RE: WBZ Reception Is Worsening

[dan.strassberg@att.net]

The station to which you refer, WTOR, Youngstown NY, is 
not even in an adjoining state from WABC's COL; it's in 
the same state. WTOR is a daytimer and originally used 5 
kW (now 9kW). WTOR did not originally use a different 
power during critical hours, but since the increase to 9 
kW, it may now do so.

As you say, the pattern from the three-tower in-line 
array (self-supporting towers, believe it or not) has a 
deep, broad null toward WABC. With 9 kW, the signal in 
downtown Toronto is well over 5 mV/m. The station covers 
very little area or population in the U.S., however.

There's some really bizarre stuff about WTOR's pre-
sunrise authorization suggesting that people at ABC and 
the FCC were asleep at the switch or just don't care. 
Since WTOR is west of WABC and within WABC's 0.5 mV/m 
50% skywave, WTOR is, as far as I know, not entitled to 
sign on at 6:00 AM year round, although it should be 
allowed to sign on at New York sunrise (7:15 in December 
and January) with whatever power keeps its skywave from 
interfering with WABC's 0.5 mV/m groundwave.

However, I've been told by someone who claims to be a 
good friend of WTOR's CE that, not only does WTOR have 
authorization to sign on at 6:00 AM 12 months a year, it 
does so with the maximum PSRA power of 500W in all 
months when New York sunrise is later than 6:00 AM. 
Given the longitude, the station must use the PSRA in 
many months of the year.

I guess it's possible that, using 500W and its day 
pattern while it's still dark on the Niagara Frontier, 
WTOR might protect WABC's groundwave adequately. But 
given the fictions that govern AM protections, there is 
no way that, under those conditions, that WTOR could 
protect WABC's nighttime skywave service. Probably only 
a few thousand people in the US (maybe only hundreds) 
are affected, though. Perhaps the FCC waived the rules 
because of the small population affected.

> There is even a case in which a former clear-channel frequency (770) 
> was reused in an adjoining state....a daytime-only station in a town near 
> Buffalo NY, which is directional toward Canada.  Needless to say, they have a 
> VERY deep null toward WABC's site in Lodi NJ.