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Unconfirmed report silent WDTW (AM 1310) heard testing
- Thread starter 1L6E6VHF
- Start date
Eric, I hope you got a recording of it, but I understand if you didn't. Most of my DX is now done in the car while traveling, partly because you can actually drive through some electrically quiet areas for AM DX. IBOC and translators and new Canadian border stations have made it nearly impossible to DX on FM in the car in SE Michigan, unless you get out to Livingston and Genesee County.
And why would they "just sign it" to restart the 12 month cycle when they had until Jan 2 of 2014. hmmmm...maybe we're being punked by some clown with a low wattage AM transmitter operating on 13~Ten.
Could be a prank. However, the station had a legal that included the FMs calls.
You don't need an STA to resume broadcasting. You send a letter to the Secretary of the FCC to notify them of the date you resumed broadcasting. Then, you refile your Temporary Silent Authority. It is all done with notifications, not grants. Ultimately, the correspondence shows up on CDBS.
You don't need an STA to resume broadcasting. You send a letter to the Secretary of the FCC to notify them of the date you resumed broadcasting. Then, you refile your Temporary Silent Authority. It is all done with notifications, not grants. Ultimately, the correspondence shows up on CDBS.
E
Eric B
Guest
Not only that, but also the FM was 100% the same; I checked the FM later that afternoon and noticed the same legal mentioning the AM on the FM. So, that helped convince me all the more of what I had.
Another thought that crossed my mind is they could have been testing a setup so that they COULD fire it up when needed to reset the clock; especially given how slow the FCC has been in granting the Transfer Of Control.
Eric is in Carleton and noted that it seemed the signal came from the direction of the licensed site. WDTW's site would not be a good match (it's barely north of dead east from Carleton).
The sites of WNZK, WCHB or WDRJ would be a closer fit, WLQV's array somewhere in between (none of them are connected to CC).
The sites of WNZK, WCHB or WDRJ would be a closer fit, WLQV's array somewhere in between (none of them are connected to CC).
E
Eric B
Guest
re: WDTW
FCC Database eventually updated. According to filings from CC, apparently they had a long-wire antenna at the licensed site. The "Resumption Of Operations" eventually showed in the Database. Then they shut it off again.
Last month, they were on for about a week or so, from the same setup as October, at I-94 and Monroe St. By then, the Transfer Of Control had been granted, and about the end of January they finally filed Consummation. So now it's owned by MMTC.
Most recently, MMTC filed for Silent STA to assess the situation. The filing noted they don't have a transmitter plant, so they need time to figure out what to do, whether that means acquiring real estate to build a new transmitter, or passing the license off to someone that can, or even returning the license to the FCC.
Honestly, I have a feeling that we may have heard the last on 1310 here.
FCC Database eventually updated. According to filings from CC, apparently they had a long-wire antenna at the licensed site. The "Resumption Of Operations" eventually showed in the Database. Then they shut it off again.
Last month, they were on for about a week or so, from the same setup as October, at I-94 and Monroe St. By then, the Transfer Of Control had been granted, and about the end of January they finally filed Consummation. So now it's owned by MMTC.
Most recently, MMTC filed for Silent STA to assess the situation. The filing noted they don't have a transmitter plant, so they need time to figure out what to do, whether that means acquiring real estate to build a new transmitter, or passing the license off to someone that can, or even returning the license to the FCC.
Honestly, I have a feeling that we may have heard the last on 1310 here.
Get a lease arrangement with CC to use the existing site. Rebuild the day array with 2 towers and 5000 watts day, and use the permitted 1250 watts STA nondirectional at night, from the present location for the near future. Further assess the situation to see if it is feasible to reconstruct the rest of the 6 tower array. If the whole array cannot be rebuilt, build out the maximum night power possible with four towers and sell off the rest of the property that the other two towers were on. See if a station with a lesser facility is willing to swap out the facility, and let the lesser facility station be donated to MMTC. I can think of at least two stations which could benefit from such an arrangement.
As I have said before, 1310 is nowhere near the worst AM facility in the market area. It would be a shame to lose this facility while other facilities are much worse.
As I have said before, 1310 is nowhere near the worst AM facility in the market area. It would be a shame to lose this facility while other facilities are much worse.
I suspect that if 1310 returns, it will be on the original site after buying or leasing the land (it would especially make sense if the ground system is still in place). They could probably build a better facility since complex arrays can be calculated by computer and don't have to be in straight lines. They may be able to build a fine signal with four towers, with the major null lining up with Madison and the WSW and SE towers shorter than the NW and ENE towers (reducing high-θ radiation to the south and southwest and protecting a whole bunch of stations).
Question to anyone out there who has built out an AM site: Do all of the radials in the ground system have to meet the radiators directly at the base? Or could the towers be installed at other points on the ground system? (I notice looking at apps and CPs that the "classic" model of equal length ground wires in every direction is actually more the exception than the rule).
BTW, whilst this forum was "in silent STA", WDTW came back on the air for a few weeks, with a short tower instead of a wire. I posted the details on "another" forum.
Question to anyone out there who has built out an AM site: Do all of the radials in the ground system have to meet the radiators directly at the base? Or could the towers be installed at other points on the ground system? (I notice looking at apps and CPs that the "classic" model of equal length ground wires in every direction is actually more the exception than the rule).
BTW, whilst this forum was "in silent STA", WDTW came back on the air for a few weeks, with a short tower instead of a wire. I posted the details on "another" forum.
Well, suddenly a lot of silence on the future of the station has been followed by the sale of the license, an arrangement to use (at least temporarily) the existing TL and a consummation and 900w ND1 STA both granted with lightning speed.
It looks like exactly what I had hoped for (Okay, I would have liked adult standards, but I knew that wasn't going to happen). The new owner is a resident of Brownstown Twp. who already owns Latino-format stations in Des Moines and Birmingham (AL), which means he is experienced with running Latino radio in markets where the largest minority is African-American, rather than Hispanic.
As an STA for operation very similar to that seen earlier this year has already been granted, this could come on the air quite soon.
Since the STA is for 900w omni both day and night, CC will probably come to regret donating the license instead of just turning it in once frustrated listeners in Madison start complaining.
I hope the new owner eventually builds a new array at a more suitable site than the old one.
It looks like exactly what I had hoped for (Okay, I would have liked adult standards, but I knew that wasn't going to happen). The new owner is a resident of Brownstown Twp. who already owns Latino-format stations in Des Moines and Birmingham (AL), which means he is experienced with running Latino radio in markets where the largest minority is African-American, rather than Hispanic.
As an STA for operation very similar to that seen earlier this year has already been granted, this could come on the air quite soon.
Since the STA is for 900w omni both day and night, CC will probably come to regret donating the license instead of just turning it in once frustrated listeners in Madison start complaining.
I hope the new owner eventually builds a new array at a more suitable site than the old one.
It's less than 1kW. CC, I'm sure, relaized a nice tax break from the donation.
How would have turning it in made it any better for them?
What does make this interesting is, since 1310 is apparently going ethinic for Mexicans, it's less likely that someone would buy WFDF and try the same programming.
I doubt Birach makes a play for WFDF, so the interest in this move is who might be willing to put up some real cash (albeit far less than Disney paid) for the 910 signal.
How would have turning it in made it any better for them?
What does make this interesting is, since 1310 is apparently going ethinic for Mexicans, it's less likely that someone would buy WFDF and try the same programming.
I doubt Birach makes a play for WFDF, so the interest in this move is who might be willing to put up some real cash (albeit far less than Disney paid) for the 910 signal.
Sima has his hands full.
WFDF would have never gone Hispanic. There wouldn't be enough revenue to justify the purchase price.
Why is it always assumed that any kind of donation by a business is going to get a "tax break"?
First, all business expenses, from labor to the costs of goods or materials is a "tax break" as business are only taxed on the difference between the total expenses of running the business and any excess left over, which is called "profit". They are not taxed on "income" as individuals are, but on profit.
If a company gives away something they already recorded as an expense, they can't expense it again if they give it away: If a company has some unsold "last season" merchandise and they give it to a charity, they can't take a "deduction" for it as they already applied the cost as a deduction when they first bought it... no double dipping.
Additionally, nearly all broadcasters with AM stations have taken "impairment" charges for the undepreciated portion of the value of assets they own. In other words, if an AM was purchased for $5 million and its depreciated value is $4 million, but current market values indicate it is worth less than $2 million today, the asset value is adjusted downwards.
Durable assets like the "goodwill" value of a station (the difference between the inventory of tangibles and the purchase price) are slowly depreciated over many years and that depreciation is a "tax deduction" (the purchase price is thus deductible only over time). If sold at a loss before being fully depreciated, only the loss of the present depreciated value is expensed and becomes a "tax deduction".
So it is likely that 1310 was already mostly written off, between the impairment charge and normal depreciation.
What is most likely is that the donation of a bunch of really bad stations simply removed the headache of disposal and garnered an amount of favorable press coverage, in itself worth more than the stations.
F
FredLeonard
Guest
For "one brief shining moment" this station dominated the market. Content trumps signal.
Impairment charges are not something that the average broadcaster would deduct from their tax return. Such adjustments are shown in the "assets and liabilities" or "net worth" portions of balance sheets. It's important to banks for assessing value or shareholders of a publicly traded company.
The IRS could give a hoot on values... until there is a sale of an asset. Then, they're all over it.
The IRS could give a hoot on values... until there is a sale of an asset. Then, they're all over it.
That is totally true. If all depreciation is gone and there is no basis, then that is a different story. I was addressing the balance sheet reference.
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