WRMO Milbridge ME on the air

[Scott Fybush]

At 07:29 PM 10/30/2005, Rod O'Connor wrote:
>Application shows station owned by an individual with a Green Bay 
>Wisconsin mailing address. No local studio or mailing address given. Shows 
>application was granted back in July. Original application for 50KW goes 
>way back to 1996. I presume this is just an effort to get the station on 
>the air at minimal power, before re-applying for upgrade.
>
>Perhaps the more technically/legally-inclined on this list can elalborate 
>on the proper procedures.

They were within a few weeks of the CP expiring completely. Lyle Evans, who 
owns WRMO, has done the same thing with other stations in the past as CPs 
neared expiration. He had one for KHAM 99.5 Britt IA that was also nearing 
expiration, and there too he applied for (and was granted) a last-minute 
change to a minimal-power operation that could be put on the air in a 
matter of days.

Once the station's on the air and the danger of the CP expiring unbuilt has 
passed, then you have all the time in the world to upgrade all the way back 
to the maximum for the class (50 kW C2, if memory serves, for WRMO.)

>Doesn't a station have to have a public file and a studio in its' city of 
>license?? In this case nothing is listed for Milbridge, or even in the 
>state of Maine.
>
>I'm tempted to drive down there sometime in the next week or two, when my 
>work schedule permits; just to check this out, and scope out the facilities.

There is indeed supposed to be a public file (though it can be at a library 
or lawyer's office) and a main studio, with specific legal requirements for 
each. There's also supposed to be a local number listed in the phone book, 
though if the phone book came out 11 months ago, there's reasonable leeway 
there, I'd think.

s