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Kfxm 96.7

oldies76

oldies76

Very, very nice station out in the Mojave Desert (Lancaster, just outside of L.A, east of the San Gabriel Mountains), playing thousands and thousands of hit songs, 1950's through the 70's at least. Please check them out radio fans!

http://www.kfxm.com/

Enjoy.....small town radio at it's best!
 
oldies76 said:
Very, very nice station out in the Mojave Desert (Lancaster, just outside of L.A, east of the San Gabriel Mountains), playing thousands and thousands of hit songs, 1950's through the 70's at least. Please check them out radio fans!

Enjoy.....small town radio at it's best!
Click to expand...

This is more than "small town radio". It is an LPFM, run by a broadcast engineer with a love for oldies. Since LPFM stations can't sell commercials, they must run either from the licensee's own funds or donations. So KFXM is a labor of love, not intended to make a profit. As such, it can play anything it wants as it is not dependent on revenue or ratings.

You say "Mojave Desert" when, in fact, the market's name is the Antelope Valley and it is home for nearly 450,000 persons in the Lancaster / Palmdale metro area. Of course, the 100 watt signal of KFXM does not reach them all, but the station is a good example of what LPFM stations can be: a source of programming that is not viable on commercial or even big non-commercial stations.
 
Compared to a commercial FM (even at 100 watts), how much does it take to run and operate an LPFM type station, monthly and set up costs, to the degree of KFXM or less wattage. Yeah, donations sure help in this case.
 
oldies76 said:
Compared to a commercial FM (even at 100 watts), how much does it take to run and operate an LPFM type station, monthly and set up costs, to the degree of KFXM or less wattage. Yeah, donations sure help in this case.
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The station rents antenna space on a cellphone tower, and pays electricity, an STL link, various city and state licenses and things like that... plus music licensing fees, insurance and programming costs and such. Probably in the $2500 to $3000 range. They have a few underwriters so it's not entirely out of the owner's pocket.

The station likely cost in the $20 k to $30 k range to build.
 
DavidEduardo said:


This is more than "small town radio". It is an LPFM, run by a broadcast engineer with a love for oldies. Since LPFM stations can't sell commercials, they must run either from the licensee's own funds or donations. So KFXM is a labor of love, not intended to make a profit. As such, it can play anything it wants as it is not dependent on revenue or ratings.

You say "Mojave Desert" when, in fact, the market's name is the Antelope Valley and it is home for nearly 450,000 persons in the Lancaster / Palmdale metro area. Of course, the 100 watt signal of KFXM does not reach them all, but the station is a good example of what LPFM stations can be: a source of programming that is not viable on commercial or even big non-commercial stations.
Click to expand...

Yep, I've listened for a half and hour and am hooked already. "96.7 KFXM - where the big kids hang out". Love it. Listening to Jimmy Rodgers "Honeycomb" right now. KRTH HD-2 doesn't even play that. Heard a song I had never heard before just a few songs ago. Don't know what it is, but I liked hearing. Now Elvis singing "Kentucky Rain". KRTH hasn't played it in years - in fact they don't play the King at all anymore.

Oh, it's just an LPFM that can't sell commercials so they have to rely on donations? No problem. Got a 20 spot right here that I will be glad to send them. See, I'd rather pay for good radio than listen to bad radio for free. This is the type of business model that the programmers hate.

One more time - I am in demo, am in metro, and am going out of my way to listen to a non-com that serves me better. Advertisers cannot reach me, a music and radio lover, even though that is what they are paying for.

One suggestion for KFXM - show the song and artist of current song on the app. I know that takes more work, and they are probably working towards that goal, but otherwise - awesome.
 
Bill Earl, a friend who is the official KRLA historian and author of When Radio Was Boss and the KRLA history Dream-House, was one of the first DJs when the new KFXM went on the air in 2004. The call letters originally belonged to a Riverside top-40 station known as "Tiger 590." Everything was voice-tracked initially but now Chris Compton (KRLA, KPFK, KTPI) hosts a live morning show and Johnny Helm, who jocked at the original KFXM in the 1960s, does a live Saturday show. The playlist has 35,000 songs. That's 34,600 more than that of KRTH! As David points out, KFXM is run by someone with "a love for oldies." Wow, what a concept!!!
 
LARadioRewind said:
The playlist has 35,000 songs. That's 34,600 more than that of KRTH! As David points out, KFXM is run by someone with "a love for oldies." Wow, what a concept!!!
Click to expand...

Just dot the country with more of these and the response would be amazing. I don't know about having 35K songs, but 3500 would do.
 
oldies76 said:
Just dot the country with more of these and the response would be amazing. I don't know about having 35K songs, but 3500 would do.
Click to expand...

Why don't you file for an LPFM in your location in Colorado? You'll have to come up with the transmitter site, equipment and installation plus operating costs, but if you believe in this kind of radio, it should not be a big sacrifice to spend $20 to $30 k in the first year.


Or, as the man said, "there's no free lunch".
 
DavidEduardo said:
Why don't you file for an LPFM in your location in Colorado? You'll have to come up with the transmitter site, equipment and installation plus operating costs, but if you believe in this kind of radio, it should not be a big sacrifice to spend $20 to $30 k in the first year.
Click to expand...

Wish I could someday.
Aren't the 50 watts stations (1.75 mile radius), far more money efficient to operate, vs. 20K?

I actually was reading some of the info on websites pertaining to LPFM's. It's the construction approval that seems to be the headache, along with getting the top notch equipment. If operated from home (basement), then I suppose the construction costs would be far lower, except for the transmitter & antenna.
 
oldies76 said:
Wish I could someday.
Aren't the 50 watts stations (1.75 mile radius), far more money efficient to operate, vs. 20K?

I actually was reading some of the info on websites pertaining to LPFM's. It's the construction approval that seems to be the headache, along with getting the top notch equipment. If operated from home (basement), then I suppose the construction costs would be far lower, except for the transmitter & antenna.
Click to expand...

Zoning and other issues are generally going to preclude a 100 foot tower in an urban environment. That is why the Palmdale station had to rent antenna space on an already zoned cellular tower. Depending on location, that could be from $800 to $3000 a month. The harder it is to get a tower zoned, the more expensive existing structures are going to be to rent.
 
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