Pulse 87
Encyclopedia
Pulse 87 is an American
television
franchise
that operated as a radio
branding. The brand was formerly owned and operated by Mega Media. As of February 2010, the format was resurrected as an online internet station under new management following the bankruptcy and liquidation of its former owner.
stations that operate on channel 6; the aural (audio) carrier of that channel operates at 87.75 MHz, at the very low end of the FM radio spectrum in the United States, and can be picked up on FM radios provided the station broadcasts in analog television
. Pulse 87 stations operated a dance radio format.
Mega Media did not own any stations, instead opting to lease time
from the stations.
There are currently no "Pulse 87" affiliates. The network only ever succeeded in getting its programming on one station, WNYZ-LP in New York City
, which ran the format from February 2008 through October 2009. Mega Media had announced plans to bring the "Pulse 87" brand to three other low-power stations, KSFV-LP
in the San Fernando Valley
(serving Los Angeles, California
), WDCN-LP
in Washington, D.C.
and WLFM-LP
in Chicago, Illinois, all of which would have started carrying Pulse 87 programming on June 1, but those plans were scrubbed after leasing deals with the owners of those stations fell through.
Since low-power television is unaffected by the digital television transition
, the stations would have been able to continue to broadcast beyond the full-power analog shutoff date of June 12, 2009. If and when low-power stations are also forced to switch to digital, this will effectively bring an end to this format, unless the Federal Communications Commission
frees up the Channel 6 frequency for radio broadcasting (digital television on the VHF low band, where channel 6 resides, has been very problematic and subject to interference). A proposal by WRGB
in Albany, New York
to broadcast FM audio using a vertically-polarized 87.75 MHz carrier on an experimental basis had failed (causing co-channel interference between the digital signal on channel 6 and the analog FM signal at 87.75 FM), with technical constraints effectively precluding the co-existence of analog audio with a digital TV channel 6.
On October 15, 2009, the buyout deal was still not confirmed, and there were no signs that it will take place in the near future. Mega Media needed to receive a last-ditch infusion of capital by the following week in order for Pulse 87 to have a hope of staying on the air.
On October 25, 2009 at 8:30 pm, WNYZ-LP suffered a studio-transmitter link outage caused by a Verizon fiber cut. The station was broadcasting silence, or "dead air", until 12:30 pm on October 27. Three days later on October 30, 2009, the lease between the Mega Media Group and Island Broadcasting ended after Island Broadcasting failed to receive the $500,000 it was owed under the terms of the contract. Island Broadcasting was under no obligation to continue letting Pulse 87 use their signal without paying for the lease.
On October 30, 2009, Pulse 87's New York station signed off at 5:00 pm. At this point the website continued to carry Pulse 87 online but WNYZ was at this point simulcasting WPTY, a semi-rival station on Long Island
. By the end of the day, Pulse 87's web site streaming had also ceased, although the stream for their iPhone app was still active, with no other indication of any change or even a goodbye message, as if the station were still operating. On November 3, 2009 the Pulse 87 web page, stream and iPhone app were all pulled permanently offline. Mega Media has converted their bankruptcy to a Chapter 7 case, which means that all of their assets will be liquidated and all employees have been laid off. Most of its creditors will not receive anything and the corporation will no longer exist. The stock price is less than a twentieth of a cent per share.
On January 1, 2010 the Pulse 87 web page was reregistered by an entity claiming to be Mega Media Group, redirecting to an iTunes referral service known as "itune.biz." (Since the original Mega Media was liquidated, there is no way that it could be the original Mega Media.)
WNYZ, the lone affiliate for the format, switched to a simulcast of similarly-formatted WPTY-FM 105 on Long Island
in November 2009, but WPTY dropped the deal in January 2010, ending dance music on the 87.7 frequency. The FCC eventually revoked WNYZ's license in June 2011.
The new website logged 20,000 views within its first 48 hours. In addition, Salkowitz has announced plans to bring back many of the former on-air staff. Most will return as volunteers as the new internet station gets its footing and works towards securing advertisers.
Current on-air staff:
Mixshow DJs:
Former on-air staff
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
franchise
Media franchise
A media franchise is an intellectual property involving the characters, setting and trademarks of an original work of media , such as a film, a work of literature, a television program or a video game. Generally, a whole series is made in a particular medium, along with merchandising and endorsements...
that operated as a radio
Radio
Radio is the transmission of signals through free space by modulation of electromagnetic waves with frequencies below those of visible light. Electromagnetic radiation travels by means of oscillating electromagnetic fields that pass through the air and the vacuum of space...
branding. The brand was formerly owned and operated by Mega Media. As of February 2010, the format was resurrected as an online internet station under new management following the bankruptcy and liquidation of its former owner.
Background and format
The network consisted entirely of low-power televisionLow-power broadcasting
Low-power broadcasting is electronic broadcasting at very low power and low cost, to a small community area.The terms "low-power broadcasting" and "micropower broadcasting" should not be used interchangeably, because the markets are not the same...
stations that operate on channel 6; the aural (audio) carrier of that channel operates at 87.75 MHz, at the very low end of the FM radio spectrum in the United States, and can be picked up on FM radios provided the station broadcasts in analog television
Analog television
Analog television is the analog transmission that involves the broadcasting of encoded analog audio and analog video signal: one in which the message conveyed by the broadcast signal is a function of deliberate variations in the amplitude and/or frequency of the signal...
. Pulse 87 stations operated a dance radio format.
Mega Media did not own any stations, instead opting to lease time
Brokered programming
Brokered programming is a form of broadcast content in which the show's producer pays a radio or television station for air time, rather than exchanging programming for pay or the opportunity to play spot commercials...
from the stations.
There are currently no "Pulse 87" affiliates. The network only ever succeeded in getting its programming on one station, WNYZ-LP in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, which ran the format from February 2008 through October 2009. Mega Media had announced plans to bring the "Pulse 87" brand to three other low-power stations, KSFV-LP
KSFV-LP
KSFV-CA channel 6 is a Class A television station in the San Fernando Valley, owned by Venture Technologies Group, LLC, and leased to Hombre Nuevo, a Catholic organization. Transmitting from the Mt...
in the San Fernando Valley
San Fernando Valley
The San Fernando Valley is an urbanized valley located in the Los Angeles metropolitan area of southern California, United States, defined by the dramatic mountains of the Transverse Ranges circling it...
(serving Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
), WDCN-LP
WDCN-LP
WDCN-LP is a low-power television station in the Washington, DC area, broadcasting locally on channel 6. Currently broadcasting in Spanish, it was slated to adopt a dance music format under a lease agreement with Mega Media, a company which operates a similar station on channel 6 in New York City,...
in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
and WLFM-LP
WLFM-LP
WLFM-LP is a local, low-power television station on channel 6 serving the Chicago area, licensed to Rochelle, Illinois even though its signal doesn't reach its city of license. It was previously affiliated with MTV Tr3s before being used to transmit a smooth jazz radio format, taking advantage of...
in Chicago, Illinois, all of which would have started carrying Pulse 87 programming on June 1, but those plans were scrubbed after leasing deals with the owners of those stations fell through.
Since low-power television is unaffected by the digital television transition
DTV transition in the United States
The DTV transition in the United States was the switchover from analog to exclusively digital broadcasting of free over-the-air television programming...
, the stations would have been able to continue to broadcast beyond the full-power analog shutoff date of June 12, 2009. If and when low-power stations are also forced to switch to digital, this will effectively bring an end to this format, unless 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...
frees up the Channel 6 frequency for radio broadcasting (digital television on the VHF low band, where channel 6 resides, has been very problematic and subject to interference). A proposal by WRGB
WRGB
WRGB, channel 6, is a television station located in Schenectady, New York, USA. WRGB is owned by Freedom Communications, and is the CBS affiliate for the Albany-Schenectady-Troy television market...
in Albany, New York
Albany, New York
Albany is the capital city of the U.S. state of New York, the seat of Albany County, and the central city of New York's Capital District. Roughly north of New York City, Albany sits on the west bank of the Hudson River, about south of its confluence with the Mohawk River...
to broadcast FM audio using a vertically-polarized 87.75 MHz carrier on an experimental basis had failed (causing co-channel interference between the digital signal on channel 6 and the analog FM signal at 87.75 FM), with technical constraints effectively precluding the co-existence of analog audio with a digital TV channel 6.
Financial problems and closure
Plans to expand Pulse 87 to other markets was canceled due to financial difficulties, most of which were unrelated to the creation of the Pulse 87 format and predated it significantly. On August 12, 2009, Mega Media filed for bankruptcy, reporting $3.5 million in liabilities against assets of just $180,000. Mega said it was hoping to continue operating Pulse while it restructures under Chapter 11.[1]. By September 2009 the station was still on the air. According to the Stipulation and Order Regarding the Time Brokerage Agreement agreed to by Mega Media and Island Broadcasting and approved by the bankruptcy judge, Mega Media was required to pay $500,000 by 5:00 pm on October 30 to Island Broadcasting. If that payment was not made in time, Island Broadcasting had the right to terminate the contract, and therefore Pulse 87 would have been off the air.On October 15, 2009, the buyout deal was still not confirmed, and there were no signs that it will take place in the near future. Mega Media needed to receive a last-ditch infusion of capital by the following week in order for Pulse 87 to have a hope of staying on the air.
On October 25, 2009 at 8:30 pm, WNYZ-LP suffered a studio-transmitter link outage caused by a Verizon fiber cut. The station was broadcasting silence, or "dead air", until 12:30 pm on October 27. Three days later on October 30, 2009, the lease between the Mega Media Group and Island Broadcasting ended after Island Broadcasting failed to receive the $500,000 it was owed under the terms of the contract. Island Broadcasting was under no obligation to continue letting Pulse 87 use their signal without paying for the lease.
On October 30, 2009, Pulse 87's New York station signed off at 5:00 pm. At this point the website continued to carry Pulse 87 online but WNYZ was at this point simulcasting WPTY, a semi-rival station on Long Island
Long Island
Long Island is an island located in the southeast part of the U.S. state of New York, just east of Manhattan. Stretching northeast into the Atlantic Ocean, Long Island contains four counties, two of which are boroughs of New York City , and two of which are mainly suburban...
. By the end of the day, Pulse 87's web site streaming had also ceased, although the stream for their iPhone app was still active, with no other indication of any change or even a goodbye message, as if the station were still operating. On November 3, 2009 the Pulse 87 web page, stream and iPhone app were all pulled permanently offline. Mega Media has converted their bankruptcy to a Chapter 7 case, which means that all of their assets will be liquidated and all employees have been laid off. Most of its creditors will not receive anything and the corporation will no longer exist. The stock price is less than a twentieth of a cent per share.
On January 1, 2010 the Pulse 87 web page was reregistered by an entity claiming to be Mega Media Group, redirecting to an iTunes referral service known as "itune.biz." (Since the original Mega Media was liquidated, there is no way that it could be the original Mega Media.)
WNYZ, the lone affiliate for the format, switched to a simulcast of similarly-formatted WPTY-FM 105 on Long Island
Long Island
Long Island is an island located in the southeast part of the U.S. state of New York, just east of Manhattan. Stretching northeast into the Atlantic Ocean, Long Island contains four counties, two of which are boroughs of New York City , and two of which are mainly suburban...
in November 2009, but WPTY dropped the deal in January 2010, ending dance music on the 87.7 frequency. The FCC eventually revoked WNYZ's license in June 2011.
Re-emergence through internet radio
On February 15, 2010 www.pulse87ny.com launched as a commercial-free internet stream using the lead-ins from the former Pulse 87. The website's re-launch branding is "NY's Real Dance Music Leader." The new site is operated by Joel Salkowitz, the former program director of the Pulse 87 format, who purchased the Pulse 87 automation equipment and rights to the Pulse 87 bumpers in the Mega Media bankruptcy auction.The new website logged 20,000 views within its first 48 hours. In addition, Salkowitz has announced plans to bring back many of the former on-air staff. Most will return as volunteers as the new internet station gets its footing and works towards securing advertisers.
Current on-air staff:
- Jewelz Lopez
- Abel SanchezAbel SánchezAbel Sánchez: The History of a Passion is a 1917 novel by Miguel de Unamuno. Abel Sanchez is a re-telling of the story of Cain and Abel set in modern times, which uses the parable to explore themes of envy.-References:...
- Borasio
- Mike Hush
Mixshow DJs:
- DJ James Anthony
- Glenn FrisciaFriscia & LamboyFriscia & Lamboy are an electronic music duo. In 2003, they did a remix for Cher's single "Love One Another", in 2004 they remixed Britney Spears's single "Outrageous" and in 2007 remixed Ashley Tisdale's single "He Said She Said"...
- DJs from Mars (Aqualuce & Ventafunk)
Former on-air staff
- Star & Buc Wild (2008)
- Laura Stylez (2008-2009)
- Ruby Tuesday (2008-2009)
- Showboat (2008-2009)
- DJ Serg (2008-2009)
- DJ YonnyDJ YonnyDJ Yonny is an American DJ, producer and remixer on New York City's radio station WXRK.Ávila was born in Queens, New York but raised in Wilmington, Delaware...
(2008-2009) - Frankie Vasquez (2008-2009)
- Jonathan PetersJonathan PetersJonathan Peters is an American DJ, remixer and producer.-Albums:*Live With Jonathan Peters *Last Dance: Soundfactory Classics *Jonathan Peters Presents: Pacha New York -References:...
(2008-2009) - DJ Lil' Cee (2009)
- Niko (2009)
- Nick Marchesani (2009)
- Vinnie T. (2008-2009)
- Andre "The Dre Dog" Ferro (2008-2011)
- Eutopia (2010-2011)