Another Beaumont-Port Arthur Station Hit With a Big FCC Fine

[everydayguy]

The FCC has ordered KBPO-AM 1150 Port Neches to pay $40,000.00 in fines for failure to have required items in its Public File including quarterly issues reports -- plus an additional hefty fine for the owners' claiming its Public File had been updated when it apparently had not been.

It's the second big FCC fine for a Beaumont-Port Arthur radio station in the past two weeks. 990AM in Beaumont was fined for having burned-out tower lights.

[mmnassour]

It's generally a bad idea to blatantly lie to the FCC.

Much easier to run an unlicensed pirate in Austin on 90.1.

[Anonymouse]

It's generally a bad idea to blatantly lie to the FCC.

Much easier to run an unlicensed pirate in Austin on 90.1.

Or to misuse translators in San Antonio and run them as stand-alone stations on 93.7 or 102.3.

[radi0avenger]

It's generally a bad idea to blatantly lie to the FCC.

Much easier to run an unlicensed pirate in Austin on 90.1.

Or to misuse translators in San Antonio and run them as stand-alone stations on 93.7 or 102.3.

Nice to see Dallas isn't the only market who has translators doing that.
</sarcasm>

[Trooper1047]

M&M Broadcasting in Waco has AM_1590 and runs two translators on 101.3.  The call it 101.3_Bob_FM_AND_1590_A_M.

Translator rules clearly state you cannot take translator(s) and make them a stand_alone FM.

If anything, EVERY time a station ID is given, it should state CLEARLY the AM_1590. Even when you listen to JUST the AM, it's not identified.

What's up with these OUTRIGHT, flagrant violations of translator rules?

[bturner]

I heard them say 'and 1590' frequently on Bob (about 4x an hour or more) when I took a drive to the DFW area in May...listened about 4 hours (coming and going).  Sure there is more emphasis on the FM but how is that illegal?  Most would be listening on FM anyway.

[Infamous]

M&M Broadcasting in Waco has AM_1590 and runs two translators on 101.3.  The call it 101.3_Bob_FM_AND_1590_A_M.

Translator rules clearly state you cannot take translator(s) and make them a stand_alone FM.

If anything, EVERY time a station ID is given, it should state CLEARLY the AM_1590. Even when you listen to JUST the AM, it's not identified.

What's up with these OUTRIGHT, flagrant violations of translator rules?

Translators rules are a little different for AM stations. For instance, AM stations that are being translated on an FM translator do not need to be fed with an over the air signal of the AM. They can be fed via an STL audio feed. Also...if the AM is a daytime only station the FM translator can continue to broadcast the programming at night when the AM is off the air.

The only time they would need to identify the AM would be at the top of the hour with it's legal ID. All they have to say is "KLRK  Mexia" They could add something before that or after such as ""KLRK  Mexia / Waco" or even "KLRK  Mexia / Waco - Central Texas' Classic Rock Leader". Basically as long as KLRK and Mexia are mentioned together back to back they have completed a perfectly legal station identification. Anything before and after such as frequency or format is just station branding mixed into the ID.

Now if they are not broadcasting "KLRK  Mexia" at the top of the hour then yes...they are in violation.



On a side note...while they could verbally announce the legal ID for the translator they don't really have to. Translators are allowed to ID themselves at the top of the hour via FSK (frequency shift keying). Most low power transmitters today that are used for translators (i.e. Armstrong, PTEK, etc) have built in FSK.

[jras20]

It's generally a bad idea to blatantly lie to the FCC.

Much easier to run an unlicensed pirate in Austin on 90.1.

That was funny 

[Kent]

If I had an AM paired with a translator, I probably wouldn't mention the AM at all aside from the legal ID, which would just be the calls and COL.  Given the direction AM broadcasting is headed, your audience probably isn't going to listen there anyway.  Why risk confusing or distracting your audience?  You want them to find you on their turf, and that's definitely not AM!

[country24]

Unless you have an AM with a large coverage area and an FM translator with a tiny coverage area.  Whether you can draw a significant audience on AM beyond the range of the translator depends on your format and your competition.