W210CA at 89.9 MHz is currently licensed to Birmingham, and has transmitter coordinates in Fultondale, with a 10 watt authorization to relay WAY-FM. It just received a construction permit to move to Red Mountain at 180 watts.
Normally a translator move like this wouldn't be worth mentioning, but in this case the parent station has been changed to WBHJ, 95-7 Jamz. Since a commercial station can't use a translator, the only thing I can figure is it's either A) a placeholder for another non-comm feed or B) they've got a plan to move it to the commercial band. The only commercial band frequency I figure they could move it to (after filing a second and third request to change facilities) would be 100.1 MHz.
This is the latest translator move with "possibilities" in the Birmingham market, after W294BL, which is currently on the air but hard to catch on its first-adjacent perch next to WBPT. It's currently relaying WBPT, which like WBHJ is a Cox property.
Could Cox be following in Clear Channel's footsteps and utilizing loopholes to get new FM signals on the air?
Showing posts with label WAY-FM. Show all posts
Showing posts with label WAY-FM. Show all posts
Friday, May 4, 2012
Thursday, November 24, 2011
Hallelujah 105-1 seeks move to 98.3
Hallelujah 105.1, operating as translator W286BK, is seeking to move to 98.3 MHz. The new facility will be at the same height and antenna location they employ now, but with 170 watts.
Translators operate on a secondary status to full power stations, so when WALJ signed on in Northport, also on 105.1 MHz, it created some interference issues. Clear Channel first moved the translator from the Magic 96 translator on Ishkooda Mountain to their Red Mountain site but this did not fix the interference issue to WALJ's satisfaction.
As such, Clear Channel (through WAY-FM Media, who actually owns the translator) is seeking a waiver of the Commission's 74.1233(A)(1) rules and asking to jump ship to 98.3 MHz.
98.3 MHz is not exactly a perfect choice, however. It's second-adjacent to Kiss FM, which the rules are OK with, but also first-adjacent to WTXT in Tuscaloosa. The application includes a null towards the west to compensate, but whenever WTXT returns to full power (they're on low power while their tower, which was felled by the April tornadoes, is rebuilt) it will put a very good signal into Birmingham again. This may create unwanted interference issues, but since WTXT is also a Clear Channel property, there will be no one to ask the translator to shut down or move again.
Translators operate on a secondary status to full power stations, so when WALJ signed on in Northport, also on 105.1 MHz, it created some interference issues. Clear Channel first moved the translator from the Magic 96 translator on Ishkooda Mountain to their Red Mountain site but this did not fix the interference issue to WALJ's satisfaction.
As such, Clear Channel (through WAY-FM Media, who actually owns the translator) is seeking a waiver of the Commission's 74.1233(A)(1) rules and asking to jump ship to 98.3 MHz.
98.3 MHz is not exactly a perfect choice, however. It's second-adjacent to Kiss FM, which the rules are OK with, but also first-adjacent to WTXT in Tuscaloosa. The application includes a null towards the west to compensate, but whenever WTXT returns to full power (they're on low power while their tower, which was felled by the April tornadoes, is rebuilt) it will put a very good signal into Birmingham again. This may create unwanted interference issues, but since WTXT is also a Clear Channel property, there will be no one to ask the translator to shut down or move again.
Tuesday, November 1, 2011
Translator Rodeo Hoedown
Some notable translator changes have begun to stack up at ABMP World Headquarters. (What? You didn't know we had a world headquarters?) Let's go down the list, in no particular order:
First, in Bay Minette, W262AL "signed on" to its new dial position at 101.1 MHz after vacating the noncomm band. The parent station is listed as WMEZ in Pensacola. I use quotation marks because the station, like most translators on the move, never actually signs on for more than a moment, if that… It's just part of the circus of moving to greener pastures. The translator's final destination is still assumed to be Pensacola itself, for the new ESPN sports talker at 1450. As it can only "hop" so far each time, and the FCC has put the brakes on these kinds of moves, expect this station to finally land in town sometime well into 2012.
Up on Sand Mountain, W259AP Albertville has received a CP to relocate from 99.7 to 99.3 and mosey on down the highway from Boaz to Mountainboro. It is listed as relaying WAY-FM's WAYU, licensed to Steele. It's worth noting that WAYU already sort of covers the area, so while it's reasonable to assume this is for fill-in service on the area, it's possible it's being moved to Gadsden to pick up an AM station's signal. We'll have to wait and see what the plans are for this lucrative setup.
In Birmingham, W281AB (104.1 The Beat, a relay of WMJJ-HD2) has received a permit to boost power from 125 to the full 250 watts, plus a rise in antenna height. Expect a nice boost in coverage soon, if it hasn't already gone live.
In Madison, west of Huntsville, word is that W247AT (97.3) is now relaying 97.9 WQXD-LP in Athens, with their God's Country format. This puts the tiny LPFM station on three translators in total, including a co-channel one in Huntsville and one on 101.7 in Priceville/Somerville.
Finally, in the south-B'ham suburb of Calera, W241BD (96.1, 8 watts, relaying WGIB) has received its permit to relocate to 106.7 MHz, with 50 watts from the same site off Highway 31 in Alabaster. The parent station will change to WBPT, which is one click over at 106.9. It is most curious that the translator will be on WBPT's first adjacent, but my theory is that this is just a temporary setup to wrangle around the translator rules a little. A translator can make a "minor change" to its licensed facility and move up to 3 channels up or down from its licensed spot on the dial. But it can also move 53 or 54 channels up or down. This is a way for a noncomm translator to jump into the commercial band and vice-versa. It also can allow a translator like this one, which is surrounded by occupied frequencies, to move to a clearer part of the band. The translator will "sign on" at 106.7 briefly (in theory, anyway) then apply to move 1, 2 or 3 spaces away to a suitable dial position. More than likely, this will mean moving to 106.5 or 106.3 MHz, neither of which has any active stations on it in the area. Whether it stays in Alabaster or moves into Birmingham remains to be seen, but this one bares watching. No other market has embraced translators relaying AM or HD2 signals like Birmingham and this one is set to move to one of the last frequencies available area-wide.
First, in Bay Minette, W262AL "signed on" to its new dial position at 101.1 MHz after vacating the noncomm band. The parent station is listed as WMEZ in Pensacola. I use quotation marks because the station, like most translators on the move, never actually signs on for more than a moment, if that… It's just part of the circus of moving to greener pastures. The translator's final destination is still assumed to be Pensacola itself, for the new ESPN sports talker at 1450. As it can only "hop" so far each time, and the FCC has put the brakes on these kinds of moves, expect this station to finally land in town sometime well into 2012.
Up on Sand Mountain, W259AP Albertville has received a CP to relocate from 99.7 to 99.3 and mosey on down the highway from Boaz to Mountainboro. It is listed as relaying WAY-FM's WAYU, licensed to Steele. It's worth noting that WAYU already sort of covers the area, so while it's reasonable to assume this is for fill-in service on the area, it's possible it's being moved to Gadsden to pick up an AM station's signal. We'll have to wait and see what the plans are for this lucrative setup.
In Birmingham, W281AB (104.1 The Beat, a relay of WMJJ-HD2) has received a permit to boost power from 125 to the full 250 watts, plus a rise in antenna height. Expect a nice boost in coverage soon, if it hasn't already gone live.
In Madison, west of Huntsville, word is that W247AT (97.3) is now relaying 97.9 WQXD-LP in Athens, with their God's Country format. This puts the tiny LPFM station on three translators in total, including a co-channel one in Huntsville and one on 101.7 in Priceville/Somerville.
Finally, in the south-B'ham suburb of Calera, W241BD (96.1, 8 watts, relaying WGIB) has received its permit to relocate to 106.7 MHz, with 50 watts from the same site off Highway 31 in Alabaster. The parent station will change to WBPT, which is one click over at 106.9. It is most curious that the translator will be on WBPT's first adjacent, but my theory is that this is just a temporary setup to wrangle around the translator rules a little. A translator can make a "minor change" to its licensed facility and move up to 3 channels up or down from its licensed spot on the dial. But it can also move 53 or 54 channels up or down. This is a way for a noncomm translator to jump into the commercial band and vice-versa. It also can allow a translator like this one, which is surrounded by occupied frequencies, to move to a clearer part of the band. The translator will "sign on" at 106.7 briefly (in theory, anyway) then apply to move 1, 2 or 3 spaces away to a suitable dial position. More than likely, this will mean moving to 106.5 or 106.3 MHz, neither of which has any active stations on it in the area. Whether it stays in Alabaster or moves into Birmingham remains to be seen, but this one bares watching. No other market has embraced translators relaying AM or HD2 signals like Birmingham and this one is set to move to one of the last frequencies available area-wide.
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