Bad times, sad times for WFLL 1400 the old WFTL

Exhibit 16
Description: REASONS FOR EMERGENCY STA

WFLL HAS FILED (ON 6/20/13) AN APPLICATION FOR CONSTRUCTION PERMIT (BP-20130620AAJ)TO CHANGE ITS LICENSED SITE DUE TO INVOLUNTARY TRANSFER OF TITLE TO ITS UNDERLYING LICENSED SITE AND THE EXPECTED EVICTION FROM SAME. THAT CONTEMPLATED EVENT OCCURRED ON JULY 5TH AND BECAUSE THE APPLICATION FOR CONSTRUCTION PERMIT IS STILL PENDING TO CONSTRUCT A PERMANENT NEW FACILITY USING A DIPLEX OF THE WEXY (AM) FACILITY, WFLL HAS BEEN FORCED TO TAKE EMERGENCY STEPS TO PRESERVE ITS ON AIR OPERATIONS TO SERVE THE COMMUNITY OF FORT LAUDERDALE (PARTICULARLY NOW DURING HURRICANE SEASON) BY CONSTRUCTING A TEMPORARY FACILITY LOCATED AT 1261 EAST SAMPLE ROAD, POMPANO BEACH, FL 33164 USING A HARRIS SX1 TRANSMITTER OPERATING AT 250 WATTS, AND 160 FEET OF WIRE (8AWG 600V GASOLINE/OIL RESISTANT JACKET) RUNNING HORIZONTALLY AT APPROXIMATELY 50 FEET ABOVE GROUND LEVEL FROM EAST TO WEST (TRANSMITTER TO TERMINATION)ACCESS TO BOTH THE TRANSMITTER AND THE AREA BENEATH THE WIRE IS SECURED BY FENCING AND LOCKED, WITH HIGH VOLTAGE/RF SIGNAGE POSTED AT THE DOOR TO THE TRANSMITTER ENCLOSURE. LICENSEE CONTROLS THE TRANSMITTER WITH REMOTE CONTROL BROADCAST TOOLS WVRC8 CONNECTED VIA INTERNET AND ANALOG PHONE LINE. THIS FACILITY IS TEMPORARY IN NATURE AND WILL BE DISMANTLED ONCE THE ABOVE REFERENCED CONSTRUCTION PERMIT IS GRANTED AND CAN BE IMMEDIATELY CONSTRUCTED AND LICENSED.

This part I found interesting:

Mike Sheridan said:

WFLL HAS BEEN FORCED TO TAKE EMERGENCY STEPS TO PRESERVE ITS ON AIR OPERATIONS TO SERVE THE COMMUNITY OF FORT LAUDERDALE (PARTICULARLY NOW DURING HURRICANE SEASON) BY CONSTRUCTING A TEMPORARY FACILITY LOCATED AT 1261 EAST SAMPLE ROAD, POMPANO BEACH, FL 33164 USING A HARRIS SX1 TRANSMITTER OPERATING AT 250 WATTS

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1) How many people can be "served" at just 250 watts?

2) How many people actually listen to 1400 AM (we see how well WIOD-AM and WFTL-AM do in the ratings - not!)?

If I remember correctly, the 1400 tower fell down during Wilma. They were diplexing off WEXY. WEXY is probably throwing them off the tower since it's been 8 years since Wilma and, knowing the owners, they are probably not paying them.

Last I heard (and I have not tuned in) some Portuguese group had LMA's the facility

I heard they were on a tower that was right next to the tower that fell. Thats the one they got kicked off of. They are now using a wire as they wait approval to move to the WEXY site. This is really awful.

gordonlee said:

1) How many people can be "served" at just 250 watts?

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More importantly, broadcasters switched to vertical radiators during the 1020's because horizontal wires have extremely high angles of radiation. They should be received well in aircraft flying overhead.

If you can't put up a single tower on a little plot of land it's time to turn in the license and call it quits. We're not talking about a big directional array here. A relatively small 200 foot tower would be better than a horizontal piece of wire. :'(

Isn't this the station Neil Rogers jokingly called "the Light Bulb?" If so, then 250 watts makes a nice light bulb.

longtime listener said:

Isn't this the station Neil Rogers jokingly called "the Light Bulb?" If so, then 250 watts makes a nice light bulb.

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The very same. License is for 1,000 watts 24 hours. It used to be 1,000 day 250 watts night. The good thing is it's non directional. The old transmitter site used to be near Ocean World on SE 15th street. Owner Joe Amaturo was smart to move the site to 21st Av between Sunrise and Oakland Park Blvd just west of I-95 in 1974 so they could cover the new western suburbs. A nice central location for a non directional signal.

All of the Broward AM signals lost out because they can't cover Dade County so the combined Dade/Boward ARB killed them off not that AM radio was doing that well in South Florida to begin with. South Florida was probably on of the first markets to embrace FM over AM. Maybe it's the flat land?

Still transmitting from it's temporary facility with 250 watts on a wire. Not even a light bulb anymore, maybe a small night light?

JCR doesnt care whether it's 250 watts broadcasting from a wire or 1000 watts from a tower. As long as it's on the air, they can charge the people who are LMAing it.