conversely, satellite shows and canned programming may be cheap, but also draw weakly and sell weakly, turning a cost advantage into an overall liability.
Nights in western NY still have a salable potential audience to reach, and strong local programming can still make money reaching it especially using a good full-market signal like WBEN. It's hard to believe there aren't still plenty of potential listeners to build a strong and lucrative audience and a profitable local client base for that daypart, if a station offered something better than the usual run of syndicated palaver.
Nights in western NY still have a salable potential audience to reach, and strong local programming can still make money reaching it especially using a good full-market signal like WBEN. It's hard to believe there aren't still plenty of potential listeners to build a strong and lucrative audience and a profitable local client base for that daypart, if a station offered something better than the usual run of syndicated palaver.
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