WRTS/Star 104

It’s got to be one of the biggest Top 40 stations in the country.

According to the recently released Spring 2010 Arbitron ratings for Erie, the nearly 18 percent share of the Erie radio audience that WRTS/Star 104 enjoys at any given part of the day means that if you were to pile all those people into one place it would be the equivalent of the population of a decent sized city all jumping up and down to The Black Eyed Peas. Star definitely benefited from the sheer depth of great Top 40 songs currently in rotation. Erie has gone GaGa for the Lady, the glam of Adam Lambert, and the Gurls of California.

In fact, market watchers tell me that Star 104 has reached audience Nirvana with its “skew graph.” Connoisseur Media’s WRTS scored nearly the same percentage of adult listeners in each demographic slice, meaning that it’s the station that Grandma, Mom, and Sissy can agree on. Most Erieites listen to Star and another station; from Bob to Z.

Speaking of Z, the other big story of the book was the resurgence of the Citadel Broadcasting cluster for listenership, led by a big jump in audience for WQHZ/Z102.3. Z’s total audience numbers more than doubled since last spring, and in some dayparts tripled. The other Citadel FM’s WXKC/Classy 100 and WXTA/Country 98 both gained audience against their counterparts, although WTWF/93.9 The Wolf made it four books in a row of winning the country wars led by their live and local morning show, now hosted by Erie radio vet Sammy Stone.

I have to think that my friends at WRKT/Rocket 101 have got to be concerned about the heritage rock station’s second soft book in a row. No doubt they miss the promotional investment that station founder Rick Rambaldo used pump into each ratings period.

On the AM band, not much to see listen here. WJET/Jet Radio 1400 shows up in eighth place in the overall rankings, while WRIE/ESPN 1260 is 11^th. Meanwhile AM stations dominate in both listeners and billing in the markets surrounding Erie. What’s worse is that the Erie AM’s rarely get sampling outside their small fan base. Until a full-time news presence become available on these stations, they will not be a “go-to” destination when breaking news or weather happens.

Finally it’s curious that three Canadian stations scored positions on the rankers, but locals WFNN and WPSE didn’t. Maybe they were Star-struck.

Actual 12+ full-week rankers are available on AllAccess.com.

The NorthEast Radio Watch reports today what the FCC released Friday (HT to P&T faithful commenter Jim Griffey) that the non-profit that Snavely runs, Family Life Ministries, Inc. is purchasing WNAE-FM/Clarendon, PA from Iorio Broadcasting for $400,000 in a sale that is contingent upon FLM successfully achieving a community of license transfer from Clarendon to Wattsburg, PA to broadcast the commercial Class A at 102.7 FM.

This would be FLM’s first full-power signal in the Erie market, where they currently operate translators in Erie and Corry, and will be constructing a new NCE station in Cambridge Springs. The Clarendon purchase is part of an overall strategy to blanket Northwest PA with the Family Life Network’s “middle-of-the-road” Christian format of music and teaching. The map below from the ministry’s website illustrates the concept.

Family Life Network

As Scott Fybush reports, the petition to move for WNAE-FM has yet to be filed. As Jim Griffey indicated in his comment, this development can only mean more competition for local Christian AC WCTL/106.3.

We’ll keep you updated as more news develops.

New Family Life Network station in Cambridge Springs, PA

After a complicated and far-flung settlement agreement that stretched across nearly 100 miles of Lake Erie shoreline, the big winner of the October 2007 Non-Commercial/Educational filing window for our area appears to be Family Life Ministries of Bath NY.

The Christian broadcasting and arts ministry, which owns stations and translators across the “twin-tiers” of NY & PA from Erie to Binghamton, has applied for a 8,000 watt B1 on 89.9 FM, WERG/Gannon’s old frequency. In addition, as part of the settlement, FLN will get a new directional B1 in Silver Creek, NY on the Chautauqua/Erie County NY border to more effectively cover the Buffalo south towns.

Also clear from the settlement is that Erie will get a new NCE FM at 89.5. However we don’t know who will be victorious once the FCC works out the elaborate point system for the still mutually-exclusive stations.

The big local losers in this settlement, who would have shut out on points anyway, include LECOM, the Seventh Day Adventist church, Greg Schlueter’s Vision IDX Catholic programming, and Inspiration Time/WCTL. I’ll try to get reaction from the winners and losers of this highly competitive quest of spectrum in later posts.

You can read my original coverage of this filing window and download who the original filers were within 50 Km of Erie on my Radio Free JoJo blog.

His first attempt with a 50-watt FM transmitter was eventually met with a Notice of Unlicensed Operation from the FCC in February. Instead of quitting, Jones did the research on legal low-power options which has led to his powering up The Movement on AM 1700 in two locations in the City of Erie.

In Erica Erwin’s piece in the Wednesday Erie Times-News, Jones was quoted as saying he purchased “two AM transmitters from a distributor in Cary, NC for $1,675.” Cary is the home of the Hamilton Rangemaster AM1000, a manufacturer of transmitters for the Part 15 radio information service, which allows for 100 milliwatts into a three meter long transmission configuration.

Hamilton Rangemaster AM1000

While you might posit that 100 mw AM station can’t get past the back yard, think again. With proper grounding and placement of the antenna, the Rangemaster can cover 1 ½ miles in all directions. With a few of these stations strategically placed throughout the city, Jones can possibly exceed the listening base of his pirate station with little AM 1700’s that are totally legal and legit. Right now he is live in the heart of the Little Italy neighborhood and was adding the other transmitter at 21^st & Parade.

The Part 15 radio strategy is being used more and more by alternative talk outlets in addition to the typical “Talking House” and construction zone utilizations.

The big question that is still out there is while The Movement may have come up with a solution that passes FCC muster, what about the real tough-guys: the performing rights organizations of ASCAP, BMI and SESAC? They are quite known for generating blood-dripping turnips through their aggressive auditing, logging and billing actions. He may have to get a Part 15 performance license, which in the case of BMI is $227 a year, and covers up to $10,000 in station revenue.

That said it will be quite interesting how The Movement does climbing the highest hurdle; getting young people to listen to music on AM radio. If Marshall Jones can accomplish that to any significant degree, then everyone should take notice.

WERG mic flag

90.5 WERG, the Gannon University FM and internet station, will be the center of attention as they provide the coverage of the opening rounds of the NCAA Division II Women’s Basketball tournament, Atlantic Division.

The Number One ranked Lady Knights host No. 8 Fairmont State at 6:00 PM tonight to begin the Atlantic Regional. If they win, they’ll play the winner of tonight’s nightcap between Seton Hill and Fayetteville State tomorrow night.

Veteran sportscaster and Gannon alum Steve Bohen provides the play-by play, with help from WERG student Sports Director Caitie Ryan. If Cleve Wright’s Golden Knights continue to the semi’s, the broadcast crew will be Bohen and Beth Gaertner, the station’s Promotion Director.

Faculty Operations Director Chet LaPrice is tickled pink to have his live stream and student broadcasters in the spotlight. “We are just thrilled for the women’s basketball team. It is truly a historical moment for Gannon and we are just glad to be along for the ride.”

LaPrice said that the WERG team was especially excited to be able to bring this unprecedented event to Gannon alumni via their webcast, available at wergfm.com, along with the strong signal of 90.5.

Good luck to all of the Gannon community!

Last night on WJET/WFXP, John Treanor reported a package on Jones where they showed that he continues to operate the station with a computer, some microphones and a transmitter connected to a small mast at the top of a building in Erie’s Little Italy neighborhood. Despite the possiblity of major penalties, Treanor reports that Jones is determined to continue with 90.1 The Movement:

But Jones, a former Super Soul Saturday DJ, tells us he can’t stop – if he’s not on air, a whole genre would disappear in the city.

“The question always remained, why don’t we have this 24 hours a day, what do we have to do to do it and basically I went ahead and said let’s see what happens, you know what I mean,” says Jones…

…Jones is staying on air as long as he can before getting fined – his dream is to make the movement legal.

“I have to I have to go forward and see what it is that has to be done to make this happen,” Jones says.

This morning (Thursday), David Bruce continues his reporting on the pirate radio stations in the Times-News, complete with pictures of Jones’s operation. Bruce describes the chain of events leading to the sign-on:

A club disc jockey and former announcer at Gannon University’s WERG-FM, Jones said that he started broadcasting in October because there wasn’t enough urban music being played in Erie.

“Blacks, whites, Hispanics all had a major concern about the type of music played in Erie 24/7,” Jones said. “It was my mission to get this station up and running.”

Jones said that he started broadcasting at the low-frequency limits, then increased power.

“The response from people was so strong that I just turned it up,” Jones said. “Then someone ratted me out to the FCC.”

One problem was that Jones’ signal was intruding on the signals of other, licensed, radio stations, said A.J. Miceli, who oversees WERG as Gannon University’s chairman of theater, communications and fine arts.

• 89.5 – issued to Shawn McKines
• 90.1 – issued to Marshall Jones

The notices indicated that the operators had to cease operation immediately and that such violation of Federal law…

could subject the operator to severe penalties, including, but not limited to, substantial monetary fines, in rem arrest action against the offending radio equipment, and criminal sanctions including imprisonment.

All of the rationalizations and justifications tend to fade away in the clarity of the FCC seal and citing of United States Code.