Dennis Thompson
“Knock, knock!” “Who’s there?” “Your eighth harmonic.” “Your eighth harmonic-WHO?“ “Your eighth harmonic (784.8 MHz) is causing interference to our Verizon Wireless transmitter located 500 feet away!” That’s the not-so-funny joke that WKZE-FM 98.1 MHz heard from Verizon Wireless and the FCC this month. The build-out of the various 700 MHz LTE cellular networks around the country has now reached a point where problems like this are being reported.
Even if you’ve spent time and effort to make sure your transmission system is clean and complies with the standards set in the FCC rules, a new “neighbor” could cause some real problems. So, whose problem is it? Read more about what to do if the LTE build-out becomes a problem for your FM facility HERE.
To stream, or not to stream: that is the question. Well, actually that question has probably already been answered. In the past three months, all four major television networks unveiled and started rolling out streaming strategies that bring local and network programming to mobile devices, while restricting the reception of live content to devices in a station’s market. It appears, for now, that the biggest challenge isn’t the technology. Yeah, there’s the issue of formatting for tablets, PC’s, smartphones, etc. Working out the details to get the content rights for network, syndicated, or local is causing some headaches. I say, just stream all the newscast and then politely ask me to leave the room when then the syndicated sports clips are running. It worked for Oprah, she just asked the kids to leave the room during the ‘adult‘ moments. We’ll be telling our grand kids about the good old days of TV when we had to wait MONTHS to see our favorite episode of Gilligan’s Island–and you couldn’t even pause it! How does the song go? “Merrily, merrily, merrily, merrily, life is but a stream. . .”
No need to rush to the Dielectric web page and click the BUY IT NOW button. Dielectric, supplier of more than two-thirds of the TV industry’s high power antennas, who announced two months ago they would go out of business has been purchased by Sinclair. The existing staff will remain in place at Dielectric and operations will continue at its Raymond, Maine, headquarters. Dielectric will be operated as a wholly-owned subsidiary of Sinclair and be called Dielectric LLC.
I’d like to welcome a new advertiser to the SBE66 Newsletter. The California sales team of Heartland Video Systems, Inc is now on board. Thanks to; Clark Rhoads, Western Regional Sales Manager and Jeff Baron, Western Regional Sales Rep. for the support. Heartland Video Systems provides a wide range of new and used broadcast and video production equipment.
Finally, if you’re actually reading this prior to noon on Thursday June 27th, join the SBE66 gang for lunch and the monthly meeting at the Clovis HomeTown Buffet. Chairman, Ken Holden would like to discuss any and all local broadcasting issues including 2GHz ENG band coordination. This is a non hosted event, so pay as you enter and meet in the back banquet room at noon on Thursday June 27th at the Clovis HomeTown Buffet.
