A low power television station masquerading as a radio station has been hit with a Notice of Violation after a complaint about a possible unauthorized broadcast “pirate” operation.
Syncom Media Group’s WMTO-LP Norfolk VA has been operated by Steve Hegwood’s Core Communicators as Urban “Streetz 87.7” since moving to the tower utilized by WGNT-TV and iHeartMedia’s 105.3 WNOH last December. An FCC agent recorded WMTO-LP operating in April with a four-bay, circularly polarized FM antenna as opposed to the horizontal polarization it is licensed for. Of higher issue was the fact that the station was operating well beyond its authorized power output. WMTO-LP was calculated to be operating with a 12.4kW ERP of its aural carrier instead of the licensed 660 watts.