KSPA-AM 1510 Ontario has filed to go silent

[Frequency1]

KSPA has filed to go silent:

Description: JUSTIFICATION

LOSS OF TRANSMITTER SITE AND TOWER; TOWER DISMANTLED

 

[CTListener]

KSPA has filed to go silent:

Description: JUSTIFICATION

LOSS OF TRANSMITTER SITE AND TOWER; TOWER DISMANTLED

Well, they could just throw up a dipole in the backyard, I suppose. But yeah, that's justification.

 

[DavidEduardo]

Well, they could just throw up a dipole in the backyard, I suppose. But yeah, that's justification.

It is also a good excuse not to be on the air during the current limited economy. I doubt the station has made money for years.

 

[michael hagerty]

It is also a good excuse not to be on the air during the current limited economy. I doubt the station has made money for years.

I've lost track. Does this remove an obstacle for Jack Lacy & company to get 1500 back on the air?

 

[SomeRadioGuy]

I've lost track. Does this remove an obstacle for Jack Lacy & company to get 1500 back on the air?

No.. KSPA is still licensed

I venture KWRM 1370 which took down its towers recently is done for.. and so is KSPA.. were talking multiple towers.. where will they find land they can afford and rebuild? youre looking at probably $1 mil pluss each for KWRM and KSPA to buy land and reconstruct

 

[DrAkbar]

I've lost track. Does this remove an obstacle for Jack Lacy & company to get 1500 back on the air?

KWIF cleared all objections...including from the owners of KSPA. Last Sept, 15~Ten got permission for 6kw nights with four sticks. Good luck diplexing that pattern!

It remains to be seen what becomes of 15~Hundred. Heck of a time to put a new Ancient Modulation station on the air with such puny power.

 

[SomeRadioGuy]

KWIF cleared all objections...including from the owners of KSPA. Last Sept, 15~Ten got permission for 6kw nights with four sticks. Good luck diplexing that pattern!

It remains to be seen what becomes of 15~Hundred. Heck of a time to put a new Ancient Modulation station on the air with such puny power.

they didnt have to diplex anything.. the cp was at their licensed site that only they occupied, no other station there.. they just had to build new towers.. noen of which involved "diplexing"

 

[DavidEduardo]

they didnt have to diplex anything.. the cp was at their licensed site that only they occupied, no other station there.. they just had to build new towers.. noen of which involved "diplexing"

I think Dr Akbar's point is that the only way the station could get the facility on the air with anywhere near a reasonable cost would be sharing a site.

In a number of cases in SoCal, the site is worth more than the station. Some, like KFI and KTNQ, had let warehouses build on the site. Others have shared sites... with ones like the old KDAY site being shared with several other stations.

Another that has a site worth more than the station is the 1260 one owned by Saul; even in a less valued part of the market, the station is worth more dead than alive.

Unlike New York City, LA has no "badlands" where stations can locate on otherwise less commercially useful locations. Every piece of land is valuable.

As an example, I had a small-ish townhouse in an HOA administered location on a hillside in Glendale. The structure was valued at less than $250 thousand. The land was worth $750 thousand. A relative in Cleveland has a twice-as-large condo in a better area and the whole thing is worth less than $150 thousand. This same kind of ratio applies to land nearly anywhere in the LA metro.

Best example: KHJ moved to the KDAY site, and sold for around $8 million. The land it had been on sold for $57 million

 

[michael hagerty]

I think Dr Akbar's point is that the only way the station could get the facility on the air with anywhere near a reasonable cost would be sharing a site.

In a number of cases in SoCal, the site is worth more than the station. Some, like KFI and KTNQ, had let warehouses build on the site. Others have shared sites... with ones like the old KDAY site being shared with several other stations.

Another that has a site worth more than the station is the 1260 one owned by Saul; even in a less valued part of the market, the station is worth more dead than alive.

Unlike New York City, LA has no "badlands" where stations can locate on otherwise less commercially useful locations. Every piece of land is valuable.

As an example, I had a small-ish townhouse in an HOA administered location on a hillside in Glendale. The structure was valued at less than $250 thousand. The land was worth $750 thousand. A relative in Cleveland has a twice-as-large condo in a better area and the whole thing is worth less than $150 thousand. This same kind of ratio applies to land nearly anywhere in the LA metro.

Best example: KHJ moved to the KDAY site, and sold for around $8 million. The land it had been on sold for $57 million

Which, even if you removed the noise issues and fidelity and perceived hipness, is why AM would be in trouble (at least in many cities) anyway. It ties up one helluva lotta land to put a signal in the air.

 

[asugeorge1]

Which, even if you removed the noise issues and fidelity and perceived hipness, is why AM would be in trouble (at least in many cities) anyway. It ties up one helluva lotta land to put a signal in the air.

Just the beginning of probably a decent amount of AM stations having to go silent or turn in their licenses due to the current economic climate and COVID-19 pandemic.

I used to listen to KSPA back in the day because their adult standards format was quite good and they used to blast into Mesa, Arizona at night overpowering the “local” station of KFNN (which ironically has their city of license as Mesa, but their nighttime signal does not cover the COL at all). Sad to see KSPA go, hopefully it comes back at some point!

 

[sdwulfdawg]

Astor Broadcasting's other station in Escondido, CA, KFSD, pulled the plug last year because they could not sustain running it without advertising. Imagine that.

 

[Frequency1]

KFSD-AM's silent authorization will expire soon.

Notwithstanding the grant of this Special Temporary Authority, the broadcast license for Station KFSD(AM) will automatically expire as a matter of Jaw
if broadcast operations do not resume by 12:01 a.m., June 2, 2020.2

 

[DrAkbar]

I used to listen to KSPA back in the day because their adult standards format was quite good and they used to blast into Mesa, Arizona at night overpowering the “local” station of KFNN (which ironically has their city of license as Mesa, but their nighttime signal does not cover the COL at all). Sad to see KSPA go, hopefully it comes back at some point!

Look at KFNN's coverage on Radio Locator. Daytime with 22kw, it covers not only the COL, but the entire metro area. At night with 100 watts and four sticks, it would take a strong wind to send any of those watts toward Mesa. One of the joys of being a Class D station.

As far as KSPA, it'll probably resurface with a downgrade in power and number of sticks. (KLIV, San Jose did the same thing) The highest and best use of the station will be to feed an FM translator. Then pray!

 

[SomeRadioGuy]

Look at KFNN's coverage on Radio Locator. Daytime with 22kw, it covers not only the COL, but the entire metro area. At night with 100 watts and four sticks, it would take a strong wind to send any of those watts toward Mesa once the sun goes down. One of the joys of being a Class D station.

As far as KSPA, it'll probably resurface with a downgrade in power and number of sticks. The highest and best use of the station will be to feed an FM translator. Then pray!

I've heard KQFN 1580 quite regularly at sunrise and sunset here in WY.. KFNN is rare because its 22KW directional compared to KQFN's 50W ND

As a Class D, KFNN isnt required to cover its COL at night