W275BK
Encyclopedia
W275BK FM 102.9 is a broadcast translator, that has Decatur, Georgia
, as its city of license
. Recently off-air, it is license
d to cover the central part of metro Atlanta
.
In 2009, the station was assigned to WWVA-FM
105.7, allowing it to circumvent the prohibition on airing original programming by having it simulcast
on an HD Radio
channel on WWVA. On April 4, it became hip-hop Streetz 102.9, but went silent a few days later when the person responsible for the new station, the former head of the Radio One Atlanta station group
, was sued by Radio One for allegedly using his former position to take the group's intellectual property
(including remix
es) and violating a non-compete clause.
The translator was started by Radio Assist Ministry and was granted a construction permit
in late May 2004 as W223AO FM 92.5. It does not appear to have gone on-air until 2007, when it finally received a broadcast license to cover, and supposedly relayed Georgia Public Broadcasting
station WJSP-FM
88.1 (apparently without permission). In August 2008, it changed to W222BE FM 92.3, and then under an engineering
-related special temporary authorization filed the day after it got its license for this, changed a month later to its current callsign and frequency. It was almost immediately sold to Extreme Media Group, which is owned and run by one of the two people previously involved with Radio One. In early 2009, it went on-air relaying WCLK
FM 91.9.
Another local station which airs its own programming, W250BC
FM 97.9, was also started by RAM and then sold to EMG. It traded the station to Cumulus Media
in exchange for another one. Because of that station being involved with EMG, Cumulus was also named in the lawsuit
, though there was no injunction
preventing that station from operating.
The station was located on one of the two towers near Edgewood
. It was authorized to transmit 110 (previously 170) watts at 207 metres (679 ft) HAAT, but it is still off-air. Its calculated broadcast range is roughly the same as the area within Interstate 285
, but offset a few miles or several kilometers to the southeast.
In December 2009, the lawsuit was resolved such that this translator was transferred to Radio One (via ROA Licenses LLC
, meaning Radio One Atlanta) in February 2010, giving it a fifth radio station
in Atlanta, as the U.S. Federal Communications Commission
(FCC) allows translators to ignore the restrictions on excessive concentration of media ownership
in a media market
. Although the license transferred had not yet been FCC-approved, the translator was assigned per the consent decree
to parent station WAMJ
FM 107.5, owned by Radio One.
In January 2010, the station applied for and was granted a construction permit
to increase to 160 watts at 303 metres (994 ft), and relocate west to the WUPA TV 43 (69.1) tower in the Inman Park
neighborhood of Atlanta. It submitted an application for a license to cover the permit in early April 2010, and within a few days started transmitting WHTA
FM 107.9, which is also carried on WAMJ's HD Radio
channel 2
. As is common in radio broadcasting, this may or may not have been the radio format
that the station's owners intended to use long-term, but rather one intended to mislead competitors. however, it is still broadcasting WHTA, thus it appears the only purpose of the station is to cause radio tuners doing a channel scan
to stop immediately before getting to competitor V-103 (WVEE
FM 103.3), two channels (0.4MHz) directly above the "translator".
In the northern and eastern suburb
s, the station is often overwhelmed by WDUN-FM 102.9 in Gainesville, Georgia
. Overnight temperature inversions cause cooler air to settle in the Chattahoochee River
valley
, which then traps and directs the signal
southwestward toward the metro area.
Decatur, Georgia
Decatur is a city in, and county seat of, DeKalb County, Georgia, United States. With a population of 19,335 in the 2010 census, the city is sometimes assumed to be larger since multiple zip codes in unincorporated DeKalb County bear the Decatur name...
, as its city of license
City of license
A city of license or community of license, in American and Canadian broadcasting, is the community that a radio station or television station is officially licensed to serve by that country's broadcast regulator....
. Recently off-air, it is license
Broadcast license
A broadcast license or broadcast license is a specific type of spectrum license that grants the licensee the privilege to use a portion of the radio frequency spectrum in a given geographical area for broadcasting purposes. The licenses are generally straddled with additional restrictions that...
d to cover the central part of metro Atlanta
Metro Atlanta
The Atlanta metropolitan area or metro Atlanta, officially designated by the US Census Bureau as the Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Marietta Metropolitan Statistical Area, is the most populous metro area in the U.S. state of Georgia and the ninth-largest metropolitan statistical area in the United States...
.
In 2009, the station was assigned to WWVA-FM
WWVA-FM
WWVA-FM is an Atlanta radio station broadcasting a Rhythmic contemporary radio format which features R&B, Pop and Dance hits. It is owned by Clear Channel Communications and is licensed to serve Canton, Georgia...
105.7, allowing it to circumvent the prohibition on airing original programming by having it simulcast
Simulcast
Simulcast, shorthand for "simultaneous broadcast", refers to programs or events broadcast across more than one medium, or more than one service on the same medium, at the same time. For example, Absolute Radio is simulcast on both AM and on satellite radio, and the BBC's Prom concerts are often...
on an HD Radio
HD Radio
HD Radio, which originally stood for "Hybrid Digital", is the trademark for iBiquity's in-band on-channel digital radio technology used by AM and FM radio stations to transmit audio and data via a digital signal in conjunction with their analog signals...
channel on WWVA. On April 4, it became hip-hop Streetz 102.9, but went silent a few days later when the person responsible for the new station, the former head of the Radio One Atlanta station group
Duopoly (broadcasting)
In United States broadcast television and radio, duopoly is a term used to describe a single company which owns two or more stations in the same city or community....
, was sued by Radio One for allegedly using his former position to take the group's intellectual property
Intellectual property
Intellectual property is a term referring to a number of distinct types of creations of the mind for which a set of exclusive rights are recognized—and the corresponding fields of law...
(including remix
Remix
A remix is an alternative version of a recorded song, made from an original version. This term is also used for any alterations of media other than song ....
es) and violating a non-compete clause.
The translator was started by Radio Assist Ministry and was granted a construction permit
Construction permit
A construction permit or building permit is a permit required in most jurisdictions for new construction, or adding on to pre-existing structures, and in some cases for major renovations. Generally, the new construction must be inspected during construction and after completion to ensure compliance...
in late May 2004 as W223AO FM 92.5. It does not appear to have gone on-air until 2007, when it finally received a broadcast license to cover, and supposedly relayed Georgia Public Broadcasting
Georgia Public Broadcasting
Georgia Public Broadcasting is the public broadcasting radio and television state network in the U.S. state of Georgia. It is operated by the Georgia Public Telecommunications Commission....
station WJSP-FM
WJSP-FM
The following are former translators for this station, listed under current callsign but their former data at the time:- External links :*...
88.1 (apparently without permission). In August 2008, it changed to W222BE FM 92.3, and then under an engineering
Broadcast engineering
Broadcast engineering is the field of electrical engineering, and now to some extent computer engineering and information technology, which deals with radio and television broadcasting...
-related special temporary authorization filed the day after it got its license for this, changed a month later to its current callsign and frequency. It was almost immediately sold to Extreme Media Group, which is owned and run by one of the two people previously involved with Radio One. In early 2009, it went on-air relaying WCLK
WCLK (FM)
WCLK FM 91.9 is a radio station licensed to Atlanta, Georgia, USA, and serves the core area of metro Atlanta. The station is owned and operated as a public radio station by Clark Atlanta University...
FM 91.9.
Another local station which airs its own programming, W250BC
W250BC
W250BC FM 97.9 is a radio station located in Atlanta, Georgia, and has Riverdale, Georgia as its city of license. Although licensed as a broadcast translator prohibited from carrying its own programming, it broadcasts under a legal loophole allowed by the Federal Communications Commission, by...
FM 97.9, was also started by RAM and then sold to EMG. It traded the station to Cumulus Media
Cumulus Media
Cumulus Media, Inc. is the second largest Owner and Operator of AM and FM radio stations in the United States, behind Clear Channel Communications, operating 570 stations in 150 markets as of September 16, 2011. The company also owns Cumulus Media Networks...
in exchange for another one. Because of that station being involved with EMG, Cumulus was also named in the lawsuit
Lawsuit
A lawsuit or "suit in law" is a civil action brought in a court of law in which a plaintiff, a party who claims to have incurred loss as a result of a defendant's actions, demands a legal or equitable remedy. The defendant is required to respond to the plaintiff's complaint...
, though there was no injunction
Injunction
An injunction is an equitable remedy in the form of a court order that requires a party to do or refrain from doing certain acts. A party that fails to comply with an injunction faces criminal or civil penalties and may have to pay damages or accept sanctions...
preventing that station from operating.
The station was located on one of the two towers near Edgewood
Edgewood (Atlanta)
Edgewood is a neighborhood located on the east side of Atlanta, Georgia, United States, located approximately three miles east of downtown Atlanta.-History:...
. It was authorized to transmit 110 (previously 170) watts at 207 metres (679 ft) HAAT, but it is still off-air. Its calculated broadcast range is roughly the same as the area within Interstate 285
Interstate 285
Interstate 285 is an Interstate Highway loop encircling Atlanta, Georgia, for . I-285 is also known as unsigned State Route 407 and is colloquially referred to as the Perimeter. Suburban sprawl has made it one of the most heavily traveled roadways in the United States, and portions of the highway...
, but offset a few miles or several kilometers to the southeast.
In December 2009, the lawsuit was resolved such that this translator was transferred to Radio One (via ROA Licenses LLC
Limited liability company
A limited liability company is a flexible form of enterprise that blends elements of partnership and corporate structures. It is a legal form of company that provides limited liability to its owners in the vast majority of United States jurisdictions...
, meaning Radio One Atlanta) in February 2010, giving it a fifth radio station
Radio station
Radio broadcasting is a one-way wireless transmission over radio waves intended to reach a wide audience. Stations can be linked in radio networks to broadcast a common radio format, either in broadcast syndication or simulcast or both...
in Atlanta, as the U.S. Federal Communications Commission
Federal Communications Commission
The Federal Communications Commission is an independent agency of the United States government, created, Congressional statute , and with the majority of its commissioners appointed by the current President. The FCC works towards six goals in the areas of broadband, competition, the spectrum, the...
(FCC) allows translators to ignore the restrictions on excessive concentration of media ownership
Concentration of media ownership
Concentration of media ownership refers to a process whereby progressively fewer individuals or organizations control increasing shares of the mass media...
in a media market
Media market
A media market, broadcast market, media region, designated market area , Television Market Area , or simply market is a region where the population can receive the same television and radio station offerings, and may also include other types of media including newspapers and Internet content...
. Although the license transferred had not yet been FCC-approved, the translator was assigned per the consent decree
Consent decree
A consent decree is a final, binding judicial decree or judgment memorializing a voluntary agreement between parties to a suit in return for withdrawal of a criminal charge or an end to a civil litigation...
to parent station WAMJ
WAMJ (FM)
WPZE is a radio station located in Atlanta, Georgia. Operating on 102.5 MHz, it is assigned Mableton as its city of license, and transmits from a location in southwest Atlanta, near I-285 and Langford Parkway...
FM 107.5, owned by Radio One.
In January 2010, the station applied for and was granted a construction permit
Construction permit
A construction permit or building permit is a permit required in most jurisdictions for new construction, or adding on to pre-existing structures, and in some cases for major renovations. Generally, the new construction must be inspected during construction and after completion to ensure compliance...
to increase to 160 watts at 303 metres (994 ft), and relocate west to the WUPA TV 43 (69.1) tower in the Inman Park
Inman Park
Inman Park was planned in the late 1880s by Joel Hurt, a civil engineer and real-estate developer who intended to create a rural oasis connected to the city by the first of Atlanta's electric streetcar lines. The East Atlanta Land Company acquired and developed more than 130 acres east of the city...
neighborhood of Atlanta. It submitted an application for a license to cover the permit in early April 2010, and within a few days started transmitting WHTA
WHTA (FM)
WHTA FM 107.9, "Hot 107.9") is a mainstream urban radio station that plays hip-hop & R&B. It has done so since the autumn of 2001, after the programming format and callsign were moved by owner Radio One from "Hot 97.5" . Its city of license is Hampton, Georgia, and its radio tower is located in...
FM 107.9, which is also carried on WAMJ's HD Radio
HD Radio
HD Radio, which originally stood for "Hybrid Digital", is the trademark for iBiquity's in-band on-channel digital radio technology used by AM and FM radio stations to transmit audio and data via a digital signal in conjunction with their analog signals...
channel 2
Digital subchannel
In broadcasting, digital subchannels are a means to transmit more than one independent program at the same time from the same digital radio or digital television station on the same radio frequency channel. This is done by using data compression techniques to reduce the size of each individual...
. As is common in radio broadcasting, this may or may not have been the radio format
Radio format
A radio format or programming format not to be confused with broadcast programming describes the overall content broadcast on a radio station. Radio formats are frequently employed as a marketing tool, and constantly evolve...
that the station's owners intended to use long-term, but rather one intended to mislead competitors. however, it is still broadcasting WHTA, thus it appears the only purpose of the station is to cause radio tuners doing a channel scan
Channel surfing
Channel surfing is the practice of quickly scanning through different television channels or radio frequencies in order to find something interesting to watch or listen to. Modern viewers, who may have cable or satellite services beaming down dozens if not hundreds or thousands of channels, are...
to stop immediately before getting to competitor V-103 (WVEE
WVEE (FM)
WVEE is one of the most popular urban-formatted radio stations in the country and the highest-rated station of the Atlanta radio stations by Arbitron. WVEE has Atlanta as its city of license, and is owned by CBS Radio, a subsidiary of the CBS Corporation...
FM 103.3), two channels (0.4MHz) directly above the "translator".
In the northern and eastern suburb
Suburb
The word suburb mostly refers to a residential area, either existing as part of a city or as a separate residential community within commuting distance of a city . Some suburbs have a degree of administrative autonomy, and most have lower population density than inner city neighborhoods...
s, the station is often overwhelmed by WDUN-FM 102.9 in Gainesville, Georgia
Gainesville, Georgia
-Severe Weather:Gainesville sits on the very fringe of Tornado Alley, a region of the United States where severe weather is common. Supercell thunderstorms can sweep through any time between March and November, but are concentrated most in the spring...
. Overnight temperature inversions cause cooler air to settle in the Chattahoochee River
Chattahoochee River
The Chattahoochee River flows through or along the borders of the U.S. states of Georgia, Alabama, and Florida. It is a tributary of the Apalachicola River, a relatively short river formed by the confluence of the Chattahoochee and Flint Rivers and emptying into Apalachicola Bay in the Gulf of...
valley
Valley
In geology, a valley or dale is a depression with predominant extent in one direction. A very deep river valley may be called a canyon or gorge.The terms U-shaped and V-shaped are descriptive terms of geography to characterize the form of valleys...
, which then traps and directs the signal
Radio propagation
Radio propagation is the behavior of radio waves when they are transmitted, or propagated from one point on the Earth to another, or into various parts of the atmosphere...
southwestward toward the metro area.