WFPB-AM Among The Missing?

[Laurence Glavin]

I know that radio stations can go off-the-air briefly for a multitude of reasons: lightning strikes, copper thieves, etc. But I've been getting an interference-free signal from WDIS-AM 1170 for three days because WFPB-AM 1170 in Orleans on the Cape of Cod has been off-ther-air for that long. Could change at any minute, but on the other hand, could UMass be figuring that the electric bill for a 1KW transmitter for a station that's totally superfluous was a needless expense?

 

[Eli Polonsky]

I know that radio stations can go off-the-air briefly for a multitude of reasons: lightning strikes, copper thieves, etc. But I've been getting an interference-free signal from WDIS-AM 1170 for three days because WFPB-AM 1170 in Orleans on the Cape of Cod has been off-ther-air for that long. Could change at any minute, but on the other hand, could UMass be figuring that the electric bill for a 1KW transmitter for a station that's totally superfluous was a needless expense?

I heard WFPB-AM when I was in it's (fringe) listening area last weekend. Probably currently a technical problem of some sort. They're still including it in their multi-station TOH ID, so I'd imagine they plan to continue it. I don't think WUMB would give up any of their signals without a fight, even if challenged by UMass of the viability of it.

The only way they would give up WFPB-AM is if they find a possibility to either purchase, or apply for and get granted, a better (FM) signal in that area, and I know that WUMB has been attempting to do that for years (including making many refused offers to purchase WOMR 92.1 in Provincetown), but I haven't heard of them succeeding as of yet.

 

[pqgeorge]

I know that radio stations can go off-the-air briefly for a multitude of reasons: lightning strikes, copper thieves, etc. But I've been getting an interference-free signal from WDIS-AM 1170 for three days because WFPB-AM 1170 in Orleans on the Cape of Cod has been off-ther-air for that long. Could change at any minute, but on the other hand, could UMass be figuring that the electric bill for a 1KW transmitter for a station that's totally superfluous was a needless expense?

I heard WFPB-AM when I was in it's (fringe) listening area last weekend. Probably currently a technical problem of some sort. They're still including it in their multi-station TOH ID, so I'd imagine they plan to continue it. I don't think WUMB would give up any of their signals without a fight, even if challenged by UMass of the viability of it.

The only way they would give up WFPB-AM is if they find a possibility to either purchase, or apply for and get granted, a better (FM) signal in that area, and I know that WUMB has been attempting to do that for years (including making many refused offers to purchase WOMR 92.1 in Provincetown), but I haven't heard of them succeeding as of yet.

I think that WUMB has enough signals as it is. WOMR is a unique operation to the Cape and is totally local, unlike 'UMB, 'GBH and 'BUR. No doubt, WOMR has a faithful audience on the outer most Cape area. That's where they got the call-letters with W Outer Most Radio. I'm sure WFPB-AM will be back on line pretty quick.

 

[Eli Polonsky]

I think that WUMB has enough signals as it is. WOMR is a unique operation to the Cape and is totally local, unlike 'UMB, 'GBH and 'BUR. No doubt, WOMR has a faithful audience on the outer most Cape area. That's where they got the call-letters with W Outer Most Radio. I'm sure WFPB-AM will be back on line pretty quick.

Don't worry, I don't think WOMR has any intention of selling to them, or anyone.

 

[jlehmann]

I know that radio stations can go off-the-air briefly for a multitude of reasons: lightning strikes, copper thieves, etc. But I've been getting an interference-free signal from WDIS-AM 1170 for three days because WFPB-AM 1170 in Orleans on the Cape of Cod has been off-ther-air for that long. Could change at any minute, but on the other hand, could UMass be figuring that the electric bill for a 1KW transmitter for a station that's totally superfluous was a needless expense?

I'm hearing WFPB just fine here today, not sure when they came back on.

 

[Laurence Glavin]

I know that radio stations can go off-the-air briefly for a multitude of reasons: lightning strikes, copper thieves, etc. But I've been getting an interference-free signal from WDIS-AM 1170 for three days because WFPB-AM 1170 in Orleans on the Cape of Cod has been off-ther-air for that long. Could change at any minute, but on the other hand, could UMass be figuring that the electric bill for a 1KW transmitter for a station that's totally superfluous was a needless expense?

I'm hearing WFPB just fine here today, not sure when they came back on.

Just like clockwork, just as soon as I observe that a station has been off-the-air for a couple of days, voila: it's back on!

 

[aaronread]

The only way they would give up WFPB-AM is if they find a possibility to either purchase, or apply for and get granted, a better (FM) signal in that area, and I know that WUMB has been attempting to do that for years (including making many refused offers to purchase WOMR 92.1 in Provincetown), but I haven't heard of them succeeding as of yet.

Quite the opposite - WOMR won the right to that CP in the "elbow" of the Cape by beating out WUMB, did they not? I could insert a dig about how that won't quite be as local, but I won't. :

WUMB did win that new frequency in Marshfield, though...91.7, IIRC. I'll bet that was a defensive move as much as anything though...if I were Pat Monteith I sure wouldn't want someone else on my Quincy station's first-adjacent channel, certainly not as close as Marshfield.

BTW, I've never understood why people seem to have such a hair across their ass about WUMB "having so many frequencies". They're really no different in operations, scope, mission or reach, when compared to WBUR or WGBH...it's just that they had no choice but to acquire a lot of smaller stations to have a big enough signal reach, and thus a viable enough audience base, to maintain their mission. Given that, in most cases, the signals would likely have gone to a religious broadcaster - rather than a high school or college - then I'd rather have it go to WUMB, ya know?

Has WUMB made some questionable, even downright nasty, moves in the past? Possibly, quite possibly...Winchester High School comes to mind. I'm not prepared to pass judgment quite that easily, though...given what I know of many (not all, but many) high school stations, I'm not convinced that the greater good wasn't done in that case. And hey, radio is a nasty business...you wanna swim with the sharks, you gotta eat or be eaten, ya know? WBUR and WGBH, not to mention some of the "beloved college stations", are not saints, either...nor do I feel they should be.

 

[ZRXOA 5248]

WPAA 91.7 Phillips Andover Academy went dark and U Mass was on that within hours.

What really sucks about the Marshfield permit, was Ed Perry was part of a group trying to get that allocation for use by the Talking Information Center, the reading service for the blind that runs on WATD's SCA, but once the FCC found out that a principal in a commercial radio station was part of the team applying for that license, the FCC summarily dismissed the application leaving U Mass to get yet another station.

What group do you think would have done more for the City of License? Ed Perry and friends trying to help people with disabilities, or U Mass Boston trying to be a non com WBOS?

And I feel the same way about Boston University having multiple stations in the area.

 

[aaronread]

WPAA 91.7 Phillips Andover Academy went dark and U Mass was on that within hours.

True, but look at the greater situation there...WPAA was dark for years before the FCC finally got around to deleting the license. WUMB wisely had plans in place to take advantage of what everyone knew was going to happen sooner or later. I know the kids at WUML whined and bitched about that whole deal quite a bit but frankly, if they'd been on the ball and had done their homework beforehand...instead of just bitching that the "administration should've done something"...then maybe they would've gotten an expansion of their signal, instead of WNEF (WUMB).

What really sucks about the Marshfield permit, was Ed Perry was part of a group trying to get that allocation for use by the Talking Information Center, the reading service for the blind that runs on WATD's SCA, but once the FCC found out that a principal in a commercial radio station was part of the team applying for that license, the FCC summarily dismissed the application leaving U Mass to get yet another station.

Yeah, okay, that was kinda of a bummer. And I don't really get why the FCC were tightwads about it...you'd think a chance to amend the TIC application would've been made; the overall intent of the applicant was pretty obvious. But I still don't blame WUMB for trying to get that Marshfield app, it is pretty much right in the Quincy signal's back yard.

 

[pqgeorge]

Has WUMB made some questionable, even downright nasty, moves in the past? Possibly, quite possibly...Winchester High School comes to mind. I'm not prepared to pass judgment quite that easily, though...given what I know of many (not all, but many) high school stations, I'm not convinced that the greater good wasn't done in that case. And hey, radio is a nasty business...you wanna swim with the sharks, you gotta eat or be eaten, ya know? WBUR and WGBH, not to mention some of the "beloved college stations", are not saints, either...nor do I feel they should be.

WHSR-FM (Winchester High School), pre-dated WUMB on 91.9 by nearly 30 years. It was probably one of the oldest licensed high-school stations in existence at the time. In fact, 'HSR was put on the air by a certain young engineer named Arnold W. Ginsburg. You may know him better as Arnie "Woo Woo" Ginsburg. Before he jocked, he was also a well established radio engineer in the market (and still is).

Some very bad decisions were made during the last few years of operation of 'HSR by many people from all camps, causing WHSR to eventually be ripped off the air for good in 1991. This small station lasted over 38 years. Some special accommodations could have been made to allow WHSR to operate at another frequency, like in the case of the very first high school FM station in existence, WHHS in PA, which was given a little leeway (a special waiver) with the blessings of the commercial entities (99.5/WJBR and 100.3/in Media, PA) to allow them to move to 99.9 after they were bumped from 107.9. But, it was not to come to pass in the case of WHSR. WHSR was one of the better Class D operations and I recall listening to it, down in Randolph some 30 miles away. They had the elevation and those 10 watts really got out. It was fun to listen to high school radio, especially when I was a high school student in the 70's.

Sure, there are some high school stations that are really not quite "up-to-par". But, there are some that I know are truly unique and really super-serve their local community, better than many NPR stations could ever do. Some that come to mind, WRPS/88.3 Rockland, WHHB/99.9 Holliston, WAVM/91.7 Maynard, WBMT/88.7 Boxford and more. All these stations started life as a Class D. Today they are still operating at various powers still serving their communities.

I've always been a big supporter for the 10 watters. Over the years I've found that I would rather listen to something homegrown and local than listening to a highly researched and overly polished commercial station. I have my own opinions about the Winchester High School fiasco, but that's for another time and another forum.

 

[Eli Polonsky]

Has WUMB made some questionable, even downright nasty, moves in the past?

If WUMB had their way in the mid-1970s, they would not be on 91.9. Their Boston area station would have been granted 88.3 or 88.1, and WMBR would not exist.

WMBR (then WTBS) spent years fighting the original WUMB application for 88.3 in the mid-70s, when WTBS was still 88.1 Class D, and this was when Class D's were still being protected, but not for long. When it came time for Class D's to upgrade to Class A or perish (or at least get badly stepped on), WTBS had exhausted their meager funds legally fighting competing applications from WUMB (and other applications and protests from others as well), and though they were granted their Class A application, they no longer had the money for the equipment required (new transmitter, etc...) to make it happen, and they possibly would've failed to be able to upgrade by the deadline.

If not for the locally famous story of Ted Turner swinging in and granting WTBS $50k for their call letters which gave them the means to buy their new transmitter to go Class A, we may have ended up with WUMB on 88.3 or 88.1. The original WUMB app was for 88.3 Class D, but I'm sure they had the imminent upgrade to Class A in mind, and I'm speculating that may have been a plan to edge WTBS/WMBR off the air because they could not have co-existed as first adjacent Class A's so short spaced. If that happened, there would never have been a WMBR.

In the 1980s, WMBR learned how to do an annual on-air fundraising week, so they eventually saved up some financial cushion which could be used, if necessary, to deal with any expensive future challenges or emergencies.

 

[peytonplace]

To clarify the "relationship" between WUMB and WOMR...both stations originally were located at 91.9 and WOMR stood in the way of any expansion plans WUMB had. That was somewhat solved in the late 90s when WOMR moved to 92.1 and raised its power. Since then there has been NO attempt by WUMB to purchase WOMR. I think everyone will agree that the old WVLC-AM signal (now WFPB) in Orleans is not highly desireable in its current condition. With no other AM signals available on the Cape, it only makes sense that WUMB would want to add to or replace their AM with an FM in the Orleans area. They filed a competing application with WOMR for a new FM at 91.3 in Orleans. Because of WUMB's coapplication, the project got tied up in the FCC for many years. Near the end, when WUMB saw they were likely to lose, they began an eleventh campaign to buy WOMR out of the competition. Also in the mix had been an unused commercial frequency in Brewster put up for auction by the FCC ultimately bought by WGBH for several million dollars. Ultimately, the FCC decided in favor of WOMR because it only had one station unlike WUMB with its vast network of stations. It is a misconception to think that WOMR will become less local with the addition of the Orleans station. People listen to WOMR for its Provincetown quirkiness. Because it has to protect WPRO FM in Provincetown, WOMR is unable to get full use of its licensed 6000 watts. The addition of a lower powered FM signal in Orleans with a taller antenna will allow WOMR to fill in some of the places from Wellfleet to Chatham where the signal now drops out. It is not intended to create a larger listening area, but fulfill the original mandate of WOMR.

 

[Eli Polonsky]

To clarify the "relationship" between WUMB and WOMR...both stations originally were located at 91.9 and WOMR stood in the way of any expansion plans WUMB had. That was somewhat solved in the late 90s when WOMR moved to 92.1 and raised its power. Since then there has been NO attempt by WUMB to purchase WOMR.

The last sentence of your above paragraph is contradicted by the last sentence of your paragraph below (regardless of the circumstances involved):

I think everyone will agree that the old WVLC-AM signal (now WFPB) in Orleans is not highly desireable in its current condition. With no other AM signals available on the Cape, it only makes sense that WUMB would want to add to or replace their AM with an FM in the Orleans area. They filed a competing application with WOMR for a new FM at 91.3 in Orleans. Because of WUMB's coapplication, the project got tied up in the FCC for many years. Near the end, when WUMB saw they were likely to lose, they began an eleventh campaign to buy WOMR out of the competition.

 

[mgpt6]

If WUMB had acted first in 1972,they would have been at 90.3. Ed Perry did the frequency search for Umass- Boston and when they backed away apporached Boston College for 90.3 which became WZBC.

 

[Eli Polonsky]

If WUMB had acted first in 1972,they would have been at 90.3. Ed Perry did the frequency search for Umass- Boston and when they backed away apporached Boston College for 90.3 which became WZBC.

I didn't know about that one in 1972, but it would've made sense at the time. WZBC came on the air in 1974. I've seen documentation on the WUMB -> WTBS/WMBR battle which was off and on from 1973 to 1979. The old yellowed documents are still in a WMBR station file archives drawer.

 

[mgpt6]

Umass Boston would have 1000watts on 90.3 from the start ZBC was 17watts and had to work in conjunction with WBUR to go 1000watts. the deal in early 1975 was ZBC would go from 17 to 1000 watts ERP- 16db increase; BUR would go 20kw to 50kw ERP -4db increase with the Law /Ed tower near the BU Bridge