Aztec Capital Partners Petitions FCC To Amend Rules To Stop DIstant FMs From Blocking Local Translators

Petition

AZTEC CAPITAL PARTNERS, licensee of Regional Mexican WHAT-A (EL ZOL)/PHILADELPHIA, is petitioning the FCC to stop out-of-market full-power FM stations from forcing translators off the air when the latter interfere with the more distant signals.  The petition asks the Commission to amend the rules to modify Sections 74.1203(a)(3) and 74.1204(f) of the rules "with a goal of protecting local listeners of fill-in area FM translators."  Presently, the "other area" stations can force a translator to be modified or shut down by a showing of listenership to their distant signals in the affected area; the petition asks that translators serving as fill-ins to local stations be preserved against such challenges.

The petition cites actions by CLEAR COMMUNICATIONS Oldies WVLT/VINELAND, NJ against co-channel translators W221DS/PHILADELPHIA (formerly W273CM/CLAYTON, NJ), AZTEC's own translator rebroadcasting WHAT, and BROADCAST SCIENCES LLC's recently-acquired W221DG/EXTON, PA, at the far western end of PHILADELPHIA's MAIN LINE suburbs.  AZTEC filed a modification application TODAY (4/10) in response to CLEAR's petition for reconsideration of W221DS' moved-in facility that would move W221DS to 99.9 FM.

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