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Iheart has released the lineup for 790AM
Iheart has released the lineup for 790AM
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KBME 790AM Sports/Talk changes starting July 9th
- Thread starter Y2kTheNewOldies
- Start date
All KBME needs now is an FM translator.
But iHurt didn't file for one...and given the crowded band, they couldn't find a channel anyway
Or get an FM HD receiver and listen on 99.1 HD2.
94.5-HD2. KTRH is on 99.1-HD2.
They are missing out.
KILT covers four times the area KBME does during nighttime coverage.
With all the translators out there, they should have acquired one.
They missed out. Past tense since all these LPFMs have popped up and won't allow translators to properly move to downtown.
But even then, a 99 watt translator in Downtown wouldn't have added much to KBME's coverage. Their 60 dbu contour wouldn't have made it out of the Beltway. Houston is too spread out for a law abiding translator to work. I don't know how well KISS-FM is doing, but I doubt it has managed to put a dent on KMJQ.
Translators masqueraded as full-time stations are better suited for medium sized markets. Austin works surprisingly well (not counting Round Rock) as does Albuquerque and New Orleans. Markets such as Houston and DFW are too spread out. If you want to listen to KBME at night in Conroe or Rosenberg, you're better off using their phone app.
A
AnyHuman
Guest
I say the FCC should open up the band a bit below 88.1 and allow new stations there. The current frequency spectrum for FM in the US is way too crowded in cities like Houston.
What I don't understand is, "Why can't KBME call E-String Wireless (or some other organization) and acquire a translator from Lufkin or Jackson, MS and move it (in theory, not physically) to the southwest side (or northside) of Houston?" KVNN out of Victoria wanted an FM translator, called E-String Wireless, and had it up and running in a months time. Now, you can drive 30 minutes in any direction of Victoria and you are listening to a crystal clear FM version of KVNN. How difficult is it to purchase one and apply for one through the FCC? With as many FM translators out there simulating an AM station, it doesn't seem like it is too difficult. Maybe it is, though, I have little knowledge with this particular radio phenomenon.
According to KBME's Josh Innes, 94.1 is receiving early success, and KBME was forced to pay attention, so much so that they lured Sean Salisbury away from the station. Which proves that you can have success in Houston as a sportstalk station with 250 watts, or even 99.
You mentioned Austin, and I'd be remiss if I didn't mention a translator there (97.1) that carries from Georgetown all the way to San Marcos as you drive on I-35. Super impressive for a translator that only boasts 99 watts.
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Can't happen while the analog LPTV loophole remains open -- the loophole that allow "Franken FMs" to continue operating as de facto radio stations just below the FM broadcast band.
It would never work. People are not buying radios, and the many that people are using will not go to those frequencies.
Further, an increasing percentage of radio usage is in the car. The average car is 11 years old. It would take a decade to get the new band in just half of all cars, assuming all new radios had the expanded band.
There are no open frequencies that would allow a translator with decent coverage.
The Houston radio market is 11 counties, so covering just a piece of of the market will not help.
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AnyHuman
Guest
97.3 in Lufkin was broadcasting dead air last I checked, that's E-String Wireless LOL.
Now David, you mentioned the radio market is 11 counties, were you using:
Harris
Grimes
Waller
Fort Bend
Brazoria
Walker
Montgomery
Galveston
San Jacinto
Liberty
Chambers
Or, were you using:
Harris
Galveston
Montgomery
Liberty
Chambers
Brazoria
Fort Bend
Waller
Austin
Wharton
Matagorda
?
Also, if you look at the coverage map of KBRZ's translator, 95.1, you will see that it blankets each of the 11 county sets above, maybe not at 60 dBu's, but at least at 50 dBu, which is usable in a car, which, as you said, "An increasing percentage of radio usage is in the car."
Hopefully I don't come across as argumentative, that's not what I'm going for.
I am using the Nielsen MSA (Metro Survey Area), as defined by them.
Austin, TX
Brazoria, TX
Chambers, TX
Fort Bend, TX
Galveston, TX
Harris, TX
Liberty, TX
Montgomery, TX
Polk, TX
San Jacinto, TX
Waller, TX
For adequate indoor reception, a 65 dbu signal is required. Not even the non-directional full power translators near downtown cover even Harris County adequately, much less the rest of the market.
Even in cars, 60 dbu is about the limit with all the translators, HD sidebands and LPFM stations today. 60 is the protected contour for "Full" stations, and translators are the poor relatives that get all kinds of interference... which in Houston includes inversion layers that are of monster proportions.
The 95.1 signal covers tidbits of Harris, Fort Bend and Brazoria counties. But its biggest problem is that, with 99 watts at 1800 feet, it has so little power that it really covers no place well. I have experience in LA with a facility that was 650 watts at 970 feet on a mountain overlooking the San Gabriel Valley. It barely showed in the ratings. We moved it to 6 kw at a conforming 300 feet on a little hill on the valley floor and it suddenly got nearly a 2 share (and in PPM, combined with its sister FM, a 4 share).
If a person has to seek out a signal, it is not going to get much listening.
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Too late for that. No available frequencies for a decent signal.
I know I harp on the future fate of 92.1 a lot, but it is a place either 610 or 790 could wind up on FM. Urban One gets rid of a ratings dog and the Sports format really isn’t a competitor to KMJQ/KBXX.
You are right, the recent iHeart HD shuffle slipped my mind.
Thing is, both AM and FM are on the way out. May take another 5, 10, 15 years, but the rise of 5G wireless broadband (and its successors) will mean that streaming options such as smartphones, tablets and “Alexa” type devices become the new “radios.” Automobiles might become the last bastion of traditional radio listening due to the long replacement cycles. New FM signals will only be a temporary solution to AM problems.
KPRC 950 has become the irrelevant and forgotten member of the local iHeart cluster. Although I think it rather unlikely, it wouldn’t shock me if iHeart puts it on the block as part of a purge of underperforming properties. Likely buyer: Salem.
The FCC and the radio industry should have initiated that move 25-30 years ago as part of the transition to digital TV, and expanded the band down to 76 MHz. But that ship has sailed—see my comments above about 5G wireless broadband.
Their last time I saw that station be heavily promoted around Houston was when they rebranded as "The 9-5-0 Mojo". Shortly after that, I started seeing less mention of them around town.
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