WJMF's construction permit for more power/height looks like it's about to expire (6/3). Anyone know what's going on over there?
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WJMF 88.7
- Thread starter WarwickRadioFan
- Start date
R
rickymclaughlin
Guest
Hey guys, I'm the General Manager at WJMF. This is what we just put on our website. Also look to WGBH's website to see their press release.
These are very exciting times for WJMF radio, Bryant University, and WGBH. As you may have heard, WJMF will no longer be 88.7, but rather be an HD-2 channel off of 88.7 acquired by WGBH. What does this mean for our listeners? Although we are losing our fm dial position, we will be available on HD radio, DTV, and we will increase our presence steaming online in places such as iTunes radio. We will be broadcasting from WGBH's HD-2 channel. To tune us in, you will need to tune to 88.7, and tune up. Almost like Platform 9 ¾, WJMF will basically be between 88.7 & 88.9. However, this requires an HD receiver. As the receiver's chip is becoming smaller while this technology advances, it is becoming more readily available. The opportunity presented itself thanks to the fine folks at WGBH, and WJMF is getting ahead of the curve moving to HD.
Also, you can hear us from further away. We are increasing our wattage from 225 to 1200 watts. Watt does this mean to you the listener? You will now be able to listen to us from Westerly, Rhode Island to the outskirts of Framingham, Massachusetts. . We also plan to make a permanent presence in Providence for the first time. WAlso launching a DTV channel, you to hear us from your phone. Stay tuned for a WJMF iPhone App.
WGBH will be re-transmiting their signal from WGBH’s 99.5 All Classical service, returning round-the-clock classical broadcasts to the Providence area via 88.7fm. The increase in coverage will be present here as well. WGBH will be operating at 1200 watts opposed to the current 225 watts, expanding the frequency's coverage. President Ron Machtley acclaims that he is, “thrilled that this collaboration returns classical music broadcasts to Rhode Island while providing our students hands-on opportunities to master leading-edge technologies for delivery of WJMF music, sports programming, and talk shows not just in New England but throughout the country.”
The changeover will take place in August. Again, keep us tuned in and thank you for your continuing support!
These are very exciting times for WJMF radio, Bryant University, and WGBH. As you may have heard, WJMF will no longer be 88.7, but rather be an HD-2 channel off of 88.7 acquired by WGBH. What does this mean for our listeners? Although we are losing our fm dial position, we will be available on HD radio, DTV, and we will increase our presence steaming online in places such as iTunes radio. We will be broadcasting from WGBH's HD-2 channel. To tune us in, you will need to tune to 88.7, and tune up. Almost like Platform 9 ¾, WJMF will basically be between 88.7 & 88.9. However, this requires an HD receiver. As the receiver's chip is becoming smaller while this technology advances, it is becoming more readily available. The opportunity presented itself thanks to the fine folks at WGBH, and WJMF is getting ahead of the curve moving to HD.
Also, you can hear us from further away. We are increasing our wattage from 225 to 1200 watts. Watt does this mean to you the listener? You will now be able to listen to us from Westerly, Rhode Island to the outskirts of Framingham, Massachusetts. . We also plan to make a permanent presence in Providence for the first time. WAlso launching a DTV channel, you to hear us from your phone. Stay tuned for a WJMF iPhone App.
WGBH will be re-transmiting their signal from WGBH’s 99.5 All Classical service, returning round-the-clock classical broadcasts to the Providence area via 88.7fm. The increase in coverage will be present here as well. WGBH will be operating at 1200 watts opposed to the current 225 watts, expanding the frequency's coverage. President Ron Machtley acclaims that he is, “thrilled that this collaboration returns classical music broadcasts to Rhode Island while providing our students hands-on opportunities to master leading-edge technologies for delivery of WJMF music, sports programming, and talk shows not just in New England but throughout the country.”
The changeover will take place in August. Again, keep us tuned in and thank you for your continuing support!
Interesting development. Will JMF's improved facility be ready before the CP expires tomorrow? Why wouldn't they expand their NPR footprint into RI (with locally originated shows as well) instead of classical music?
rickymclaughlin said:
I suspect you feel that your non-technical explanation is more useful to more readers than something more technical would be. I beg to differ. Too bad there is no way (that I am aware of) to remove postings from R-I boards. The best thing that could happen to your post would be for it to disappear. It's a melange of quasi-technical nonsense. Get someone in WGBH's Engineering department to rewrite it for you so that it is devoid of the quasi-technical fol-de-rol and is accurate instead of merely confusing. Engineers may often fail to write grammatically, but good ones won't write science fiction when they are trying to write something factual and accurate. In the future, if you are trying to convey technical information, get someone technical to review your work before you publish it and make a fool of yourself again.
Just for your info, FM HD Radio subchannels are limited in power to 10% of the main (analog) carrier power. So your digital HD signal will be running at about half the power of your old analog signal. However, HD Radio receivers are, in general, more sensitive than analog FM receivers, so perhaps the new signal will cover as much ground as the old one did. Hard to tell without a lot more info than I have. Also, you didn't mention antenna height and the transmitting antenna's directional pattern if any. Doubling the HAAT (height above average terrain) of an FM station's transmitting antenna affects coverage about as much as would quadrupling the ERP (effective radiated power). Get help from a WGBH engineer who should be able to sort all of this out for you.
YEY! More Boston bird feed... Just what our dieing market needs!
Story should read like this: Bryant sells its Frequency 88.7 to WGBH so that WGBH could extend its bird feed to yet another market.. Oh, on a side note they are allowing what used to be WJMF-FM to be on the HD2 channel in which no one will end up listening to anyway.
Even at 1.2kw on HD-2 you will need to climb the tower and press your HD radio up against the transmitter to get the signal...
HD is slowly proving to be a flop... When even a powerhouse like 92PRO-FM could barely get their HD signal to Coventry (where I live) what do you expect out of 1.2kw??
Chalk this up as EPIC FAIL!
Story should read like this: Bryant sells its Frequency 88.7 to WGBH so that WGBH could extend its bird feed to yet another market.. Oh, on a side note they are allowing what used to be WJMF-FM to be on the HD2 channel in which no one will end up listening to anyway.
Even at 1.2kw on HD-2 you will need to climb the tower and press your HD radio up against the transmitter to get the signal...
HD is slowly proving to be a flop... When even a powerhouse like 92PRO-FM could barely get their HD signal to Coventry (where I live) what do you expect out of 1.2kw??
Chalk this up as EPIC FAIL!
This is almost like what happened in San Fran bay area:
--Rock station moves to classical station's freq
--Classical station moves to USF's college station's freq
--USF station moves to online only.
--Rock station moves to classical station's freq
--Classical station moves to USF's college station's freq
--USF station moves to online only.
raccoonradio said:
The real problem is that there very few HD radios available. And even with a power increase with 88.7, nobody will be able to listen to the college station anymore unless you have an HD2 receiver (with basically no coverage) or an on-line connection. Basically, they're screwed. It's a shame.
WarwickRadioFan said:
Because 89.7, being a Class "C" FM, running at 100KW...doesn't need the extra coverage.
This move is basically to soothe the ruffled feathers of all the folks on the Mass. south shore, Mass. SouthCoast, and RI...who lost reception of classical music some years ago when WCRB's frequency changed from 102.5 to 99.5.
OK, Everybody...Repeat after me:...It's all about the pledge dollar$. ;D
As a former staff member of WJMF, it's sad to see stuff like this. Another fine college radio station getting screwed over.
Dighton Rockhead said:
The MA south shore and south coast get a strong classical signal from WFCC on Cape Cod. WFCC doesn't encode for PPM, so it doesn't show in the ratings, but it covers both areas well.
What's not clear to me is whether WGBH is actually buying WJMF or merely paying Bryant to use it.
I'm surprised nobody's brought it up, but Bryant University currently holds a CP to build a station at 90.7 with 1.7kw from 142 meters HAAT. The station is licensed to Danielson, CT (my hometown) on the RI line bordering Foster. The TL is the old AT&T site on Route 49 in Sterling, also on the RI border.
They won the permit last August, and have until August 2013 to build it. They were up against two other Godcasters. I was surprised they went for it though, it's a directional signal, north-south that puts a 60 dBu over the border towns of CT and RI, from Foster to Hope Valley.
Could they plan to put their Bryant stuff on this signal?
They won the permit last August, and have until August 2013 to build it. They were up against two other Godcasters. I was surprised they went for it though, it's a directional signal, north-south that puts a 60 dBu over the border towns of CT and RI, from Foster to Hope Valley.
Could they plan to put their Bryant stuff on this signal?
Dighton Rockhead said:
The 99.5 signal does fine in the areas south of Boston. I have no problem getting it in the car, inside my home (in Whitman, MA, 20 miles south of Boston) and everywhere else. And plus the fact that the 99.5 signal is on 89.7's HD-2 signal, what are they complaining about? The student station at WJMF, a very good one at that, will unfortunately will become a second tier on 88.7's HD-2 signal. Nobody's got the radios. Being put on WGBH's mobile DTV signal is all fine and dandy. But who listens to a radio on a DTV receiver? Nobody does. On-line shows promise, but in the car? You got to pay for that 4G service with "unlimited" data. Driving around in the car listening to WJMF HD2 hardly seems practical considering the new 88.7 signal is a Class A (with less than 3000 watts). ON the analog side of 88.7 (HD1), they may hit Providence. As for the HD2.... not likely unless you've got a great antenna system. Rhode Island already has a good signal from Classical WFCC/107.5 and of course WCRI/95.9 in Southern Rhode Island. If they decide to put the student station in Danielson, CT on 90.7, it could work. Whether they actually do it that way or not, well.....that's another thing.
The WJMF antenna proof filed with the FCC also shows that, while they did a pretty good job getting an antenna that fills in their major lobes, the pattern as built has some limitations. On the radials towards Providence, they're at 133 to 233 watts. Towards Westerly, it looks like 84 watts and as low as 8 watts at one radial to the west. Of course, they have much better height than they did in Smithfield.
LA_Guy: I agree that it's sad, but it was unlikely that Bryant would have leased the tower space that they did simply to continue with students running the station as they are now.
It will probably be costing them several thousands of dollars per month for the new Peck Hill site in Johnston. That being said, it is at least better than if they went with NPR (not by much, though). Still, it does seem like another college station is biting the dust without much good reason, and I don't think too many students or alums will be celebrating the fact that GBH gets to use the new signal while the students are relegated to HD-2 and DTV.
It could have been worse--NPR on 88.7 and Classical on 90.7.
It will probably be costing them several thousands of dollars per month for the new Peck Hill site in Johnston. That being said, it is at least better than if they went with NPR (not by much, though). Still, it does seem like another college station is biting the dust without much good reason, and I don't think too many students or alums will be celebrating the fact that GBH gets to use the new signal while the students are relegated to HD-2 and DTV.
It could have been worse--NPR on 88.7 and Classical on 90.7.
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