Channel 6 rumors

[Joseph S]

That's sure sounds pretty fishy. They don't have an extension in place by the deadline, they clearly made no effort to meet the deadline, committed perjury on the 5/20/05 extension application, and now the documentation for this alleged other appeal is not on the record?

What's the application number?

[Gilbert]

WITI DID file for an extension and it is pending action currently. The FCC website is incorrect.

Foxeng,

Thanks for the info! Of course, that begs the question: how much of the FCC
database is correct? I have had to apologize to a few people (and now you)
for giving out incorrect information from THE OFFICIAL FCC DATABASE!  :mad:

Gilbert

[foxeng]

Foxeng,

Thanks for the info! Of course, that begs the question: how much of the FCC
database is correct? I have had to apologize to a few people (and now you)
for giving out incorrect information from THE OFFICIAL FCC DATABASE!  :mad:

Gilbert

The public part of the website is NOT the definative voice of the FCC. That info is only available through a secured user login section that is not available to the public. For some strange reason it did that dismissed thing on several applications I know for a fact are pending before the FCC right now. My guess is someone keyed in the status wrong.

[Joseph S]

So the "pending" appeal is the one with the flat out lie that they met 5/1/2002?

Per the official document's own information

WILLFUL FALSE STATEMENTS ON THIS FORM ARE PUNISHABLE BY FINE AND/OR IMPRISONMENT (U.S. CODE, TITLE 18, SECTION 1001), AND/OR REVOCATION OF ANY STATION LICENSE OR CONSTRUCTION PERMIT (U.S. CODE, TITLE 47, SECTION 312(a)(1)), AND/OR FORFEITURE (U.S. CODE, TITLE 47, SECTION 503).

[Gilbert]

The public part of the website is NOT the definative voice of the FCC. That info is only available through a secured user login section that is not available to the public. For some strange reason it did that dismissed thing on several applications I know for a fact are pending before the FCC right now. My guess is someone keyed in the status wrong.

Foxeng,

Wow. Well, thanks for letting me know! I don't see why it can't just be copied over from the secure part of the site, edited to keep stuff private that shouldn't be seen to the public. And my apologies again for the wrong info...I thought the
information on there was the official stuff. Best on getting to 1 mw. ASAP...
I did get you the other night from DeKalb, IL, 35 miles southeast of Rockford, thanks to some tropo.

And easy on the "flat out lie", Joseph. They are completely above board so far,
and while we can argue they should have started earlier, I'm thinking Foxeng
more than likely wanted that too. Many stations, due to complications
(transmitter tubes fryings) fired up their 1 megawatters only to find that
something was defective, from transmitter to tower. I wish all stations could
be at 1 mw equivalent across the country today, but regardless of what anyone says, DTV is still in its infancy...and it isn't making most stations a dime for their efforts, equipment, and huge electric bills.

I do wish the government and the TV stations would launch a better
campaign to educate the consumers. And maybe do what stations did
when black and white TV came out: gave away free sets so people could
see it.

Gilbert

[Joseph S]

And easy on the "flat out lie", Joseph.

I'm sorry. They're using a lie to base their claim that they are as you say "above board" in trying to meet the latest deadline. That's beyond dishonest. So far they have not made a single deadline and are unable to cover the city due to their pattern. It's one thing to say we're working on it, but it's another to use lies to make it look like your are.

Overall, they point the finger at everything from the weather to contractors, yet claim they can't meet the deadline due to "Legal" reasons per the checkbox. Yet, cite no legal reason. The only reason they cite is the lack of a physical document stating for the third time that the tower needed to be strengthened in 1998, it needed more in 1999, more in 2000, more in 2001, more in 2002, more in 2003, more in 2004, more in 2005...

Yet, they still haven't even made an effort to sure up the tower in 7.5 years since this "Schoolbred Study." They have done nothing but commission two more studies, one of which was done so late they didn't have it completed in time for their application. (None of the three studies are included in the application either.)

Since 1998, they have made zero effort to meet the deadlines. They failed to make 5/1/02 and didn't even make the effort to get it on the alternate tower. Heck, they didn't even have a study per documentation that they should be putting the low power setup on the alternate tower to meet coverage or for structural stability.

They have now failed to make 7/1/05, just like they failed to meet 5/1/02, and will continue to fail to meet all deadlines as long as the FCC lets FOX get away with this.

[foxeng]

I did get you the other night from DeKalb, IL, 35 miles southeast of Rockford, thanks to some tropo.

I would be surprised if you did get my station. Just so there is no confusion, I do NOT work for and have no direct connection to WITI. I do work for another FOX O & O in North Carolina though.

[Gilbert]

I would be surprised if you did get my station. Just so there is no confusion, I do NOT work for and have no direct connection to WITI. I do work for another FOX O & O in North Carolina though.

Fox,

Ohbeekaybee! :-) The way it sounded, from what you knew of WITI and
with your alias, it looked like you had worked for them.

Joseph,

Thanks for your courteous, extensive and interesting reply. If true,
and you have the history to back it up, then yes, they need to get on
the ball there. I don't know why any station would do this kind of thing;
yes, I would be strongly tempted to stay at a reasonable but low
(say 50kw-100 kw) STA power covering most of my DMA until powerup.
But, I'd sure have everything ready to go so that on 7/1/05, I'd be able
to crank it up at 11:59 PM on June 21 (to allow 9 days to fix any problems).

I don't know what to tell you, other than what I said earlier: we'll have
to wait and see what the FCC does with tardy DTV power-ups. And I
suspect it will only be a slap on the wrist, but who knows.

Gilbert

[larsob]

I wish they were at 50kW or 100kW, now they are  only at 5,400 watts ERP.

[foxeng]

Fox,

Ohbeekaybee! :-) The way it sounded, from what you knew of WITI and
with your alias, it looked like you had worked for them.

No, I have never worked for WITI. Heck, I have never even been to Milwaukee! But I do lurk around the different HD boards in markets FOX owns stations just to see what those stations are doing.

But I can tell you that the O & O's have been working years behind the scenes getting ready. I know it doesn't show a lot of the time, but they have. In my own stations case, because we have to do much more than WITI, we started 7 years ago and we are just a few months away from full power ourselves. I can't count the number of times when we have been derailed over stupid stuff that we have had no control over. First it was the local community, then the local government, (they wanted us to move it 200 FEET on the SAME piece of property and then start the whole permitting process all over again! That ate up more time that wasn't scheduled, stuff like that, just really STUPID stuff!) then it was the county and then the state (we had to look for arrowheads on the property before the state would issue a permit. REALLY!!) and along the way, the FAA and FCC both got into it several times. And don't get me started about the contractors! (BLOWS GASKET!) :guns:

On paper it is so easy to upgrade, (it is just a couple of months job, what can go wrong?) but in the real world, everyone has their own turf they are protecting. You get stuff hung up and you can count months if not years off before they are resolved. Politics are everywhere lurking under every rock and in every cranny.  It amazes me ANY business gets anything done with all of the crap you have to do just for the simplest things, but I digress.

Sorry. (must...... continue....... to take......... meds  :blush:  )

[borghe]

just to correct Joseph, WITI HAS met previous deadlines. I think you believe the 5/1/2002 deadline was more than it actually was. According to that deadline, BY THE BOOK, Fox 6 just had to cover it's zipcode (grade A). of course grade A now means (though not officially) the actual city. So Fox 6 ONLY had to give coverage to Milwaukee city proper by 5/2/2002. Even more interesting is that according to FCC regs, the signal only had to be obtainable by a minimum of a mounted antenna located no less than 30' off the ground aimed directly at their antenna. So basically the only way WITI would have been out of compliance on 5/2/2002 is if you lived in the city of Milwaukee and couldn't receive their signal with a 30' tall antenna mounted on your roof aimed directly at their tower at the time.

are they out of compliance now? yes, under the condition that their request was denied, which apparently it wasn't. are their reasons bogus? should they have had the tower strengthened already? maybe, maybe not. neither of us works for WITI so knows what the case is. but the bottom line is that they haven't done anything wrong and have operated within FCC regs. they made the 5/1/2002 deadline (even though most people couldn't get it with a "typical setup" from a "typical milwaukee area location"), and they have a pending waiver.

obviously I am biased in that I can get them, but their operating inside of FCC regulations is a fact, not opinion. Unless you can show how they have violated anything the FCC has mandated without consent.

[Joseph S]

According to that deadline, BY THE BOOK, Fox 6 just had to cover it's zipcode (grade A). of course grade A now means (though not officially) the actual city. So Fox 6 ONLY had to give coverage to Milwaukee city proper by 5/2/2002.

The problem is they didn't make 5/1/02, because they didn't even start trying until 5/1/02. They had a problem and didn't get it on until later that week.

[bradsmainsite]

Does it really matter (FCC compliant or not) the fact remains that every station
in milwaukee has done something and can easily be received with a properly
installed common antenna where as fox 6 is not even close.  It tells me they
really don't care, or are really poor business managers of this station. :bang:

Of course this is my opinion without all the actual facts, however it seems
pretty clear when compared to all other stations in this area!

[ontherun]

Tonight for sone unknown reason for the first time I was able to recieve 6-1 in Fond du Lac.

[wxndave]

I have to agree with foxeng.  Many people on this forum do not have broadcast engineering experience.  I think we all in our jobs or homes have had projects just not go well.  DTV is one of those projects for many stations.  This is new for all stations accross the country.  Not to mention the cost involved with doing this for no return on their money.  At this point I don't think they can track ratings yet.  So how do you charge more for your ads to cover the cost.   We don't even know how many DTV OTA boxes are in southeastern wisconsin.  

FOX has spent a lot of money on their tower project.  However they have been working on it for the last 2 summers.  From what I here, they found out that the work they have done was not strong enough to handle the new antenna.  Plus they needed to move the antenna for WYMS and WUWM.  I was also told that the radio stations had to move their transmitters to make room for the new full power digital.  All of this takes time and depends on permits and contrators.

Since they have moved to the capitol drive tower I have been lucky to pick them up.

Dave