WRNJ

[Garrett Wollman]

<<On Fri, 19 Jan 2018 00:06:16 -0500, Scott Fybush <scott@fybush.com> said:

> The one advantage Ed has now that didn't exist even a year ago is that the
> "ratchet rule" has been repealed. That rule, when it was in effect,
> required an AM minor mod to show a reduction in total interference, which
> in practice meant it was very hard to move an older AM without being forced
> to take a power/coverage loss.

The other side of that, though, is that there are precious few places
in the market where 1510 could actually *go* and maintain protection
to WRNJ, WLAC, and that nonexistent Canadian.  They certainly can't go
to Newton (there's no space and 1510 is well inside the "10% rule"
from 1600).  There aren't any other DAs with enough towers in the
right orientation for Ed to do anything *but* take a power/coverage
loss.  Assuming he does downgrade, maybe he gets 5 kW or even 25 kW
daytime, but the only plausible night site that would give meaningful
power is the 890/1060 site in Ashland, and even if Ed's a Natick boy
he'd be nuts to invest that kind of money in this facility.

So what he's probably looking at is OK day power and maybe minimal
class-B facilities at night?  You could probably do that from the 850
site in Needham for a reasonable amount of money, if Entercom is
willing to lease.  The 680 site is in the wrong place, likewise 1030.
The 1150 site is out because 1470.  590 and 1260 are both ...
problematic -- although it would be some irony if Ed did manage to
move the thing back to Quincy.

The 650 (ex-1200) site here in Framingham would work as a directional
but he'd have to relicense it.

If he's willing to make the compromises necessary to go ND-U then a
few other sites open up: 1360 and 1300 would both "work".  (1090/1430
and 740/1550 are obviously out.)  He could string a unipole on
someone's grounded communications tower, although that rarely turns
out well.  Or just throw up a Valcom whip somewhere.

-GAWollman