PBRTV - Pittsburgh Area Radio/TV Mailbag
PBRTV - Pittsburgh Area Radio & TV
PBRTV Mailbag October 16-31, 2001
Eric, KDKA-TV is reporting that Patti Burns has lost her battle with cancer at age 49. She passed away at her home earlier today. "Patti & Daddy" are now together again, and may God rest them both. Sincerely, Clarke Ingram. (October 31, 2001)
Eric, Continuing the discussion on LPFM, let me respond to the last post. First off, the discussion on third-adjacent protection does NOT affect the outcome of any of the Pittsburgh-area LPFM applications. For example, the 88.7 application fails the second-adjacency spacing requirement to 88.3 WRCT and the 89.9 application fails the first-adjacency spacing requirement to 89.7 WQEJ and the CO-CHANNEL spacing requirement to WVNP. Now, I agree that the area where interference to a full-power station from an LPFM station would
be small, but the point of the FCC's allocation scheme is to proved each licensed station with a protected service area. If you start chipping away at this concept, then what will be the result? One LPFM does not make a big dent, but ten would. Also remember that there is a solid technical criterion that defines protection: the interfering signal must be 40 dB below the desired signal. It is very true that stations can be readily received by many receivers with less protection, but is that the case with ALL receivers? Another way to look at this is the protected service area is the region where ANY FM radio can pick up the station, clock radios and boom-boxes included.
On the subject of 88.1 WRWJ and 88.3 WRCT, these are both Class A stations and cannot be dismissed as "low-power". They enjoy protection to the 60 dBu level, so in order to protect each other, they both use directional antennas to limit radiation to permissible levels. Furthermore, WRWJ DOES protect WJAC-TV by also limiting radiation towards that station. There is NO WAY WRWJ would have gone on-air without demonstrating that it met all protection requirements.
As far as the Springdale LPFM app on 103.9 goes, it DOES meet spacing
requirements to WLSW, and, according to the FCC's LPFM channel finder, is the only frequency available for Springdale. As I mentioned before, the potential range for this LPFM will be limited by WLSW (as there is no requirement for full-power stations to protect LPFMs, just like Class D stations), but that's better than having no station at all.
My bottom line on LPFMs is this: third-adjacent requirements are not
necessary, as demonstrated in the 88.1-91.9 band right now; protection
requirements to NCE stations should be no different than what NCE stations afford to each other now (protect to the 60 dBu level no matter what class station); and when the cookie-cutter approach fails to identify an open channel, a more sophisticated approach that considers the impact of directional antennas and terrain should be used to find a channel and demonstrate that protection requirements can be met. Regards, Dave Loudin (October 22, 2001)
In reading your recent explanation of the different kinds of "Adult Contemporary", a question occurred to me. Why are so many music formats based on when something was recorded instead of what a recording sounds like? My preferred music station is WRRK's "classic" rock, but I like that kind of music because of the way it sounds, not because it was recorded between 1968 and 1987. It turns out that quite a few of the artists whose "classic" songs from that era are the staples of stations like WRRK are still putting out new recordings of new songs that still have the same sound, but "classic" rock stations won't play them because they have too recent a recording date. Yet the stations that play more recently recorded music won't play them either, presumably because they sound too "old". The same goes for the any station that programs any sort of oldies format. Aren't there any stations anywhere that decide what songs to play based on the sound of the songs? It's no wonder that the most popular music-playing accessory in most cars today is a CD or tape player. (October 20, 2001)
Eric's Response: It's a phenomenon called, BORED. "That stuff was so last week!" It's a situation of the corporate money counters are saying that only current, popular stuff will sell to advertisers...I mean listeners. I would say that WJAS is the closest we're going to get in terms of music from all ages picked because of its sound...usually relaxing and not head-banging. If you think about it, most AC stations pick music based on sound. The Beautiful Music format naturally chose that method as well. CHR stations go for what's new, hot and attractive to young listeners. It's a shame, top 40 in years past had much more of a wide range. There could have been The Carpenters followed by Gran Funk Railroad followed by Helen Reddy. Music with all kinds of rhythm and melody mixed together to showcase what was new.
Dear Eric: I'd like to contribute my two cents to the LPFM discussion that has been going on in your Mailbag. I haven't studied the FCC rules regarding LPFM allocations so I'm not writing as an expert here but I do want to express some opinions and pass along my understandings of the issue. .....When LPFM was proposed, it was hoped that such stations could be squeezed in on second adjacent channels. This was a reasonable proposal because most receivers can handle such spacing, and after all, we're talking about LOW power stations here. I have a receiver dating to 1970 which receives 96.5 from Johnstown without interference from the much stronger local 96.1 and 96.9 stations. 96.5 is the second adjacent channel (i.e., 2 channels or 400 kHz apart) to both of these local stations. I can receive Wheeling's 97.3 which is second adjacent to 96.9 without interference also just to cite a few examples. .....Unfortunately, the NAB and corporate radio didn't want the public to have greater access to the public airwaves so they tried to quash LPFM by crying Interference! They said that more stations, even peanut whistle powered ones, would disrupt the valuable service that their satellite fed, voicetracked, automated, simulcasted stations provide. In reality, they were afraid that some local, independent voices would come along and show the big boys how a radio station ought to be run. It might cause them to have to invest a little more in their operations to produce a better product, and such is unthinkable in this era of maximizing profits regardless of the cost in terms of quality and integrity of what is being offered the public.
..... People in government allowed themselves to be swayed by the industry's well-heeled lobbyists even as some other government types recognized the failure of recent policy changes that allow Clear Channel a half dozen local voices and none for groups such as Lightning. The former seem to have forgotten that stations are to operate in the "PUBLIC interest, convenience, and necessity" and that profit is the just reward for faithfully carrying out this mission, not an entitlement that comes with having a broadcasting license. I had to get this off my chest. ..... Anyway, back to the crux of the issue, a sort of compromise was reached where LPFMs would be allowed on third adjacent channels, a move which vastly reduced the possible number of such independent stations that could be allocated, especially in more populous areas. Of course, the NAB and others of their ilk aren't happy even with this - they don't want any competition at all.
..... The local LPFM proposals for 88.7 and 89.9 ARE third adjacent (i.e., 3 channels or 600 kHz) from 89.3 WQED-FM and should be allowable. Remember, it was the earlier second adjacent proposal that was quashed, and remember again, we're talking LOW power here. Other
posters seem to think that third adjacent spacing for LPFMs isn't
allowed. If it were possible that they could move yet one more
channel away, then you'd have a fourth adjacent channel situation in
which there are no protection requirements even for full powered
stations. Stations spaced thusly can and often do emanate from the
same tower! 89.9 is also third adjacent from 90.5 WDUQ; 88.7 is third
from 88.1 but only second from 88.3 but these latter are themselves
low power stations and shouldn't be entitled to such stringent
protection. In fact, they are first adjacents and aren't protecting
each other even now! Also, 88.1 isn't protecting TV channel 6 at
87.75, 350 kHz away. ..... As for some of the others, 103.9 WLSW has an advertiser in Freeport (Brezinski's Market) so their signal must reach past Springdale where someone wants to use this frequency thus making this a bad choice. 99.9 is out of the question being first adjacent to WSHH. With Greensburg, Wheeling, and Pittsburgh having stations on 107.1, .5, and .9 respectively, there's nothing possible in the 107 area. There are some translators on the air which might hinder some LPFMs - their licenses ought to be challenged for not operating in the public interest. Bringing in religious stations from far away (especially when there are local religious stations on the air) does not serve the public as a local LPFM station would. (October 20, 2001)
Eric, It's great to have such variety of issues in your site, Pittsburgh deserves intelligent coverage and you got it. The purpose of my email is to share some news with you and your readers, specially with all citizens who love this country and love peace. There will be a march against the war on Saturday, October 20, 2001 at 4 p.m. at the corner of Center Ave. and Crawford Street, just above the Civic Arena, next to St. Benedict the Moor Church. For information on peace events, you can go to: http://www.thomasmertoncenter.org thank you and best wishes for continued success. (October 19, 2001)
Eric's Response: I know I know. It has nothing to do with radio, but the least I could do was promote it!
Eric, the discussion on Hot AC vs. Modern AC could fill this board. They're really not the same thing; compare Variety 96 to The River. Pittsburgh successfully supported WVTY in a runner-up position for many years, and it should be noted that B-94 acted much like a Hot AC until Kiss forced them to protect their young end. Mix 96.1 was not a bad station, but suffered from poor timing and no marketing. I think the market can still successfully support a Hot AC, but Star 100.7 hasn't been able to break out of the pack for several reasons (signal problems, too many format/name changes in the past, etc.) It will be interesting to see if someone else tackles this format in the near future. Regards, Clarke Ingram. (October 18, 2001)
I grew up in Steel City with KQV. It is etched in my memory as the greatest top 40 ever. When I come back to visit, I listen to WLTJ! I must be getting senile. Why has Pittsburgh been unable to support a "hot" (not modern) AC station? Thanks Ricki (October 18, 2001)
Eric's Response: First off, "Hot AC" is essentially "Modern AC." There are four types of Adult Contemporary. 1. Hot AC - CHR style attracting the 18-30 female crowd. 2. Gold AC - More oldies attracting a 35-54 male and female crowd. 3. Soft/Lite AC - Ballads attracting the 35-64 female crowd. 4. Variety AC - More or less middle of the road but renamed in the 1990's so as not to be confused with the nostalgic MOR format. It attracts 25-54 crowd. (At least it all did in 1996-7! I had to go back to my radio notes to word this juuuuuuuuuuuust right!)Why Pittsburgh doesn't have a Hot AC station like the old WPHH Mix 96.1 is beyond me. I am sure that personal tastes have a lot to do with it as well as how it's presented. Keep in mind though that those who listen to AC (ie - Wish, Lite) choose that to listen to something that's popular and upbeat, but don't want the harsh rock. When 96.1 was grouped in the AC format, it tended to lean so that it competed more with B-94. It was much different from either Wish or Lite. Those two competitors play a lot of modern music, but also include some songs from the 70's that people still enjoy. If I were to categorize them, I would put them in the Variety AC style (which essentially was what 96.1 was until 1995). Wish is STILL considered "soft AC," but I consider that to be when The Carpenters, Neil Diamond and The Captain and Tenille are present. They haven't been on Wish since the mid 90's. Oh how I wish they were now!
Hey Eric, Of course you're probably aware of all that's going on in Erie radio recently with Planet Radio 93.9 finally signing on, and now 102.3 which is in Regent's hands, is doing the old "stunting" thing. They are offering 24 music collages to choose from and asking listeners to vote on their favorites. Of course, i hear they have already chosen their format, but i still wonder how bogus the poll really is? There is so much music missing from the poll it's ridiculous. Word is now, from a certain GM, that the format will be a New Wave 80's format. Again, we will have to wait till next week to find out. The New Planet Radio sounds good. It reminds me a lot of The X in Pittsburgh. Imaging is probably the best i've ever heard in Erie. (October 17, 2001)
Eric, All Access is reporting that former Pittsburgh DJ Jay Stone is dead. He worked at 96KX (now Kiss 96.1) twice, doing afternoons in 1977-78 and coming back as morning man in the early 1980's. He will be missed. Regards, Clarke Ingram. (October 17, 2001)
Eric, The last thing I want to do is get in an argument with Jason, but I need to respond to his last post in order to clarify how the LPFM rules work, and how they are different from NCE and commercial rules. The FCC's Second Report and Order, FCC 01-100, on the matter of establishing the LPFM service spells out the spacings LP100 and LP10 stations must achieve from full-power FM stations in the reserved and non-reserved bands and from FM translators. The spacing criteria to ALL full-power stations, non-comms and commercial stations alike, are the same, meaning third-adjacent criteria do apply to NCE stations. This IS different from the licensing criteria for full-power NCE stations, which, as Jason pointed out, do not have spacing criteria to other third-adjacent NCE full-power stations in the reserved band. Therefore, Lightning Community Broadcasting's application DOES have to meet pacing requirements to WQED and WDUQ. Anybody see the hidden hand of NPR?
There is another wrinkle in the spacing criteria for LPFM in the reserved band that's more subtle, but still very important. First I need to explain how the spacing rules were derived. For all NCE stations, and all classes of commercial stations excluding B and B1, the minimum signal level that will be protected from interference is 1 mV/m, or 60 dBu. For commercial Class B stations, the minimum protected signal level is 54 dBu, and for commercial Class B1 stations, the minimum protected signal level is 57 dB. The spacing rules for full-power commercial and NCE stations ensure that the weakest protected signals will be at least 40 dB stronger than interfering
signals under almost all reception conditions. Note that all NCE stations are protected to the same signal level, despite the fact that they, too, are either Class A, B, C, and on rare occasions these days D facilities (the class designation specifies the maximum effective range, just as for commercial stations.) Separate spacing tables are needed for commercial stations and NCE stations because of this difference in protection for Class B and B1 in the commercial band versus the reserved band. In the LPFM spacing criteria, there is no differentiation between NCE and commercial stations. This means that Class B and B1 NCE stations get better protection from LPFM stations than from full-power NCE stations. Anybody see the hidden hand of NPR again? In the particular case of Lightning Community Broadcasting's application, they would be co-channeled with WVNP, Wheeling, WV. WVNP is a Class B station, so from the LPFM spacing criteria, there cannot be a 100 watt LPFM station on 89.9 within 112 km of WVNP's tower. Lightning's application for 89.9 is only 64 km away, so for this
reason alone, it will fail. Sorry, Jason, but I don't see any hope for that proposal. Policies with regard to new NCE stations will have no bearing whatsoever. To get a copy of the Second Report and Order to double check me, go to http://www.fcc.gov/mmb/asd/lpfm/ and scroll down about two-thirds of the way. BTW, Jason's example of WRCT and WRWJ is actually a case of first-adjacency, not third, and they both use directional antennas to protect each other (WRWJ's is far more directional than WRCT's). Regards, Dave Loudin (October 17, 2001)
Eric, WARD-TV moved to Channel 19 in the late 1950's (or at least had a CP to do so), since the 1958 Vane Jones TV log shows them on 19. There's more history on the station on my DuMont web site. 19 in Johnstown and 38 in Altoona (later on 23) were always the poor stepchildren in that market; obviously UHF was difficult in such hilly terrain. WTAE-TV was extremely protective of their ABC affiliation (they had an incredible regional reach from Johnstown/Altoona to the east to Weston/Clarksburg to the south), and apparently not only prevented 19 from affiliating with ABC, but did the same to WWCP-TV 8 when it signed on. When I lived in Greentree, I could get Channel 8 better than Channel 4! A few years ago, the ABC affiliation finally went to 8's co-owned sister station, WWCP-TV 23 in Altoona. Regards, Clarke Ingram. (October 17, 2001)
Hi, Eric: Dave Loudin is right that Lightning Community Broadcasting's application for 89.9 White Oak is short spaced to 89.3 WQED and 90.5 WDUQ. But non-commercial stations do not have third-adjacent channel protection. That's why 88.1 WRWJ Murrysville is able to short-space 88.3 WRCT Pittsburgh, and why WRCT must broadcast directionally away from Murrysville. In my opinion, if the Lightning application is rejected, it will be because the FCC currently doesn't have a window open for new non-commercial educational FM stations, not because of spacing concerns. New NCE FM allocations are being granted very slowly by the commission, in part because the standards are in flux. The FCC may decide that the freeze on new NCE FM stations overrules the LPFM process. IMHO, that's a flaw in their process, not in Lightning's application. If they reject on those grounds, expect Lightning to appeal. The LPFM rules state only that if an applicant wants an LPFM station in the NCE FM band, the applicant must be prepared to meet all of the burdens and tests that a full-power NCE FM would have. There's no reason that Lightning should have to meet a third-adjacent channel burden that WRWJ didn't have to meet. Jason Togyer (October 17, 2001)
Eric: Enjoyed your site. Here's a little more info on the history of channel 19: even before it was WJNL, it started out (in the early 60's, I believe) as WARD-TV, channel 56. It later was moved to 19 but I don't know exactly when. It was sold sometime in the early 70's and renamed WJNL. It never had much power (you could barely pick it up in southern Indiana County, where I grew up) until the people who bought it and renamed it WFAT upgraded the equipment and increased its power immensely. They tried to become an ABC affiliate but there was concern on ABC's end about competing with channel 4. I think when WWCP channel 8 came on the scene in Johnstown, the competition got to be too much, and they went black for a while until the station was sold. I remember a local guy trying to buy it and move the transmitter to Blue Knob before the sale to the current owners, but that fell through. Dave Lewis (October 16, 2001)
Recent traffic reports on KQV have been "From the PennDOT information center," and make reference to closed circuit television views of Parkway traffic. What is the story behind the change? Is Metro Traffic still involved with KQV traffic reports? Paul (October 16, 2001)
Eric's Response: I have no idea why there are so many traffic changes. Perhaps it's due to technology that Metro does not have, perhaps it was time to change to attract listeners. Who knows.
Eric, I've taken a close look at the LPFM apps shown on the transmitter location maps. Of the nine considered, five make the cut on the spacing rules, and two of those five are mutually exclusive. I'll review them here in frequency order.
88.7 Churchill fails because it is too close to: 88.1 WRWJ (12.2 km where 29 km is required), 88.3 WRCT (7.2 km where 29 km is required), 88.5 WYFU (73.4 km where 74 km is required), and 89.3 WQED (9 km where 67 km is required).
89.9 White Oak fails because it is too close to: 89.3 WQED (16.1 km where 67 km is required), 89.7 WQEJ (71.6 km where 97 km is required), 89.9 WVNP (64 km where 112 km is required), and 90.5 WDUQ (18 km where 67 km is required).
98.1 Gibsonia meets all spacing requirements, so this one will probably get approved. However, interference from WZKT, WFGY, and WHK-FM may limit its range.
99.9 Pittsburgh fails because it is too close to 99.7 WSHH (4.7 km where 97 km is required). What was this applicant thinking?
103.7 Indiana meets all spacing requirements, so this one will also probably get approved. In addition, there should be no reduction in range from interference.
103.9 Springdale meets all spacing requirements, so this one will also probably get approved. It's range may be limited by interference from WWIZ and WLSW.
There are two apps for 105.1 in Indiana. Either one meets all spacing requirements and will be free from limiting interference. However, the two apps are two close to each other for both to be approved.
105.3 Washington fails because it is too close to: 104.7 WJJJ (40.4 km where 67 km is required), 105.1 WQXK (92.9 km where 97 km is required), 105.5 WZNW (40.2 km where 74 km is required), and 105.9 WXDX (42.7 km where 67 km is required).
107.7 White Oak fails because it is too close to: 107.1 WSSZ (14.7 km where 29 km is required), 107.5 WEGW (86.4 km where 97 km is required), and 107.9 WDSY (19.3 km where 97 km is required).
From what I've read in the FCC regulations, it is very clear that no LPFM application will be granted that violates the spacing rules. (NOTE: the spacing rules provide the necessary protection to licensed service areas.) Several folks have noted that the NAB and NPR were successful in severerly limiting potential 100-watt LPFMs near larger cities by getting Congress to force the FCC to impose third-adjacent protection requirements. All the non-conforming apps noted above fail without considering third-adjacents, however. Regards, Dave Loudin
(October 16, 2001)
Hi. Surfing tonight I found PBRTV's EMRTV. ANY idea what the new URL for The Station Always To Be Known As JET is? They say "1023.com" online but that just ain't it. I'd appreciate any info you have & I couldn't find anything on your site. Love the site btw. It's one to bookmark. ~ Sal (October 16, 2001
Eric's Response: Thank you for your comments. I do not know if there is a new URL, but I'm sure Tom Lavery will find out and let us know soon!
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