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IHeart Outages

Discussion pertaining to Detroit, Ann Arbor, Port Huron, and SW Ontario
Mega Hertz
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IHeart Outages

Post by Mega Hertz » Sat Jul 20, 2019 8:18 pm

For quite a while this evening both 95.5 and 106.7 were off the air. 95.5 eventually came back on, yet 106.7 was off a while. They came back, ran a legal, played a Zeppelin tune, and went back out.


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JGP1954
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Re: IHeart Outages

Post by JGP1954 » Sat Jul 20, 2019 8:56 pm

Amazing major market stations don't have backup generators, and probably not a full-time engineering staff.



Mega Hertz
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Re: IHeart Outages

Post by Mega Hertz » Sun Jul 21, 2019 9:11 am

That's what I said, too. Is no one minding the store? Any PD's or anyone listening? Add to that the WNIC fiasco...

I guess I'm curious as to why only two of the five were affected.


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Mega Hertz
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Re: IHeart Outages

Post by Mega Hertz » Mon Jul 22, 2019 9:48 pm

And tonight, as of 9:30pm, all FMs were off. WDFN, ironically, was on the air.


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MWmetalhead
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Re: IHeart Outages

Post by MWmetalhead » Tue Jul 23, 2019 6:42 am

To clarify - all FM transmitters were broadcasting dead air. The stations weren't technically "off the air."

Makes me wonder if a Studio-Transmitter Link got damaged.



Deleted User 3751

Re: IHeart Outages

Post by Deleted User 3751 » Tue Jul 23, 2019 6:54 am

Makes me wonder if a Studio-Transmitter Link got damaged.
The Studio building has a backup generator so I would have to agree that it may have been an STL problem.



Mega Hertz
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Re: IHeart Outages

Post by Mega Hertz » Tue Jul 23, 2019 7:08 pm

MWmetalhead wrote:
Tue Jul 23, 2019 6:42 am
To clarify - all FM transmitters were broadcasting dead air. The stations weren't technically "off the air."

Makes me wonder if a Studio-Transmitter Link got damaged.
This is correct. I had to explain the difference to my girlfriend as I scanned the iHeart stations.

Damn shame they can't afford to keep anyone in the building lest the CEO can only afford ONE off-shore dual motor racing yacht.


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Colonel Flagg
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Re: IHeart Outages

Post by Colonel Flagg » Wed Jul 24, 2019 12:44 pm

Microwave STL's, where possible, are the best way to go. If you don't believe me, try to listen to WWJ during a severe weather outbreak. The STL drops multiple times. As I recall, WWJ's "phone line" STL has to pass across 3 different telco carriers between Southfield, and Berlin Township. With Channel 50's tower right there, how can there not be a microwave path to Berlin Township?

As to I-Heart, there's really no excuse, because the distance from Farmington Hills to all transmitter sites isn't great. I've never seen the I-Heart complex, so I have no idea what type of STL's they are using. If I were VP of engineering, microwave would be mandatory. The back-up facilities, and redundancies that were firmly in place in the past, have largely been eliminated over time by the bean counters, post consolidation.


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TC Talks
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Re: IHeart Outages

Post by TC Talks » Wed Jul 24, 2019 3:19 pm

Who cares? Most listeners have many other options.


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MWmetalhead
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Re: IHeart Outages

Post by MWmetalhead » Wed Jul 24, 2019 7:37 pm

Is their radio dial broken?

None of iHeart's local FMs are format exclusive.

Want AC? Tune to 98.7
Want CHR/Pop? Tune to 96.3 (they play a decent amount of that stuff).
Want gangbanger music? Tune to 107.5.
Want bad 80s butt rock? Tune to 94.7.
Want throwbacks and R&B? Tune to 105.9 or 105.1.

The outage happened at night, not morning drive where air talent differences might be more important.



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