An interference complaint has forced Cumulus Media to shutdown a Translator which was airing Modern Eock “99X”.
The cause of the shutdown of translator W255CJ at 98.9 is that it was interfering with the signal of Gradick Communication’s Classic Hits WWGA 98.9 WWGA licensed to Tallapoosa, GA. Gradlick has been complaining about the translator for the past years and several attempts by Cumulus engineers to find a solution—including lowering its power—have proven unsuccessful.
The FCC issued the shutdown order for W255CJ after it said interference at the home of one of the listeners who filed a complaint remained “unresolved.”
The Media Bureau concluded Cumulus “failed to eliminate the interference to co-channel station WWGA” and because a translator is considered a secondary service the full-power WWGA takes precedence.
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| W255CJ 98.9 FM (200 watts) |
As Cumulus powered down W255CJ it explained to listeners they can still hear “99X” programming online and as the HD2 channel of CHR WWWQ 99.7 FM. In a statement on its website Cumulus said it is “pursuing the FCC with an appeal of their decision”.
“We believe the interference complaints were remediated successfully and we have a right to continue to provide lovers of 99X with a product they have proven they love,” it said, adding, “We are not sure how long the process will take, but we will do all that we can to return 99x to the FM band.”
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| WWGA 989.9 FM (1.85 Kw) |
FCC Chairman Ajit Pai has disclosed he has circulated a proposal among his fellow commissioners to update the agency’s rules on translator interference. The Notice of Proposed Rulemaking would allow FM translators to resolve interference issues by moving to any available frequency, as a “minor change” to a facility, and require a minimum number of complaints to support any interference claim.
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