[EAS] NWS Status as an EAS Monitoring Source

[tpt at sevenrangesradio.com]

Been watching this discussion.  I ended up filing reports for 23 stations this last go-round, including my 4 stations, 11 other WV stations 6 in Ohio, and one each in Maryland and Indiana. The primary group in WV is West Virginia Radio Corp.,which also has the state-wide Metro News satellite network. So the state wide relays mostly monitor the Metro News network--a number of them are WV Radio stations.

Now under the state plan, two of my stations are split between markets, even though the studios (and the single Sage box) are at one site. So there I monitor two different NWS stations (one fed by Pittsburgh, one by Charleston, WV) a Wheeling FM and a Parkersburg FM relay.  I buy these 70's~80's tuners off E-bay to monitor the FM stations, I had an extra one, so that one was tuned to WOUB in Ohio, the relay for the part of Ohio just across the river from both my studios.

The Wheeling relay stations monitor Metro News satellite, and a Morgantown station--owned by WV Radio.  The Parkersburg relay stations monitor Metro News --and a Charleston FM owned by WV Radio. In Parkersburg, the FM antenna is on the studio building, too low for a reliable signal out of Charleston. But it wouldn't have mattered, since Metro News and the Charleston stations were looking for the test from the same source--another WV radio station south of Charleston.

In the end, two of my stations got the test--off WOUB. My other two didn't. I had thought about putting a tuner in there for WOUB, but adding an AM station & translators this year maxed out the two 5' racks in the laundry room (we bought a split-level for studios).

Here's the point of this discussion. Several years ago I remember reading about the FCC issuing an NOV to a Wyoming station because they were not monitoring the assigned stations under their state plan.  The WV state plan, and I suspect a number of others, simply lists an NWS station and maybe a choice of two state relays. Under the WV plan that's an AM and an FM for most stations. My Wheeling FM relay is 51 miles from my one studio--on the day of the test there was a thunderstorm between the two of us, and very poor reception.  The alternative--WWVA, is usually marginal on a good day, and gone at night. 

Now the state SECC's are all supposed to file a standardized plan with the Commission.  Which will be treated like gospel by the bureaucrats in their swivel chairs.  First question--will that standard plan require two monitor sources besides NWS--which we now know is not considered a monitored source?  Second question will be--with the proliferation of large groups, is for the state planners: redundancy of sources where  now two relays may be at the same studio, & subject to simultaneous failure?

On the second question--my rated market is a two-city market. Two of my stations are in Parkersburg. Of the 14 stations in the market, my studios are the only ones with back-up power. Up in the other city, with 3 stations and 2 local studios, only one has back-up. In a wide area power emergency the primary relay(and the other 5 stations at that studio) will be off the air. Only my AM and the AM in Marietta will be on. I would like to get a geni for the FM, but the economy and government taxes (regulator fees) don't help.