WWBW 96.9

[Dave Doherty]

WWBW-LP is the actual call sign, indicating that it is an LPFM station.  The 
rules are quite different for LPFMs, which are secondary services and have 
no particular signal requirement for their claimed city of license.

For a prototypical LP-100 station operating over smooth terrain, the 60dbu 
contour falls at less than 6km from the transmitter site, and most LPFMs 
don't serve their 60dbu.  Assuming smooth terrain, WEHN's interfering signal 
at the WWBW-LP transmitter site is on the order of 48dbu. That means that 
the interference-free contour of WWBW-LP is about 68dbu, which is a coverage 
radius of about 3.5km.

So Higganum might be a huge stretch, but not an illegal one. The transmitter 
location is governed by 47 CFR 73.853. Within the top 50 urban markets, the 
applicant - or a local campus, branch, or chapter - must be located within 
10 miles of the transmitter; or 75% of its board members must reside within 
10 miles of the transmitter.  Outside the top 50 urban areas, the 10 mile 
limits increase to 20 miles.

LPFM stations must accept interference from full power stations such as 
WEHN.  The FCC publishes two distance separation limits for LPFM - a minimum 
distance that would protect the conflict from receiving interference with a 
20km buffer, and a greater distance at which the LPFM would expect to 
receive no interference from the conflicts at its 60dbu contour.  This is 
all published  in 47 CFR 73.807.

For easy access to all current US Code of Federal Regulation (CFR) titles, 
access http://ecfr.gpoaccess.gov. Most of the FCC rules are in Title 47. 
Broadcast rules are in Volume 4, Part 70-79. Radio rules are in Parts 73 and 
74.

And WYCM is 90.1 in Charlton, MA.  WYCM-LP is in Ashaway, RI.  Different 
owners, so presumably they have an agreement of some kind.

-Dave Doherty
 Skywaves Consulting LLC
 PO Box 4
 Millbury, MA 01527
 401-354-2400
 202-370-6357 (DC)

--------------------------------------------------
From: "Paul B. Walker, Jr." <walkerbroadcasting@gmail.com>
Sent: Wednesday, March 17, 2010 10:19 PM
To: "madprof" <madprof@ix.netcom.com>
Cc: "B-R-I" <boston-radio-interest@bostonradio.org>
Subject: Re: WWBW 96.9

>
> 88.9 Marthas Vineyard and 88.5 Nantucket are their applications.
>
> I forgot, 96.7 in Ashaway changed call letters to WYCM!
>
> WWBW is quite interesting. WHen I contacted them several years ago, I only
> got an answer after pestering them a bit...allbeit, politely.. just from 
> the
> standpoint of being curious as to what was going on
>
> Paul Walker
> www.onairdj.com
> www.facebook.com/onairdj
>
>
>
> On Wed, Mar 17, 2010 at 9:13 PM, madprof <madprof@ix.netcom.com> wrote:
>
>> Wooo, yes, really strange, Higganum is on the CT river,  and the 60dBu
>> service plot is basically 1/2 of Norwich, which is on the Thames River,
>> nowhere near in range of Higganum.
>> Someone at the FCC was, ah, sleeping?  (I'm being kind).
>>
>> FCC calcs WWBW site as 40.36 km (25.08 miles) distant from
>> 41° 29' 48" N Lat  72° 33' 27" W Lon,
>> [Higganum per FCC Reference Coordinates for Communities]
>>
>> FCC calcs WWBW's site as 59.79 km (37.15 miles)
>> distant from WEHN 96.9 East Hampton, LI.
>>
>> www.ontheradio.net lists WCTD as 96.9 The Party -
>> RI's ONLY Party Station, Ashaway, RI.
>> I found no WCTD or WBLQ(-LP) listed in FCC FM query,
>> then checked Ashaway, RI, 96.7, only WYCM-LP is listed.
>> Please furthur identify?
>>
>> FWIW, www.ontheradio.net Norwich does not include WWBW!
>>
>> It is beyond me why a Licensee named  "CONNECTICUT RIVER EDUCATIONAL 
>> RADIO"
>> would have apps on Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket,
>> which certainly aren't in CT.
>> Please quote the frequencies of those apps so I can view in FM Query, 
>> too.
>>
>> Bob Sutherland.
>>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> >From: "Paul B. Walker, Jr." <walkerbroadcasting@gmail.com>
>> >Sent: Mar 15, 2010 7:29 PM
>> >To: bri <bri@bostonradio.org>, B-R-I <
>> boston-radio-interest@bostonradio.org>
>> >Subject: WWBW 96.9
>> >
>> >How this station got licensed to HIGGANUM, but it's antenna in southern
>> >Norwich is beyond  me. No website exsists and in the several years WWBW
>> has
>> >been licensed, I've heard that the "issue" of COL vs Antenna location
>> would
>> >be correct. I've also seen that this station is off the air alot and
>> really
>> >suffers from interference because of WEHN East Hampton, Long Island. 
>> >Which
>> >is why WCTD, now WBLQ-LP applied and mvoe to 96.7 in 2 weeks or so. I 
>> >also
>> >see where the WWBW Licensee has apps on Matha's Vineyard and Natucket.
>> >
>> >I wonder what the purpose of WWBW and these propsoed stations are? 
>> >Anyone
>> >ever locate the antenna?
>> >
>> >Paul Walker
>>
>>
>