Lakes Media CEO Tom Birch says his station, US 98.3 (WLUS), which serves Virginia and North Carolina, is once again facing harmful interference from another broadcaster – this time from Raleigh operator Don Curtis and his First State Communications.
Licensed to Clarksville, VA, Birch claims a new translator station at the same frequency, W252EL in Cary, is blocking WLUS from reaching listeners in parts of its market.
This isn’t the first time Birch has raised the issue.
In 2017, he successfully fought off another translator on 98.3, which the FCC eventually shut down. He argues the same problem is happening again, despite FCC records showing W252EL has been “silent” since April. Curtis filed paperwork with the Commission stating the translator meets all technical requirements, but Birch says it continues to operate in violation of FCC orders.
“Once again, we will not permit illegal interference to continue on the WLUS frequency,” Birch said. “As the primary licensee, I should not be forced to spend thousands on legal and technical expenses or lose advertising revenue fighting interference inside my protected coverage area.”
Birch wants the FCC to strengthen its rules, requiring any translator found to be interfering with a full-power station to shut down quickly and reimburse the affected station for lost revenue and expenses.
Curtis, meanwhile, has plans to use W252EL as one of four signals for his “Triangle’s ROCK FM” brand. The dispute now sits with the FCC.
