WSBX

[JohnAllan]

Just so you'll know, I'm dealing with the translator issue right now in another market. The translator CAN NOT exceed the coverage pattern of the AM station it rebroadcasts. So in answer to your question, no they can't have an FM translator in Tallahassee.

Since you know what you're talking about and I'm ignorant to the subject, could you tell me (us) why he couldn't "daisy chain" a string of translators to get an FM signal into Tallahassee or what would keep him from leasing the HD2 channel of a station covering Tallahassee and use that to feed a translator? Not that it would be possible to begin with, I think FSU owns all the available translator frequencies in Tallahassee. Also, I realize either of these ideas would cost far too much.

I don't consider myself an expert by any stretch of the imagination! All I know is that when exploring the possibilities of an FM translator, we were told that it cannot exceed the AM's coverage pattern, and you had to simulcast only. As for the HD2 channel or anything like that, I have no idea. I do know that the FCC is being strict on these translators.

 

[martymtiger]

So when is Wsbx going to sign on the air. Will they be full power at 10kw and they should cover Tallahssee FL with no trouble. I can get all the Thomasville Ga stations with no problem in Tallahassee in the daytime.

 

[Poledo]

martymtiger, can you pick up WPAX in Tallahassee?

 

[Tom0B1]

Hey, just thought I'd jump in on the FM translator thing, since I have one currently on the air in the Dothan market under an STA. There is good news and bad news for WSBX. The good news: as a daytime only (no night power at all) station, they will be at the top of the list to apply for a fill-in translator after the new rules are established by the FCC, most likely next spring (after being tabled last October). The 60dbu contour of the translator may not exceed the 2mV/m contour of the AM station or 25 miles from the AM transmitting tower, whichever is less. The translator must simulcast the AM during the day. You can program whatever you want at night. The bad news: looking at radio-locator, even if the maximum power level of translators (250 watts) was available, coverage of Tallahassee is unlikely.

Yes, the station could most likely re-locate in a southernly direction, but would still be bound to the current COL (can't move the only "local" sevice without a replacement.) I hope to move our AM station closer to Dothan (the COL) at some point in the future.

As far as being on another FM stations HD-2, if they can find somebody to lease them a channel, they would not be required to simulcast, but could program the HD-2 as desired.

If anyone is interested in the full Dothan story, please contact me. I'd be glad to talk about it and our future plans. Good luck WSBX!

Tom Smith, OM/CE
Oldies Radio WEEL
Dothan, Alabama
[email protected]

 

[Poledo]

Tom, do you know the history of WEEL? Has the COL always been Dothan? If so, why wasn't the transmitter original built in town? It just doesn't seem to make since to put a station north north-east of town. Maybe locating it closer to Ft. Rucker would serve a purpose, or trying to cover Dothan and Enterprise or Ozark, but there's just not that many folks to the immediate north-east of Dothan.

Oh yeah, congratulations on getting the FM translator, now you just need to get the power bumped up to 100watts.

 

[radioboy]

I'm in Tallahassee and can receive WSTT-730, WHGH-840 and received WJEP on 1020 although the signal was weak. That was when they were at 10k. Reception was better in a vehicle.

I can tell WPAX is there, but barely. It's not really listenable at 5 miles east of Tallahassee. I do know
that Len is a class act and runs a good operation. But that 1 kw really doesn't make it into Tallahassee
for the most part.

 

[MN Maniac]

Yes but we can easily move south to cover Tally better and still cover greater than 70% of our current C.O.L. which by the way is a slowly dieing town. I really want to help revitalize the cute little town, but if it ceases to exist in the near future we would have to move anyways I would think and there is plenty of cheap swampy land just over the stateline in Florida...

Plus, the advantage of no state income tax

 

[Poledo]

Plus, the advantage of no state income tax

They have to locate the studios within a certain distance of the COL. Is Ocolocoponoklonokeenopeepeeoh close enough to the state line to put the studios and tower in Florida and operate as a Florida corporation for tax purposes? And would the Georgia tax commission just come down on them since they hold a license in Georgia. I doubt they could get out of Georgia taxes. Would the have to hold a city and or county business license in Ocolocoponoklonokeenopeepeeoh since their public file will be located there?

Perhaps if WSBX opened an independent advertising firm in Florida and had their Georgia clients drive down to Florida to negotiate terms and sign contracts without doing any of the work in Georgia including soliciting or discussing anything over the phone with clients in Georgia they could get around some taxes, assuming they bring in enough revenue to even pay taxes. Right now it looks like Woody is buying a whole bunch of equipment that he should be able to write off over a 1 to 3 year period that may make his tax liability zero for now.

Dang, business is complicated. Why didn't I go to law school?

 

[Witchlover]

Plus, the advantage of no state income tax

They have to locate the studios within a certain distance of the COL. Is Ocolocoponoklonokeenopeepeeoh close enough to the state line to put the studios and tower in Florida and operate as a Florida corporation for tax purposes? And would the Georgia tax commission just come down on them since they hold a license in Georgia. I doubt they could get out of Georgia taxes. Would the have to hold a city and or county business license in Ocolocoponoklonokeenopeepeeoh since their public file will be located there?

Perhaps if WSBX opened an independent advertising firm in Florida and had their Georgia clients drive down to Florida to negotiate terms and sign contracts without doing any of the work in Georgia including soliciting or discussing anything over the phone with clients in Georgia they could get around some taxes, assuming they bring in enough revenue to even pay taxes. Right now it looks like Woody is buying a whole bunch of equipment that he should be able to write off over a 1 to 3 year period that may make his tax liability zero for now.

Dang, business is complicated. Why didn't I go to law school?

But doesn't the FCC require an office in the city of license? If so, this requires a business license and a state tax certificate. And you know Governor Sonny dreams at night of ways to tax that which no man has taxed before. Beam me up, somebody!

 

[Poledo]

But doesn't the FCC require an office in the city of license? If so, this requires a business license and a state tax certificate. And you know Governor Sonny dreams at night of ways to tax that which no man has taxed before. Beam me up, somebody!

I'm just posting a reply until an industry pro can clear this up.

I'm pretty sure they don't need to have an office in the COL. I'm aware of many radio stations that don't have any owned or leased real estate in their official COL. The only three requirements are that they ID the COL every hour, cover the COL with a city grade signal, and that an up to date copy of their public file be kept in the COL. I believe I've read that some public files are kept at places like a public library (if one exists), lawyers offices, public schools, even a gas station... pretty much any place that is open reasonable hours and is willing to host a copy of your public file (you may (or most likely will) have to pay them to keep it). I'm also pretty sure that the studio's have to be located within a certain distance from the COL, this may vary based on the coverage area of the station, and I believe this requirement can be waived. There's also the public affairs requirement, but if no one in the COL request this time what do you do?

Back to taxes, this station holds a license in Opelackenackle, Georgia. Does Georgia charge sales tax on advertising? How many years will it take for WSBX to bring in enough revenue for Woody (or any employee) to get a paycheck? If he plays his cards right, he may be able to work at his station full time and collect welfare and food stamps! Even if he did put his office in Florida, you still have to pay corporate taxes.

 

[Witchlover]

But doesn't the FCC require an office in the city of license? If so, this requires a business license and a state tax certificate. And you know Governor Sonny dreams at night of ways to tax that which no man has taxed before. Beam me up, somebody!

I'm just posting a reply until an industry pro can clear this up.

I'm pretty sure they don't need to have an office in the COL. I'm aware of many radio stations that don't have any owned or leased real estate in their official COL. The only three requirements are that they ID the COL every hour, cover the COL with a city grade signal, and that an up to date copy of their public file be kept in the COL. I believe I've read that some public files are kept at places like a public library (if one exists), lawyers offices, public schools, even a gas station... pretty much any place that is open reasonable hours and is willing to host a copy of your public file (you may (or most likely will) have to pay them to keep it). I'm also pretty sure that the studio's have to be located within a certain distance from the COL, this may vary based on the coverage area of the station, and I believe this requirement can be waived. There's also the public affairs requirement, but if no one in the COL request this time what do you do?

Back to taxes, this station holds a license in Opelackenackle, Georgia. Does Georgia charge sales tax on advertising? How many years will it take for WSBX to bring in enough revenue for Woody (or any employee) to get a paycheck? If he plays his cards right, he may be able to work at his station full time and collect welfare and food stamps! Even if he did put his office in Florida, you still have to pay corporate taxes.

You may be right about the requirement for an office. I do know that when the station which is now WTYB was still licensed to Springfield, they had a local telephone number listed for Effingham County. There was no address listed, and the transmitter had already been moved closer to Savannah. I don't recall where the actual studios were, but I do know they were not in Springfield. It never occurred to me to call the number and see where it rang -- a gas station perhaps? And the requirement for an address to which public comments are sent can be met by arranging a forwarding agreement with a PMB company, I guess.

The main requirement is the quality of signal in the city of license; at least, this is my understanding. That is, a station licensed to Savannah doesn't have to be in Savannah proper, but it must put out a city-grade signal which can cover most of Savannah.

As to the taxes, I do not think Georgia charges sales tax on any transaction where merchandise does not change hands at the retail level, but even so, businesses must apply and be informed by the State Department of Revenue that they are not reqired to collect sales tax. This is altogether separate from the registration a business requires to pay taxes to the state on its activities, and from the registration required if the business pays wages and deducts withholding therefrom.

I wil find out for certain whether a transmitter site requires a business license; it may well be required in some cities. I simply do not know: Is a transmitter site considered a place of business even if the building hosts no other business activities such as sales or administration? What if there are emergency or temporary studios at the transmitter site? Or a restroom for the engineers to use when they are on site? Don't laugh; it may be a requirement in some local building codes.

Also, I'll consult the FCC about the requirement for an office in the COL. What you say seems sensible, and it may well be the case.

 

[Poledo]

I forgot about the local phone number requirement, that can be handled by remote call forwarding, a foreign exchange, or simply using a toll free number. I've never seen anything that would lead me to believe a radio station has to have a local mailing address in it's COL. I would assume that a transmitter site and would be subject to extra taxes. There would be a higher property tax based on land use, since you generate much more revenue on that plot of land than you would by planting cotton. Also you'd have to pay tangible property taxes on the transmitter and all equipment at the transmitter site to the county it is located in. Then you have to pay tangible property taxes on all the furnishings and equipment in your office building and if it's in another county you'd be paying them to that county. Business licenses have always baffled me, I am under the belief that you need a license for the city you operate out of and one for every county you do business in... so for radio you'd need to get a tax stamp for every county you had an advertiser in.

Florida does have a service tax. When it was passed back in the '80's it included advertising. The NAB spent a ton of cash lobbying to get the tax repealed, but the issue comes back up every 5 or 10 years and I believe Governor Charlie Christ supports it. I don't know if we currently have an advertising tax or not. I have no idea if Georgia has one. Alabama does not, but Alabama charges their poor citizens tax on groceries, so they don't need any more tax revenue. Georgia has fairly high liquor taxes compared to Florida.

This is getting so complicated that I think it's time to end this part of the thread. Why didn't I go to law school?

How many broadcasters get shut down for owing back taxes?

 

[rcombs]

What is now WTYB, then WSIS, was licensed to Springfield and had an office, excuse me..."main studio" in Garden City. The legal requirement is you must have a "main studio" which has your public file and one full time employee during regular business hours and one manager there for a certain number of hours per week and accessible at all times. This studio must be within the 60 db contour or if you have other signals that cover the city of license, your studio may be within 25 miles of the center of your COL. You must also have the capability of broadcasting from that studio.

WTYB is now licensed to Tybee Island, GA and WEAS is licensed to Springfield. WEAS's contour covers the city of Springfield. You must also have a phone number that does not cost anyone in your COL to call you. A toll free number will suffice.

Ochlochnee is not close enough to Tallahassee to move a tower or studio there.

 

[Witchlover]

What is now WTYB, then WSIS, was licensed to Springfield and had an office, excuse me..."main studio" in Garden City. The legal requirement is you must have a "main studio" which has your public file and one full time employee during regular business hours and one manager there for a certain number of hours per week and accessible at all times. This studio must be within the 60 db contour or if you have other signals that cover the city of license, your studio may be within 25 miles of the center of your COL. You must also have the capability of broadcasting from that studio.

WTYB is now licensed to Tybee Island, GA and WEAS is licensed to Springfield. WEAS's contour covers the city of Springfield. You must also have a phone number that does not cost anyone in your COL to call you. A toll free number will suffice.

Ochlochnee is not close enough to Tallahassee to move a tower or studio there.

There we have it from one of the radio pros poledo spoke of. I spent a little time researching the question last night, and I realized it has been too long since I had a real working knowledge of Part 73. A situation that I am going to remedy, beginning last night.

So the WSIS "main studio" was in Garden City, eh? As I said yesterday, I have forgotten where it was. While the station was in Springfield, even after I was no longer employed there, I kept abreast of the ups and downs (comings and goings) of the companies who owned and ran the stations -- from the religious broadcasters who bought the station from my employers, right up until it became a part of the Cumulus group. I think I will always feel an attachment to that particular station.

Personally, I would abandon any aspirations of making a dent in Tallahassee and concentrate on my actual city of license and making my station synonymous with Ocholochnee and the surrounding area: I still believe that radio is a local medium. However, it is not my call.

Thanks, rcombs, for the straight dope!

 

[Poledo]

Has anyone noticed that "Woody" has disappeared?

 

[MN Maniac]

Florida does have a service tax. When it was passed back in the '80's it included advertising. The NAB spent a ton of cash lobbying to get the tax repealed, but the issue comes back up every 5 or 10 years and I believe Governor Charlie Christ supports it. I don't know if we currently have an advertising tax or not. I have no idea if Georgia has one. Alabama does not, but Alabama charges their poor citizens tax on groceries, so they don't need any more tax revenue. Georgia has fairly high liquor taxes compared to Florida.

When Florida passed the advertising tax, the issue immediately arose of signals which crossed state lines. As I recall, Florida was attempting to collect the tax from stations NOT located in Florida but which had substantial listenership and/or advertising revenue from within the state. Specifically, the Mobile-based FMs on the big sticks which also blanket Pensacola.

The Alabama stations refused to pay, claiming that Florida had no jurisdiction over them and thus could not impose Florida tax laws on their operations. Before the issue could make it's way through the courts, Florida capitulated and repealed the advertising tax. In it's place, the general state sales tax was raised from 5% to it's current rate of 6%.

 

[Witchlover]

Just as I had stated earlier, Georgia does not tax advertising directly. This apples to the print media as well as to on-air advertising, and I am talking about a sales tax, which is applied to retail merchandise sold to the general public, certain prepared food items, restaurant meals greens fees at golf courses, court fees at tennis facilities, etc. and gate fees at public performances, amusement parks or other entertainment venues. In fact advertising sales are specifically mentioned in the list of exemptions on the GDR website. There is no service tax in Georgia. (Don't tell Gov. Perdue!)

 

[DouglasB]

Has anyone noticed that "Woody" has disappeared?

No, he's just planning his next move. Not only did he find out that someone had changed the fuses in his transmitter to a different value, now he's discovered that someone broke into his house, found their way to his bedroom and..........he's discovered that someone has replaced his underwear with some that are 2 sizes too small. No wonder our boy hasn't been around lately.
Just you wait. Woody won't disappoint. Remember the call letter change that was going to rock our world? There's more to come.....you can bet the rent money on that.

Later...........

 

[Poledo]

Just you wait. Woody won't disappoint. Remember the call letter change that was going to rock our world? There's more to come.....you can bet the rent money on that.

I just can't wait for the station to start broadcasting. I need to win me a $25 Starbucks gift card so I can stop by a gas station in Cairo and ask for directions to the local Starbucks. ;D

You don't think Woody could have skipped town on us, do you?

 

[Charlie Gee]

Has anyone noticed that "Woody" has disappeared?

No, he's just planning his next move. Not only did he find out that someone had changed the fuses in his transmitter to a different value, now he's discovered that someone broke into his house, found their way to his bedroom and..........he's discovered that someone has replaced his underwear with some that are 2 sizes too small. No wonder our boy hasn't been around lately.
Just you wait. Woody won't disappoint. Remember the call letter change that was going to rock our world? There's more to come.....you can bet the rent money on that.

Later...........

NO, NO! Change his hats to 2-3 sizes smaller.