Phase out over-the-air signals? (was: Re: WCRB to simulcast on88.7in R.I.)

[Garrett Wollman]

<<On Sat, 4 Jun 2011 00:13:59 +0000, "Kevin Vahey" <kvahey@gmail.com> said:

> Scott - Graham - what do you figure it costs to keep a 50K humming 24/7??
> Clear Channel just must look at 1200 as a nice tax loss...

Don't know who Graham is, but here's some basic calculations:

Let's look at NStar G-2 service in Newton, since we're talking about
1200.  A Nautel NX50 running at 100% modulation draws about 85 kW.
We'll assume that the peak demand is 90 kW and the 24-hour average is
80 kW, so the total energy usage in a 30-day month is 57,600 kW*h.

The monthly electric bill in November is then:

Monthly charge				$  18.19
Distribution (first 2000 kWh)		$  47.70
Distribution (next 150 hr)		$ 225.60
Distribution (remaining energy)		$ 738.15
Distribution (demand)			$ 848.70
Transition				$ 545.47
Transmission (demand)			$ 428.40
Energy conservation			$ 144.00
Renewable energy			$  28.80
Cost of energy				$4631.04
--------------------------------------- --------
Total					$7656.05

In June, the total increases to $9049.14.  Add to that rent or
property taxes; amortized tower maintenance; amortized depreciation on
the transmitter, associated equipment, and buildings; program
acquisition costs; and general overhead, and I'm guessing you're
probably looking at not less than $15,000 per month.

-GAWollman