WLFM-LP…Let There Be Video
June 13, 2012 8 Comments
The most talked about radio station in Cleveland this week is, of course, actually a TV station.
And now, Venture Technologies’ WLFM-LP 6/”87.7″ has turned on the video that comes with, well, having an LPTV station as your base.
And thanks to OMW reader Scott Chumley’s upload to YouTube, you, too, can watch what’s going out over TV channel 6 while the loop of sports theme songs and the Michael Stanley Band hit “My Town” is airing over the audio portion of the signal.
Yes, the video quality is weak. Scott tells us he is in the “Lyndhurst/Mayfield” area. That’s about 15 air miles from the WQHS/61 tower in Parma.
Scott says he’s using “an attic mounted CM 4228 pointed directly at Parma. Near perfect on all other networks,” but notes it’s not designed for the VHF band.
But the video above, compared with audio reception reports from places like Norwalk and Geneva, and the strong audio in the video, would still tend to lend credence to the theory we passed along on Twitter earlier today…that the bulk of WLFM-LP’s 3,000 watts is going to the audio side of the house.
We’ll check further, but apparently, LPTV stations (which after all, WLFM-LP is) do not have to adhere to the old rule of the audio signal putting out 10% of the video power output. Anyone who’s heard (full power) stations sign off back in the old days knows that the “aural” power was always a tenth of the “visual” power.
Coming up at some point, mixed with radio news, we’ll give our thoughts on possible formats for the new “radio station”.
And remember…this “radio station”, in any form, will only last until September 1, 2015…the FCC deadline for analog LPTV stations to convert to digital…
Ohio Media Watch 
Thanks for all the info regarding WLFM LP…very interesting. (I heard a pirate, broadcasting in Spanish several years ago on this frequency…or maybe 87.9.)
There has been a long time Spanish-language pirate in the Cleveland area on 87.9. We’re curious if this signal messes with it. (Or vice versa, being that although they’re actually an LPTV station, WLFM-LP IS the legal occupant of 87.7.)
I thought I’d send you the photo of the WLFM-LP6 raster from my Sony Bravia. I noticed your reception looked a little fuzzy. I’m in the Fairview-Rocky River area and am using an un-amplified indoor antenna called the Mohu Leaf indoor antenna in a brick building facing away from the transmitter. You’re most likely closer to the station’s antenna than I am here in the western suburbs. I discovered the antenna on Mall 727, its also sold at Amazon. They offer two versions – both are made in the USA! Yeah, I know it sounds like an ad – but hey, the Leaf works almost as well as an outdoor antenna – and you’re talking to a guy whose spent $150 on a Windgard/Terk indoor antenna made in China. The American-Made Leaf’s go for $35 a pop and are thin as typing paper, although a little smaller…but as you can see, they really really work well! Just thought I’d mention it!
Been hearing audio on 87.75 Mhz here at home, not too far from Ann Arbor Michigan. Roughly 112 miles or so Audio clip here http://bit.ly/OE2xJt
Strangely enough, my car radio only goes to 89.9. So I decided to try and tune in at home, all I could get was a stereo signal indicator and heard nothing but a nice hiss…no music or anything else. Either it doesn’t come in in the Akron area or they weren’t testing at 2 AM.
They shut off the loop around 11:30 PM Wednesday and have been transmitting silence on both picture and sound ever since.
Driving on Hwy 480 this morning (Thursday) I heard only silence on 87.7. I guess that means the transmitter is on, just broadcasting “dead air”.
Would not an FM signal at 87.7 (or 9) be considered in the reserved band for public radio? Hence the FrankenFM would have to be non-commercial.
Robert Conrad
WCLV