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is it likely the FCC will allow AM stations to increase night power & add an fm translator?
'and is the FCC granting a new class of fm stations ?
'and is the FCC granting a new class of fm stations ?
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Goat Rodeo Cowboy
Star Participant
Just another opinion.
In the cities, where is the FCC going to find vacant FM channels that AM stations could use for a translator? Just today I read an opinion piece where it looks like the big multi-station chains are accused of breaking through the limit on number of stations per market by adding a digital HD operations (which almost no one will listen to) and then hanging a translator onto it which people WILL listen to. So the AM station in cities that could most benefit from getting a translator are not likely to have the cash, lawyer-power and engineering-power to acquire a translator.
And the brutal truth is, as the broadcaster associations, legislators and others look that situation over, who can actually deliver programming that the public would find useful, helpful and entertaining? The talent-rich big operators.... or the folks hanging onto their daytime only and signal challenged AM stations?
In rural America, there is probably some 'squeeze and wiggle' space and little small town rural operators could add a translator.... but these guys don't have the lobbying power to get a new set of rules that give them relief while leaving their city cousins threadbare. And again, if the rural operation is anywhere near a thriving metro area, we will be back where we have been for 30 years now: people wanting to serve the metro area will put on their casual clothes and overalls and show up in the rural communities in the umbrella around the metro, and pretend they are going to serve the small community interests, and once they get the grant, it will be metro-oriented all the way.
This is one challenge that even ol' King Solomon from the Hebrew Bible would have trouble solving.
In the cities, where is the FCC going to find vacant FM channels that AM stations could use for a translator? Just today I read an opinion piece where it looks like the big multi-station chains are accused of breaking through the limit on number of stations per market by adding a digital HD operations (which almost no one will listen to) and then hanging a translator onto it which people WILL listen to. So the AM station in cities that could most benefit from getting a translator are not likely to have the cash, lawyer-power and engineering-power to acquire a translator.
And the brutal truth is, as the broadcaster associations, legislators and others look that situation over, who can actually deliver programming that the public would find useful, helpful and entertaining? The talent-rich big operators.... or the folks hanging onto their daytime only and signal challenged AM stations?
In rural America, there is probably some 'squeeze and wiggle' space and little small town rural operators could add a translator.... but these guys don't have the lobbying power to get a new set of rules that give them relief while leaving their city cousins threadbare. And again, if the rural operation is anywhere near a thriving metro area, we will be back where we have been for 30 years now: people wanting to serve the metro area will put on their casual clothes and overalls and show up in the rural communities in the umbrella around the metro, and pretend they are going to serve the small community interests, and once they get the grant, it will be metro-oriented all the way.
This is one challenge that even ol' King Solomon from the Hebrew Bible would have trouble solving.
In the cities, where is the FCC going to find vacant FM channels that AM stations could use for a translator?
Right now, the FCC hasn't even agreed that giving AM stations translators is the way to go. Only two Commissioners are in favor, TTBOMK, and it takes three to get anything done.
One way to do it is shut down LPFM in the commercial spectrum, and turn those frequencies over for AM translators. But that's never going to happen.
Goat Rodeo Cowboy
Star Participant
Right now, the FCC hasn't even agreed that giving AM stations translators is the way to go. Only two Commissioners are in favor, TTBOMK, and it takes three to get anything done.
One way to do it is shut down LPFM in the commercial spectrum, and turn those frequencies over for AM translators. But that's never going to happen.
I don't think there is "consensus" among any of the stakeholder groups. We have listeners who want their specialty programming who like the idea of slicing the pie into smaller pieces, there are people who own broadcast properties who are growing tired of seeing pie sliced so thinly.
Our politicans find it hard to decide who to side with in the pic-slicing event. And there is no position that the FCC can take that makes them look like heros because they did something that fixed (or didn't fix) AM broadcasting.
And there is no position that the FCC can take that makes them look like heros because they did something that fixed (or didn't fix) AM broadcasting.
That's why nothing gets done. Of course doing nothing doesn't make them look like heroes either.
If the translator thing ever happens, it's just going to be using available FM freqs. So it'll mainly help rural AM stations. Not sure if that's good or bad, but there's a lot of open space for FM stations in some parts of the country. Maybe it'll help.
Of course in a lot of those places, the AMs are doing just fine. People out there still know how to operate a radio. Both bands.
Of course in a lot of those places, the AMs are doing just fine. People out there still know how to operate a radio. Both bands.
Goat Rodeo Cowboy
Star Participant
My love of radio has always tended to be in the area of small, rural markets... but I haven't pursued that romance for a few years now.
The rural areas of our nation are not blessed with as much vacant, unused FM opportunities as you picture in your post. Much of the rural market "opportunities" are in the part of the country where FMs can have 100,000 watts and the existing stations thus rule out translators and Class A FM opportunities on that frequency for miles and miles.
There is a lot of political noise in our nation today over the subject commonly called "Income Inequality". I don't want to stir up a big political food-fight over that topic as it affects PEOPLE and FAMILIES.... but we might could have a civilized discussion of what is changing about rural communities. The robustness of their economies is not keeping up with the economy of the nation as a whole. It is getting hard to go back to your rural home town these days to become Bank President because your hometown bank is now likely to be a branch of the big bank in your state capitol... or maybe the state capitol two states over. You may not be able to go back to your hometown and become school superintendent because now the school you attended has merged with two other neighboring schools and the superintendents jobs is a county or two away from where you grew up.
Most of my adult life I have lived 600 to 8i00 miles from my hometown. Through the years we would plan on gas stops and meal stops at certain little "hot rod" towns along the highway. Year after year we have watched some of those towns and their gas stations and their meat-and-two plate lunches fall off the face of the earth.
Yes, there are exceptions to the trend. And as we travel through, I idle away the boring drive trying figure out why the town where I once lived and did radio is on a death watch, and the town 40 miles down the road has become an oasis it never was years ago. Sometimes the answer is obvious. Sometimes I cannot compose a logic for the circumstance.
But how does Congress and the FCC ever create a broadcast allocation and distribution of available frequencies when the needs vary so much, and the economic viability of a community is an untouchable topic for regulators.
The rural areas of our nation are not blessed with as much vacant, unused FM opportunities as you picture in your post. Much of the rural market "opportunities" are in the part of the country where FMs can have 100,000 watts and the existing stations thus rule out translators and Class A FM opportunities on that frequency for miles and miles.
There is a lot of political noise in our nation today over the subject commonly called "Income Inequality". I don't want to stir up a big political food-fight over that topic as it affects PEOPLE and FAMILIES.... but we might could have a civilized discussion of what is changing about rural communities. The robustness of their economies is not keeping up with the economy of the nation as a whole. It is getting hard to go back to your rural home town these days to become Bank President because your hometown bank is now likely to be a branch of the big bank in your state capitol... or maybe the state capitol two states over. You may not be able to go back to your hometown and become school superintendent because now the school you attended has merged with two other neighboring schools and the superintendents jobs is a county or two away from where you grew up.
Most of my adult life I have lived 600 to 8i00 miles from my hometown. Through the years we would plan on gas stops and meal stops at certain little "hot rod" towns along the highway. Year after year we have watched some of those towns and their gas stations and their meat-and-two plate lunches fall off the face of the earth.
Yes, there are exceptions to the trend. And as we travel through, I idle away the boring drive trying figure out why the town where I once lived and did radio is on a death watch, and the town 40 miles down the road has become an oasis it never was years ago. Sometimes the answer is obvious. Sometimes I cannot compose a logic for the circumstance.
But how does Congress and the FCC ever create a broadcast allocation and distribution of available frequencies when the needs vary so much, and the economic viability of a community is an untouchable topic for regulators.
Perhaps I should be more specific.
West of the Mississippi, most rural areas have plenty of vacant frequencies. "Rural" in Nevada or Montana means something different than "rural" in Vermont.
I don't think FM translators are the real answer, but they could help in some cases.
West of the Mississippi, most rural areas have plenty of vacant frequencies. "Rural" in Nevada or Montana means something different than "rural" in Vermont.
I don't think FM translators are the real answer, but they could help in some cases.
joebtsflk1
Star Participant
The best we can hope for is that there are enough opportunities for rural AMs to get FM translators which would allow the AM to go off the air at night, that it would allow more power at night for some of the more impaired urban AMs. And that's well beyond walking distance of being even an imperfect solution.
And that's well beyond walking distance of being even an imperfect solution.
Exactly, because an FM translator won't have the power or reach of even a 5kw AM.
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