• 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

WJUP-LP 103.9 Faces $25,000 FCC fine

C

Cay Daze

This was -- was -- a jewel in among LPFM stations. Then it all fell apart.

It started out as WJTW 100.3, had signal-interference issues, then moved to 103.9 as WJUP. Nicely equipped, with fine offices, and professionally owned and operated. It was a full service variety station with a music and talk format. Great programming and imaging. Community involvement. Promoted local arts. I followed it on Facebook and they had old Treasure, Space, and Gold Coast talents on it. (In fact, they posted photos when the sale went through with the parties involved.)

Then it was sold to the Omega Church of Fort Lauderdale, which has a LPFM in Oakland Park (but the studios are inside the church in Coral Springs) as WOIB 101.9. Basically, a lot of preacher-hollering, speaking in tongues, music. Programming of no entertainment value with a small audience appeal. Lots of dropped calls with busy signals of disconnected calls as the pastor-hosts keep on preaching. Not a good sounding station at all.

When Omega took over WJUP 103.9, it duped programming from WOIB. Omega had banners on Facebook promoting both stations together, as one. That's all wiped away now -- because WJUP 103.9 is gone.

Another case of an LPFM doing whatever they wanted: In this case, the wrong antenna, the wrong height, the wrong power, the wrong tower location. Just move it and turn it up, because, well, we obey "God's Law" and not the "Man's Law." Forget what the license says, because, again, only what's in the bible, matters. Just modify the station's license, at will. God's will. EAS tests? Not on God's time.

As usual, with most church operated LPFMs: No one knows where the paperwork is, paperwork is fudged, ignorance is an excuse, the person in charge is "out of the country" and available only via fax and email.

Gets my goat. I am for LPFMs. And there are stations across the U.S that get it right. WJTW-WJUP was a GREAT example of how an LPFM -- when real radio pros are in charge -- should be. Then the Omega Church gets it and runs it into the ground that gives LPFMs a bad name. LPFM operators work so hard. Then you get this Wayne Manning guy doing this and ruining all the strides the LPFM band has made. Gets my goat!

You can read up on it at Radio World.com. A link to case at FCC.org is included in the article. This FCC link will get you to the PDF of the filing. But here's the PDF. If you ask me, $25k ain't enough for this blatant example of irresponsibility.
 
I saw red flags with KJUP before the sale when it was advertised at a certain price. I was thinking that price included real estate since LPFMs cannot trade hands for a profit. It is amazing WOIB got the station as the FCC doesn't permit more than one LPFM to an entity (some skirt the issue by creating a separate programming service where the LPFMs can become affiliates). The overpower, wrong location and such demonstrate there are a few bad eggs out there. Florida has had a few as has Texas and one I recall in Oklahoma that got nabbed over and over for the same thing before the FCC said they were yanking the license.

The very diversity of LPFM and the resistance of fellow broadcasters to embrace LPFM likely causes the red headed stepchild LPFM to fail to grow as it should. Knowledge banks and universal support is not there. In fact the best and biggest advocates of LPFM are not operators themselves. While that might not be too much of an issue, I would wonder how the FCC would react if a group of LPFMs as diverse as these stations are, collectively sought the FCC's ear on rules, regulations and operations. Sadly that concept is something I do not see happening. There is the side that hates anybody that worked in commercial radio. There's the ministry that doesn't think beyond the word evangelism, the hobby broadcaster that thinks their idea of radio will change radio for the better and the radio pros that have seen their desires to serve their community vanish because their station could no longer do so. I don't include those that think they can ignore rules because nobody's going to know. That's akin to the jock tossing out the music wheel or playlist failing to think the PD or Music Director isn't going to hear it.

Of the advocates that have the FCC's ear, neither have as wide an interpretation of what LPFM can be as I feel is possible. I feel the smaller box the current advocates promote may hurt LPFM. I agree with all they say but I also know every community is different and doesn't squeeze in the box as it is. I, for one, advocate for LPFM in small communities where you are the only daily media source...places that could never financially provide for a full power station. That's just one use. I believe it is okay to seek underwriting by talking about the listener and reach. In all my years doing sales, I never met a business owner who gave you money out of the kindness of his heart but would do so if he felt that money might come back to him in some way. If it's not okay to do that then it should be illegal to show kids at Shriner's Hospitals or sad looking canines or elephants, etc. in these non-profit spots that air on TV...they are selling a benefit and you don't know how much of that money actually makes it there to the work you are supporting because of those marketing costs. Anyway, I see NPR affiliates talking about the quality of their audience and what percentage will consider buying from an underwriter they hear on their station and some spouting ratings. It seems the LPFM advocates that have the FCC's ear feel the NPR way is not what LPFM is allowed to do. I thought both full power non-coms and LPFMs had the same rules to follow on underwriting, qualifying for 501(c)3 status, etc. I'll end my rant now.
 
Why did it sell? I cannot say.

I have been the sole employee, caretaker if you will, of a station. No matter the number of volunteers or how well it does, you are on duty 24/7 365 days a year. That two week vacation or that cruise doesn't happen. What if the FCC shows up or that storm at 3am shuts you down requiring a manual restart? A few years of that and you call it prison versus caretaker, especially for the LPFM operator that is doing this as a volunteer. Imagine the conversation with the wife wanting a week with the two of you away from it all and you can't even claim the big bucks you're paid to be 'on call' 24/7. Some think they'd love it but then it takes over their lives. After a time you simply say enough is enough. Even if you have volunteers, they sure don't have anything close to the commitment if even an employee. Most likely you have a good 90% of the burden daily. That might not be the reason but it's one that is the true reason why some LPFMs turned in their license or transferred it to some other group.
 
The former president of WJUP is also the former owner of WFLN 1480 Arcadia.

This isnt the first time a florida LPFM got nailed


Whatever 93.3 the blizzard was in flagler beach, owner by a "church" but running oldies.. running way excessive power, among other issues. i randomly called the guy up and asked why.. he said "because i could"
 
Status
This thread has been closed due to inactivity. You can create a new thread to discuss this topic.
Back
Top Bottom