But operation on second-adjacent channels like 92.9 in Philadelphia (to WXTU 92.5 and WMMR 93.3) and 101.1 in Providence (to WWBB 101.5) requires a more complicated engineering showing than the usual LPFM application – and it’s not hard to imagine that full-power stations will be paying close scrutiny to the possibility of new neighbors on the dial.Īnd of course there’s the never-ending question of how to make a 100-watt FM signal viable in the incredibly crowded media landscape of 2013. Then there’s the second-adjacent issue: while the FCC created many new LPFM opportunities in urban areas by loosening the rules on second- and third-adjacent spacing between full-power and low-power signals. But that process is still likely to lead to plenty of ties, which get resolved first through voluntary time-shares (and, if that doesn’t materialize, a mandatory short-term license for each applicant, one at a time until they all expire, in a process that’s yet to actually occur in the real LPFM world.) What’s in the way? There’s that “MX” factor, for one thing – if you’re one of the many broadcasters hoping for a new signal on 94.9 in the Boston area or 101.1 in Providence or 92.9 in Philadelphia, you’re likely headed to a “points” competition in which you’ll have to show that your local board, local programming plans and established local presence outrank your rivals. An initial sweep of the applications in NERW-land shows plenty of applications that should be easily and quickly grantable as “singletons” – but plenty more that will have some issues to overcome. There’s plenty of debate within the industry now about how many of those 2,800 or so new LPFM applications will ever turn into licensed stations. If you’re a licensed FM broadcaster, we urge you to spend a few minutes with the list yourself: quick action now can forestall an issue with LPFM interference later on, and there are certainly some less well-crafted applications in the pile that could cause problems to existing broadcasters. With the help of our content partners at Radio Insight and The Archives, we’ve compiled all those applications into a single searchable page that we published over the weekend.Īs we go state by state in a special “Extra” edition of NERW coming tomorrow for subscribers only, we’ll pick out some of the more interesting applications and what may be the most contested mutually-exclusive (MX) applications (who knew Providence was poised to be an LPFM hot spot?). Nationwide, that’s about 2,800 applications, a significantly smaller number than many LPFM gurus were expecting. *How many low-power FM stations will emerge from the filing window that’s just ended at the FCC? That may not be the million-dollar question, given the tiny budgets of many would-be LPFM operators, but it’s at least a question that’s a little easier to answer now that the FCC has released all the applications it received during the window. In this week’s issue… LPFM window yields fewer apps than expected – Geraldo goes local – Quinn out at Pittsburgh’s WPGB, affiliates – Lydon back at WBUR – AM auction includes NY, PA channels
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