Re: [IRCA] WTIX-980 Winston Salem NC?

["Scott Fybush" <scott@xxxxxxxxxx>]

> Lee,
>
> It might be a little harsh to say not to believe "anything" from the FCC
> DB.  Admittedly it has its problems, but, for example, WPBI 960 N.Palm
> Beach, FL, just became WSVU, and as soon as anyone noticed the change, it
> was found already reflected in the FCC DB.  Other resources are yet to
> catch up.
>
> For those of us who aren't subscribed to other services, it does provide a
> reasonable place to start.

The FCC CDBS is an excellent resource, as long as one is aware of its
limitations.

Unlike 100kw or radio-locator or Lee's log or the NRC Log, it's not meant
to be a precise representation of what's actually on the air - just what's
ALLOWED to be on the air. The purpose, in other words, is not so much to
tell us (as DXers) what we should be hearing - it's to tell other
broadcasters what they need to protect when they file applications, and to
tell the FCC's enforcement folks what they SHOULDN'T be hearing.

In the case of WTIX 980, for instance, the FCC doesn't really care whether
it's on the air at this very moment, as long as it's on the air at least
enough to keep the license warm, and as long as it's operating within
licensed parameters.

If a station is operating under an STA, it is, by definition, still
operating within (and usually far below) its licensed parameters, and
since it still needs to be protected to its licensed contours, it's the
licensed facility that continues to be reflected in the CDBS.

It's important to remember that call letters are no longer of much
relevance to the FCC. Stations are now licensed by "Facility ID Number,"
which doesn't change when the call does, and so call changes are of
relatively minor priority to the CDBS.

Free services like radio-locator that depend on CDBS data tend to have a
hard time with Canada, as we've seen time and again. This, once again, is
because CDBS doesn't really care what's ACTUALLY on the air outside the US
- just what's internationally reported and what US-licensed facilities
need to protect. So all those long-gone Canadian AMs stay in CDBS, because
they have to be there.

Even some of the confusion about CPs versus licensed operations can be
eliminated when one really gets to know CDBS well. Again, since a CP gets
as much protection as does a licensed facility, the only real concern from
the FCC's end is making sure that CPs that go unbuilt past the mandated 18
months get deleted. It requires a deeper immersion into the applications
themselves sometimes to determine whether a station is on the air with
facility tests (under the CP) or has applied for, or been granted, the
actual license to cover.

CDBS is an essential tool for those of us who maintain databases. It's
more accurate than most DXers think, and when it's really wrong about
something (rather than just reflecting "FCC reality"), the database people
at the Commission are quite good about fixing it.

s
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