WBIX

[Dan Strassberg]

Scott reported a couple of weeks ago in NERW that--toward the end of
August--WBIX would be on the air at night with its new nighttime signal
operating under program-test authority. I've yet to notice in the FCC daily
actions any application to augment the standard pattern. The FCC usually
requires the augmentation data before it grants program-test authority. In
this case, because the standard pattern is so much tighter than any real
pattern could possibly be, and because of WBIX's relatively high night
power, proximity to KYW, and the history of many previous owners being
unable to adjust the array within specs, I'm sure that the FCC wants to know
that the pattern meets specs and is stable. Of possibly greater importance
is the fact that, this morning, I was unable to find any trace of the
material that WBIX had posted at its Web site about its forthcoming
full-time operation. (The photos of the construction at Sewell St that were
first posted last fall are still there, though, tucked away in the photo
archives.) Moreover, there is a new thread at Radio-Info.com suggesting that
Chris Egan is paying Brad Bleidt $7 million for the station. Allegedly,
Bleidt paid Alex Langer in excess of $10 million less than a year ago.
(Actually, the $10 million price was kind of funny money because Bleidt
actually paid only about $1 million; Langer financed the balance.) Still, if
the price dropped by 30 to 40% in less than a year, a plausible explanation
is that the night signal isn't going to make it onto the air--despite all of
the high-priced construction and engineering work. My simple-minded and
unscientific drive-around listening test while the night-signal testing was
going on during the day certainly suggested that the array is working well,
so is there any later word? Also, Scott, did you get your information from
what you consider to be a normally reliable source?

--
Dan Strassberg, dan.strassberg@att.net
eFax 707-215-6367