Not surprising. The signal was beamed north toward Honesdale, Pa.
The signal didn't come into Wilkes-Barre at all.
The signal didn't come into Wilkes-Barre at all.
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WPLY-AM Dark????
- Thread starter plooker
- Start date
WPLY "NAL"ed!
Nassau received an NAL for operating below authorized power, among other things...read all about it here:
http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DA-12-59A1.pdf
Nassau received an NAL for operating below authorized power, among other things...read all about it here:
http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DA-12-59A1.pdf
I remember them having an odd-shaped array of four towers. Somewhere near the junction of 80 and 81. We drove through there a week ago and I couldn't spot anything of the sort lit up.
What caused the disrepair and the deterioration of the tower site? It's not like this is as old as KDKA Pittburgh or WGBB on Long Island.
And what exactly is WPLY 960 programming nowadays? Last I heard about them, it was sports .....
What caused the disrepair and the deterioration of the tower site? It's not like this is as old as KDKA Pittburgh or WGBB on Long Island.
And what exactly is WPLY 960 programming nowadays? Last I heard about them, it was sports .....
The four towers aren't at the 80 and 81 interchange, they're at the 80 and 380 interchange, about 1/2 mile north of it. The other night passing by I only saw 2 or 3 of the four towers with guide lights on them! As for the programming, it was all syndicated talk shows (nothing local) even local news at the top of the hour was dropped over the summer. Years ago they used to be oldies (when simulcasting WVPO) which I enjoyed but I guess it didn't sell enough, so Nassau axed all local personalities right before Christmas 2006 and flipped to syndicated talk.
ty_kleinle said:
I'm not sure of the exact rules but you no longer have to light all the towers in an array; for example if you have a 5 tower array in a straight line it is permitted to light towers 1, 3 and 5 (depending of course on how far apart the towers are from each other). It's possible PLY only has to light towers 1 and 4.
That being said I did some further investigation and the FAA determination on all four towers is that each should have lights / paint. The following sentence is included in the determination for each tower:
As a condition to this Determination, the structure should continue to be marked/lighted utilizing paint/red
lights.
http://transition.fcc.gov/fcc-bin/a...=75&mlon=23&slon=33.00&ew=W&nad=27&radius=0.5
The towers, as I recall, are spaced fairly far apart, which would require them to be lighted. Having extensive experience in the tower business, here's what I don't understand:
Why would a big company like Crown Castle want to own a dilapidated directional AM array? ???
Why would a big company like Crown Castle want to own a dilapidated directional AM array? ???
The facility was originally a daytimer, and was granted PSA early on. The nighttime power came later, but you could honestly spit further than the signal would carry at night. Takes a lot to burn through the AM hash at night and 23 watts won't do it. The directional pattern was the same day and night.
The fact that it took the FCC doing a random inspection of the site to uncover the illegal operation is testimony to both the deterioration of the AM band in general and the futility of this directional array in particular. Few folks bother with AM and even fewer (if any) would reside in the fringe area of either the Mount Pocono station or any station protected in the Mount Pocono's pattern.
That said, Nassau had ample opportunity and sufficient resources (at one time, anyway) to remedy the problem. While not inexpensive (and arguably not worthwhile), the repairs could have been made and certainly should have been made given Nassau's apparent desire to continue to use the signal.
Still, it appears that the lion's share of the fine is for the lack of public inspection file. Proving once again how backward and inefficient government is at ANYTHING. Never mind that the FCC is supposed to be, first and foremost, a spectrum traffic cop...let's impose the biggest fine for failure to maintain a file that nobody ever looks at and serves no purpose whatsoever while assigning lesser importance to the physical plant that actually would have an effect on the spectrum's usability.
Moronic actions like this make me not miss this business at all.
The fact that it took the FCC doing a random inspection of the site to uncover the illegal operation is testimony to both the deterioration of the AM band in general and the futility of this directional array in particular. Few folks bother with AM and even fewer (if any) would reside in the fringe area of either the Mount Pocono station or any station protected in the Mount Pocono's pattern.
That said, Nassau had ample opportunity and sufficient resources (at one time, anyway) to remedy the problem. While not inexpensive (and arguably not worthwhile), the repairs could have been made and certainly should have been made given Nassau's apparent desire to continue to use the signal.
Still, it appears that the lion's share of the fine is for the lack of public inspection file. Proving once again how backward and inefficient government is at ANYTHING. Never mind that the FCC is supposed to be, first and foremost, a spectrum traffic cop...let's impose the biggest fine for failure to maintain a file that nobody ever looks at and serves no purpose whatsoever while assigning lesser importance to the physical plant that actually would have an effect on the spectrum's usability.
Moronic actions like this make me not miss this business at all.
stereolane said:
Good question!
Who would be responsible for maintaining? I would think Crown Castle would want to keep it in compliance, but I would imagine they would keep in to whatever specifications the frequency owner tells them to.
I assume Nassau got some $ for the site, then made lease payments back to CC. Does CC paint the towers? If so, they would be responsible for the lighting deficiencies mentioned elsewhere, I would think. Interesting...
plooker said:
That still doesn't answer why Crown Castle would buy an AM site, and furthermore, one that's falling apart. I am quite familiar with the Crown Castle business model, and this ain't it...
Scott Fybush said:
Thanks Scott.
That may explain something else... When Crown Castle has approached our company, they want to cherry pick the cash flowing sites, and that's when we stop the negotiations.
Scott Fybush said:
Compare the same model that Countrywide Home Loans used with what Nassau did when they sold the various tower sites. Some were gems - others junk. But at least it didn't crash the economy... just Nassau.
stereolane said:
And also doesn't explain why CC would chose to let this one further deteriorate. The dark lamps are telling...this one is ignored.
Maybe they have big plans. 8)
From Scott's NERW ... Up in the Poconos, Nassau faces $17,000 in potential fines from the FCC for operational problems at WPLY (960 Mount Pocono). The fines stem from an April 2010 inspection in which agents found no public file at the station’s studios and a transmitter plant that was far out of compliance – instead of running the licensed 1,000 watts from a four-tower directional array overlooking the I-380/I-80 junction, WPLY was operating with 250 watts, non-directional, and had apparently been doing so since Nassau bought the station way back in 2000.
Nassau recently let another station go dark up in White River Junction, VT... 910 WNHV. They must have sold that site too if they had owned it, because I believe the excuse was that they were being charged too much for rent at the site, and were unable to move elsewhere. That one was simply a non directional with 1 tower.
A
ActuallyInTheBiz
Guest
http://transition.fcc.gov/Daily_Releases/Daily_Business/2012/db0119/DA-12-59A1.pdf
Reading this document, you come to understand that these engineering practices have been going on for YEARS.
Should that engineer keep his job? Should the VP/Engineering keep his job?
Should the advertisers be pissed that they haven't been getting the signal coverage that they've paid for?
Discuss.
Reading this document, you come to understand that these engineering practices have been going on for YEARS.
Should that engineer keep his job? Should the VP/Engineering keep his job?
Should the advertisers be pissed that they haven't been getting the signal coverage that they've paid for?
Discuss.
Should the advertisers be pissed that they haven't been getting the signal coverage that they've paid for?
For my two cents, no.
The difference in coverage would not be all that significant, imo.
For my two cents, no.
The difference in coverage would not be all that significant, imo.
On the main page here, I noticed that the WNEW call sign is now being used
in the Washington DC area.
Of course, any New Yorker of age associates those letters with two legendary stations.
Anyway, what caught my eye is that the station goes from 50,000 watts by day,
to 270 watts at night.
http://radio-locator.com/info/WNEW-AM
Now there's a situation where advertisers might want to squabble about the rates they pay .
in the Washington DC area.
Of course, any New Yorker of age associates those letters with two legendary stations.
Anyway, what caught my eye is that the station goes from 50,000 watts by day,
to 270 watts at night.
http://radio-locator.com/info/WNEW-AM
Now there's a situation where advertisers might want to squabble about the rates they pay .
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