WPEN gives up on Collegeville--but not on increased day power

[DanStrassberg]

WPEN had applied (more than five years ago) to construct eight 600' towers west of Norristown (I'm told that the area is called Collegeville) and increase to 50 kW-U DA-2 using five towers days and six towers nights. (Three towers were to have been common between the day and night arrays.) A year or so ago, Greater Media gave up on the night move and struck a deal with WWDB to use that station's four-tower array in E Norriton and to operate at night with 21 kW. That site has been on the air for three months or so now. But until today, the official plan was still to move the day operation to Collegevile and increase to 50 kW-D using six 600' towers. However, the likelihood that such an array would ever be built seemed slim indeed and today's FCC actions indicate that WPEN has finally given up on that Quixotic endeavor. WPEN has applied to modify its CP and to operate days with 25 kW from the three existing towers (that is, the old night array) at what is still the station's day site in West Philadelphia. The proposed three-tower day pattern is very simple. If the FCC approves, it will send the equivalent of almost 5 kW to the northwest so that people living "behind" the new day pattern are unlikely to notice any change. Those living in Philadelphia proper and in south Jersey will get a huge daytime signal equivalent to 50 kW ND from half-wave towers. Once approval has been obtained, the build-out should move quickly because no tower construction is involved. Since I don't live in the Philadelphia area I can't hear the station, but from what I read here, if Greater Media could only fix the programming...