WIPC-AM is licensed to broadcast with 1 kW of power during the day from its Lake Wales FL city of license. However, when the sun goes down, the power is supposed to follow suit – not only is it cut almost in half to 540 W, a directional antenna is supposed to be added to the mix. FCC agents responding to a complaint could find no evidence of a power-down on two separate occasions.
The station is licensed to Super W Media Group and plies the airwaves at 1280 kHz.
The agents showed up 5/21/11 and again on 6/15/11 and found no evidence that the station was cutting its power.
They confronted the station’s owner on 6/16/11, and he admitted that the equipment which was supposed to automatically make the nighttime power reduction broke down. He said he had been powering down manually, but forgot to do so 6/15/11.
The violation will cost Super W $4K. It has also been issued a reporting requirement, detailing for the FCC in writing and under penalty of perjury the steps it is taking to assure that the problem is not repeated.
