New owners for KKDZ

(Mostly) same group that recently bought KZIZ (Pacific) is purchasing KKDZ for $500k, which is what the current owners paid for it. Along with the sale comes a CP for a separate 'sunset-to-midnight' transmitter site, which the station badly needed, following the loss of its former site to development. It currently fills these hours from its daytime tower, operating on a reduced-power STA.

I wonder if they're moving the programming from KZIZ to KKDZ. Some of the music played on KZIZ is pretty cool.

boombox4 said:

I wonder if they're moving the programming from KZIZ to KKDZ. Some of the music played on KZIZ is pretty cool.

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I think that they should simulcast KKDZ and KZIZ, simply because both signals have a hard time covering the entire market, but when combined they cover most of the market that counts.

KXA said:

I think that they should simulcast KKDZ and KZIZ, simply because both signals have a hard time covering the entire market, but when combined they cover most of the market that counts.

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If it's the same licensee for both AM's, they're only allowed to simulcast so many hours per day.

From 7 FCC 92-361:

For stations in the same service whose principal community contours overlap such that the overlap area constitutes more than 50 percent
of either station's principal community contour area. simulcasting may not exceed 25 percent of either station's daily broadcast time.

These rules apply both to stations commonly owned and to those separately owned but time brokered.

Interesting point, Kelly, but I wonder if the rule applies here. In a cursory look at the Radio-Locator pages for both stations, I see overlap, but nothing that looks anywhere near 50% to me.

Grounded Grid said:

Interesting point, Kelly, but I wonder if the rule applies here. In a cursory look at the Radio-Locator pages for both stations, I see overlap, but nothing that looks anywhere near 50% to me.

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I noticed that too, but on a different site (and also from listening experience), hence my above comment.

KXA said:

I noticed that too, but on a different site (and also from listening experience), hence my above comment.

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I wouldn't use Radio-Info as an indicator of coverage overlap. What's on file with the FCC is the more accurate indicator. This is especially true for stations with Construction Permits: https://transition.fcc.gov/fcc-bin/amq?list=0&facid=12112
https://transition.fcc.gov/fcc-bin/amq?list=0&facid=35550

I'm at work during a break in paperwork and don't have the time to run the calculations right now, but just doing the math in my head and assuming the estimated coverage in the KKDZ CP, there would be at least 50% overlap with the KZIZ, certainly in day coverage. Night you may be able to claim less overlap, but I'm fairly sure the FCC doesn't take only one mode into consideration.

Took another look. It does look like that rule applies here. He'll be back in town next week. That'll be on the list! Thanks for the heads-up.

WoW. Are any of the tress around the new night time site taller than the towers (KXPA 1560 site)? I think those towers were around 165'. Been a while since I have been to the east side. Looking on Google it looks like the towers are not there. Kinda like what the old Kirkland night site looked like before some trees were cut.

Being that it's Parks Dept. property I wonder if the Parks Dept. is charged with keeping the vegetation down around the towers and guy wires or trees branches growing between/through them. Do the tree's foliage affect the pattern summer versus winter. You can see the towers and a few of the guy wires better on the King county Imap site but I think Google picture of the site is newer.

Beautiful lush green location and with the way AM transmitter sites go on the East side you have to take what you can get. Wonder what the rent is for 1560 to the parks? I doubt the Parks own the towers. Wonder if KKDZ pays a little to the Parks Dept. for use of land and KXPA for towers or does KXPA collect all the rent. The current building might be big enough for another phaser and transmitter set up. Then the is the new ATU for KKDZ at each tower base and diplexer. That looks looks a fun little project.

Nahh... it's not as bad as one might think.

It's been about 3 years since I was last out there, but I recall the trees being tall back then... but maybe it's just that they're fairly dense. The "deal" was made by the (soon to be) former owners... don't know anything about that, but the technical part will obviously involve all of the normal goodies that would be involved with a project like this... probably a bunch of additional filtering, due to the other nearby stations.

The "parks dept" does keep a close eye on who does what there. There isn't vegetation growing through the fixtures, as their engineer takes good care of the place. Clearing of foliage has to be supervised, so they all get together once a year or so to get that done. Repairs to walkways & coax enclosures are usually done around then as well.

The building looks like it might have hosted the entire station at one time... might have been a cool place to work in, if you like seclusion. There is plenty of room for KKDZ, and I'm told that space has already been cleared out for them. Given the people involved in this, I expect both stations will wind up with very good installations.

Hoping to get out there to see the site again with their engineer in the next couple of weeks or so.

As far as I know, KARR hasn't found a permanent site yet. Would there be room for that station there as well?

I think there was talk about it at one time. Don't know what became of it though.