Vol. VII, No. 8 -- August 2000
In late July, the FCC issued a Public Notice announcing the opening of the second LPFM filing window. The window will open on Monday August 28th and run through Friday, September 1st. Applications can be submitted for Connecticut, Illinois, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Nevada, New Hampshire, Puerto Rico, Virginia and Wyoming. During the last window, over 700 applications were submitted. As of yet, no construction permits have been issued to any of the non-mutually exclusive applicants. The third window is expected to open in November and will be preceded by a similar Public Notice.
The Commission recently opened a five day LPTV filing window that closed August 4th. The FCC extended the deadline to submit the engineering portion of the application. In order to be considered, FCC Form 175 had to be submitted by the prospective applicants during the filing window. The form did not identify the number or locations of the proposed LPTV facilities, just the entity filing. The deadline for submitting the legal and technical portions of the applications (Form 346) was extended until Thursday, August 31, 2000. This additional time was sought by several groups indicating insufficient time to complete the necessary paperwork. The groups actually asked for a postponement of the entire window, but that was not granted.
The Commission recently announced the delay in auctions for the 700 MHz frequency bands. The frequency ranges are contained within the former UHF TV Channels 60 through 69. Originally, the preliminary applications were to be submitted in September, but this has now been delayed until February 2001. The Commission stated that potential bidders are still developing plans for the use of the spectrum, which are complicated by the transition to DTV operation and future abandonment of Channels 60-69.
Last month, we made mention of the upcoming NAB Fall Radio show in San Francisco, although we mistakenly stated it was in October. Actually, the fall show will be held September 20th through the 23rd and we hope to see you there. I guess we left our calendar in San Francisco!
As the technical rules change, it is even more difficult to keep up with the test
equipment and measurement documentation stations are required to have on hand and
available for inspection. In the mid 1980's, the FCC deleted the requirement for
modulation monitors at stations, but specified nominal modulation levels, pilot frequency
and sub-carrier injection levels that were to be maintained. The phrase "checked as
often to insure compliance..." replaced the hour or daily rules. Many stations have
monitoring equipment that dates back many years. The questions that arise are -- does the
equipment work and has it been used? These questions are usually asked during an
inspection by the Commission, a state broadcast self-inspection check or a pre-sale due
diligence inspection. If your station's transmission facilities are checked periodically,
modulation and sub-carrier levels should be checked and noted. At least one recently
calibrated monitor should be available to check multi-station groups. The same should be
done for commonly owned directional AM stations. A recently calibrated AM field strength
meter should be available to check AM monitor points. This meter does not have to sit on a
shelf, but can be shared among many co-owned stations. Make sure you document when the
levels, field strength, etc., have been checked. This documentation comes in handy when
you need it.
Many radio stations employ contract engineers to maintain and repair broadcast facilities and equipment. They are usually not at the studio or transmitter site when a failure or power outage occurs. All of your staff should know how to turn the transmitter back on. While the announcing and technical staff should be versed in the operation of the station's remote control system, they should also know what to do to sort out a problem with a station that is off the air. Managers should have a working knowledge of how to check the normal operation of the transmitter, before calling the engineer. The engineer's first question is usually, "Have you tried to turn it back on?" It is also a good thing for the staff to know the location of the transmitter site. There may be times when the engineer is several hours away and just a pair of eyes at the site may provide enough information to the engineer over the phone to restore operation quickly. The more your staff knows, the faster the response in off-air emergencies.