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What's going on with KIKO, 1340 AM / 97.3 FM (aka the Apache Junction Media Hut)?

A

asugeorge1

Star Participant
So I've been noticing some strange things lately with KIKO AM 1340 and 97.3 FM. As most probably know, for the last year or so, 1340 AM has been broadcasting from Apache Junction and has been simulcasting the 97.3 oldies format, which isn't half bad, especially considering the recent changes to the Lamptimer's format that focuses more on the 70's than ever before. The last couple days, though, the 97.3 signal has degraded and it almost sounds like there is another signal (with a Spanish language talk format) fighting it out with the oldies format from the great town of Claypool. It's weird though because it sounds like the Spanish language format is a bit "off" as if it was a pirate or broadcasting on a side band. What used to be a "listenable" signal for 97.3 FM out here in Gilbert is now "Jack squat" with this interference. Meanwhile, 1340 AM went silent for awhile and recently came back on the air a couple days ago with what appears to be said Spanish language talk format. Of course the 97.3 / 1340 joint website doesn't mention anything about 1340 flipping formats. Also, since the 97.3 oldies broadcast is a national satellite feed, there hasn't been a peep about it on air and the top of the hour still has a joint "97.3 FM Claypool and 1340 AM Apache Junction" ID.

Anyone know what's going on with KIKO AM and FM? Does anyone, besides me, even listen to it considering it's weak signal despite supposedly serving Phoenix? Inquisitive East Valley minds would like to know! I don't think the esteemed doctor from Buckeye can help considering these stations don't even make it out that far west! :)
 
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asugeorge1 said:
Anyone know what's going on with KIKO AM and FM? Does anyone, besides me, even listen to it considering it's weak signal despite supposedly serving Phoenix? Inquisitive East Valley minds would like to know! I don't think the esteemed doctor from Buckeye can help considering these stations don't even make it out that far west! :)
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We've had KYKO out a couple of times to fix the Media Hut roof, but as far as KIKO goes...your guess is as good as ours. The Nurse and I could never figure out the allure of the Claypool, Miami, Globe metroplex and why anyone would operate a radio station there for anything more than a hobby.
 
asugeorge1 said:
...considering the recent changes to the Lamptimer's format that focuses more on the 70's than ever before...
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Really? I guess I'm not "hearing it" the same way. In recent months they seem to have dropped most pre-64 songs and have been going full bore on the '60s and '70s (gee, didn't we used to have a station like that?), but in the past week or so I've noticed that late '50s-early '60s songs have increased their presence.

Still would like Mother Hubbard to hire the Stevemeister to do 2:00-6:00 PM live. And of course get rid of the half-hour infomercials they drop in a few times a day.
 
¡Mira!

It's now Voz y Visión Radio, which is Spanish religious. Looks like this switch has been in the works for a month!
 
westcoast said:
Yay, another station for me to ignore now.
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It felt like I had an unID DX station. Took forever to figure out who they were, but only a few seconds to figure out the format.

I had a reference to a "107.9" which turns out to be one of two transmitters in the Coachella Valley (the other is 95.5) but I cannot find any info on them from the WTFDA FM database.
 
KIKO 97.3 FM remains oldies, what you are hearing in the east valley is a new translator for KIKO AM’s new Spanish programming.
Just about everything John Low does leaves me scratching my head.
This 97.3 translator licensed to Payson located in Mesa covers up his own 97.3 Claypool signal. Sure he is working on moving 97.3 to 96.5 and later increasing the power to 100,000 watts but that is far from being approved plus 2 stations in the White Mountains will need to move too to make it happen. The 97.3 translators’ modulation level is very loud causing distortion and making the signal push off channel if you are more than a few miles away. In addition, the wiring is out of phase from input source causing all kinds of artifacts and dropouts. The application doesn’t even show the translator is to rebroadcast KIKO AM, it’s a fill-in for KEXX.
KIKO AM is another story. In the spring of 2014, he pulled KIKO off the air in Miami so he can move it to Apache junction. In October 2014, his change of community construction permit expired, and then 2 months later he put it on the air in Apache Junction and applied for a license. (Still pending) The FCC shows KIKO AM is on the air in Miami and NOT in Apache Junction. Technically, he has been silent for almost 2 years with no authority to be operating in A.J. and the license should be deleted. No wonder his 97.3 translator shows KEXX and not KIKO, The FCC wouldn’t approve a Miami AM to have a translator in Mesa.
Now for KIKO FM. Mr. Low has his HD2 signal providing the original KIKO AM programming that is rebroadcast on 2 Globe-Miami translators 99.7 and 105.1. The 99.7 is over-modulating to the extreme. The signal is directional towards Globe and if you are in the area, it's so loud that all you hear is fuzz until there is a quiet passage in the audio. The 105.1 translator is also over modulating but is listenable. I would estimate it is at about 120 to 140% modulation. It makes me wonder if his engineer even listens to what he’s putting on the air. Also, the 105.1 translator has a CP to broadcast 250 watts non directional from the Pinal Mountains which will give it the same coverage of a 39,000 watt station. I would bet this will be a new format and original KIKO programming would stay on 99.7. But, I’m surer I’ll be scratching my head again soon.
 
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Sorry to revive an old thread, but the 97.3 FM frequency is all over the place right now in Phoenix. Certain days, the pointless translator for "Trending Radio" 97.5 FM and 103.9 FM, K247CF-FM Payson, is broadcasting on 97.3 FM in all it's mono glory with awful fidelity and low sound. Then other days, it is off the air and Oldies 97.3 KIKO-FM from Claypool is broadcasting and coming in (also with mono sound). Where I live in Gilbert, neither station is audible when both are broadcasting because each station is fighting the other one so as you drive, you just hear a garbled mess of the two stations. Why would the owners of "Trending Radio" be using not one, not two, not three, but four signals for their station? Between 97.5 and 103.9, they got the valley covered with their "Trending Radio." K241BQ-FM 96.1 is already a translator for them from Fort McDowell so why would they need another one on 97.3?

I mentioned this in another thread, but seriously, there are way too many translators moving into the Phoenix area and now they are battling it out with existing stations serving the market. 97.3 is one example, and the Fanatic's new upcoming translator on 99.1 FM is pushing out KFXY-LPFM, Mesa (another station with an identity crisis playing country, oldies and alternative music these days). Do we really need all these translators?
 
asugeorge1 said:
Sorry to revive an old thread, but the 97.3 FM frequency is all over the place right now in Phoenix. Certain days, the pointless translator for "Trending Radio" 97.5 FM and 103.9 FM, K247CF-FM Payson, is broadcasting on 97.3 FM in all it's mono glory with awful fidelity and low sound. Then other days, it is off the air and Oldies 97.3 KIKO-FM from Claypool is broadcasting and coming in (also with mono sound). Where I live in Gilbert, neither station is audible when both are broadcasting because each station is fighting the other one so as you drive, you just hear a garbled mess of the two stations. Why would the owners of "Trending Radio" be using not one, not two, not three, but four signals for their station? Between 97.5 and 103.9, they got the valley covered with their "Trending Radio." K241BQ-FM 96.1 is already a translator for them from Fort McDowell so why would they need another one on 97.3?
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K241BQ has been sold to Riviera, and will soon replace 101.9 as KKFR's east valley translator (this way they don't interfere with KQSS Miami/Globe).

asugeorge1 said:
I mentioned this in another thread, but seriously, there are way too many translators moving into the Phoenix area and now they are battling it out with existing stations serving the market. 97.3 is one example, and the Fanatic's new upcoming translator on 99.1 FM is pushing out KFXY-LPFM, Mesa (another station with an identity crisis playing country, oldies and alternative music these days). Do we really need all these translators?
Click to expand...

The odd thing is that the 97.3 translator is owned by KIKO-FM owner John Low, so he's interfering with his own station (and one that tries to target "Phoenix"). I can see why all these AMs want FM translators, but KEMP-FM in Payson wants to boost its signal so it can reach the Phoenix area. Do we need any more rimshots when the ones on the air are struggling (note to Sierra H. staff: why don't you activate 101.1 or 104.3's HD-capable transmitter and lease out the HD2 to an AM station like you're leasing out 92.7 to Hubbard?).
 
Raymie said:
Is 96.1 then moving to South Mountain where 101.9 has been?
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Correct. They'll be on the same tower at the same height as 101.9, but with a little less power (no pun intended).
 
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