True, but by 1971 or 1972, Schulke stations were #1 in several markets, including WLIF in my home market of Baltimore. I could be wrong, but I believe WLYF also topped the ratings at that time.
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PSA - Pre-Sunrise Authority
- Thread starter BarryATL
- Start date
In 1971, both Spring and Fall were owned by WFAB. In 1972, WFAB took Spring and WQAM took Fall. From Spring 1973 to Fall 1979, it was all WQBA. '80 and '81 belonged to WRHC.
Y-100 beat Life from its debut all the way till the 1982 combination of the Miami and Ft Lauderdale markets. WMYQ did well from 1971 till Spring of 1973 when Y-100 and Buzz Bennett absolutely destroyed them; when Tanner took over, WHYI improved considerably.
Thanks to Huff for this data.
Other than those 3 months, we never were permitted to stay on past our own sunset. I think the FCC was rolling out some limited post-sunset time.
In Miami Bonneville on WKQS (now WKIS and country) kicked both Schulke's and WHYI's butts in 25 to 54. And don't forget WGLO was also doing a "r9oll your own" beautiful music. Bonneville ran full page spreads in Broadcasting magazine about it.
Regarding pre- and post-sunset...I always thought the skywave at 6am in the winter as well as 6pm in the evening was the same as the middle of the night. So, if a station could get pre-sunrise at 500 W, why couldn't they get full-time at that power?
Regarding pre- and post-sunset...I always thought the skywave at 6am in the winter as well as 6pm in the evening was the same as the middle of the night. So, if a station could get pre-sunrise at 500 W, why couldn't they get full-time at that power?
In the case of the station I just mentioned, and another 1570, we eventually did (though it was 250.). Prior to that I worked for a daytimer that had 145 watts of pre-sunrise (500 watts daytime) and 272 watts of pre-sunrise (1000 daytime). Both had night flea power. In the case of the 1600, having that 272 watts at night would have been great.
No, the ionosphere isn't like midnight at 5pm and 6pm. It's going to vary by month.
Recall the "limited-time" authorizations on clear channels where a station's operating hours were extended either by allowing it to sign-on at the sunrise time for the dominant station (if east of the station) or sign-off at the sunset time for the dominant station (if west of the station). One longtime example is KFUO on 850 in Clayton, Mo. (i.e. St. Louis), which can operate until local sunset at Denver. There are a few others.
In the Miami book, WKQS was a no-show until 77 when it made the book with a 0.3, not showing the next year and then gradually getting up to a 1.9 by 1980. When Ft. Lauderdale was added to the Miami market in '92 they got a 1.0 and a 1.5 in the first two books.
Look at https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-Duncan-American-Radio/Duncan-1975-1992/Miami.pdf for Miami market ratings history.
No, there is a period of pre-sunset where skip begins ahead of sunset, and some stations reduce power or directionalize or both well ahead of sunset. Of course, sunset is determined on 15-minute interval averages for each month for each transmitter location and it is never set at 6 AM or 6 PM every month.
I never heard of this allowance. Could it be that the station, distant from FCC offices, was simply authorizing its own schedule?
I went down the rabbit hole: the following is a summary. In 1962, daytime stations got the ear of Congress, and a bill actually passed in the House to authorize presunrise operations. The Senate didn't take it up, and the FCC subsequently opened up Docket 14419. While the docket was proceeding, the FCC would authorize some presunrise operations on regional channels subject to the outcome of the rulemaking. Negotiations were required with Canada with respect to regional and clear channels. Those concluded in 1967, and the FCC adopted presunrise operation rules effective August 15, 1967 though with actual usage to begin on October 29, 1967.
Adoption of the Uniform Time Act of 1966 added a wrinkle in that the original docket rules called for operation starting at 6 am local standard time, even during the months when DST was in effect. This was amended late in 1967 to refer to local time only, regardless of DST status.
WBEN in Buffalo sued the commission regarding consideration of interference concerns. The FCC continued to issue authorizations subject to the outcome of the case. Moreover, daytimers on 930 kHz were not able to operate under presunrise authorizations, since WBEN operated on 930. The Second Circuit of the U.S. Court of Appeals upheld the commission on May 10, 1968. WBEN asked for Supreme Court review, which was denied on May 20, 1968. (Court case number 31835).
WSAI in Cincinnati subsequently filed another court case against the FCC; the court in that case referred to the previous case and denied the challenge.
A separate negotiation was required with Mexico on this issue with relation to the Mexican clear channels. An agreement was reached in December 1968, which also allowed class IV (now class C) stations near the Mexican border to increase their daytime powers to 1000 watts, finally catching up with the rest of the U.S.
When searching in the Broadcasting archives on worldradiohistory.com, both "presunrise" and "pre-sunrise" should be used as search terms. Broadcasting wasn't consistent in its spelling of the term.
Are those numbers you quoted for 12+ from the Ft Lauderdale/Hollywood book or the Miami book? Been a long time since I sold but as I recall, hardly anyone buys 12+ numbers and they seemed to be more interested in quarter hours than cume. Y-100 cummed through the roof but didn't keep their listeners for very long.
Also, I was using 6a as an example. With a 7a sunrise in December but the station has a 6a PSA, aren't the propogation conditions at 6a in December the same as mid-night in December?
Hasn't the FCC gotten rid of most Critical Hours stations?
WTZA (the old WGUN) is still 45kW critical hours. It had been 10kW critical hours. Before the station was sold and the signal/plant got all messed up, the previous owners had increased the CH power from 10kW to 45kW
That is AQH Share.
You can see all the Miami books and Ft Lauderdale up to 1981 at DUNCAN'S MARKET HISTORY - Radio ratings history for each US market 1975-2003
Here is 1976 Spring (WVCG was also Beautiful Music) for Miami and Ft Lauderdale
No, those that have CH authority use it, but many have just cut back total power when they are independent stations with lousy patterns and coverage.
So, back to my original post. Would the FCC cards be enough proof or is the Western Union Telegram needed? Here is the card for WACX (now WAOS). Would that be enough proof to operate with the 500 watt PSA?
Check at the transmitter site or control room wherever the licences were posted. It might be under a stack of old FCC station licenses. If you can't find it, it might be worth the time and money to ask a lawyer that does FCC filings if you do not have a FM translator.
I personally believe a copy of the history card would work but you never know with the Commission.
I personally believe a copy of the history card would work but you never know with the Commission.
With that owner, very doubtful. He was also a ham who owned several repeaters, and the FM. We also weren't an "L1" (limited time, tied to sunset further west).
WCBX in Eden, NC when they were on 1130 was allowed 28 watts for PSA. And that was good for 15 minutes prior to local sunrise.
WAGL 1560, now gone, had a critical hours directional pattern to keep them away from WQXR. Waggle was licensed to Lancaster, SC.
WAYS in Charlotte used a PSA authorization of 1kw IIRC because of their goofy DA.
And there was a 910 on Roanoke. VA that came on at 5AM year round at their licensed 1kw. Thst 5AM sign on always intrigued me and I have never found the reason it was granted. Possibly for agricultural reasons? Don't know if they still go to a kilowatt at 5AM as opposed to their night flea power.
WAGL 1560, now gone, had a critical hours directional pattern to keep them away from WQXR. Waggle was licensed to Lancaster, SC.
WAYS in Charlotte used a PSA authorization of 1kw IIRC because of their goofy DA.
And there was a 910 on Roanoke. VA that came on at 5AM year round at their licensed 1kw. Thst 5AM sign on always intrigued me and I have never found the reason it was granted. Possibly for agricultural reasons? Don't know if they still go to a kilowatt at 5AM as opposed to their night flea power.
In 1967, the FCC changed the Pre-Sunrise Authority rules for AM radio station. All Class III stations known in the industry as regional channels: 550,560,570,580,590,600,610,620,630,790,910,920,930,950,960,970,980,1150,1250,1260,1270,1280,1290, 1300, 1310, 1320,1330, 1350,1360, 1370, 1380, 1390, 1410, 1420, 1430, 1440, 1460, 1470, 1480, 1590 & 1600 were authorized to operate with a minimum of 500 watts at 6 a.m. using daytime facilities. A few Class II stations were able to get pre-sunrise either the US Clear Channel on the frequency was a great distance away or the station was distant enough from the foreign clear channel dominant on channel. For instance the station in Sylva, NC on 680 KHz with 1kw-day, 250w-DA-N had 500 watts NDA pre-sunrise because the dominant 680 was in San Francisco. Despite a 50 kw Class II in Raleigh, it did not have to be protected from 6 a.m. until sunrise by the PSA authorization. Prior to 1967 for a few years in the earlier 1960s, the FCC allowed AM stations on these channels to sign on at 4 a.m. local time with the daytime power but the operations would be terminated if fulltime stations on those frequencies received interference. It was chaos and the 1967 rule was a compromise and still followed today. By the 1980s, the FCC had begun to authorize post sunset authority power levels. Many of the AMs operating on the old regional channels had stepped down post sunset power levels for a couple hours past sunset whereas the stations operating on the foreign and domestic clear channels immediately went to the post sunset authorization power immediately at sunset. Some stations on these channels, especially domestic channels, go no nighttime power whereas some got as low as 1 or 2 watts. Hypothetically these low powers were not to interfere with existing authorized full time stations and while it may not have at locations near those stations, all these flea powers resulted in the noise floor of AM radio increasing to the point where DXing on the old regionals is almost impossible and DXing the Clear Channels is much more of a challenge.
Just to package the historic information in the same place, there was more on the origins of PSRAs here: https://www.radiodiscussions.com/threads/psa-pre-sunrise-authority.762090/page-2#post-6606687