Re: Fwd: Herald: Is WWZN dragging down SNR?

[Aaron Read <aread@speakeasy.net>]

At 10:46 AM 6/12/2003, Sid Schweiger wrote:
> >>Or give it to a college station.<<
>
>You've got to be kidding me.  The concept that a college could afford the 
>maintenance required on an AM directional, to say nothing of the power 
>bill for a 50-kW AM transmitter, is out in la-la-land.  It's hard enough 
>on the budget of a commercial station when something happens to a 
>directional array, requiring troubleshooting, repairs, and sometimes 
>replacement of high-power (and VERY expensive) components, followed by a 
>partial proof of performance.  Try telling a board of governors of a 
>college that "we don't know how much money it will take to keep this thing 
>legal, but it could get very expensive if something goes wrong."
>
>If you've ever wondered why colleges tend not to own AM stations, or why 
>AM directionals are being neglected and sometimes just turned off 
>nationwide, now you know.


That does make sense.

Although then again, I have noticed a gradual but noticeable upswing in 
colleges who are prepared to spend a LOT of money on a radio station (I 
have heard numbers close to seven figures tossed around).   It seems to be 
polarizing...there's an even greater number of colleges who are prepared to 
spend NOTHING on their station, too.  The middle ground is shrinking.

My hunch is that the trend is towards neglect, but with radio in the news 
so much, and with the big-money aspect of radio getting bigger every day, 
there are more big-money alumni/donors willing to give money to some 
colleges specifically for radio.

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Aaron "Bishop" Read             aread@speakeasy.net
FriedBagels Consulting          AOL-IM: readaaron
http://www.friedbagels.com      Boston, MA