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KLAT losing current night site

M

Mediafrog+

This one had slipped by, but just came across it: KLAT has applied to move its night operation back to its daytime site, as they will be losing use of the current night location near 290 @ Tidwell. KLAT had once been full time at the current day site prior to the separate night site being constructed in the 1990s.

There will be a significant loss of nighttime coverage area with the return to the day site in NE Harris County, basically missing the western half of the market. Night power will be 3kw, day remains at 5kw.

The second attachment to the FCC application has a thorough overview of the technical plan: Draft Copy « Licensing and Management System « FCC
 
I recall from my time in Houston in the mid-1980s that KLAT had a fairly lousy signal in the Montrose and points west at night. There was a lot of interference from other stations on the channel at the time in those areas.
 
Well, I guess y'all will finally get to hear what Ryan's voice sounds like and associate them with his texts, because KBBW is likely to obliterate KLAT once this happens.

Wasn't Waco's upgraded 10kW rig the whole reason La Tremenda split the day and night sites up to begin with? Between the country music of the once KKIK and the now deleted KLRA in Lil' Rock, I remember KLAT being squashed pretty badly back then. With the man-made interference out there now, which didn't exist to the current degree in the early 80's, it's only going to be that much worse for the Latino Media Network.

Bless their hearts.
 
Mark Roberts said:
Time I recall from my time in Houston in the mid-1980s that KLAT had a fairly lousy signal in the Montrose and points west at night. There was a lot of interference from other stations on the channel at the time in those areas.
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I remember that as well; that was when they added night service around 1982. That situation continued into the mid 90s when the current night array was built. Seems the signal (then) always favored the east side of the market, extending down the Gulf Freeway corridor. The old KLRA in Little Rock caused KLAT many headaches, but that Arkansas station is long gone.
rosecitymedia said:
Wasn't Waco's upgraded 10kW rig the whole reason La Tremenda split the day and night sites up to begin with?
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I don’t think the Waco 1010 had anything to do with that, other than both stations had to work around the other, day or night (I think the Waco 1010 added night service around the same time as KLAT.). The current KLAT night array filled in a bunch of westside coverage the previous night operation had missed…but it was still inadequate for covering much of the market.

When I was growing up in Austin during the 1960s the 1010 in Waco was KAWA running a 10kw directional daytime only signal…pretty good reception in Austin. At night KLRA was easy to hear.

I recall at one time KBBW had a plan to move to 1020 with 50kw, but nothing ever came of it.
rosecitymedia said:
it's only going to be that much worse for the Latino Media Network.
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If both the TelevisaUnivision and Estrella Media radio groups are indeed up for sale as rumored, LMN might want to grab one or more of those signals and either sell off or shut down KLAT.
 
rosecitymedia said:
Well, I guess y'all will finally get to hear what Ryan's voice sounds like and associate them with his texts, because KBBW is likely to obliterate KLAT once this happens.
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Hahaha… I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but my role is almost entirely away from the mic. Occasionally, I will cut a spot or a tag if there is no one else available and it is urgent, but you’ll have to listen very carefully to ever hear my weak and unflattering vocals.

KLAT has always, in my experience, had a poor signal in the western half of the Houston market. This move to their day site probably doesn’t meaningfully change that either way.
 
radioislife2020 said:
I feel bad for LMN because they are lost.
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It’s amazing that, almost two years after its much hyped launch, LMN has done absolutely NOTHING as far as programming goes.

Curious if LMN might somehow be absorbed into a bigger ownership group that would go after either the TelevisaUnivision or Estrella Media stations, if those are put on the market as rumored.
 
Brokered is tough in Houston. There are so many stations the price dropped a third or more. It's all about price versus signal and the prices clients wanted to pay was about breakeven or a bit less for the station I managed.
 
Generally speaking, it misses the higher income west and northwest areas. The coverage looks great for a format geared toward the average wage earner that have less that they want for savings and entertainment after the bills are paid.
 
KLAT has a pretty good night signal here at ~Westheimer/Beltway 8. Looks like they'll be mostly gone for me with the new setup.
 
bturner1 said:
Generally speaking, it misses the higher income west and northwest areas. The coverage looks great for a format geared toward the average wage earner that have less that they want for savings and entertainment after the bills are paid.
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The northwest, west, and southwest sides lose coverage; there appears to be improvement in Pasadena, Deer Park, and along the Gulf Freeway corridor. Midtown appears to be about where the new contour will have its western extent.

The thing to keep in mind in Houston is that groups of particular ethnicities are not necessarily concentrated in a few places. You never know what's around the next corner.
 
Mark Roberts said:
The thing to keep in mind in Houston is that groups of particular ethnicities are not necessarily concentrated in a few places. You never know what's around the next corner.
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But in all markets with Nielsen established HDHA or HDBA areas, most of the Hispanic and Black diaries or meters are in those High Density (Black or Hispanic) Areas. So if a signal covers the zones of one's target ethnicity / race, the absence of non HD area coverage is much less important than general market stations feel from coverage defects.
 
The FCC today granted KLAT’s application to move night service back to the day site. Since this is a return there might not be much, if any, reconfiguration needed. Will be interesting to see how quickly those towers near 290 @ Tidwell come down…I suspect apartments will go up at that site; there is a new complex just to the north of the property.
 
Mediafrog+ said:
The FCC today granted KLAT’s application to move night service back to the day site. Since this is a return there might not be much, if any, reconfiguration needed. Will be interesting to see how quickly those towers near 290 @ Tidwell come down…I suspect apartments will go up at that site; there is a new complex just to the north of the property.
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Kind of makes me wonder just how much longer the simulcast between it and 93.3 will continue.
 
Has anyone recently listened to 93.3 for more than 10.10 seconds? Doesn’t sound the best
 
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