Why is 1590 going off the air at night?

[purpledevil]

KMIC has left the air every night at around 8:15 this week and last. Anybody know why?

 

[stan]

Maybe because its a Mickey Mouse operation.

Or, maybe they figure the kids are in bed (or getting ready to sleep) and they can't justify being on the air.

Or, maybe they've gone to daytime only broadcasting.

 

[Smittian]

Would their sign-off go something like this.......................


M-I-C................See ya real soon!
K-E-Y................ Why? because staying on the air all night costs lots of money

Now-We're-Off-the-air

 

[jd]

KMIC has left the air every night at around 8:15 this week and last. Anybody know why?

Here's a theory. With everything being automated, including control of the transmitter, the switch to the nighttime pattern isn't happening. So instead of kicking that in, the automation may be shutting everything down. Sounds plausible, except the time element is a little off, since their switchover time this month is 8:30. As to why nobody else has noticed, like the engineer, or either one of their listeners, I wouldn't hazard a guess.

And Smittian, your Mickey song is great...!

 

[purpledevil]

jd, you are the best. Your "Either one of their listeners" comment nearly made me spit coffee at my monitor.

The funny thing is, jd, 1590 isn't dropping power at 8:15, they are just going dead air. No programming, no ID's on the hour, nothing.

 

[snoman]

It should still be classic soul KYOK. Radio Disney is a waste.

 

[dbsforest]

Radio Disney isn't a waste if you have kids, that's for sure.

 

[Mediafrog+]

The funny thing is, jd, 1590 isn't dropping power at 8:15.

KMIC isn't supposed to drop power at night, as they are 5kw full time. Only change at night is to switch to the four tower directional pattern.

 

[CW]

jd, you are the best. Your "Either one of their listeners" comment nearly made me spit coffee at my monitor.

The funny thing is, jd, 1590 isn't dropping power at 8:15, they are just going dead air. No programming, no ID's on the hour, nothing.

So is 1180 !! It was dead air most of the afternoon, evening Sunday...and sure enough, 1590 was no audio too last night.....tsk tsk.

 

[CW]

The funny thing is, jd, 1590 isn't dropping power at 8:15.

KMIC isn't supposed to drop power at night, as they are 5kw full time. Only change at night is to switch to the four tower directional pattern.

I think he meant "dropping power" as in killing the RF altogether; IEff air.......instead, the carrier is on...but noone is home

 

[purpledevil]

I don't know what's going on over at the station, but it's been happening for a little over 2 weeks now. Chalk it up to being a Mickey Mouse operation, I guess.

 

[rbrucecarter5]

I don't know what's going on over at the station, but it's been happening for a little over 2 weeks now. Chalk it up to being a Mickey Mouse operation, I guess.

Probably some engineering work for nighttime IBOC. We all know how all those little kids are enthusiastically buying $200 HD radios ---- putting them in their rooms next to their expresso machines.

 

[TexasTuner]

I don't know what's going on over at the station, but it's been happening for a little over 2 weeks now. Chalk it up to being a Mickey Mouse operation, I guess.

I know their engineer; talked with him this morning and brought up this thread. He told me that other than IBOC turning off at nighttime pattern change, the station's on the air. His silense sensor would have told him if he'd dropped program audio and/or carrier.

Texas Tuner

 

[Mediafrog+]

I know their engineer; talked with him this morning and brought up this thread. He told me that other than IBOC turning off at nighttime pattern change, the station's on the air. His silense sensor would have told him if he'd dropped program audio and/or carrier.

Then KMIC's engineer needs to get the silence sensor fixed. I actually checked the station around the 8:30pm switchover time this evening. As soon as they killed the IBOC, the analog audio disappeared. At an 11pm check they are still transmitting nothing but an open carrier.

I suspect the problem is tied in to the IBOC's delay system for the main analog audio (which keeps the analog and buffered digital output in sync.) When the IBOC goes off, so does the delay--but the audio chain isn't defaulting back to the straight program feed--thus the dead air.

Suggestion for that KMIC engineer: TRY ACTUALLY LISTENING TO YOUR STATION'S OUTPUT. There is NO excuse for such gross negligence.

 

[purpledevil]

Mediafrog, that post deserves a standing ovation. How do you not notice that your station is off of the air at night, for the last 2+ weeks, and more importantly still have a job?

 

[stan]

In the old days, this sloppiness wouldn't be tolerated. I guess it IS a Mickey Mouse operation after all.

 

[CW]

Mediafrog, that post deserves a standing ovation. How do you not notice that your station is off of the air at night, for the last 2+ weeks, and more importantly still have a job?

Usually for such unattended operation, a silence sensor would be on the mod monitor at the transmitter site....tied to the remote control to page the engineer if the audio was dead for say 15-20 secs or more....SOMEONE is NOT doing their job at all.....This is ridiculous...

OH btw last night, had dinner with a friend of mine in Beaumont (Hooters was having their Veags International competition and we just HAD to have some wings and beer ....when I pulled up at the hotel at 10:30pm sure enough, 1510 KBED was BLASTING away with full power and programming.....HMMMM WLAC, why havent you complained yet? I dont see any night power authorization for the former KYKR AM......tsk tsk.(and it even ran a legal ID at 11pm!)

 

[stan]

OH btw last night, had dinner with a friend of mine in Beaumont (Hooters was having their Veags International competition and we just HAD to have some wings and beer ....when I pulled up at the hotel at 10:30pm sure enough, 1510 KBED was BLASTING away with full power and programming.....HMMMM WLAC, why havent you complained yet? I dont see any night power authorization for the former KYKR AM......tsk tsk.(and it even ran a legal ID at 11pm!)

I guess there's more demand for KBED's format in the golden triangle than a distant WLAC. Not too many WLAC listeners apparently in this area.

That being said, regulations are apparently not enforced proactively by the FCC.

 

[CW]

OH btw last night, had dinner with a friend of mine in Beaumont (Hooters was having their Veags International competition and we just HAD to have some wings and beer ....when I pulled up at the hotel at 10:30pm sure enough, 1510 KBED was BLASTING away with full power and programming.....HMMMM WLAC, why havent you complained yet? I dont see any night power authorization for the former KYKR AM......tsk tsk.(and it even ran a legal ID at 11pm!)

I guess there's more demand for KBED's format in the golden triangle than a distant WLAC. Not too many WLAC listeners apparently in this area.

That being said, regulations are apparently not enforced proactively by the FCC.

Yeah really!! and its even more sad that 1450 carries the same programming but SUCKs in its audio!! Geesh, 1450 used to have one of the best air sounds of an AM (battled with KOLE back in the 70s when both were Top40; Ex Chief Engineer of KOLE, Roland Ritcher, had the station soo tweaked it could pass an FM Proof of Audio Performance on low power at night ..having a 15 kHz loop from the studio didnt hurt; obviously pre 10kHz NRSC
Now 1340 sounds like a can of spam.....(1380 sucks just as bad) and 1450 compared to 1510?? YUK!!! (and its even worse when you realize they are playing a 70s Top 40 song now in Spanish....I heard "Easy" originally by the Commodores...you cant miss the melody no matter what language it is!)

 

[Bill Cherry]

I know this isn't really on the subject, but I sure did enjoy listening to the old WLAC with Gene Nobles and Randy's Record Shop when I was growing up.