WVBN
Encyclopedia
WVBN was a commercial radio station
located atop Gomer Hill in the Town of Turin, New York
, which began broadcasting in October 1948
on 107.7 MHz with an effective radiated power
of 1.3 kW at 215 m (705 ft) above average terrain
. It was the northernmost of six owned-and-operated stations of the Rural Radio Network
(RRN), an innovative broadcast
service for upstate New York
farm
ers, and the first radio station in Lewis County, NY
. Launched when a scant five-to-ten percent of rural households had acquired FM receivers, WVBN's relatively weak signal and narrowly-targeted programming failed to reach a significant audience. After suffering severe financial losses, RRN decided to surrender the WVBN license in 1951
and the FM allocation to Turin, NY was permanently deleted.
In an attempt to provide maximum regional coverage at minimum operating expense, RRN's consulting engineers recommended that the network's six transmitting sites should be spaced roughly 80 km (50 mi) apart and built on "commanding elevations" at least 610 m (2000 ft) AMSL
. For WVBN, the planners selected a remote summit known as Gomer Hill, the highest point in Lewis County, NY
and the peak of the Tug Hill Plateau
, a sparsely-populated wooded region directly east of Lake Ontario
known for dramatic deposits of lake effect snow
. Approximate coordinates: 43°38′55"N 75°29′00"W
The Federal Communications Commission
granted WVBN's construction permit on October 15, 1947, but with winter conditions quickly approaching, construction of the transmitter building and tower at Turin could not start until spring of 1948. While the other five RRN stations began offering programming on June 6, 1948, WVBN did not begin operating until mid-October of that year. Another complication at that time was the lack of utility power on Gomer Hill; two Smith-Meeker 15 kW Diesel generators and a 45 kL (12,000 gal) fuel tank had to be installed on site before any broadcast equipment could be turned on. Most of WVBN's programming originated at RRN's main studio in Ithaca, NY
and was relayed through sister station WVCN
in De Ruyter, NY. A daily highlight was the "Weather Roundup", which featured meteorological observations from each of the six stations.
report from April 1949, voiced by transmitter engineer Phil Glazier.
WVBN's transmitter house was nearly identical in appearance to the masonry and wood buildings constructed at the other five RRN stations. It was vacant for many years after the station's demise, but later acquired by Eastern Microwave, a cable-TV
distribution service known today as Intermedia. The original 30 m (100 ft) self-supporting tower, which once held an RCA
Pylon antenna, was dismantled and replaced with a new guyed microwave tower following the sale of the site to Eastern. To improve security and reduce maintenance, the building's exterior has been sheathed with plywood paneling, but retains a steeply-pitched roof common to the other structures. The present owner of the property is American Tower Corporation, which offers antenna rental space.
Although WVBN's HAAT
exceeded 200 m, its 1.3 kW power would only qualify as a Class A FM facility at that height under today's standards. The resulting 1 mV/m primary coverage contour reached less than halfway to the closest cities of Rome and Watertown. It's interesting to note that if the Turin FM facility (several kilometers north of latitude 43º30' in FM "Zone II") had survived past 1962, the FCC would have designated it a Class C allocation, providing the opportunity for future licensees to increase WVBN's power to 100 kW and HAAT to 600 meters -- a super-regional signal that could have been a contender in the radio markets
of Syracuse, Utica-Rome, and Watertown, possibly listenable from Rochester to Albany and as far north as the Canadian
capital of Ottawa
, Ontario
.
Around 1951, as RRN's operating deficit continued to mount, the decision was made to cease operations at WVBN, and since the station license had no value to any prospective buyers, it was returned to the FCC for cancellation.
Local broadcast service to Lewis County's Black River Valley
was restored in June, 1955 when WBRV
, a 1 kW daytime AM station licensed to Boonville
, began operating from a Quonset hut
on New York State Route 12D
, about 13 km (8 mi) south of Turin village.
Radio station
Radio broadcasting is a one-way wireless transmission over radio waves intended to reach a wide audience. Stations can be linked in radio networks to broadcast a common radio format, either in broadcast syndication or simulcast or both...
located atop Gomer Hill in the Town of Turin, New York
Turin (town), New York
Turin is a town in Lewis County, New York, United States. The population was 793 at the 2000 census. Turin has a village, also named Turin. The town is south of Lowville, the county seat, and north of Rome, New York.- History :...
, which began broadcasting in October 1948
1948 in radio
The year 1948 saw a number of significant events in radio broadcasting.-Events:*22 March: The Voice of Firestone becomes the first radio program to be aired on both AM and FM radio stations....
on 107.7 MHz with an effective radiated power
Effective radiated power
In radio telecommunications, effective radiated power or equivalent radiated power is a standardized theoretical measurement of radio frequency energy using the SI unit watts, and is determined by subtracting system losses and adding system gains...
of 1.3 kW at 215 m (705 ft) above average terrain
Height above average terrain
Height above average terrain is used extensively in FM radio and television, as it is actually much more important than effective radiated power in determining the range of broadcasts...
. It was the northernmost of six owned-and-operated stations of the Rural Radio Network
Rural Radio Network
The Rural Radio Network was an interconnected group of six commercial FM radio stations spread across upstate New York and operated from Ithaca, NY -- the first all-radio, no-wireline network in the world...
(RRN), an innovative broadcast
Broadcasting
Broadcasting is the distribution of audio and video content to a dispersed audience via any audio visual medium. Receiving parties may include the general public or a relatively large subset of thereof...
service for upstate New York
Upstate New York
Upstate New York is the region of the U.S. state of New York that is located north of the core of the New York metropolitan area.-Definition:There is no clear or official boundary between Upstate New York and Downstate New York...
farm
Farm
A farm is an area of land, or, for aquaculture, lake, river or sea, including various structures, devoted primarily to the practice of producing and managing food , fibres and, increasingly, fuel. It is the basic production facility in food production. Farms may be owned and operated by a single...
ers, and the first radio station in Lewis County, NY
Lewis County, New York
As of the census of 2000, there were 26,944 people, 10,040 households, and 7,309 families residing in the county. The population density was 21 people per square mile . There were 15,134 housing units at an average density of 12 per square mile...
. Launched when a scant five-to-ten percent of rural households had acquired FM receivers, WVBN's relatively weak signal and narrowly-targeted programming failed to reach a significant audience. After suffering severe financial losses, RRN decided to surrender the WVBN license in 1951
1951 in radio
The year 1951 in radio involved some significant events.-Debuts:*1 January: The Archers begins its production run on BBC.*1 April: Paul Harvey News and Comment begins its 59-year-long run on the ABC Radio Network....
and the FM allocation to Turin, NY was permanently deleted.
History
Above mean sea level
The term above mean sea level refers to the elevation or altitude of any object, relative to the average sea level datum. AMSL is used extensively in radio by engineers to determine the coverage area a station will be able to reach...
. For WVBN, the planners selected a remote summit known as Gomer Hill, the highest point in Lewis County, NY
Lewis County, New York
As of the census of 2000, there were 26,944 people, 10,040 households, and 7,309 families residing in the county. The population density was 21 people per square mile . There were 15,134 housing units at an average density of 12 per square mile...
and the peak of the Tug Hill Plateau
Tug Hill Plateau
The Tug Hill Plateau is an upland region in upstate New York in the USA, famous for heavy winter snow. The Tug Hill Region is west of the Adirondack Mountains and is separated from the Adirondacks by the Black River Valley. Although the region is and has traditionally been known as the Tug Hill...
, a sparsely-populated wooded region directly east of Lake Ontario
Lake Ontario
Lake Ontario is one of the five Great Lakes of North America. It is bounded on the north and southwest by the Canadian province of Ontario, and on the south by the American state of New York. Ontario, Canada's most populous province, was named for the lake. In the Wyandot language, ontarío means...
known for dramatic deposits of lake effect snow
Lake effect snow
Lake-effect snow is produced during cooler atmospheric conditions when cold winds move across long expanses of warmer lake water, providing energy and picking up water vapor which freezes and is deposited on the leeward shores...
. Approximate coordinates: 43°38′55"N 75°29′00"W
The Federal Communications Commission
Federal Communications Commission
The Federal Communications Commission is an independent agency of the United States government, created, Congressional statute , and with the majority of its commissioners appointed by the current President. The FCC works towards six goals in the areas of broadband, competition, the spectrum, the...
granted WVBN's construction permit on October 15, 1947, but with winter conditions quickly approaching, construction of the transmitter building and tower at Turin could not start until spring of 1948. While the other five RRN stations began offering programming on June 6, 1948, WVBN did not begin operating until mid-October of that year. Another complication at that time was the lack of utility power on Gomer Hill; two Smith-Meeker 15 kW Diesel generators and a 45 kL (12,000 gal) fuel tank had to be installed on site before any broadcast equipment could be turned on. Most of WVBN's programming originated at RRN's main studio in Ithaca, NY
Ithaca, New York
The city of Ithaca, is a city in upstate New York and the county seat of Tompkins County, as well as the largest community in the Ithaca-Tompkins County metropolitan area...
and was relayed through sister station WVCN
WVOA-FM
WVOA-FM is a radio station broadcasting a Christian radio format. Licensed to Mexico, New York, USA, the station serves the Syracuse area. The station is currently owned by Renard Communications Corporation, wholly owned by Craig Fox...
in De Ruyter, NY. A daily highlight was the "Weather Roundup", which featured meteorological observations from each of the six stations.
report from April 1949, voiced by transmitter engineer Phil Glazier.
WVBN's transmitter house was nearly identical in appearance to the masonry and wood buildings constructed at the other five RRN stations. It was vacant for many years after the station's demise, but later acquired by Eastern Microwave, a cable-TV
Cable television
Cable television is a system of providing television programs to consumers via radio frequency signals transmitted to televisions through coaxial cables or digital light pulses through fixed optical fibers located on the subscriber's property, much like the over-the-air method used in traditional...
distribution service known today as Intermedia. The original 30 m (100 ft) self-supporting tower, which once held an RCA
RCA
RCA Corporation, founded as the Radio Corporation of America, was an American electronics company in existence from 1919 to 1986. The RCA trademark is currently owned by the French conglomerate Technicolor SA through RCA Trademark Management S.A., a company owned by Technicolor...
Pylon antenna, was dismantled and replaced with a new guyed microwave tower following the sale of the site to Eastern. To improve security and reduce maintenance, the building's exterior has been sheathed with plywood paneling, but retains a steeply-pitched roof common to the other structures. The present owner of the property is American Tower Corporation, which offers antenna rental space.
Operational challenges
Operating expenses for WVBN likely exceeded the cost of running any of the other RRN stations, none of which turned a profit. Until 1953, the FCC required FM stations to assign a licensed operator at each transmitter site. In the winter, the rural roads leading to the snowy hilltop became impassable after heavy lake-effect snowfalls, making it difficult for operators to reach the site. Diesel fuel and generator maintenance also posed a significant financial burden.Although WVBN's HAAT
Height above average terrain
Height above average terrain is used extensively in FM radio and television, as it is actually much more important than effective radiated power in determining the range of broadcasts...
exceeded 200 m, its 1.3 kW power would only qualify as a Class A FM facility at that height under today's standards. The resulting 1 mV/m primary coverage contour reached less than halfway to the closest cities of Rome and Watertown. It's interesting to note that if the Turin FM facility (several kilometers north of latitude 43º30' in FM "Zone II") had survived past 1962, the FCC would have designated it a Class C allocation, providing the opportunity for future licensees to increase WVBN's power to 100 kW and HAAT to 600 meters -- a super-regional signal that could have been a contender in the radio markets
Media market
A media market, broadcast market, media region, designated market area , Television Market Area , or simply market is a region where the population can receive the same television and radio station offerings, and may also include other types of media including newspapers and Internet content...
of Syracuse, Utica-Rome, and Watertown, possibly listenable from Rochester to Albany and as far north as the Canadian
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
capital of Ottawa
Ottawa
Ottawa is the capital of Canada, the second largest city in the Province of Ontario, and the fourth largest city in the country. The city is located on the south bank of the Ottawa River in the eastern portion of Southern Ontario...
, Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
.
Around 1951, as RRN's operating deficit continued to mount, the decision was made to cease operations at WVBN, and since the station license had no value to any prospective buyers, it was returned to the FCC for cancellation.
Local broadcast service to Lewis County's Black River Valley
Black River (New York)
The Black River is a blackwater river that empties into the eastern end of Lake Ontario on the shore of Jefferson County, New York in the United States of America...
was restored in June, 1955 when WBRV
WBRV (AM)
WBRV is a radio station broadcasting a Oldies format. Licensed to Boonville, New York, USA, the station is currently owned by The Flack Broadcasting Group.-Station history:...
, a 1 kW daytime AM station licensed to Boonville
Boonville (village), New York
This page is about the village in New York. For other communities of the same name, see Boonville or for the town, see Boonville , New York...
, began operating from a Quonset hut
Quonset hut
A Quonset hut is a lightweight prefabricated structure of corrugated galvanized steel having a semicircular cross section. The design was based on the Nissen hut developed by the British during World War I...
on New York State Route 12D
New York State Route 12D
New York State Route 12D is a north–south state highway located in the northern part of New York, United States. The southern terminus of the route is in the Oneida County village of Boonville, where it intersects NY 12. The northern terminus is at a junction with NY 12 in the Lewis...
, about 13 km (8 mi) south of Turin village.
External links
- Tracking the old Rural Radio Network by Scott Fybush.