Problems continue for McKeesport’s WGBN
July 27, 2015Patrick Cloonan reported over the weekend that Pentecostal Temple Development Corp. has asked the FCC for a special temporary authority to allow WGBN (1360 McKeesport) to sign off at sundown – effectively making it a daytimer. Renda Broadcasting donated the station to PTDC in 2013 but maintains ownership of the station’s daytime transmitter site near Homestead.
PTDC has had several issues with 1360 including a delay signing on once they took over the station in 2013. Earlier this year, the station was off the air for several months because internet problems could not access either site. (PBRTV suspects that may be due to bad weather and, if the station had such service, Verizon ending its Studio-to-Transmitter Broadcast Circuit Service at about that time which would require the station to use the Internet connection or a standard over-the-air STL to reach the transmitter .)
Now the station will file to temporarily broadcast during the day so that problems connecting to the nighttime transmitter site in Lincoln Boro can be addressed.
PTDC continues to operate WMNY (1150 New Kensington) – their first station. In 2014, the company switched the callsigns of of the two stations.
I don\’t think I\’ve ever heard WGBN at night here in Greentree. I\’m in the null for them at night, but had gotten the station on quiet nights on the band back when Doug Hoerth was on 1360.
I remember those problems, the audio dropouts and dead carrier, then they went off the air for a while, and when they came back with clean and solid sound with good quality.. 1150 is weaker here, but 1360 is strong and wide. I kind of like 1150s sound a little better, it\’s more dynamic than 1360 most times.
I\’m surprised that a station anywhere can have STL connectivity problems these days, they might want to apply some high tech, or even lower tech, like a Comrex fallback. Maybe they could make a project for some students at CMU to help them and earn credits for it, how to make a robust audio link with different methods available.
Boomer
Why Don’t They use the Night Site For Day and Night operation , Like The Orginal station WMCK Did. The Signal gain From Hazelwood [Day Site] Can”t Be That Much
That may have to become an option, but it would be for other reasons from what I understand. I think this is all due to not having a line of sight STL and relying on the Internet to get the signal from the studio to transmitter.