[BC] List of Overpower Class C and B FM Stations

[Mark Humphrey]

The maximum power limit for non-commercial educational FM stations
below 91.5 MHz did not take effect until the early '80s.

Section 73.511 "Power and Antenna Height Requirements" in my 1976
edition of the rules states "... no provision as to a maximum facility
shall apply to a noncommercial educational station on Channels 201 to
217, inclusive...", however,  "... any application exceeding the
maximum set forth in 73.211 (the normal class B and C power limits
established in the early '60s) will not necessarily be granted..."

At that time, only stations on Channels 218-220 were required to abide
by commercial FM power limits.  WETA-FM operates on Channel 215, so
they would have been allowed "superpower" to the extent that their
contours protected other NCE-FM stations, such as co-channel WHYY-FM
in Philadelphia.  Of course, the political connections didn't hurt
either!

I would guess Docket 80-90 closed this loophole.

Mark

On 8/1/06, r j carpenter <rcarpen at erols.com> wrote:
> For many, many years the head of WETA governing board was Sharon Percy
> Rockefeller. She is wife of a Democrat US senator, daughter of a Republican
> US ex-senator.  Could this have anything to do with WETA-FM being granted
> overpower long after the rules change?