• Get involved.
    We want your input!
    Apply for Membership and join the conversations about everything related to broadcasting.

    After we receive your registration, a moderator will review it. After your registration is approved, you will be permitted to post.
    If you use a disposable or false email address, your registration will be rejected.

    After your membership is approved, please take a minute to tell us a little bit about yourself.
    https://www.radiodiscussions.com/forums/introduce-yourself.1088/

    Thanks in advance and have fun!
    RadioDiscussions Administrators

93.5 Translator in Fort Lauderdale

AMRocks

AMRocks

Star Participant
I tuned in a few times over the weekend to see how the station is sounding and, beyond the static, crackle and drifting of the bad signal, (and I'm in downtown Fort Lauderdale,) the quality of the station sounds really bad. Very "flat." Anyone else notice?

Also, based on the last ratings, it doesn't seem this station, The Bull, is hurting Kiss at all. In fact, Kiss's numbers were up slightly.
 
No surprise on the lousy signal. It's out at County Line Rd. with barely enough power to make it to downtown FTL, especially with the tall buildings in the way. And this is the "station" (and I use the term loosely) that was going to try live, local jocks, sound like a full-market station targeting Broward County.

Like I said when Cheap Channel first announced it: they don't know what the hell to do with that signal. This was never going to work from the beginning, and they knew that.
 
A lively, and very informative, discussion with samb15 over on the thread concerning LPFM and translators on the Shake 108 thread trailed off into a discussion about the translator at W228BV, 93.5, used by CC/iHeart as The Bull.

It seems that The Bull translator’s days are numbered, anyway.

As with WLML Legends 100.3 having interference issues with Clear Channel’s old translator for 610 WIOD on 100.3; it was taken off the air.

The FB page for 93.5 WBGF “The Bar” has numerous posts about interference from the “county station” from listeners on the Palm Beach Broward line from Boca down to Pompano Beach at Sample Road. And comments from the page administrator say “they’re working on it.” (whatever that may mean).

Mostly likely, the only translator left on 93.5 in the Dade/Broward area will be Evolution 93.5 W228BY. There’s an application to move the third translator 93.5, that is W228CR in Miami (currently off air). That one is out by Miami Dade College, west of the Evolution translator, onto 94.1 at 250 watts, which is not owned by CC/iHeart.

Someone over on the Atlanta boards, in a similar discussion regarding translators owned by CC/iHeart, noted that instead of translating another station, they’re running unique programming (such as Evolution and the Bull), instead of re-broadcating another station, which is the intent of translator. The Atlanta posters pointed out, and I think his point is a valid one: That CC/iheart is circumnavigating ownership caps and putting “new” stations on the air.

So, when you sum that up, with the fact that it is interfering with a "station" on 93.5; that may lead to the demise of the Bull.
 
Last edited:
The way they're allowed to get around the laws about translators being standalone stations is simple: some years back, the FCC (foolishly) allowed HD-2 channels to be the sources for translators. W228BV is actually relaying WMIA's second HD channel, so it's fully legal... even though it shouldn't be.
 
Who cares about these small FM's anyway?

JoshTheRadioDude said:
The way they're allowed to get around the laws about translators being standalone stations is simple: some years back, the FCC (foolishly) allowed HD-2 channels to be the sources for translators. W228BV is actually relaying WMIA's second HD channel, so it's fully legal... even though it shouldn't be.
Click to expand...

In central broward I get static on 93.5 and the one on 107.9 you can not hear at all just Sunny from wpb.

Check out: www.SouthFloridaCountry.com
 
94.1 would be a first adjacency to a full power local station.
W228CR's construction permit shows them being very directional to the north and under 100m high: here!
 
Last edited:
artfuldodger said:
Someone over on the Atlanta boards, in a similar discussion regarding translators owned by CC/iHeart, noted that instead of translating another station, they’re running unique programming (such as Evolution and the Bull), instead of re-broadcating another station, which is the intent of translator. The Atlanta posters pointed out, and I think his point is a valid one: That CC/iheart is circumnavigating ownership caps and putting “new” stations on the air.
Click to expand...

One only needs to look as far as Tampa Bay to see what iHeart is doing. They currently have 5 translators (relaying HD2's) on the air (and have a CP for sixth). Only one rebroadcasts an existing analog signal (via HD2, of course).

Originally, two of them (94.5 and 105.9) were relaying AM Talker WFLA via WXTB HD2 (WFLA has zero reception problems in the area). Those were soon flipped to relaunch Classic Rock "Thunder" in the market (now fed by WMTX-HD2). Later a third (99.1) was added, giving the trio coverage of the bulk of the market.

A fourth translator at 99.9 now relays Alternative "ALT 99.9" (WFUS-HD2) with a weak signal that only reaches the northwestern corner of the market.

A fifth (95.3) is translating an existing AM station via WXTB HD2, rebroadcasting Sports Talk WDAE AM..another strong AM signal which needs no help. (But for how long?).

There's also a CP for a sixth at 102.9 FM, currently silent, most likely slated as a second "Alt 99.9" translator.
 
This is a trick that has been done in other markets -- 94.1 is a place-holder. They can only do a minor change if the frequency is within 3 channels of the existing, and the 60 contour overlaps the old 60. So they propose an impossible channel, move there for about an hour, before concluding it doesn't work and then filing another minor change to get them to 94.3 or 94.5, with higher power, less directionality, and probably moderate to decent coverage of Miami.

Even if they were allowed to stay on 94.1, with the HD carrier of 93.9 being roughly co-channel, their usable coverage would be limited to a block or two from the antenna. Pirates don't even try to use 94.1 for this reason!

Right now in DC, iHeart Media has applied to move a translator to 104.9, a first adjacent of a local full-power station, and then subsequently applied for 104.7 with signal over much of the District of Columbia.

...Sam Brown

ai4i said:
94.1 would be a first adjacency to a full power local station.
W228CR's construction permit shows them being very directional to the north and under 100m high: here!
Click to expand...
 
I was up around Cypress Creek Road when the translator was fighting WBGF 93.5 from Belle Glade. Both signals were VERY weak.
 
JoshTheRadioDude said:
No surprise on the lousy signal. It's out at County Line Rd. with barely enough power to make it to downtown FTL, especially with the tall buildings in the way. And this is the "station" (and I use the term loosely) that was going to try live, local jocks, sound like a full-market station targeting Broward County.

Like I said when Cheap Channel first announced it: they don't know what the hell to do with that signal. This was never going to work from the beginning, and they knew that.
Click to expand...

If you want to insult CC, don't say Cheap Channel anymore, instead, for their new name, insult them with "iHateMedia". Hope it helps you insult iHeartMedia. :( :)
 
Refusing to derogatorily reference their new name (which they only changed to get away from the negative public perception of the old one) is even more of an insult; that's why I stick with it ;)
 
JoshTheRadioDude said:
Refusing to derogatorily reference their new name (which they only changed to get away from the negative public perception of the old one) is even more of an insult; that's why I stick with it ;)
Click to expand...

There was no negative view of Clear Channel by listeners. However, investors saw Clear Channel as an old media company; the new name focuses on the new media aspects.
 
JoshTheRadioDude said:
Hahaha! Sure, whatever you say, David.
Click to expand...

The average listener does not know... or, for that matter, care who owns a radio station.

If a few are even familiar with the "Clear Channel" name, it's from seeing it at the bottom of billboards.
 
That's simply not true, especially not when Clear Channel made a habit for so long of referring to their corporate name in promotions on their stations. In fact, many people I know outside of the broadcast industry knew of (and disliked) Clear Channel long before I even knew them. They tell me as much when it comes up that I worked in radio. Completely unprompted. When you've got that level of public disdain for your corporate name, you'll try to buy favor in any way you can. It's like Comcast's current ad campaign with the fictitious head of household stating as fact, "Comcast's customer service has improved a lot over the years." If you have to make that claim in your advertisements, everyone can tell it's 100% Grade-A Bullshit. The same is true of Clear Channel. They changed the name because everybody hates them. Not just investors thinking of them as old media, that's the corporate press release line they want you to believe. They changed the name because they're a shitty company and nobody likes them. There is no other reason.
 
JoshTheRadioDude said:
That's simply not true, especially not when Clear Channel made a habit for so long of referring to their corporate name in promotions on their stations. In fact, many people I know outside of the broadcast industry knew of (and disliked) Clear Channel long before I even knew them. They tell me as much when it comes up that I worked in radio. Completely unprompted. When you've got that level of public disdain for your corporate name, you'll try to buy favor in any way you can. It's like Comcast's current ad campaign with the fictitious head of household stating as fact, "Comcast's customer service has improved a lot over the years." If you have to make that claim in your advertisements, everyone can tell it's 100% Grade-A Bullshit. The same is true of Clear Channel. They changed the name because everybody hates them. Not just investors thinking of them as old media, that's the corporate press release line they want you to believe. They changed the name because they're a shitty company and nobody likes them. There is no other reason.
Click to expand...

To quote " it is a tale
Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury,
Signifying nothing."

Again: few... very few... listeners know the ownership of the station they listen to. If you look at diaries, you see how few even know the call letter or name of a station. They know the address... the dial position... and little else.
 
"The Bull" still sounds like crap. Not the music selection, but the technical quality of the station. Really flat.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Status
This thread has been closed due to inactivity. You can create a new thread to discuss this topic.
Back
Top Bottom