6/3/2008: FCC grants Bryant University construction permit to increase power to 8.5 kW (up from 225 watts). I wonder what they'll do with all that power.
-
Get involved.
We want your input!
Apply for Membership and join the conversations about everything related to broadcasting.
After we receive your registration, a moderator will review it. After your registration is approved, you will be permitted to post.
If you use a disposable or false email address, your registration will be rejected.
After your membership is approved, please take a minute to tell us a little bit about yourself.
https://www.radiodiscussions.com/forums/introduce-yourself.1088/
Thanks in advance and have fun!
RadioDiscussions Administrators
WJMF Gets Construction Permit
- Thread starter WarwickRadioFan
- Start date
Bryant U is going Division 1 in sports (4th team in the state w/ PC, URI & Brown), they need a bigger/louder presence on air, especially seeing as there is no more Score (I think 790 am will still carry brown football and basketball until contract expires), HJJ has URI tied up and PC is in w/ EEI-FM
Jacko said:
Not from me !!!
Now that WRNI 1290 / 102.7 has been freed from the binding chains of Boston University, it's starting to create more locally produced programming, and is developing a personality of its own. So far, I like what I'm hearing, and i have every reason to hope it will only get better.
My only gripe is that I wish they would turn off that damn IBOC exciter on the 1290 frequency.
U
uncleDJ
Guest
Hmmm...another college station gaining strength.
Anyone know if they need some experienced help to guide the programming?
Anyone know if they need some experienced help to guide the programming?
Dighton--what's wrong with 1290's IBOC signal? They seem to be the only ones successfully transmitting in IBOC 24 hours per day.
WarwickRadioFan said:
Actually, 1290 HAS done a better job of implementing its IBOC than the other AM stations in town, but that isn't saying a whole lot.
My problem is with the entire concept of IBOC itself. While the system works fairly decently on FM, the system is not a good fit for AM.
In truth, for AM, it's more like IBAC....as in 'in-band-adjacent channels'......since each IBOC AM station literally occupies 30 kilohertz of spectrum space, contributing even more to the noise floor of an already noisy band. Plus...on older analog radios with wider bandwidth, you can actually hear just a bit of 'self-jamming' on an IBOC AM station, even though you've center-tuned as carefully as possible.
Put simply, I just don't think IBOC does any favors for the AM band.
Exactly Peter--but they don't seem content to stop with what they have. Rhode Island Public Radio filed for a slew of construction permits around Rhode Island. I can't believe there's enough support for NPR in this state to justify the infrastructure they seem to be building.
U
uncleDJ
Guest
On the NPR note:
Don't allow (if possible) every non-com to morph into the NPR clone. We have that problem in CT big time. Independent non-coms here are very few, and the LPFMs that are independent tend to be only broadcasting religious programming (not that it's bad, but that's all that has survived in the past few years).
Not only does RI need a good broadcast location for the independent voice, it could use a good school name to 'anchor' a broadcast teaching college. I don't think any of the Ocean State schools which have transmitters actually teaches to any extent the ins and outs of the business. Has that changed at all?
-Bill Alley
Don't allow (if possible) every non-com to morph into the NPR clone. We have that problem in CT big time. Independent non-coms here are very few, and the LPFMs that are independent tend to be only broadcasting religious programming (not that it's bad, but that's all that has survived in the past few years).
Not only does RI need a good broadcast location for the independent voice, it could use a good school name to 'anchor' a broadcast teaching college. I don't think any of the Ocean State schools which have transmitters actually teaches to any extent the ins and outs of the business. Has that changed at all?
-Bill Alley
uncleDJ said:
I don't think any school in Rhode Island with a transmitter actually teaches broadcasting. On the other hand, WXIN at RI College, which has the broadcast power of less than your average nightlight (and I mean that with love) has turned out quite a few current and former broadcasters. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WXIN_%28radio%29). Now I believe NE Tech has a program, but no transmitter. RIC doesn't teach anything formally, but rather through passing down knowledge of veteran students to newbies. Needless to say, it works... Any other colleges in the state have a list of broadcasters like the one on this Wikipedia article?
Tim
I'm guessing you don't have an HD Radio-equipped receiver? Pick up one and give 1290 a whirl...I have it on good authority that WBUR's engineers did a really amazing job with WRNI when they installed the IBOC system there. The sound is supposed to be quite good, and the signal coverage remarkable given how directional WRNI is (IBOC installations are often extremely tricky when done on an AM DA). I'm heading over to Worcester in a week and I'm tempted to drive a little further down 495 to see how well WRNI sounds on the VR3 car HD add-on tuner that I'm reviewing.
As for WJMF becoming an NPR affiliate...I have no inside info but I would remind folks that the idea was flirted with three or four years ago and was very quickly abandoned as the political fallout was deemed too great; WJMF is - so I'm told - quite popular with the student body at Bryant and is a major draw for students looking to attend. Lest we forget, Bryant University DOES have a Media Production / Broadcast Media curriculum, and I've heard that WJMF is no small part of that. And hell, while there's some holes on the overnights, it's not like WJMF seems to have trouble getting DJ's to take airshifts; the schedule looks reasonably full to me.
Again, I have no direct knowledge on the situation...this is just speculation. Amusing, but not to be taken too seriously. ;D
As for me personally, I would have no problem if WJMF wanted to partner with RIPR...especially if there was room left for students (a la WSDH on Cape Cod) and a formal internship / job track program was established. Obviously I'm a little biased, since I used to work for WBUR, used work with WRNI a lot, and I currently run an NPR affiliate that also has students working/DJ'ing at it. WEOS is living proof that it's a little clunky, but it can work.
To be clear, though, I would ALSO have no problem if they just stayed with their existing format.
Speaking of which, in this "grow or die" world of radio broadcasting; I wonder if WJMF simply filed to expand their signal primarily to prevent anyone else from shoehorning in a new station on their fringe. I mean, I'm sure they'll build out the CP if they can; it'll give them a nice Providence rimshot signal. But I'll bet they were more worried about lots of little 100 watters nibbling at the edges.
This probably has less to do with management philosophy and more to do with smart engineering. These filing windows are rare so it behooves you to apply for as many opportunities as you possibly can, in the hopes that at least one will be approved.
Aaronread: I didn't realize Bryant had an actual media program. That makes it more clear why they are going for so much of a bigger signal. It can't be cheap to keep 8.5kW going simply for your typical college station.
Despite the popularity that WJMF may have with the student body, 8.5kW is a big leap from 225 watts, so that makes me ask if they have bigger plans for such a station. I am surprised that the station would still be a draw for students to go to Bryant--if only because I'm surprised that students entering college still find standard, over-the-air radio to be worthy of their attention (as opposed to all the other media technologies out there).
Despite the popularity that WJMF may have with the student body, 8.5kW is a big leap from 225 watts, so that makes me ask if they have bigger plans for such a station. I am surprised that the station would still be a draw for students to go to Bryant--if only because I'm surprised that students entering college still find standard, over-the-air radio to be worthy of their attention (as opposed to all the other media technologies out there).
>>As for me personally, I would have no problem if WJMF wanted to partner with RIPR...especially if there was room left for students (a la WSDH on Cape Cod) and a formal internship / job track program was established. Obviously I'm a little biased, since I used to work for WBUR, used work with WRNI a lot, and I currently run an NPR affiliate that also has students working/DJ'ing at it. WEOS is living proof that it's a little clunky, but it can work.<<
Unfortunately, WEOS is the exception to the rule. Generally, when many a college FM goes with NPR (time and time again), the students are eventually put by the wayside. "Professionals" take over. Instead of being actually on the air with a show, students usually wind up doing "gopher" work (if they're lucky) by getting coffee for the guests on a talk show or grunt work for a couple of college credits. For example, Syracuse University had WAER/88.3. Prior to 1984, this was a completely student run organization. It was one of the better college FM stations of the time. With no warning, the students were kicked out and NPR's "All Things Considered" and Jazz were in. Several years later, eventually Syracuse DID get WJPZ/89.1 on the air with it's 100 watt signal. Nonetheless, many college FM (student run) stations have been sacrificed to go NPR.
Don't forget, NPR and the Corporation For Public Broadcasting were instrumental in killing many of the 10 watters back in 1978. A good amount of these 10 watters provided the only local service for many towns. Fortunately, many of the 10 watt stations were able to upgrade to at least 100 watts to avoid the NPR grim reaper. Others were not so lucky.
As I have said, WJMF is one of the better college FM's in Rhode Island. The Providence area needs a full-time non-commercial alternative rocker. Brown's WBRU/95.5 is a great station, but it is a commercial station and has a targeted demographic. WJMF, on the other hand, will have a great signal in the Providence area and would provide a full-time alternative format to an area that is starving for that music and would provide better reach of Bryant athletic games. NPR is already well served in Rhode Island from many stations in Rhode Island, Connecticut and Massachusetts.
As I said, leave well enough alone.
Unfortunately, WEOS is the exception to the rule. Generally, when many a college FM goes with NPR (time and time again), the students are eventually put by the wayside. "Professionals" take over. Instead of being actually on the air with a show, students usually wind up doing "gopher" work (if they're lucky) by getting coffee for the guests on a talk show or grunt work for a couple of college credits. For example, Syracuse University had WAER/88.3. Prior to 1984, this was a completely student run organization. It was one of the better college FM stations of the time. With no warning, the students were kicked out and NPR's "All Things Considered" and Jazz were in. Several years later, eventually Syracuse DID get WJPZ/89.1 on the air with it's 100 watt signal. Nonetheless, many college FM (student run) stations have been sacrificed to go NPR.
Don't forget, NPR and the Corporation For Public Broadcasting were instrumental in killing many of the 10 watters back in 1978. A good amount of these 10 watters provided the only local service for many towns. Fortunately, many of the 10 watt stations were able to upgrade to at least 100 watts to avoid the NPR grim reaper. Others were not so lucky.
As I have said, WJMF is one of the better college FM's in Rhode Island. The Providence area needs a full-time non-commercial alternative rocker. Brown's WBRU/95.5 is a great station, but it is a commercial station and has a targeted demographic. WJMF, on the other hand, will have a great signal in the Providence area and would provide a full-time alternative format to an area that is starving for that music and would provide better reach of Bryant athletic games. NPR is already well served in Rhode Island from many stations in Rhode Island, Connecticut and Massachusetts.
As I said, leave well enough alone.
Peter: There may be room and opportunity for what you propose--an alternative rock non-commercial--since it appears WELH also has a big upgrade to 1.2kW pending with the FCC.
- Status