Re: [IRCA] "CBS Radio Networks Channel 44" blown automation on 1340 in the west

["R. F. Tetro" <rtetro@xxxxxxxxx>]

To follow up on Scott's excellent expansion on my earlier comments.  One
important thing to note that I alluded to but didn't specifically say is
that the CBS and Westwood One systems are one and the same.  They are
both co-owned and use the same transponder.  A number of the Starguide
channels on that transponder are CBS and others are considered Westwood
One.  It's all really the same thing though - just different channels on
the same transponder.  ABC, on the other hand uses a different
transponder, as does Clear Channel and Premiere (which similarly share
transponder space on Starguide.  By the way, the Starguide systems in
question all use satellite AMC-8 (the old Satcom C5) which is located at
139 degrees W longitude.


Rene F. Tetro
Lansdale, PA, USA
W2FIL, WPXG816, WPXU288
Coordinates:  40D12'41"N  75D18'22"W
Grid:  FN20IF
Email:  rtetro@xxxxxxxxx
Moderator:  www.radioveronica.us and www.dxhub.com



-----Original Message-----
From: irca-bounces@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
[mailto:irca-bounces@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Scott Fybush
Sent: Monday, October 02, 2006 9:06 PM
To: Mailing list for the International Radio Club of America
Subject: Re: [IRCA] "CBS Radio Networks Channel 44" blown automation on
1340 in the west

Michael Hawkins wrote:
> That's what I was figuring.  Would that announcement also be used if
the program which was on Channel 44 had completed, and the station did
not switch back to normal programming?  I'd love to know who it was, and
maybe being able to figure out what was on Channel 44 last night would
guide me towards that goal.
>    
>   Mike

Yes, that announcement would be heard if the programming on 44 had 
completed and the automation hadn't changed to another source.

Rene's explanation of the "CBS Radio Networks Channel 44" announcement 
was a good one - but there's more to it.

There are basically only three satellite platforms for all the 
programming distributed to radio stations around the country. NPR runs 
the Public Radio Satellite System, which distributes almost all the 
public radio programming out there (not only from NPR but also from PRI 
and other sources), and for commercial radio there are the ABC and CBS 
systems. (All three use the same satellite, too, albeit on different 
transponders.)

Both ABC and CBS lease large amounts of space on their distribution 
systems to other programming providers, and the result is that most 
radio stations that carry any satellite programming at all end up with 
at least one "Starguide" receiver on the ABC system and at least one on 
the CBS system.

This is good news for the stations, since they don't need racks and 
racks of equipment for different providers. It's pretty good news for 
providers, too, since it means they can lease space from either ABC or 
CBS and know that pretty much every important station in the country 
will automatically be able to receive their programming.

But it's kind of bad news for DXers, because it means that pretty much 
ANY station could be airing the "CBS Radio Networks, Channel 44" 
announcement, regardless of what networks they might actually be 
affiliated with. The CBS system alone carries everything from Fox News 
Radio to Air America.

Those are 24-hour networks, and so there wouldn't be a "CBS Radio 
Networks, Channel 22" announcement or whatever on THOSE channels. There 
are other channels on the system that carry occasional audio, everything

from WW1 NFL football to live news events, and it's those channels that 
have the "Channel 44" announcement running when there's no other audio.

And while it's most likely that the mystery "44" station was carrying 
such a live event and didn't switch away when it was over, it's also at 
least possible that the station was supposed to be carrying something 
from ANY of the many 24-hour networks that use the CBS system, and 
switched its receiver to the wrong channel, thus ending up with "44" 
over and over again. I've heard that happen in the past, many times.

In short, we may never know...short of getting confirmation from the 
station itself.

s
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