WBHY-FM's unecessary translators

[Nate Wesley]

WBHY-FM "Power 88.5" has been granted several translators to 'expand' coverage (many thanks to what's referred to as 'The Great Translator Invasion' spurred by Calvary Church franchises). But several are obscenely unnecessary, specifically:


*W212CA 90.3 and W295AP 106.9, Bay Minette
*W262BL 100.3 Gulf Shores
*W278AP 103.5 Daphne
*W279AT 103.7 Robertsdale

Granted, none of these translators are directly owned by Power 88 or GoForth Media (by law). And there's no guarantee that 88.5 will be station that is actually relayed. But it just shows you what a sham the translator process is. Each of these communities is served by WBHY-FM's full power signal with 60dBu or better, according to RECnet.

These translator allotments would be better served as locally serviced LPFMs that actually serve their cities of license. With distinct schools, civic and community groups, and local events, are they really being served as potential repeaters of a nearby 33 kilowatt FM?

 

[passtheword]

WBHY-FM "Power 88.5" has been granted several translators to 'expand' coverage (many thanks to what's referred to as 'The Great Translator Invasion' spurred by Calvary Church franchises). But several are obscenely unnecessary, specifically:


*W212CA 90.3 and W295AP 106.9, Bay Minette
*W262BL 100.3 Gulf Shores
*W278AP 103.5 Daphne
*W279AT 103.7 Robertsdale

Granted, none of these translators are directly owned by Power 88 or GoForth Media (by law). And there's no guarantee that 88.5 will be station that is actually relayed. But it just shows you what a sham the translator process is. Each of these communities is served by WBHY-FM's full power signal with 60dBu or better, according to RECnet.

These translator allotments would be better served as locally serviced LPFMs that actually serve their cities of license. With distinct schools, civic and community groups, and local events, are they really being served as potential repeaters of a nearby 33 kilowatt FM?

Seems like most, if not all, those FM translators you mentioned are owned by Faith Radio out of Montgomery. I received a newsletter from them about a year ago, and they said they were in the process of getting those translators up and running, but it was my understanding they were going to be relaying WSTF (their station in Andalusia), not WBHY. They were hoping they could get a good signal from WSTF to the Bay Minette translator to feed the other ones in Baldwin county. I know the respective CP's state those translators are going to be rebroadcasting WBHY, though. Have you heard those translators before?


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[Nate Wesley]

No, I haven't heard any of them. I keep expecting W239AP 95.7 (the Mobile translator that Pascagoula's WPAS 89.1 doesn't really need) to finally boom through I make my travels to West Mobile, and it has yet to sign on. It's been approved for a while.

All of the translators I listed have been granted, so all they need is to build (if they haven't) and sign on. IF they relay WSTF, I guess a good argument for providing variety could be made. I'm still of the opinion that local LPFMs would serve a better purpose.

 

[passtheword]

All of the translators I listed have been granted, so all they need is to build (if they haven't) and sign on. IF they relay WSTF, I guess a good argument for providing variety could be made. I'm still of the opinion that local LPFMs would serve a better purpose.

I agree with you, I do hope when those translators come on the air that they're not rebroadcasting WBHY. Nothing against WBHY, I listen to them a lot when I'm down in Gulf Shores to vacation, but, as you said, there's really no reason why those translators should rebroadcast WBHY when the main signal adequately covers Baldwin county. Of course, with WSTF, that's a whole different story since Faith Radio has no sort of presence there. It's a good situation for them, as they not only will be able to share the gospel with people in those areas, but also the many vacationers who might come across those translators on their way to/at the beach.


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[Poledo]

Have you ever counted the religious stations in the non-commercial band across south Alabama? Everyone is already being served. The non-com band is packed solid and no one can pick up more than two NPR stations. There are no "college" or "publicly owned" stations. No religious translators are needed!

I say, bundle all these translators together and put WTOH back on the air!

 

[BlueWanderer]

Every time I tried to pick up WZRR in the Huntsville market area, I get some very faded out signal that ids as "88.1 WAY-FM" (WAYH) on the 99.5 frequency. It annoys me that I can't listen to the Edge show on regular FM radio because of this.

 

[passtheword]

Have you ever counted the religious stations in the non-commercial band across south Alabama? Everyone is already being served. The non-com band is packed solid and no one can pick up more than two NPR stations. There are no "college" or "publicly owned" stations. No religious translators are needed!

I say, bundle all these translators together and put WTOH back on the air!

As far as Baldwin county goes, though (where these translators are going to be located), there aren't that many "religious" stations, at least on the FM band. When I vacation in Gulf Shores, for instance, there aren't but a handful of christian stations I'm able to listen to there, and most of those don't put a good signal in Baldwin County. I do receive WBHY and WPCS pretty well, but most of the others it's "hit and miss". I did a search on radio-locator and used Gulf Shores in the search, since the original post was in regards to translators in Baldwin county. This is what I found as far as "religious" stations for that area and how far away the xmtrs are as well as the typical signals one would expect to receive from those stations. (I'd rather call them "christian" stations rather than "religious" stations, but for the sake that some religious stations are not christian in nature, I'll refer to them as such):


WBHY-88.5 Mobile, AL 29.5 mi moderate
WPAS-89.1 Pascagoula, MS 48.8 mi weak
WPCS-89.5 Pensacola, FL 23.5 mi strong
WEGS-91.7 Milton, FL 44.1 mi very weak
WGCX 95.7 Navarre, FL 51.4 mi very weak
WOSM-103.1 Ocean Springs, MS 60.8 mi very weak


Those signal strengths above for the individual stations pretty much bear out with what I've experienced when I'm in that area. I hear WBHY and WPCS well, but WEGS, WPAS, WGCX, and WOSM are weak and unlistenable at some times. While it's true there are several AM stations with religious programming in that area (how many folks are actually listening to an AM, religious or not...?), I don't really see how those FM's with christian programming (4 of which don't put listenable signals in Baldwin county) can constitute a proliferation of "religious" stations there. I also don't believe those Faith Radio translators which will be coming on in that area will be contributing to the "saturation" of religious stations there. I used to feel that religious stations were a waste of spectrum too, before I became a christian several years ago; my view on that has changed since then. While it's true that there is a need for LPFM's to operate other types of diverse programming for that area (and elsewhere), christian programming serves a purpose, also.


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[Nate Wesley]

Those signal strengths above for the individual stations pretty much bear out with what I've experienced when I'm in that area. I hear WBHY and WPCS well, but WEGS, WPAS, WGCX, and WOSM are weak and unlistenable at some times. While it's true there are several AM stations with religious programming in that area (how many folks are actually listening to an AM, religious or not...?), I don't really see how those FM's with christian programming (4 of which don't put listenable signals in Baldwin county) can constitute a proliferation of "religious" stations there. I also don't believe those Faith Radio translators which will be coming on in that area will be contributing to the "saturation" of religious stations there. I used to feel that religious stations were a waste of spectrum too, before I became a christian several years ago; my view on that has changed since then. While it's true that there is a need for LPFM's to operate other types of diverse programming for that area (and elsewhere), christian programming serves a purpose, also.

I was careful not to phrase my argument that there was 'too much Christian radio'. I don't really care for Christian radio, so one station is more than I'd need--yet I didn't want to make my bias my basis. My beef is that these broadcasters seem to be taking advantage of the rules for highly superficial reasons. That the new FMs are less about spreading the gospel and more about building a network of cheap radio stations.

Let's ignore WBHY & GoForth Media for a moment. Does Faith Radio, a Montgomery-based church group, really need a Mobile and Daphne presence? While they could indeed provide differing views and approaches, there's plenty sympathetic voices already found elsewhere on aforementioned FMs or full power AMs (like WBHY 840, WLPR 960, WMOB 1360/WTOF 1110, WIJD 1270, and marginal mention of the Pensacola, FL AMs that can be received on the Baldwin County coast).

You might not be able to receive all of them in one area, but you are never too far away from several choices. In that respect, I don't believe the potential relays of Faith Radio really add much.

 

[passtheword]

I was careful not to phrase my argument that there was 'too much Christian radio'.

My last comments were directed more to poledo's comment of the over saturation of christian radio in south Alabama.

Let's ignore WBHY & GoForth Media for a moment. Does Faith Radio, a Montgomery-based church group, really need a Mobile and Daphne presence? While they could indeed provide differing views and approaches, there's plenty sympathetic voices already found elsewhere on aforementioned FMs or full power AMs (like WBHY 840, WLPR 960, WMOB 1360/WTOF 1110, WIJD 1270, and marginal mention of the Pensacola, FL AMs that can be received on the Baldwin County coast).

You might not be able to receive all of them in one area, but you are never too far away from several choices. In that respect, I don't believe the potential relays of Faith Radio really add much.

I would say that Faith Radio needs to explore whatever avenues are available that God provides them in sharing the gospel. And yes, you're right. There are some "christian" broadcasters out there who are just into building a network and aren't really focused on what they're supposed to be doing. And there are some who abuse the process as well. That's unfortunate that some of them do not "play by the rules". It's disgraceful in the fact that it gives a negative impression of christians in general. I've talked with some of the people at Faith Radio and they are some good folks. In their defense, I really believe they are sincere in what they are doing- exposing the gospel to as many people as possible. They only have a few translators in areas where the main WLBF and WSTF signals don't currently reach, and it's not as though they're pulling a "Calvary Chapel" and attempting to broadcast in areas clear across the country.


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[R.D.P.]

As long as we have lost souls, we'll always have a need for Christian Radio. 

Although it may not be the most popular format and/or spot on the radio dial, I'm glad that it's still there, to help change lives and make a difference.

I sincerely believe that Christian Radio, is one of the factors that's helping to hold this nation and my hometown together. 

Speaking of my hometown, WRNF 89.5 FM is having runaway success and they've only been here since December.  Thanks to heavy advertising by me, word of mouth and our local newspaper, this station is catching on like wildfire.  I'm already seeing this station impacting my hometown in many different ways.  Hope this trend will continue.

Thank God for the wonderful blessing, of Christian Radio. 

Like it or not I see many more new Christian Radio stations coming on the horizon.  

R.D.P. <><

P.S. It excites me to know that Faith Radio is building some new stations in Badwin County.  Hope these new translators will have success and lead many lost souls to Jesus Christ.

 

[Poledo]

My last comments were directed more to poledo's comment of the over saturation of christian radio in south Alabama.

You've got to admit, there are far more Christian stations here than anywhere else. I can also admit there is more of a demand for it here than in other parts of the country. Last night I "seeked" through the non-com band while driving home in Pensacola and it stopped on 9 Christian stations, not including the AMs and 95.7 FM.

Back in 1990/1991 a channel search was done for the University of West Florida, University of South Alabama, and Springhill College student governments. There was no space left on the dial for C2 (or C1) based at one of the Baldwin County tower farms or a single Class A station in either Mobile or Pensacola. 98.7 and 96.5 were already allocated in the commercial band and the non-com band was completely full. Since then a couple of non-com stations (Milton, FL, Baker, FL and Brewton, AL) have increased their coverage slightly to include Pensacola. WPAS puzzles me, based on there coverage map it seems that USA or Springhill could have found room for a Class A to cover Mobile back in 1990. Maybe they were only looking for a channel that could transmit, non directional, from a tower on campus.

 

[passtheword]

You've got to admit, there are far more Christian stations here than anywhere else. I can also admit there is more of a demand for it here than in other parts of the country.

I don't know if that's the situation (having more christian stations on the Gulf Coast than anywhere else). That might be the case where you are located, but the offerings in south Alabama seem to be similar to what we're receiving here in central AL, as far as available (i.e. listenable) choices go. If there are indeed more christians stations at the Gulf Coast as you say, there must be a purpose why God has placed more of them there than in other areas.

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[Nate Wesley]

You might need to demonstrate what you consider to be 'listenable'. Just because the transmitter isn't down the street doesn't mean that local stations aren't receivable.

 

[Nate Wesley]

My last comments were directed more to poledo's comment of the over saturation of christian radio in south Alabama.

You've got to admit, there are far more Christian stations here than anywhere else. I can also admit there is more of a demand for it here than in other parts of the country. Last night I "seeked" through the non-com band while driving home in Pensacola and it stopped on 9 Christian stations, not including the AMs and 95.7 FM.

Back in 1990/1991 a channel search was done for the University of West Florida, University of South Alabama, and Springhill College student governments. There was no space left on the dial for C2 (or C1) based at one of the Baldwin County tower farms or a single Class A station in either Mobile or Pensacola. 98.7 and 96.5 were already allocated in the commercial band and the non-com band was completely full. Since then a couple of non-com stations (Milton, FL, Baker, FL and Brewton, AL) have increased their coverage slightly to include Pensacola. WPAS puzzles me, based on there coverage map it seems that USA or Springhill could have found room for a Class A to cover Mobile back in 1990. Maybe they were only looking for a channel that could transmit, non directional, from a tower on campus.

The same stories might apply for my alma mater, the University of Alabama at Birmingham. They did studies well before the shuffling that 1996 Telco Act and weren't able to secure a signal for a student-run radio station. An administrator once told me that one of the CPs that eventually begat WLJR 88.5 or WBFR 89.5 should have belonged to UAB.

Congress might be friendly toward repealing the 3rd adjacent rules that LPFM stations must adhere, so there could be some hope down the line. But there's nothing stopping the LPFM service from being abused in the same way the translators are. For every church doing it right with local original programming, you've probably got 1.5 more running a 24/7 satellite feed from one of the networks.

 

[passtheword]

You might need to demonstrate what you consider to be 'listenable'. Just because the transmitter isn't down the street doesn't mean that local stations aren't receivable.

The transmitter wouldn't have to necessarily be down the street. That's not what I meant by "listenable". "Unlistenable" would be anything that you wouldn't be able to hear on a regular basis. To me, if a person is receiving a signal that fades in and out and it cannot be heard most of the time, that would be considered "unlistenable". When I was on vacation in Gulf Shores last year, for instance, I did listen to all six of the christian stations I mentioned in my earlier post. Although I was able to receive WBHY and WPCS well, the other 4 signals (WPAS, WEGS, WGCX, and WOSM) couldn't be heard with any form of regularity, and I didn't listen to them for any length of time. Although there might be six signals broadcasting a christian format into that area, only two of them are really available to listeners there on a regular basis. IMO, having only two christian FM stations which are "listenable" in Baldwin county (WBHY and WPCS) does not constitute any form of saturation of christian radio there. If you have to "nail it down" and try to define "listenable and unlistenable" as far as signal strength goes, then you would have to acknowledge the fact that any area outside a station's 60dBU contour would be too far out to provide a reliable signal. Baldwin County is within WBHY's and WPCS' 60dBu contour, those other four FM's I mentioned are not.


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[Nate Wesley]

If there are indeed more christians stations at the Gulf Coast as you say, there must be a purpose why God has placed more of them there than in other areas.

I was originally going to ignore this statement, but what I will say is that's a completely different conversation than the one I'm trying to have.

PTW, my reasons for 'pinning down' what you considered listenable were due to the fact that you were almost equating that to what you could hear as a whole--at least that's the way I've interpreted it. You mention not hearing WPAS and WOSM. Well, that's largely because those stations are on the wrong side of Baldwin County to be heard reliably at all. The geography is just too great to overcome--which is why few in Mobile listen to SonLife's WQUA 102.1.

A similar issue arises from the failure to pull down WEGS and WGCX. That's not due to an availability issue--that's a combined engineering and licensing issue. (However, WEGS is getting a power upgrade on a heightened tower, as well as a new Pensacola COL, so its reception should improve dramatically.) And you didn't really provide much of answer to your reception of the religious AM radio offerings.

 

[tomservo]

And you didn't really provide much of answer to your reception of the religious AM radio offerings.

Aren't there about 11 religious stations on AM that are at least listenable around Gulf Shores? It seems if you want the programming bad enough, AM or FM won't matter.

Where I live there is not a real classic rock type station; if one popped up on AM, I'd listen just because it's a format I like, sound quality be damned.

 

[passtheword]

I was originally going to ignore this statement, but what I will say is that's a completely different conversation than the one I'm trying to have.

I didn't believe I was. I apologize if I didn't understand your previous post and didn't address what you had to say. However, this thread is enttiled "WBHY"s unnecessary translators" ,which was started by you, so I was under the impression that was what we were discussing. Someone mentioned there were more "religious" radio stations on the air on the Gulf Coast. As you can tell from my posts, I don't agree with that statement, but I felt the comment I made about that idea (that it was purposed by God that way), was appropriate to what we were discussing. After all, we are discussing "religious" or christian radio, and I felt it was relevant.

And you didn't really provide much of answer to your reception of the religious AM radio offerings.

I mentioned this in my earlier posts regarding the "religious" AM's broadcasting in that area. I did concede they are there, but how many folks are listening to AM radio, whether it's a religious station or a secular one. I doubt there are many. If it weren't for talk radio, AM radio wouldn't even be around today. If we were discussing the saturation of top 40 formats on the Gulf Coast, for instance, and (if there were) a CHR on the AM dial in the Mobile/Pensacola/Baldwin county area, it probably wouldn't even be considered "part of the mix", and it would be a non-issue.

Anyway, I have enjoyed having the discussion with you on all of it. And I'm glad that we could both be civil about it as well and no one (so far) on this thread has done like some others on here and resort to name calling, and questioning the other's intelligence (This Amy Pollard lady the Dothan folks keep talking about gets attacked unfairly from all ends it seems. She might not be well-liked, but at least she's well-known, anyhow). I don't work in radio here, so I try to stay out of areas where I don't have much knowledge of, especially in regards to technical discussions, etc. Most of the time I do ok, but sometimes I'll stick my neck out too far, lol. Also, in regards to what I have to say about God in these posts, well...I can't apologize for that, and it's unfortunate if that offends anyone. Obviously, I have to stick to topic in here and discuss something regarding radio (it is a radio forum), but I also use my gifts, talents, interests, etc that God has given me to share the gospel with others, including you all in here. Have a good night. Boy, it's late. 2:15 am. I gotta go to bed, lol
God bless.


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[jackd]

As long as we have lost souls, we'll always have a need for Christian Radio.

Although it may not be the most popular format and/or spot on the radio dial, I'm glad that it's still there, to help change lives and make a difference.

I sincerely believe that Christian Radio, is one of the factors that's helping to hold this nation and my hometown together.

Speaking of my hometown, WRNF 89.5 FM is having runaway success and they've only been here since December. Thanks to heavy advertising by me, word of mouth and our local newspaper, this station is catching on like wildfire. I'm already seeing this station impacting my hometown in many different ways. Hope this trend will continue.

Thank God for the wonderful blessing, of Christian Radio.

Like it or not I see many more new Christian Radio stations coming on the horizon.

R.D.P. <><

P.S. It excites me to know that Faith Radio is building some new stations in Badwin County. Hope these new translators will have success and lead many lost souls to Jesus Christ.

Good post!!! ;D

Jack Davis
Operations Director
88.1 WAY-FM ;D

 

[R.D.P.]

Glad you liked it, Mr. Davis.  Although I'm not big into Moody Radio, hope this new station will have runaway success and lead many lost souls to Jesus.

R.D.P. <><