A new “Franken FM” is expected to go on the air in Ohio.
Venture Technologies is testing the 87.7 MHz frequency in Cleveland, according to Ohio Media Watch.
The company has other stations operating on the analog audio carrier of a TV Channel 6, we’ve reported. Radio industry vets call these “Franken FMs” because they’re essentially operating as radio stations including advertising and websites (as in Frankenstein, an unholy mix of radio and TV stations).
OMW says this one, too, apparently has no video programming and is operating aurally only; right now it’s playing a mix of vintage tunes and local sports team fight songs.
The engineers are “clearly making signal adjustments,” according to OMW.
Analog LP TV stations operating as radio stations have a limited shelf life; they’re due to sunset in 2015. Radio operators hoped the FCC would move quicker than that, citing interference concerns, especially to authorized stations at the low end of the dial.
LP operators claim they’re operating within the law, while radio says they’re violating the intent of the law, if not technically breaking the rules that state LP TV operators need to program visually as well. Many of these aural stations air a static TV test pattern to satisfy that requirement.
Related:
Concerns Raised About ‘Franken FMs’
Mega Media to Morph TV Channel 6 in Two More Markets
New York Pulse87 Gains Listeners, While Lease Intent Letters Expire for Stations in Chicago, L.A.
