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99X Ordered Off the Air

DaveR said:
I started working for Steve in September 2014, so I showed up three years into the battle. Cume Less's translator is on the Richland Tower near Druid Hills. It is mounted below the Master FM antenna at an AGL of 1,100 feet. I remember when they installed the antenna and translators back in 2011. I was working for WKHX at the time. The FCC allows translators a ERP of 250 Watts, regardless of HAAT. Even though Cume Less did design the ERI panel antenna with a null to the west to Protect WWGA, the HAAT played more of a part than the ERP. In their original application it was clear that they would interfere with WWGA's 40 and 50 dbu contour, which covers Villa Rica, but the FCC approved it anyway. WWGA signed on about 6 months before Cume Less's translator went live. So, there was a coverage track record. That's when the trouble started. The FCC treats translators as a secondary service and the rules clearly state that the translator cannot interfere with any primary service. Unfortunately the way the rules are written, there must be complaints from dis-interested parties (people who have no connections to either of the parties involved in the complaint) before action can be taken by the FCC. IMHO, I have an issue with the rule which allows translators to be used for rebroadcast of HD2 signals. This is stretch from the original rule allowing daytime AM stations to use translators. Cume Less has appealed the decision but, there is little chance the FCC will change its decision. Cume Less demonstrated a legal plan of "burying" the little guy and waiting out the complainants. It was obvious in their filings. Kudos to Steve Gradick and the complainants who did stuck it out for the long run. This is definitely a David vs. Goliath story!
Click to expand...

Gradick runs good, community oriented stations and I'm glad, for once, the "good guy" won one!
 
The fact Cumulus has wasted so much time & energy on a translator facility that over many years has featured programming with low to even anemic ratings (remember Nash Icon 98.9?) is astounding.

I don't see any evidence of a westward null on the below pattern; it looks like the null is to the SW and very shallow. There appears to be another shallow null due east. Granted, directional patterns on the R-L site aren't always 100% accurate.

https://radio-locator.com/cgi-bin/patg?id=W255CJ-FX
 
Can someone articulate why a Class A, meant to be a local radio station almost 60 miles away from Atlanta, is entitled to protection from a "metro signal" that can't possibly be reaching the market WWGA was licensed to serve?

It sounds like someone's annoyed they're not getting something they were never entitled to or intended to have in the first place.
 
Andy Travis said:
Can someone articulate why a Class A, meant to be a local radio station almost 60 miles away from Atlanta, is entitled to protection from a "metro signal" that can't possibly be reaching the market WWGA was licensed to serve?

It sounds like someone's annoyed they're not getting something they were never entitled to or intended to have in the first place.
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If you want to pull out the rule book...

Most, if not all 250 watt translators at 1000 feet HAAT break long held FCC R&R. They often preclude licensing of community LPFM stations. And they sometimes/often interfere with licensed and protected broadcast operations. The cumulus translator creates interference to the Tallapoosa station. Why then can't cumulus move its translator back to 99.1? Because it interferes with one of THEIR stations in Macon.
The translator creates interference inside of WWGA's 60 dbu contour. There is nothing further to articulate.

Cumulus needs another station in Atlanta like they need another bill to pay...they need to fix the stations they already have before the FCC gives them even more. Why are they "entitled to or intended to have" another radio station in a market with 40-60 stations?
 
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acheron1982 said:
But I don’t think it’s billing well... Or is it? I don’t have that data but based on what I read here, 106.7 isn’t billing well. Does anyone really know? Just curious.
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I don't know for sure, but talk stations tend to bill pretty well because:
1) they have better demos than music counterparts
2) the listening is more "active" so people really pay closer attention to the commercials
3) they tend to run way more spots than music stations

Although it's more expensive to run a news-talk operation, the payback is higher.
 
Andy Travis said:
Can someone articulate why a Class A, meant to be a local radio station almost 60 miles away from Atlanta, is entitled to protection from a "metro signal" that can't possibly be reaching the market WWGA was licensed to serve?

It sounds like someone's annoyed they're not getting something they were never entitled to or intended to have in the first place.
Click to expand...

I think it's because a class D translator can't interfere with ANY reception of a class Cx/A. Even outside the class Cx/A's contour. Heck, I bet if you were DXing a class Cx FM station and a nearby cochannel translator was interfering with it, the DX class Cx FM would still take precedence according to FCC rules.
 
Cumulus said many times in the filings that the translator was a major market station listened to by thousands each day. I really that that was a slap in the face. The people of a small town are not as important as those in a metro area. I translated those statements to mean the station that made the most money and had the most listeners should be the one that wins with the FCC.

By the way, the "translator" is not a station by FCC definition.
 
wavo said:
If you want to pull out the rule book...

Most, if not all 250 watt translators at 1000 feet HAAT break long held FCC R&R. They often preclude licensing of community LPFM stations. And they sometimes/often interfere with licensed and protected broadcast operations. The cumulus translator creates interference to the Tallapoosa station. Why then can't cumulus move its translator back to 99.1? Because it interferes with one of THEIR stations in Macon.
The translator creates interference inside of WWGA's 60 dbu contour. There is nothing further to articulate.

Cumulus needs another station in Atlanta like they need another bill to pay...they need to fix the stations they already have before the FCC gives them even more. Why are they "entitled to or intended to have" another radio station in a market with 40-60 stations?
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VERY WELL STATED.

At the end of the day, the FCC is turning a blind eye to corporate radio's abuse of the translator. It was never intended to be a back door into major markets and allow conglomerates to suck up every FM channel not in use. But, like everything else, it's all about the money and big dollars rule. The great "Radio Assist Ministry" scam is what brought us this mess. And translating HD carriers within the same primary coverage contour? How is this even legal?

As much as I liked 99X, if Cumulus really believed in the idea, they would have put it on one of their many full power facilities like 100.5 or 106.7.
 
MRFLASHPORT said:
At the end of the day, the FCC is turning a blind eye to corporate radio's abuse of the translator. It was never intended to be a back door into major markets and allow conglomerates to suck up every FM channel not in use.
Click to expand...

Any operator could have filed for those translators, not just "corporate radio." The situation is that translators are seen by the FCC as the solution for multiple problems, such as AM revitalization and the slow growth of HD Radio. The latter is the case here. This translator is carrying the programming of an HD-2 station. Right now, there is a group of AM operators lobbying the FCC to make AM translators primary stations. Once they get primary status, they would be able to shut down their AM transmitter. They think it's a good idea. They are not corporate owners. What makes that OK and this not?

Read this:

https://www.radiodiscussions.com/sh...anslators-‘Primary’-Status&highlight=windfall
 
TheBigA said:
Any operator could have filed for those translators, not just "corporate radio." The situation is that translators are seen by the FCC as the solution for multiple problems, such as AM revitalization and the slow growth of HD Radio. The latter is the case here. This translator is carrying the programming of an HD-2 station. Right now, there is a group of AM operators lobbying the FCC to make AM translators primary stations. Once they get primary status, they would be able to shut down their AM transmitter. They think it's a good idea. They are not corporate owners. What makes that OK and this not?

Read this:

https://www.radiodiscussions.com/sh...anslators-‘Primary’-Status&highlight=windfall
Click to expand...

Yes, over the past few years the FCC has encouraged the establishment of FM translators to revitalize AM. (Thanks, Chairman Pai.) And the FCC allows FM translators to "translate" HD Radio signals although I've never read the purpose was to help the growth of HD Radio, which seems pretty much dead. The original purpose of translators was to fill in signal holes in a station's home market.

Using FM translators to put on a new FM station is an example of the FCC not seeing the forest from the trees. Another example is years ago the FCC created Class A stations, lower-wattage FM's, for the purpose of providing service to small markets. So what happened? Broadcasters applied for and won licenses for a Class A FM stations in suburbs of a major markets. Of course, the owners' real purpose was not to serve the small town they were in but to compete for ratings and ad revenue in the adjacent major market.
 
RoddyFreeman said:
Using FM translators to put on a new FM station is an example of the FCC not seeing the forest from the trees.
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But once again, it's not a "new FM station." It's an existing signal that can't be received without special equipment. So it's filling signal holes in that station's home market. Call it "HD revitalization," because that's really what it is, and for many stations, it's a success.
 
TheBigA said:
But once again, it's not a "new FM station." It's an existing signal that can't be received without special equipment. So it's filling signal holes in that station's home market. Call it "HD revitalization," because that's really what it is, and for many stations, it's a success.
Click to expand...

The FM owners who put on FM translators are doing it for the purpose of getting an additional FM signal and format. So while it's duplicating an HD Radio station, the objective is not to get listeners to purchase HD equipment; it's to create a new revenue stream. The vast majority of listeners to the translator have no idea there's an HD Radio signal involved.
 
RoddyFreeman said:
The FM owners who put on FM translators are doing it for the purpose of getting an additional FM signal and format. So while it's duplicating an HD Radio station, the objective is not to get listeners to purchase HD equipment; it's to create a new revenue stream. The vast majority of listeners to the translator have no idea there's an HD Radio signal involved.
Click to expand...

Where's the problem? You have AM translators who no longer mention their AM dial location. Same result. And as I said, now AM owners are seeking permission to shut down their AM transmitters and run the translator as a primary. Meanwhile, WSB wasn't qualified to participate in the AM revitalization plan.

The FCC approved HD Radio knowing full well that it was giving owners additional signals and formats in their markets. That's also how it was promoted to the public.
 
Tom Taylor reports that Cumulus has applied for an STA for a revised version of the 99X translator, with a new pattern to avoid interfering with other stations.
 
TheBigA said:
Where's the problem? You have AM translators who no longer mention their AM dial location. Same result. And as I said, now AM owners are seeking permission to shut down their AM transmitters and run the translator as a primary. Meanwhile, WSB wasn't qualified to participate in the AM revitalization plan.

The FCC approved HD Radio knowing full well that it was giving owners additional signals and formats in their markets. That's also how it was promoted to the public.
Click to expand...

There is no proposal before the FCC and neither has there been any discussion at the NAB for AM broadcasters to be able to shut down their AM signals and make their translator primary. The last batch of translator permits issued by the FCC are permanently tied to the AM signal and any AM, including WSB, could have participated. With this last batch of translator permits, if the AM goes away, the translator goes away too.

Before that translator filing window, the translator signal is tied to the AM for a minimum of four years. Only the earliest AM translator permits didn't require any conditions. Even so, those translators must still rebroadcast a primary station which is an AM station, a FM station or a FM station's HD channel. There is no provision which allows a translator to be programmed as a standalone operation. Furthermore if the translator is not located within the contour of the designated primary station ( 60 dBu for FM and FM HD primary stations and 2 mV/m AM daytime contour or 25 miles from tower site, whichever is greater, on AM stations), the translator power is determined by height above average terrain.

Standalone translators located outside the primary station contour(non commercial operators):

Less than 32 meters-250 watts
33-39 meters-170 watts
40-47 meters-120 watts
48-57 meters-80 watts
58-68 meters-55 watts
69-82 meters-38 watts
83-96 meters-27 watts
97-115 meters-19 watts
116-140 meters-13 watts
over 140 meters HAAT-10 watts
 
TheBigA said:
Tom Taylor reports that Cumulus has applied for an STA for a revised version of the 99X translator, with a new pattern to avoid interfering with other stations.
Click to expand...

I cannot believe that Cumulus is spending all that money to try to get 99X back on the air on a translator that will, according to the Tom Taylor report, "reduce that (power in the direction toward WWGA) to between 8 eights and 34 watts." If 99X is that worthwhile, put it on a real signal. Or just let it die.
 
AMRocks said:
I cannot believe that Cumulus is spending all that money to try to get 99X back on the air on a translator that will, according to the Tom Taylor report, "reduce that (power in the direction toward WWGA) to between 8 eights and 34 watts." If 99X is that worthwhile, put it on a real signal. Or just let it die.
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8 - 34 watts, at 1000 feet, will provide decent coverage for listeners in automobiles. Building penetration will be terrible.

I agree with your thoughts about the 99X format.

Too bad none of the radio owners can figure out something completely different to put on these puddle jumpers...
 
AMRocks said:
I cannot believe that Cumulus is spending all that money to try to get 99X back on the air on a translator that will, according to the Tom Taylor report, "reduce that (power in the direction toward WWGA) to between 8 eights and 34 watts." If 99X is that worthwhile, put it on a real signal. Or just let it die.
Click to expand...

Cumulus is keeping it alive just to keep some else from using the channel. Even if you put the old 99X back on 99.7 I doubt that you could have any real financial success.

I guess the 99X name could be used with another format that will bill well with the agencies. Atlanta has lost legionary formats in the past. Time marches on. Fox 97 was once had a huge audience. Then demos caught up with them (and Cox’s attempt to kill V103 with the ill-fated Jams 97). 96 Rock died after The Regular Guys committed career suicide with a bit that was secretly taped in the bathroom. I actually heard it and it wasn’t funny either. IMHO if you are going to get fired at least make it “legionary”. Peach / lite, Z93, and WGST once were “monsters”. WGST still exists but now who would know (or care) if the transmitter is even on. I personally feel that these legions were the result of the correct programming with the correct on the air talent and a little bit of luck with the timing.


If you count the WBIE days Kicks 101 could be one of the oldest continuous type of music stations in the market.
 
In reading through the FCC materials, I keep seeing the names of some media brokers involved in meeting with listeners, etc. so my guess is brokerage firm brought this translator opportunity to Cumulus (that is something media brokerage firms which specialize in signal development do) so it may be they don't get full payment until the situation is resolved. Point being someone other than Cumulus is pushing this effort and might be paying the freight. Just a guess. My experience has been that the quickest way to resolve these situations is the big guy in this case Cumulus, pays the little guy, in this case Graddick, to basically accept interference. You saw this with the 94.5 translator in Atlanta. They went up to Calhoun, GA bought or leased that Class A FM station so they would leave them alone and did the same down at Warm Springs with the 94.5 Class A FM there. Of course, there is the possibility Graddick is not open to such a resolution. I think he is successful with his small market stations and cleared several million when he sold what became 105.3 to Clear Channel, now iHeart. That was originally on 105.5 as a Class A station in Bowdon.
 
If 99X gets back on the air, Atlanta have 3 Alternative stations, with each skewing differently: 99X - newer alternative, Alt 105.7 - 90s to current harder alternative, and The Other side of the River 97.7 with mostly classic alternative. I can’t help but think that if TOSOTR got a decently strong metro signal it would outperform the other 2 the way 97.1 The River rules Atlanta rock radio with classic rock hits.
 
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