WIRQ

[cee]

IIRC, this little High School station in Irondequoit has been discussed before on this board, but it's a real curiosity to me. I picked them up loud and clear in Irondequoit recently at their current location, 104.7, but they fade completely on the 590 before I hit the city. Anyone know their current power output, antenna height. Just wondering.

Their wikipedia bio, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WIRQ - states they went on the air in 1960. They've been kicked around the dial several times since then. Currently they are applying to move back to their original location - 90.9. Their license is some sort of grandfathered thing from the old days, sort of a 1960s version of LPFM - would that be correct?

I find it interesting they sign off at 6pm - I wonder if they're even on the air when school's not in session.

 

[Cashman]

Years ago when they were on the 94.3, I was the 'night manager' and we blowing a 10 watt transmitter (actually just the exciiter.)

We were on Mon-Fri 7a-8p. off during the summers.

 

[audio4tv]

WIRQ is a grandfathered Class D FM station, with an ERP of 19 watts, broadcasting from West Irondequoit High School. When I was in high school, they were 1 of four Class D stations in the county, WBKT Brockport (no longer on the air), WRHR Henrietta (now WBER with hoigher power) and WGMC (still on the air at higher power). Class D stations either had to convert to Class A FM status, or change frequency into the commercial band. Class D stations lost their protections, and were subject to being bounced off the air. WIRQ chose the latter, but due to new stations, has had to move. The current application to move back to a noncommercial frequency, is a move of last resort, and requires waivers of the FCC rules to accomplish this. The station is off the air in the Summer, and quite a lot during the school year, as well.
I remember when this station was on the air until late at night during the school year.

 

[cee]

Cash and Audio - very interesting, thanks for the info. So that's what happened to WBKT/Brockport High - they didn't upgrade and got bumped off the air? I've wondered what happened to them.

So for all intents and purposes, "Class D" was a forerunner to today's LPFM --- would that be correct?

Looking in wikipedia again, under Low Power Broadcasting: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Low-power_broadcasting - I read with interest the following sentence:

In the U.S., the FCC partially re-legalized LPFM licenses, after the NAB, CPB, and NPR convinced them to stop issuing the FM class D license in 1978.

Oh, that NAB, always involved in the fight against low power FM.

I also read right right below that:

Officially, class D is still assigned to broadcast translators, though the rules are actually much looser (up to 250 watts ERP) than for true LPFM stations, though they may not broadcast their own programming. This is due to the influence of NPR and religious broadcasting companies, which often rely on translators.

So all these translator religious stations in the area we've talked about here on this board --- that's what they are - Class D FMs operating up to 250 watts? Does this also apply to some of the AM stations we're talked about that have FM translators - such as WCJW in Warsaw?

 

[JakeLongwell]

Yes, class D was more or less an early form of LPFM. In fact, many proponents of low power broadcasting wanted to simply resurrect the class D license, rather than to create a whole new license class (the LPFM license). They argued that class D would allow for the existance of more low power stations, particularly in urban communities.

There aren't many D's left out there. In the southern tier, there are two. WECW at Elmira College, and WCEB at Corning Community College. WCEB is currently fighting to regain its license, and I hope they succeed.

As to translators, indeed, several of the religious frequencies in the Rochester area are translators, but not all of them. For instance, WFRW, WMHN, and WCIY, are technically and legally "full power" stations. They could originate their own programming if their owners so desired, though at presnt they are not, and probably never will. On the other hand, the 94.7 signal in Brighton, or the 91.9 in Greece, are translators, and cannot originate their own content. Same applies to the translators relaying AM stations, like the ones for WCJW and WCGR.

With regard to IRQ, I understand it looks pretty good for their move to 90.9. Thinking back, they probably never should have vacated the channel in the first place. I msut say that the folks at EMF (KLove) were very reasonable. By all rights, IRQ should have closed down once Brockport signed on first adjacent. At least on 90.9, they shouldn't ever have to worry about being bumped. I wonder if they could upgrade to class A on the channel, though I am guessing not, with WBER, WXXI, and to some extent WGCC, so close by.

Hope this info is helpful. Someone please correct any mistakes I may have made in this post. Not being an engineer, I may not have all my facts straight. Just what I have heard over the years from those "in the know".

 

[cee]

Jake - very informative post..I learn new things everyday. thanks.

 

[JustPastBuffalo]

Jake - very informative post..I learn new things everyday. thanks.

I second that motion. Thanks Jake. I wondered where Brockport high school's FM went. Years ago, St. Mary's high school in Lancaster, NY had a 10 Watt FM as did Springville high school. IIRC, St. Mary's FM was on 89.9, now home to WFBF, prime FM real estate that is. Some talented people came out of those high school stations. Color me disappointed at how the FM band has been co-opted by organizations that "pray" on the FM band.

 

[JakeLongwell]

Thanks, guys. Always happy to pass along what I know.

Speaking of western NY class D stations, there was another one in the Rochester area that has long since gone dark. WSCS licensed to the Sodus Central School. I have an old radio directory that lists them on 89.5. Not sure when they went dark, but I do know I never got a chance to hear them.

I'm not sure, but I think I might have heard WBKT and/or WIRQ back when they were both on 93.3. This would have been back in the late 80s. I was scanning the radio in my grandparents' car (our first car with a digital radio in it). I came across 93.3, and I remember hearing what sounded like some British new wave stuff, but as we drove along, another station began mixing in, and they were playing "Electric Blue" from Icehouse. I never got an ID from either station, as the collision got so bad that I was told to either find a clear station, or turn the radio off. Were either of those HS stations ever operational on weekends? If not, anyone have a clue as to what I might have been hearing on 93.3?

 

[Ed Trefzger]

One more former class D: WITR was 10 watts (from April 1975 to November 1982) until going to 910 watts ERP.

 

[cstevens961]

One of the other amazing things about WIRQ was how it developed student’s interest in broadcasting. Irondequoit High also had course offerings in radio for credit. I was there from 1967-71 at WIRQ and it started my career. The station was on air M-F noon to 5pm at the time, plus covered most school sporting events after hours. Football, basketball, and even wrestling! Ever try to do play by play of high school wrestling…..

 

[aaronread]

WEOS started as a Class D station as well...most college/high-school stations started as Class D licenses back in the 1960's and 1970's. And most major cities (at least on the east coast) still have a least one grandfathered Class D station operating at 10 watts TPO, usually in the commercial band (although they are all, by definition, NCE licenses regardless of what frequency they're on).

Boston has the most, I think: WBRS, WRBB, WHHB, WYAJ, WZLY and WHAB. There's also WAVM but they have a CP to become a Class A.

BTW, WIRQ just filed to move back to their original frequency of 90.9 (with WXXI's permission)...saw that on the GARgoyle last week. I believe they will be trying to broadcast from that spot on the dial come this fall. They're also looking into getting an AudioVault to stay on the air when no students are around...WBER has an AudioVault and there's a deal set up where WIRQ students also do some programming at WBER. I just bought a pair of Marantz CD players from WIRQ off Craigslist a few weeks ago; they matched our models (older Marantzes no longer made and hard to get service for) perfectly!

 

[Play Freebird]

WIRQ was actually the first station on the 88-92 non commercial educational band in the Rochester market; WXXI-FM didn't begin operation until over ten years later.

I believe the career of Al Kenyon (former Clear Channel VP of Technolgy and classmate of Randy Michaels at SUNY Fredonia) was launched at Springville High School's former Class D station.

Dayton, Ohio once had several high school Class D facilities. In the early '70s, I stopped in to visit WGXM at Northridge HS, WSMR at Stebbins/Mad River HS, WKET in Kettering, WCWT in Centerville, and WRSF in Miamisburg. Only WKET and WCWT survive today. Suburban Chicago also has a bunch, most of which were able to upgrade to Class A.

The first Class D FM in the US was WAER at Syracuse University, which was launched in cooperation with General Electric's broadcast equipment division, based at Electronics Park in Liverpool. The idea was to allow schools a relatively inexpensive entry route to FM broadcasting in hopes they could expand coverage as the medium grew. In fact, WAER did upgrade to Class A in the 1950's and is now a 50 kW Class B. WRTI at Temple University in Philadelphia has a similar history.

Another Class D which grew dramatically is KPLU in the Seattle-Tacoma market. It started as an on-campus Class D at Pacific Lutheran University, but is now a full Class C atop West Tiger Mountain with coverage extending north to Vancouver.

 

[cee]

Again, pretty interesting discussion here on the little talked about world of "high school micro radio."

Speaking of WIRQ, I know someone who went to school at Irondequoit High School back in the 1980s and was a student dj there. He said at first he was doing a free form format, playing whatever he wanted and having a ball. Then the school hired a radio professional to manage the station and he installed a "professional" playlist and lots of other rules and after that it wasn't much fun. I told him this was his welcome into the real world of radio. He never pursued radio as a career.

On the other hand, as stations like these appear to have launched many a radio career, if more high schools could have had Class D stations, I wonder how many more of us would have fallen to the temptation of a career in radio. The current unemployment rate might be even higher. Divorce rate would be even higher. On the other hand, a lot more business for therapists.

 

[audio4tv]

A couple of responses: WBKT did move to 93.3 MHz. However, when it had to move again, the school district decided it was not worth the hastle, and turned in their license. WSCS gave up their license, rather than move into the commercial band.
WIRQ, which is trying to move back to 90.9 MHz, had no choice but to change frequency, as there was a channel available in the commercial band at that time. You only could stay put if their were no other open frequencies. Their move back to 90.9 MHz, will only be possible, due to waivers from the FCC, which has done this a couple of times for displaced legacy Class D stations. There is no chance on 90.9 MHz for WIRQ to go Class A.
As to WCEB's getting their license back, I would be curious as to the Commission allowing this, for a few reasons. First, their license expired June 1, 2006. The license was canceled and call sign deleted in February of 2009. They quickly filed a renewal and STA application, but the application looks defective from the start, due to applicant name being wrong. The Commission recently renewed many station applications that were late filed, and many were tagged with fines for the late filing and in some cases, operating without a license. Most of these filed within days or months of their expiration date, not almost 3 years later!

 

[aaronread]

Actually, WIRQ *could* have applied for 91.1 based at Pinnacle Hill...I know because I did the engineering and it IS possible to squeeze several hundred watts in up there. But obviously it requires sign-off on it from WXXI, and it also requires the FCC accept the argument that the third-adjacent interference to WBER on 90.5 is irrelevant because the 100dBu contour of the 91.1 is almost entirely encompassed within the 115dBu blanketing contours of the existing stations on Pinnacle Hill, thus WBER would not have any listeners there anyways. Same argument for why WXXI wouldn't lose any listeners, either, actually.

You probably could put close to a 3kW Class A on 91.1 if you nulled towards WBER (to prevent WBER's 100dBu from overlapping the 91.1's 60dBu) because, as we all know, blanketing interference is a cumulative effect. So the actual "blanketing contour" on Pinnacle Hill is a lot bigger than any one station's 115dBu contour. But the FCC contour system doesn't account for that, so that wouldn't fly.

Of course, WXXI would be very unlikely to ever sign off on this because it complicates things with their 91.5 signal. Especially if 91.1 ever put on HD Radio; the likelihood for real-world interference to/from 91.1 is low, but it's possible. From WXXI's position...why take the risk? As for WIRQ on 90.9FM, that's 3rd adjacent and a TINY wattage, so there is zero chance of real-world interference either way there, and it makes for good public relations.

Other historical notes: there are only two radio stations legally broadcasting on 87.9FM in the United States, and both are Class D. One is a grandfathered Class D in the SF Bay Area (KSFH, Mountain View, CA...St Francis High School) and the other is a translator (which are technically also Class D) in Sun Valley/Reno, Nevada (K200AA / KAWZ). The translator is something of a fluke...87.9 is generally only for grandfathered Class D stations to move to as a frequency of last resort, and only then if you're a zillion miles from any nearby TV6 and far away from the Canadian/Mexican borders. See 73.512(a)(2). You might see more of them in the US now that the DTV transition has happened, but even then it's not likely.