The FM Translator business is booming.\u00a0\u00a0 About a year and half ago, the FCC gave its blessing and encouragement for FM translators to be used to rebroadcast the signals of AM stations (and more recently HD2 digital channels without a primary FM analog signal).<\/p>\n
When the FM Translator license window was thrown open about 10 years ago, preferences were given for religious non-commercial owners to get first in line to snap up all the licenses for their satellite delivered preacher talk networks, including in the commercial part of the FM band – and now those licenses are being sold off at significant profit to commercial radio station operators.\u00a0\u00a0 The prices of FM translator licenses are coming in the range of what a weak full power FM license costs.\u00a0 Adding to the incentives is that FM translators do not count against FCC ownership limits.<\/p>\n
An FM Translator is currently limited to 250 watts which limits it to a relatively short range, but if mounted high enough can still be a valuable asset, especially in a major market.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 The device itself is very small and quite portable.\u00a0\u00a0 All the translator needs is a way to “hear” its primary station, either “over the air” or these days more likely over the Internet and a power source (and the FCC license of course).<\/p>\n
I realized this morning that I haven’t been properly updating which stations are carried on which translators – as these things are now constantly changing.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 That should be fixed.\u00a0\u00a0 I’ve also added the frequency and power to the translator list for a station, for example:\u00a0 WQMR-AM in Ocean City MD<\/p>\n
http:\/\/streamingradioguide.com\/streaming-schedule.php?stationid=3173<\/a><\/p>\n The rule about FM translators<\/a> is they fall into two groups – those whose signal lies entirely within the service area of the primary station (fill in translators), or translators that rebroadcast signals out in the area in between other stations (non fill-in translators) that are (usually) limited to being owned by third parties or non-commercial operations – you probably know them most often as the small town signals for your state wide NPR network.<\/p>\n So if you’re the holder of a non fillin license, you apply to move your translator inside the service area of a commercial radio station, then sell the license to the commercial radio station and Profit!\u00a0\u00a0 (in a non-profit way of course).\u00a0\u00a0 Isn’t America wonderful?\u00a0\u00a0 George Bush must really be proud of what he did to help religious broadcasters spread The Word.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The FM Translator business is booming.\u00a0\u00a0 About a year and half ago, the FCC gave its blessing and encouragement for FM translators to be used to rebroadcast the signals of AM stations (and more recently HD2 digital channels without a … Continue reading