FCC: AM Station Totals Down, FM Up In September

Totals

The FCC has released its totals for broadcast stations licensed as of SEPTEMBER 30th and is showing AM stations slightly down since the last figures were released for JUNE 30th, from 4,698 to 4,692, with FM Commercial stations up from 6,666 to 6,688 and FM educational stations down just one, from 4.091 to 4,090. Low-power FMs were up from 1,149 to 1,364.

In other FCC action, CUMULUS MEDIA has finally applied to move the transmitter of its News-Talk WMAL-A/WASHINGTON to the site of crosstown RED ZEBRA Sports WSPZ-A (SPORTSTALK 570) after putting the current BETHESDA site up for sale for housing development by TOLL BROTHERS. The relocated WMAL will use 10 kw days and 2.7 kw nights from the four-tower array northwest of BETHESDA and west of GAITHERSBURG (further distant from the present site), with the city grade covering all of WASHINGTON during the day and 95% at night.

And the battle over BBC BROADCASTING's attempt to build a tower array at the Canadian border in POINT ROBERTS, WA for South Asian KRPI-A (SHER-E-PUNJAB AM 1550)/FERNDALE, WA has led to a SKAGIT COUNTY judge ruling that the company's application exceeded height limits for the town. The DELTA OPTIMIST reports that BBC's appeal of an earlier ruling by WHATCOM COUNTY that the five 150-foot towers would exceed the limits was rejected after local residents in POINT ROBERTS and adjacent TSAWASSEN, BC complained about potential electrical interference and health issues from the station, which targets VANCOUVER with its programming. POINT ROBERTS sits south of VANCOUVER on a small peninsula and is accessible by land from the rest of the U.S. only by exiting the country across the BRITISH COLUMBIA border and re-entering at TSAWASSEN.

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