Another hopelessly complicated directional AM that'll never be built gets green lighted from the FCC

This newest one is right in Birmingham, licensed to the northern suburb of Fultondale. Here are the stats: 6 kW days, 250 watts nights and six towers full time.  The actual coordinates put the facility in the middle of a forest between US-31 and Quail Ridge Golf Course in Gardendale.

I went ahead and added this to the AM list. I've kind of broken my longstanding rule against listing brand new construction permits because the majority of them never come to fruition, and the few that do, do so with vastly different facilities.  At this point, these entries just add some color to the pages. :)

If you're wondering why I'm so pessimistic about this ever getting built, consider the obstacles: AM radio is being abandoned in droves by anyone whose age is below room temperature.  A six tower array is expensive to built and even more expensive to maintain.  The few established AM powerhouses in Birmingham have already migrated to FM simulcasts or translators.  The market is already fairly saturated with choice.  And not least, this is a highly directional signal both day and night that will in all likelihood miss a lot of population to the east and west of downtown and north of Gadendale.  The city is spread out along the poles, north-south and east-west.  This signal is aimed almost due south from Forestdale.

This CP joins others on AM in Tuscaloosa, Montgomery, Fayette, Excel and Opp, and I'll be shocked if any of them get put on the air before the CPs expire.

Silent York translator on the move again

W212CB York (90.3) has received another construction permit, this time while on the FCC silent list.  The new facility moves it on down I-20/59 to Cuba, near the Mississippi state line.  The power increases to 80 watts and frequency moves to 100.9.  Once it moves the calls will change to W265BO.

Perhaps it's headed to Meridian to relay another AM station?

WERC is no more, and some translator updates

It's official, WERC is no more.  Well, on AM, at least.  Today the call sign changed to WVVB, to reflect the new musical outlook of 960's FM translator cousin, “The Vulcan”.  The WERC calls on 960 dated back to the early 70's.

In translator news, a facility licensed to Calera popped up today that I had never seen before, despite the fact the construction permit dates back to about 2008.  Somehow it has slipped through the cracks.  W241BD is on 96.1 MHz, owned by Educational Media Foundation and is listed to be relaying Glen Iris' WGIB.  The actual transmitter site is nowhere near Calera, but just south of the I-65/US-31 interchange in Alabaster, across from the Best Buy and JCPenny shopping center.

The 105.1 MHz frequency in central Alabama continues to be aflutter with movements, this time a Demopolis-licensed translator known as W286BV.  At one time it really was near Demopolis, but had moved to a site north of Moundville, although it's doubtful it was ever actually on the air.  And even if it was, few would hear the measly 10 vertical watts of power from the middle of nowhere.  That's changing, as the latest permit moves it right up to Jug Factory Road in Tuscaloosa, where a few other translators are now.  The power also gets a boost to 200 watts.  The FCC shows non-comm WUAL as the station being relayed, but look for that to change if the facility ever gets built out.

This is the latest in a series of odd movements all centered on 105.1 MHz in the central Alabama region.  Tuscaloosa already had a translator allocated to the frequency, licensed to Northport.  But that translator moved from northwest of town to Vance, then to Wilton in Shelby County.  Meanwhile, Shelby County already had a translator in nearby Alabaster on the frequency, but it moved to Hoover.  Finally Demopolis' translator on this frequency is on its second hop to Tuscaloosa.   *whew*

W286BK Birmingham on air?

The daily digest came down the pipeline this morning with word that WAY-FM has filed a license to cover for W286BK in Birmingham.  The station, at 105.1 MHz, was previously licensed to Alabaster with just 10 watts.  The site was actually in Pelham, at US-31 and AL-119 but as far I know, was never operational.

So while this license to cover would imply they're broadcasting from the new site in Hoover's Patton Chapel area, I am skeptical that it's actually on the air.

In other religious radio news, Columbus, Georgia's WFRC is showing as having built out a construction permit.  They have previously been listed as silent, so it can be guessed that they are back on the air now.  It's possible they're still off, as religious organizations are bad about bending the FCC rules on licenses to cover, but as it's a full power station I'll give them the benefit of the doubt.

Birmingham's 103.1 unsurprisingly flips to active rock as "The Vulcan"

Told ya.

The previous post was actually made in haste, as the station was stunting with a rotating cadre of musical formats with a pitch to vote online for the final format.  But we all knew it'd be rock, right?  

"The Vulcan" reappears on Birmingham radio after all. In three spots!

The speculation appears to be true, at least for now, that the old "Vulcan" rock format is back in Birmingham.  And it's on three different frequencies!

First up is the translator, W276BQ, running 250 watts with an STA (Special Temporary Authority) from the same tower as WQEN and WERC-FM.  It's on 103.1 and is the main focus of the marketing, as "103.1 The Vulcan".  It's being fed by WQEN-HD2, but the rock format is also being heard on WERC-AM, too.

No idea what Clear Channel's ultimate plans are with the HD2 or AM station, as they only need one or the other to feed the translator.

Birmingham to get another "Vulcan"?

W276BQ is the call sign for a translator in Birmingham on 103.1 MHz.  It's currently under and STA to run from the same tower site as WQEN and other Clear Channel stations on Red Mountain.  In recent times, it's had trouble staying on the air, relaying Citadel's WJOX-AM, but a few days ago, it came back on in fits and spurts with music.  AAA, AC and who knows what else.

Turns out, it's basically stunting for a new format.  Clear Channel has thrown up a website asking visitors to vote on what the new station should play.  It may be a ruse, though, as www.1031thevulcan.com has already been registered by agents for Clear Channel.  If you remember, the Vulcan was the name of the ill-fated mainstream rocker that was bumped for a WERC simulcast.  Thoughts abound that the website is hype and the format will be rock no matter what.

Birmingham hasn't embraced rock since The X was on 107.7, but that was before rock took a turn for the worse and pop music began climbing the charts.  Either way, will Birmingham support what is likely to be a computer in a closet, with no real hosts?

We shall see.