Has the FCC abandoned the Main Studio Rule? I have a long standing suspicion that many licensed radio stations don’t even exist other than on paper.
This is the location of WNNR-AM in Jacksonville Florida. I’m not picking on them, it was just one of the first stations where I tried to find the transmitter and/or studio.
It’s a 1000 watt AM station playing Regional Mexican music. I recognize the name of the owner as an operator of a number of Spanish language radio stations that have a minimal presence to the public.
This subdivision is fairly new – this dead end street used to be the dirt road that leads to the transmitter for the station. Back in the back, I think you may still be able to get onto the dirt road – it’s the only way to get to the transmitter (once you move the basketball hoop blocking the street).
The radio station is in front of you. Let’s say you wanted to drop in and ask to see the “Public Inspection File”, which is your right as an American.
The only contact information on the license renewal application is a PO Box in Tucker, Georgia. The prior owner had a PO Box in New York.
The station has a remote audio link, which lists the address as being at
2427 N. UNIVERSITY
JACKSONVILLE, FL
but I only found that out by tracking breadcrumbs through the databases. That address matches WVOJ-AM, which is owned by the same owner and is the simulcast partner of this “La Raza” station (located in Fermandina Beach)
That little building appears to be the “Studio” end of the STL link.
So do you think the people in the parking lot know where the public inspection file is?
The FCC has too much work as it is, but if someone points out violations of the Main Studio requirments (it has to be staffed with a human during regular business hours), warehousing of station licenses would become cost prohibitive.
The Contact link on the web site shows a different address for the studio:
4565 St Augustine Rd
Jacksonville, FL 32207, EEUU (Estados Unidos – so you don’t confuse it with EU – European Union)
That address is occupied by Affordable Plumbing
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hey Art: Have you found the Gov’t owned NASA Internet radio station? I heard about it the other night, Mark Levin I think was saying that there was suppose to be a law preventing the Gov’t from doing this?
http://www.informationweek.com/news/government/mobile/232300362
I didn’t get to hear all of it as the dog wanted out. You heard of this?
The nearest I can come to a law like that is the US Government can’t operate a radio station that targets a domestic audience. Voice of America can’t broadcast at this country, even on shortwave. Shortwave, however tends to reach a long way, so you can hear VOA, it just isn’t targeted at us.
But Internet streams are not “radio”.
A few towns do operate non-profit FM stations – WRR-FM is run by the city of Dallas, New York City has a full time FM station – but cities don’t have an FCC rule against that. LPFM specifically wants cities to create one, but few took up the offer.