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KAMA-FM now simulcasting on KQBU-FM

B

BamaTX

Anyone know since when and why? Seems like Univision would be better off with a different format on 93.3. KAMA already has a good signal within the metro.

A Norteño, Spanish AC, Spanish Oldies, Tejano, or even an English language format would seem better use of 93.3. This move is very baffling.

(Anyone who works or knows someone at Univision should tell them to at least turn the stereo back on)
 
BamaTX said:
Anyone know since when and why? Seems like Univision would be better off with a different format on 93.3. KAMA already has a good signal within the metro.

A Norteño, Spanish AC, Spanish Oldies, Tejano, or even an English language format would seem better use of 93.3. This move is very baffling.

(Anyone who works or knows someone at Univision should tell them to at least turn the stereo back on)
Click to expand...

KQBU adds a considerable segment of the MSA to the KAMA signal. They have some overlap, but most of the gain is in Polk, San Jacinto, Liberty, Chambers, Montgomery and Galveston counties where KAMA does not get a 65 dbu.
 
I dont see the benefit. So now they want to help Kama win the battle with Klol? Kama has a great signal in the market i dont see kqbu helping improve sells or ratings .
 
DavidEduardo said:


KQBU adds a considerable segment of the MSA to the KAMA signal. They have some overlap, but most of the gain is in Polk, San Jacinto, Liberty, Chambers, Montgomery and Galveston counties where KAMA does not get a 65 dbu.
Click to expand...


Funny I remember a few months ago I said why doesn’t Univision Simulcast on 93.3 and 104.9?

And the answer I got (from you) was the 93.3 and 104.9 simulcast made sense back then but now with the coverage area of 104.9 it doesn’t make sense anymore.
 
DavidEduardo said:


KQBU adds a considerable segment of the MSA to the KAMA signal. They have some overlap, but most of the gain is in Polk, San Jacinto, Liberty, Chambers, Montgomery and Galveston counties where KAMA does not get a 65 dbu.
Click to expand...

But none of these counties have a significant Hispanic population in the Houston area? As far as I know, Hispanic Houstonians reside in the northwest and southwest side of the city as well as the east, with some population in the Katy area and also Richmond/Rosenberg in Fort Bend. I'm not sure how a signal on 93.3 would benefit as KQBU covers the east side at best (with 60 dBu; however, KAMA-FM has good coverage in the central parts of Houston, including the area immediately east of downtown Houston - especially since the areas with Hispanic populations are under the 70 dBu of KAMA-FM). Plus, Beaumont-Port Arthur isn't a bankable market for Hispanics. I am just baffled on how some markets, especially Houston, have 100kW rimshots that barely cover the areas that matter; it is a waste IMO.
 
Radio Radio Listener said:
But none of these counties have a significant Hispanic population in the Houston area?
Click to expand...
As far as I can tell, the only area worth significance that they've added coverage in is Galveston. That's it. KAMA has great coverage to the East. Even at SH-99 (which is where the boonies start), KAMA still has a solid signal.

This is a straight up head scratcher. Univision has some experience venturing into English language formats. Why not go there? Hispanics listen to Classic Rock, R&B, and even Christmas music. Or why not simulcast KLAT on 93.3? Spanish Oldies? Tejano? Spanish Talk? Just about anything made more sense than this move.
 
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DavidEduardo said:


KQBU adds a considerable segment of the MSA to the KAMA signal. They have some overlap, but most of the gain is in Polk, San Jacinto, Liberty, Chambers, Montgomery and Galveston counties where KAMA does not get a 65 dbu.
Click to expand...

Not many Latinos in Polk, Liberty, Chambers or San Jacinto county, amigo. You're also not gaining much useful signal in Montgomery. Conroe falls outside of both stations city grade signal.

The only meaningful add is Galveston county, but a cheap translator purchase would have made more sense down there.
 
BamaTX said:
Not many Latinos in Polk, Liberty, Chambers or San Jacinto county, amigo. You're also not gaining much useful signal in Montgomery. Conroe falls outside of both stations city grade signal.

The only meaningful add is Galveston county, but a cheap translator purchase would have made more sense down there.
Click to expand...

Why buy a translator when there is a protected, full signal station in the house already?
 
Radio Radio Listener said:
Plus, Beaumont-Port Arthur isn't a bankable market for Hispanics. I am just baffled on how some markets, especially Houston, have 100kW rimshots that barely cover the areas that matter; it is a waste IMO.
Click to expand...

No station is "a waste" if it can be profitable.

In any case, Beaumont is not part of the Houston MSA, and is not sold in combo.
 
I don't see what is really gained with the addition of 93.3 to the Latino Mix format. I suspect this has more to do with dumping the cost of the separate format. KAMA has a solid signal where most of the listeners are. KQBU has been pulling in the mid 0's for some time now. Note that the rimshots on 98.5 and 107.9 are doing much better targeting similar demographics.

The days of the previous 93.3/104.9 simulcast were when the 104.9 transmitter was closer to its original COL of Rosenberg.

Betcha Univision would love to get ahold of KRBE should Cumulus put it on the block. KROI wouldn't be bad for them either, should Urban One bail.

Still, we may see something different happen on 93.3. The Latino Mix simulcast could be temporary filler, with something new launching in early 2018...?
 
DavidEduardo said:


Why buy a translator when there is a protected, full signal station in the house already?
Click to expand...

But only the cities of Baytown and La Porte (of the Houston MSA) are under the 70 dBu of KQBU. Galveston proper is not even under the 70dBu, let alone the cities of League City and Texas City. And given that Houston is a humid area, it is a bit more difficult to receive distant signals compared to, say, desert/arid areas. So I see a point in a translator, although Galveston County isn't a big hot spot for the Hispanic population as far as I can tell. Freeport is half Hispanic (but not under 60 dBu of KQBU), but I don't know if major radio stations are fighting for the audience in a place like Freeport.
 
DavidEduardo said:


Why buy a translator when there is a protected, full signal station in the house already?
Click to expand...

Because I'm pretty sure the rimshot could support a standalone format and be very profitable (if it has the right format and salespeople). KQBU has been neglected for a very long time. I'm sure the old format could have had way more listeners had they fixed the audio issues that have plagued the station for so long. KQBU has always sounded like an AM station on FM.

I have no horse in this race, but watching Univision reduce the overall options for Hispanic listeners is very...odd. It just seems counterproductive considering that they will only be adding a sliver of audience to Latino Mix.
 
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Radio Radio Listener said:
Galveston County isn't a big hot spot for the Hispanic population as far as I can tell. Freeport is half Hispanic (but not under 60 dBu of KQBU), but I don't know if major radio stations are fighting for the audience in a place like Freeport.
Click to expand...
Galveston proper has a sizable amount of Hispanics, which is why a translator being fed by a KLTN subchannel (or even a KQBU subchannel if Univision ever decides to make it an HD station) makes more sense than wasting away KQBU.
 
stan said:
And yet 93.3 is licensed to Port Arthur, and not Houston, just as it was from its KYKR days.
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All the Beaumont market AMs and FMs combined bill about $10,000,000 a year.

Houston's top billing station bills $30,000,000 a year... one single Houston station bills three times the total market billing of Beaumont / Port Arthur / Orange.

In fact, Houston't #1 Spanish language station bills two and a half times the total billing of all Beaumont market stations.

KTJM, licensed to Port Arthur, bills more than the top 5 local Beaumont billers combined. And more than 3 times the billing of the top Beaumont biller. So it is a lot more profitable, even if only a partial signal is put over Houston, to be focused on the larger market.
 
I’m predicting format swaps all around, Más Variedad moving to 93.3 and 104.9.

Latinomix moving to 106.5!
 
DavidEduardo said:


All the Beaumont market AMs and FMs combined bill about $10,000,000 a year.

Houston's top billing station bills $30,000,000 a year... one single Houston station bills three times the total market billing of Beaumont / Port Arthur / Orange.

In fact, Houston't #1 Spanish language station bills two and a half times the total billing of all Beaumont market stations.

KTJM, licensed to Port Arthur, bills more than the top 5 local Beaumont billers combined. And more than 3 times the billing of the top Beaumont biller. So it is a lot more profitable, even if only a partial signal is put over Houston, to be focused on the larger market.
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I don’t disqgree, David. I think it would be more honest to change the COL if you don’t care about serving that area. That would be more transparent.
 
Changing the COL is not easy. You have to make a case before the FCC and typically it is not granted unless you are, say, not serving a community with it's first radio service. Anyway, doing this requires lots of work, time and money. When your coverage area allows you to serve Houston from that location, why would you want to spend your time and money doing something you are not required to do and something that does not give your station any advantage whatsoever. Especially so when the FCC would never grant a COL change from Beaumont to Houston in the first place.

Should a station assigned to Pasadena be considered less transparent for serving Houston, or that Conroe FM that does the same? Your coverage is what it is regardless of the COL.
 
stan said:
I don’t disqgree, David. I think it would be more honest to change the COL if you don’t care about serving that area. That would be more transparent.
Click to expand...

This is a non issue.

Do you also have an issue with KKBQ focusing on Houston and not exclusively on Pasadena?
 
Mrtejano said:
I’m predicting format swaps all around, Más Variedad moving to 93.3 and 104.9.

Latinomix moving to 106.5!
Click to expand...

106.5 is generally the #2 or #3 Spanish language station in its target, so why go messin' with it?

Frequency swaps always cause audience loss and listener confusion and are not done unless there are powerful gains in exchange.
 
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