FCC Gets 850 Applications for New FM Translators in Final Window

AM broadcasters filed more than 850 applications for new FM translators during s recent window, said an FCC news release Friday. Interest was higher than expected, broadcast industry officials and a spokesman told us. The window closed Wednesday was seen by many as the last chance for AM broadcasters to get a translator because no other windows are planned and space in the FM band is limited, broadcasters, brokers and industry lawyers said in interviews Friday.

The most recent window was open to all eligible AM broadcasters and followed a window that was only for class C and D AM broadcasters. More than 1,000 applications were received during the prior opening, the FCC said. “The incredible interest in new cross-service translator stations demonstrates the commitment of AM broadcasters to enhancing their ability to provide quality service to their communities” said Chairman Ajit Pai in the release. “The Commission will continue to work with AM broadcasters to address their technical challenges and ensure the viability of AM radio.” Mutually exclusive applications eventually will be resolved through an auction process, the commission has said.

An FM translator greatly increases business viability of an AM, said broker Bob Heymann from the Chicago office of Media Services Group. An FM signal is widely seen as more attractive to advertisers and investors than one on the AM band, said Fletcher Heald broadcast lawyer Frank Jazzo. Having a translator allows some AMs “to compete, from a facility standpoint, with existing FM stations,” said Heymann.

Since the window was preceded by one for new translators and two windows that let translators be relocated, and participation in a prior window disqualified participation in this one, it was reasonable to expect there would be less activity this time, attorneys said. But the chance to get a translator was worth it to many AM broadcasters, said Patrick Communications broker Gregory Guy. The amount of activity is a good sign for the radio industry, Jazzo said. ”People are still investing in analog broadcasting facilities.”

It was likely difficult for AM outlets in more crowded markets to find space for a new translator, but it wasn’t as much of an issue outside urban areas, Jazzo said. The FCC touted in its release a rule change from 2017 that may have made it easier to find room. “Last year, the Commission also provided broadcasters additional flexibility to locate these stations by relaxing the rules restricting the siting of cross-service translators,” the release said. Broadcasters have said the influx of translators from the windows is likely to lead to increasing interference problems between translators and FM stations (see 1801110051).

The agency said it has “swiftly granted” most applications from the previous window.