OCEAN CITY – The resort is looking to launch its own FM radio station by summer to not only play tunes on the beach but to provide the public with emergency announcements from the Town of Ocean City.
During Communications, Electronics and Emergency Management’s budget hearing this week, Electronic Services Manager Bob Dimaio announced the city has made headway in achieving FM radio stations for the Town of Ocean City.
According to Dimaio, the town has been a license holder for an AM radio station for the past several years, but the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) only provides the opportunity to gain low-powered FM radio stations that are available to college campuses, churches and government about once every decade.
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Emergency announcements on AM radio don't do any good unless the targeted audience is listening. How many people in OC will be listening to AM radio? How many fingers and toes do you have?
ReplyDeleteAll radio stations in the area broadcast Emergency Alerts as mandated by the FCC. If there is an emergency and people are listening to the radio, it doesn't matter which station they are listening to - the Emergency Alert system is triggered. So why do they need to spend more money doing this privately?
ReplyDeleteIf you're not listening to that station you won't hear the emergency announcement(isn't this why we have an emergency broadcast system). If they are listening to the radio station then they aren't listening to a commercial radio station trying to make money (unfair competition from a government entity). This seems like a total waste of tax payer money and by playing music an unnecessary intrusion of government into a commercial enterprise. Will they pay the required ascap and bmi music fees for playing music on air and where will that money to pay those fees come from since it's not a commercial enterprise. Why not just have a PBS station in OC (also another waste of taxpayer money).
ReplyDeleteSomeone obviously thinks they can do it better than anyone else.We'll see.
ReplyDeleteOC opening a radio station. What next, maybe OC opening a bar, gas station or restaurant?
ReplyDeleteThey already have a city radio station at secrets, with donations from the city, why another station
ReplyDeletemon?
The new stations are FM not AM. So yes people have FM radios. 10 fingers and 10 toes also.
ReplyDeleteWhile all stations do broadcast Emergency alerts. And the new stations are required to do the same. The new stations are also for local emergency information that all other stations will not broadcast out.
Nobody thinks they can do it better.
Ocean City already had a gas station back in the day. Not sure if a bar/restaurant is in the master plan though. Might be nice idea.
How does the city donate to "secrets" station mon?