PSA (Pre-Sunrise Authority) on AM Regional Frequencies

Does PSA still exist? Let me clarify with an example. WAOS Austell (used to be WACX) before the upgrades in power, used to be a 1k daytimer operating on a regional frequency. They had PSA which meant they could sign on everyday at 6 AM at 500 watts and then go to 1k at local sunrise. It was always listed in the Broadcast Yearbook as PSA. I know WACX was still using the PSA in the 1980s.

So, my question is does PSA still exist after all of the upgrades over the years. We can use WAOS as the example. They are now 20,000 watts day and 67 watts night. At 6:00 AM do they go up to 500 watts and then at sunrise go up to 20,000 watts?

To make my question more complicated, my fuzzy memory is that the FCC has bungled the records for PSA. The station could only operate with PSA if they could produce the original telegram that gave them PSA authority.

So, for you engineering types "of a certain age", what say you?

.... for the record... this is the kind of question that comes to mind when you are mindlessly looking at radio-locator.com at 4 AM.

Yes, Pre-Sunrise authorization still exists. Post-Sunset authorization is a thing too.

You're right that the FCC messed up (lost?) the records for these. They issued new PSSA to stations several years ago, which were in many cases very different to the ones authorized in past decades. The new authorizations were eventually scrapped. Because of this, it is virtually impossible to know what power most stations operate with between 6am and local sunrise.

I didn't realize there was such a thing as Post-Sunset Authorization. All daytime AM's are allowed to stay on at night at a maximum allowable power, sometimes as low as 1 watt. One thing for sure is that the FCC messed up the AM band with too many stations on at night.

In Susquehanna Radio's book about the company's first 50 years is the story of how their AM in Akron, WHLO, got screwed by the enactment of Pre-Sunrise Authority. For years, WHLO had special Pre-Sunrise Authority using its full daytime power of 1,000 watts. When the FCC established the new Pre-Sunrise Authority rules, WHLO had to cut back to 500 watts before sunrise.

RoddyFreeman said:

I didn't realize there was such a thing as Post-Sunset Authorization. All daytime AM's are allowed to stay on at night at a maximum allowable power, sometimes as low as 1 watt. One thing for sure is that the FCC messed up the AM band with too many stations on at night.

In Susquehanna Radio's book about the company's first 50 years is the story of how their AM in Akron, WHLO, got screwed by the enactment of Pre-Sunrise Authority. For years, WHLO had special Pre-Sunrise Authority using its full daytime power of 1,000 watts. When the FCC established the new Pre-Sunrise Authority rules, WHLO had to cut back to 500 watts before sunrise.

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. PSSA was designed to give daytimers some power for the first two hours after sunset. Soon after, authorization for the second hour was extended to the rest of the night.

gr8oldies said:

WHLO was a "limited time" station that stayed on through sunset in Los Angeles. I'm not sure what was up with their pre-sunrise.

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The KFI situation with WHLO has always existed. What made them reduce their pre-sunrise power was the new rule.