I've noticed that it is back off the air. Radio Locator has them listed as silent, and the lifetalk network they were carrying has removed the station from its affiliate list. I doubt many people noticed. Even when the station was on the air, it had audio problems, even though it seemed to have gotten better in recent months. anyone know if it will be back or is it kaput? I've thought many times the station was finished only to hear it back on the air later.
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WSJC gone again?
- Thread starter flytrap
- Start date
What a waste of a 50K-watt signal. I hope it gets into some capable hands.
the golden boy said:
It is a waste. But...
I must say that I have a soft spot for WSJC. I lived in its footprint many years and spent some time looking after its operation while it was still co-owned with then-WMJW in Jackson. It was a fun little place... well-maintained and intent on serving its community. But, one has to wonder if stations like WSJC are relics of days past.
Despite having a 50 kW signal, even in the best of times, most of the signal just covered pine trees. Sure, one could hear the station in Jackson and Hattiesburg, but due to the terrible ground conductivity there, the signal in either market wasn't strong enough to be relevant. So, WSJC was really just a power-sucking local AM station. (As an aside, growing up on the Coast, I could hear the 500W directional at night as it pointed mainly south.)
It's hard to imagine anyone who honestly projects numbers finding a way to make that station profitable -- even as a blowtorch gospel talker. It's sad, but true.
I strongly believe that Magee/Mendenhall deserves and needs a local radio station. Even in the shadow of Jackson signals, there is a unique local identity and quite a bit of business that can't afford or can't justify paying Jackson rates to be on the radio. Unfortunately, the few attempts that have been made to get a frequency allocated have failed (Mendenhall would be the obvious choice. Heck, even Mt. Olive would work.).
So long, WSJC.
DE
someone should try to get one of those FM translators for it. There are a lot of businesses in Magee and they don't have a local station anymore. It looks like they could have a few preachers on it to help pay the bills and then have some syndicated programming or some local sports. Its a shame a town the size of Magee doesn't have a radio station.
The brokerage site that I saw last time around indicated the owners wanted somewhere in the neighborhood of $1,900,000 for the signal. That price might have been realistic in 1998... but wow! I doubt they get $250,000 for it in this day and age.
I hate to say it, but the only real way it will survive is to file to lower power and maybe go non-directional at night. And pick up an FM translator. WACV in Montgomery is keeping their day power, but knocking down the 6 tower array and ditching the highly directional 1 kW signal for just four watts at night. The FM translator is now the main "thing".
Montgomery also lost the Big Bam years ago, WBAM at 740 had a great 50 kW signal, but back in the 90's dropped to 10 kW with the addition of night service. (It's now sports WMSP.)
It's a unique station, that's for sure, but sadly the economics of 50 kW in a tiny town just aren't there anymore. I'm surprised the Houston station has stayed on as long as it has, and it even has Tupelo to play towards during the day.
Montgomery also lost the Big Bam years ago, WBAM at 740 had a great 50 kW signal, but back in the 90's dropped to 10 kW with the addition of night service. (It's now sports WMSP.)
It's a unique station, that's for sure, but sadly the economics of 50 kW in a tiny town just aren't there anymore. I'm surprised the Houston station has stayed on as long as it has, and it even has Tupelo to play towards during the day.
I could see downgrading WSJC to a 5kw (or 1kw) station and serving the local area. They did just that with WQST-AM in Forest - it went from a 10kw directional daytimer to a 500 watt non-directional daytimer. They are serving Forest and the surrounding area quite well during the day and have a lot less expense to deal with.
J. Boyd - the newer solid state AM transmitters make a big difference in power usage. The power bill at WJNT dropped $1500 / month when we shut down the 50kw tube transmitter and installed a solid state Nautel transmitter. Even so, the power bill is still up there!
RFB
J. Boyd - the newer solid state AM transmitters make a big difference in power usage. The power bill at WJNT dropped $1500 / month when we shut down the 50kw tube transmitter and installed a solid state Nautel transmitter. Even so, the power bill is still up there!
RFB
50Kw is too expensive, but in this day and age, sadly thats the only way you can hear the station. The static from the power lines and various other man made noise makes AM listening where I live almost impossible unless you take your radio out in the woods. In certain areas along my road the only thing you can hear decent is WJNT and WJFN and thats only because I live near by, and even those stations are disrupted by static. I wish the power companies would fix some this noise. Or if the FCC would crack down on it. Nobody seems to care anymore. It's getting worse every day.
flytrap said:
The power company will fix it, and they don't, the FCC will crack down. But, the power company must be notified of the problem.
I'm an Extra Class ham. I'm also a lawyer. My power company knows me VERY well. When I get line noise off their system at home, I do two things: 1) I call the engineer in charge of such things at my power company, and 2) I follow up with a letter stating the exact issue (including the offending poles, if I can identify them, and dates) and the pertinent sections in Part 15 that are being violated.
I must say... they have been very helpful. I usually get the engineer out within a day or two. Sometimes scheduling a pole crew to fix it takes a little longer. But, they fix it, because they know that I know how to complain to the FCC and have documented the issues which starts the clock running on potential per diem sanctions.
If you think the lines are a problem, call your utility. They MUST fix it -- and, as I pointed out to my local folks, merely attempting to fix isn't enough; they actually have to fix it.
DE
jboyd said:
We installed 2 - XL-60 for 50/10kw operation and ND-1 for 500w DA night operation. The XL-60 has been damaged one time due to a direct lightning hit on the day tower - Nautel had the parts here the very next day. The ND-1 hasn't been off for anything except power outages. Both were installed in 2002. They have pretty much paid for themselves by now - and I can't say enough good things about Nautel support - hands down the best I've ever dealt with.
RFB
running on potential per diem sanctions.
If you think the lines are a problem, call your utility. They MUST fix it -- and, as I pointed out to my local folks, merely attempting to fix isn't enough; they actually have to fix it.
DE
[/quote]
The engineers from some of these radio stations should drive around and find all of these spots and report it to the power company and especially the FCC if they don't comply. On Gunter Road south of Richland the noise is so bad the entire band is wiped out. Parts of highway 80 in Brandon/Pearl are bad. I understand that your going to have some static or drop a signal when you are directly under a powerline, but some of this noise literally goes for miles. Its like the entire power grid is acting like a giant antenna for static. For several years I had little or no reception in my house because of transformers across the street. After Katrina wiped out the power lines, its not as bad, but its still there. and they wonder why nobody listens to AM anymore. Its not the technology. Its the static. believe it or not, AM used to sound good. Now you have to sit in the station parking lot to hear it.
If you think the lines are a problem, call your utility. They MUST fix it -- and, as I pointed out to my local folks, merely attempting to fix isn't enough; they actually have to fix it.
DE
[/quote]
The engineers from some of these radio stations should drive around and find all of these spots and report it to the power company and especially the FCC if they don't comply. On Gunter Road south of Richland the noise is so bad the entire band is wiped out. Parts of highway 80 in Brandon/Pearl are bad. I understand that your going to have some static or drop a signal when you are directly under a powerline, but some of this noise literally goes for miles. Its like the entire power grid is acting like a giant antenna for static. For several years I had little or no reception in my house because of transformers across the street. After Katrina wiped out the power lines, its not as bad, but its still there. and they wonder why nobody listens to AM anymore. Its not the technology. Its the static. believe it or not, AM used to sound good. Now you have to sit in the station parking lot to hear it.
flytrap said:
The engineers from some of these radio stations should drive around and find all of these spots and report it to the power company and especially the FCC if they don't comply. On Gunter Road south of Richland the noise is so bad the entire band is wiped out. Parts of highway 80 in Brandon/Pearl are bad. I understand that your going to have some static or drop a signal when you are directly under a powerline, but some of this noise literally goes for miles. Its like the entire power grid is acting like a giant antenna for static. For several years I had little or no reception in my house because of transformers across the street. After Katrina wiped out the power lines, its not as bad, but its still there. and they wonder why nobody listens to AM anymore. Its not the technology. Its the static. believe it or not, AM used to sound good. Now you have to sit in the station parking lot to hear it.
[/quote]
Sure... no problem... us engineers don't have anything else to do!
Seriously... I know the above statement sounds kinda snarky, but I barely have the time to keep up with basic maintenance at my transmitter sites. If you find power line noise, you need to report it to the power company... not me.
RFB
I'm going to plead ignorance to this, but what does the FCC have to do with a power company? I could see perhaps the FCC and whatever alphabet-soup organization that oversees power companies work together to prevent such interference issues. Can the FCC levy fines against, say, Entergy if Entergy's lines are interfering with broadcast signals?
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