CPB Grant Application Information

CPB Digital Transmitter Acqusition Request Below is a copy of the application WNMU-FM submitted to receive federal grant funding to assist with the installation of a new digital HD transmitter.  We were notified in August 2006 that we will be receiving the full $85,000 requested. Brief Description Northern Michigan University is requesting an $85,000 grant from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting's 2006 Digital Conversion Fund for the purpose of replacing WNMU-FM's existing 32-year-old RCA analog transmitter with an IBOC transmitter combining analog and HD in a single exciter and transmitter.  The list of equipment includes the Harris HT-HD+ 22KW transmitter with Flexstar exciter and exporter and all necessary transmission line to complete the installation.  The transmitter, as proposed, uses a new technology designed by Harris, Inc. and incorporates a modified system of low level signal combination.  Audio processing will be provided by the Optimod –FM 8500.  WNMU-FM will purchase a modulation monitor and wattmeter needed for monitoring, testing, and to insure compliance with FCC requirements. Since WNMU-FM currently shares an analog studio-to-transmitter link (STL) with WNMU-TV, the station will continue delivering its stereo, analog audio channels to the transmitter and locate the Flexstar exporter at the transmitter to process the digital conversion. WNMU-FM intends to ultimately replace this analog STL with a fully digital-capable microwave link but must time the completion of this segment of the project (designated as "stage two" in this proposal) with the digital upgrade planned by WNMU-TV since both stations share the same microwave services.  Stage two (currently slated for completion in 2008) will allow WNMU-FM to move the exporter and processor to its studio facilities on the campus of Northern Michigan University allowing the station to offer multi-casting and data services to listeners.  The transmitter project proposed in this application will permit WNMU-FM to simulcast its current programs in analog as well as digital.  It will also permit the station to radiate its full, FCC-allowed power output of 100,000 watts and continue to service all listeners within the station's coverage area and even improve service to selected areas that now experience occasional noise in their signal due to the region's terrain and the inherent problems associated with analog broadcasts. Method of Combining WNMU-FM considered the possibility of upgrading its existing transmitter using high level combining with equipment that would allow for the simultaneous transmission of analog and digital radio services.  The age and capacity of WNMU-FM's current transmitter, however, precludes retrofitting this 32 year-old transmitter with an IBOC system needed for digital transmission. Consulting transmitter engineers have advised WNMU-FM that while it is theoretically possible to add digital services to our existing equipment, it would require boosting the output power of our current transmitter to its maximum capacity of 20 kilowatts.  This would be impractical due to the age of the transmitter.  Even if it were possible to achieve the rated 20kw output, tube life would be cut in half and internal transmitter operating temperatures would rise dramatically.  The increased temperature and plate operating current that would accompany this power increase leads WNMU-FM's consulting engineers to predict that the transmitter would require replacement due to catastrophic failure within two years. From a financial perspective, the initial cost savings of this high level combining solution totals $15,000 when compared to WNMU-FM's proposal of a new Harris transmitter outlined below in "stage 1".  However, increased tube costs coupled with the inevitable emergency replacement of our analog transmitter will negate those savings within the next two to three years, resulting in significantly higher overall costs, increased maintenance activity and the potential of an off-air condition that might possibly erode listener support and confidence. This analysis has led WNMU-FM to conclude that high level combining of a new digital transmitter with our existing analog transmitter would be ill advised from both a technical and economic perspective. Impact On Power Output The solution proposed by WNMU-FM in this grant application preserves the station's analog output power of 100,000 watts as assigned by the FCC.  If the station were to attempt digital broadcasting with its current transmitter, the technical process of high-level combining would reduce the station's analog power output, causing the station to be in violation of its license.  Additionally, a reduction in radiated power would result in a loss of service to a significant numbers of listeners in the rural area served by Public Radio 90.  WNMU-FM and its consulting engineers believe that a new transmitter, offering analog and IBOC compatible digital program streams is the only way to preserve the station's current coverage. Necessity of Equipment Stage #1- Transmitter Replacement and Digital Upgrade Not only is WNMU-FM interested in offering new digital services to our region, there is an urgent need for the purchase and installation of a new transmitter.  The station's existing RCA analog transmitter was installed in 1974 and has exceeded its expected useful life.  Still in active service, this transmitter now shows significant signs of aging such as faulty switches, interlock relays and cracked insulators that cause intermittent outages and other problems that impact reliability.  Listeners become frustrated with periodic transmitter outages which often are at least an hour or more in duration.  Engineer travel time to the transmitter site making repairs is a minimum of 1-hour, given the facility's remote location, a 45 mile drive from WNMU-FM's main studio.   During winter months where average snow fall exceeds 200 inches annually, travel time increases dramatically during inclement weather.  Transmitter problems frequently occur during inclement weather making reliability a top concern.  Without a reliable transmitter, important station activities, including fundraising and serving the public with primary Emergency Alert Service (EAS) transmissions are in jeopardy. Replacement parts for the existing RCA transmitter are increasingly problematic.  When available, WNMU-FM engineers have acquired similar, discarded transmitters from other stations, which are used for replacement parts.  On occasion, the station must purchase custom manufactured parts, which is costly and time consuming.  Currently, WNMU-FM is operating this transmitter with cracked insulators in the tube cavity because replacement components cannot be located.  Timetable Timeframe Activity August 2006 ·         Notification of grant award ·         Release of bid documents September 2006 ·         Bid award October 2006 –November 2006 ·         Installation of new transmitter (stage #1) December 2006 ·         Final testing ·         Proof of performance ·         Cut-over from existing analog transmitter June 2008 – October 2008 ·         Digital STL Upgrade and router replacement (stage #2) ·         Transmission-line replacement and any necessary antenna and tower modifications will be implemented as well as final studio modifications Additional Information Station Background: WNMU- FM is classified as a rural station by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and is the only CPB public radio station in our coverage area.  WNMU-FM serves a primarily rural population across a large service area that includes the central and western half of Michigan's Upper Peninsula as well as northeastern Wisconsin.  The station is on-the-air 24 hours a day/seven days a week and maintains a primary transmitter and four translator sites across its listening area. In addition to providing NPR programming and other national and regional programming services, WNMU-FM maintains local production studios that regularly produce programs from throughout our broadcast region. Local content is important to the audience served by this station and a necessary part of our mission.  The station serves as the region's primary source for EAS and has recently started to offer enhanced emergency communications services such as providing Amber alerts for missing children and other information that health, safety and law enforcement services from around the state must communicate to the public. Stage #2 – Microwave STL Digital Upgrade & Router Replacement: Following the installation of the proposed transmitter, WNMU-FM would begin the second stage of the FM conversion project to full digital.  This stage would involve replacing aging equipment such as transmission-lines and upgrades to the antenna and tower structure and would be completed in conjunction with the WNMU-TV transmitter digital conversion project slated for 2008.  That project includes a digital upgrade of WNMU-TV's microwave STL. WNMU-FM uses a sub-carrier on the WNMU-TV STL, eliminating the need for a separate FM STL.  The project has been timed to maximize savings to both stations, not only in the area of finances, but in broadcast down-time. Also included in this stage is the replacement of WNMU-FM's analog router.  This stage is not part of the request submitted in this application but will be funded separately by WNMU-FM and WNMU-TV in a later project. Financial Standing Northern Michigan University is committing $66,260 to the proposed project and guarantees that the funds will be available (through operating reserves) in the event a grant award from CPB is made available.  It is WNMU-FM's intent to solicit capital funding for this project from listeners and has already secured the first $5,000 contribution toward this project.  Additionally, nine other major donors have expressed their intent to contribute an additional $38,000.  WNMU-FM believes this particular project is of intense interest to listeners and does not anticipate problems in raising the needed matching funds.