This month WHRO-DT, a Hampton Roads, Va., PBS station, told the FCC that it is not the source of interference to Salisbury, Md., CBS affiliate, WBOC. WBOC is an analog station on channel 16. WHRO-DT is also assigned to channel 16. The two channels are about 100 miles apart, on opposite sides of the Chesapeake Bay. In June, WBOC filed an emergency request for suspension or modification of WHRO-DT’s program test authority and amendment of the construction permit, and objection to the license application because of objectionable interference. In response, WHRO-DT temporarily dropped its 950kW ERP by half. WHRO-DT’s antenna HAAT is 1183 feet. WBOC has a 4070kW ERP and a HAAT of 990 feet.
A study by Wallace & Associates, funded by both stations, lead WHRO to the conclusion that viewers aiming their antennas in the wrong direction was the culprits, and that the WBOC should educate their viewers about proper antenna orientation. WBOC found that suggestion “infeasible and ineffective.” The stations have yet to reach a consensus.
For more information visit www.fcc.gov.
