Potentially Bad News for a Kitsap Peninsula Noncom

[fordranger797]

FM translators are just that. They can't be "converted" to LPFM. But specific to the FM translator on 105.7, that will be wiped out anyway by the impending move of KJET to Union. (see FCC.gov). That's been in the works for some time.

That is interesting information, Bill! I look forward to seeing what you've got in store!

 

[fordranger797]

That's true in the commercial band above 92 MHz. But in the non-comm band 88.1 -91.9 MHz, the coverage requirement is only 60 dBu.
"
§ 73.515 NCE FM transmitter location.
The transmitter location shall be chosen so that, on the basis of effective radiated power and antenna height above average terrain employed, a minimum field strength of l mV/m (60 dBu) will be provided over at least 50 percent of its community of license or reach 50 percent of the population within the community.

That makes sense! It looks like KGHP fulfills those requirements.

 

[fordranger797]

The main transmitter location is on the grounds of Evergreen Elementary in Lakebay so the location was partly chosen due to the school district owning the property. And I've never been able to figure out why it doesn't cover the city of license. I'm sure the location had something to do with the contours of KGRG and KUPS. While they may have wished that the main transmitter location was at Peninsula or Gig Harbor high school, the current facility is what the FCC was willing to license at the time. Why they were allowed to call Gig Harbor the COL I'll never know. It's a bad coverage area shoehorned in on a bad frequency and probably should never have been issued.

I agree, it does seem like a shoehorned frequency. That's not a critique of KGHP as an operation, of course. If anything, a difficult main frequency has probably made their existence even more challenging.

 

[crainbebo]

But will The Jet keep the same format when it moves to cover Olympia and Shelton? And will KJET still have a presence in its home of Aberdeen/Raymond/South Bend?
And speaking of 'on school property,' KASB's transmitter is on top of one of the buildings at BHS. You might remember they used to be on 89.3 for a long time before moving (C89.5's HD hash was a huge problem).

 

[Kelly A]

And speaking of 'on school property,' KASB's transmitter is on top of one of the buildings at BHS. You might remember they used to be on 89.3 for a long time before moving (C89.5's HD hash was a huge problem).

Which was good, because for years KASB created interference to KNHC near the school. Class D stations have to accept interference from full Class stations. Not the other way around.

 

[fordranger797]

But will The Jet keep the same format when it moves to cover Olympia and Shelton? And will KJET still have a presence in its home of Aberdeen/Raymond/South Bend?
And speaking of 'on school property,' KASB's transmitter is on top of one of the buildings at BHS. You might remember they used to be on 89.3 for a long time before moving (C89.5's HD hash was a huge problem).

That's for all of us to find out later on when the transmitter on South Mountain fires up. With that being said, a move to South Mountain sets the ball in motion to target some of Pierce, Thurston, and Mason counties, so I would expect interesting changes to come.

 

[Bongwater]

Western (Bellingham) station seems to be an example of that. Many shifts seemed to be filled with students who just wanted to remove an item from their bucket list!! But still fun to listen to....

KUGS has always been a different animal than most other college stations. Namely because it has a small, but fiercely loyal local audience (regardless of the student DJ riff-raff) and had it for decades.

But radio overall is in twilight. Listeners are vanishing or defecting to streaming and podcasts. Stations are going off the air and licenses deleted or sold to religious conglomerates. Right now, it looks like a "thinning of the herd" (getting the weaker/less profitable or sustaining stations off the air.) But at this rate inevitably, the turmoil has nowhere else to go but up.

 

[fordranger797]

KUGS has always been a different animal than most other college stations. Namely because it has a small, but fiercely loyal local audience (regardless of the student DJ riff-raff) and had it for decades.

But radio overall is in twilight. Listeners are vanishing or defecting to streaming and podcasts. Stations are going off the air and licenses deleted or sold to religious conglomerates. Right now, it looks like a "thinning of the herd" (getting the weaker/less profitable or sustaining stations off the air.) But at this rate inevitably, the turmoil has nowhere else to go but up.

I was always impressed by the following of KUGS when I worked there. There always seemed to be a demand for the KUGS format around Bellingham, regardless of what the programming sounded like. I think that many Bellingham locals enjoy the idea of local college radio that is live 24/7. I’d even argue that it’s a more entertaining experience to listen to a station like KUGS over other stations in town, because you truly never know what you’re going to get!

 

[Bongwater]

FM translators are just that. They can't be "converted" to LPFM. But specific to the FM translator on 105.7, that will be wiped out anyway by the impending move of KJET to Union. (see FCC.gov). That's been in the works for some time.

But translators can be converted to full stations, can't they? (KUOW's longtime Bellingham translator became KQOW several years ago, I'm guessing to protect it's signal from further encroachment.) Still 100 watts, but now with HD.

 

[fordranger797]

But translators can be converted to full stations, can't they? (KUOW's longtime Bellingham translator became KQOW several years ago, I'm guessing to protect it's signal from further encroachment.) Still 100 watts, but now with HD.

I thought the whole enchilada was moving to South Mountain (the main signal that is, eliminating the translator). In that case, there would be no problem with the move. Of course, this is purely speculation so we will see what actually unfolds.

 

[bossbill]

I'm not the best person to answer these questions, but... An FM translator is secondary service, and doesn't have the same protection an FM has. So if someone were to find that a channel would be open for an A, say, but it is occupied by an FM translator, then logic would dictate that if the FM were granted, the translator would have to be turned off or displaced to another channel. So what might seem to be a "conversion" isn't.

I thought the whole enchilada was moving to South Mountain (the main signal that is, eliminating the translator). In that case, there would be no problem with the move. Of course, this is purely speculation so we will see what actually unfolds.

Which enchilada are you discussing?

 

[fordranger797]

I'm not the best person to answer these questions, but... An FM translator is secondary service, and doesn't have the same protection an FM has. So if someone were to find that a channel would be open for an A, say, but it is occupied by an FM translator, then logic would dictate that if the FM were granted, the translator would have to be turned off or displaced to another channel. So what might seem to be a "conversion" isn't.

Which enchilada are you discussing?

I was going to comment on a fine enchilada available at a reaturaunt in Grays Harbor, but I was actually referring to the main 105.7 signal in Pacific County.

 

[Kelly A]

But translators can be converted to full stations, can't they?

The Commission creates allocations for the various classes of stations to an area. They don't just change the allocation in any particular area because a station would rather have say, a class A rather than their existing translator. The allocation for that channel to be used as a full class station needs to already exist.

(KUOW's longtime Bellingham translator became KQOW several years ago, I'm guessing to protect it's signal from further encroachment.) Still 100 watts, but now with HD.

Yes, it's a class A station with a directional antenna because of the height.

 

[Bongwater]

I was going to comment on a fine enchilada available at a reaturaunt in Grays Harbor, but I was actually referring to the main 105.7 signal in Pacific County.

An enchilada so tasty, you can hear it on radios....MMMMMMM!!!!!!

 

[fordranger797]

An enchilada so tasty, you can hear it on radios....MMMMMMM!!!!!!

Well that would be ONE way to bring more attention to radio as a service!

 

[dxsphere]

On the topic of college radio, not every college is equal in terms of the skills you acquire. Many colleges don't even have a radio station anymore, and there is a significant amount of variation between the college radio stations that remain. I'd argue that KCWU at Central Washington University is one of the better student facilities out there, as they have received numerous awards over the years, and provide student volunteers with high quality equipment. Obviously, KCWU is a teaching tool and you really can't compare it to a commercial radio station, but it does seem like students who pass through the KCWU studio are equipped for professional radio jobs after finishing their education. On the other hand, there are other college stations out there that have no consistency, and aren't preparing anyone to work in radio.

It probably goes without saying that nobody volunteering at a student radio station should ever feel compelled to make radio their professional career. There is something to be said for having fun without adhering to strict programming guidelines. With that being said, KCWU has probably been so successful because they treat their radio station as a legitimate teaching tool. Compare this to a college station I volunteered with at one point where we played CD's all day with no automation, and logged every song individually on a computer to keep up with the web stream.

As someone who worked for KCWU, I can affirm this. The environment inside the station is very inclusive and friendly, and almost everyone seems to be close with each other. Most of the friends I made in college (especially during the first couple years) were co-workers. It is also inclusive toward students who aren't aiming for a broadcasting or journalism degree - in fact, most of the students involved are not journalism majors at all. While most participants are volunteers, some people can get paid positions, such as social media manager, graphics designers (and they've hired some REALLY good graphic designers), trainers, production manager, and more. I had a paid position prior to the pandemic operating the board during basketball games.

KCWU is successful because they are very engaging with the student population. They have a very active presence on social media platforms including Facebook, Instagram and Snapchat - I wouldn't be surprised if they had a presence on TikTok either, their playlist consists mainly of CHR, with occasional EDM or rap, and the DJs tend to be in sync with the general student population. Underwriting are all local and target CWU students. Occasionally, the station will be present at on and off-campus events across Ellensburg, and the training student volunteers go through to play at these events is pretty feasible. Contests and promotions occur occasionally, and the station has gotten a hold of tickets to some pretty good events for giveaways.

Their studios do contain state of the art equipment, and since the pandemic, they've installed equipment that allows for remote operations by students. Shows can be done from home using CWU's very secure VPN network, as can board operation during sports coverage. Oh, and their sports coverage is done by some very passionate people.

While KCWU is an open environment for anyone, it can become a launching point for those who are truly passionate about radio. I know plenty of people from that station who are now working in Seattle, Portland, and other markets. The manager and engineer both have connections to lots of different radio stations/companies across the Northwest and they participate in NAB events.

 

[Kelly A]

Ever notice that the least impactful or insignificant stations get the most chatter on this board? LPFM's being just one example

 

[LITTLEBOYBLUE]

Ever notice that the least impactful or insignificant stations get the most chatter on this board? LPFM's being just one example

Prob'ly because the impactful ones bore the s**t out of us.

 

[Kelly A]

Prob'ly because the impactful ones bore the s**t out of us.

Then you should take over your own LPFM, and this group will love you! They won't send you any money, but you will get lots of chatter here.

 

[fordranger797]

Ever notice that the least impactful or insignificant stations get the most chatter on this board? LPFM's being just one example

There could be a few reasons for that.
1. The more "impactful" broadcasting groups are elaborate operations that don't run into technical issues or drama that would be of interest to the common observer.
2. These stations employ respected, high-quality talent and management who are well known in their field. Day-to-day operations should theoretically be seamless.