You May Be Hearing 107.9 Again Sooner Than You Think

[seattlesarchiebunker]

Doing some digging around the FCC website, it appears a new station has applied to move to 107.9. But it won't be in Sacramento...

Yet-to-sign-on non-comm KCYF, licensed to Farms of Amador in beautiful Sutter Creek, has applied to move their station from the original 298 (the old KSAC frequency) to channel 300. According to the application, the station will co-locate with KGRB-FM and KVGC's 100w flamethrower xlator in Pine Grove (this site is apparently not available for use at channel 298. As their 298 site would have to be built from the ground-up further away from community of license, using 107.9 allows them to start broadcasting earlier from existing facilities...before their CP expires).

According to the application, it is entirely possible that the share-time station that KCYF will be operating in conjunction with could still broadcast on 298 during KCYF's off hours. The other time-share partner (Sonora Sierra Heritage Foundation) has their CP for 107.5 tied up with FAA and county red tape. They may not even make it on before their CP expires in November.

Assuming this is approved, it will certainly mean no full-powered station will return to 107.9 in Sacramento metro. That being said, despite being 40-50 miles away, KGRB and KVGC's translator booms out there.

What say you? I'm only an armchair engineer, but this makes me scratch my head. Unless there was a desire to move this station closer to Sacramento, why wouldn't they attempt to run a mildly directional antenna from the existing 94.3/96.5 tower at 107.5 instead of building a new site 3-4 miles east?

Next question is what would prevent them from plopping this signal in Sacramento as a commercial station down the road? Is there a FCC rule that prevents a station from changing its commercial status within a certain time of signing on?

 

[DaveBayArea]

It will be interesting to see what the commish does with this one. I'm likewise just an armchair engineer but from what I can see it fits all of the requirements of a minor change, and I have to hand it to whoever came up with the idea. I don't know whether they could ever move it closer to Sacramento and still cover Sutter Creek without violating mileage spacing rules with respect to KSRN in Reno though. Still, as you say, that site on Mt. Zion is a good one. We would likely hear 107.9 well.

Dave B.

 

[beej65]

There's a translator CP for 107.9 in Sacramento... for KSTE 650. If KCYF's is approved, that translator CP won't be worth much...

 

[seattlesarchiebunker]

Absolutely. It would be difficult to have a translator to cover much of the metro should this happen.

As it will probably take a half-decade or more to get a new full-power 107.9 in Sacramento, this may be a win-win. KCYF gets a faster on-air date (within a few months, it’d seem) and arguably a better frequency. Assuming someone wants to put a new station back in Sacramento on 107.9 down the road, paying off KCYF to move equipment to a new site and frequency to 107.5 would be fairly small potatoes compared to the value of the license.

In addition, there is a LPFM CP in Sacramento on 107.5 (I do believe). Having any station broadcasting 50 to 60 miles out nearly line-of-site from the mountains will destroy whatever semblance of a signal they’ll have.

 

[Mediaace]

I’m not so certain about that. The KDND calls are still married to the 107.9 frequency (DDKDND). Unless a Sacramento area broadcast engineer can confirm that the previously owned site by Entercom has been completely decommissioned, I wouldn’t bet on it. Perhaps I am wrong, but why would the commission have the calls placed in this status rather than ‘calls available’ instead?

https://www.fccinfo.com/CMDProEngine.php?sCurrentService=FM&tabSearchType=Appl&sAppIDNumber=300867

 

[Y2kTheNewOldies]

It will be interesting to see what the commish does with this one. I'm likewise just an armchair engineer but from what I can see it fits all of the requirements of a minor change, and I have to hand it to whoever came up with the idea. I don't know whether they could ever move it closer to Sacramento and still cover Sutter Creek without violating mileage spacing rules with respect to KSRN in Reno though. Still, as you say, that site on Mt. Zion is a good one. We would likely hear 107.9 well.

Dave B.

Lets hope Ed Stolz does not troll the FCC when it comes to 107.9FM.

 

[davideduardo]

Lets hope Ed Stolz does not troll the FCC when it comes to 107.9FM.

I would not bet against it.

 

[Michael Rivers Kramer]

I doubt it could happen as channel 300 is allotted to Sacramento and is unavailable until auction. You cannot apply and make a change and request it without filing a petition to substitute channel 300A instead of channel 298A in Sutter Creek and delete Sacramento channel 300B as a better use of spectrum in serving the public interest.

 

[Y2kTheNewOldies]

I’m not so certain about that. The KDND calls are still married to the 107.9 frequency (DDKDND). Unless a Sacramento area broadcast engineer can confirm that the previously owned site by Entercom has been completely decommissioned, I wouldn’t bet on it. Perhaps I am wrong, but why would the commission have the calls placed in this status rather than ‘calls available’ instead?

https://www.fccinfo.com/CMDProEngine.php?sCurrentService=FM&tabSearchType=Appl&sAppIDNumber=300867

http://licensing.fcc.gov/cgi-bin/ws.exe/prod/cdbs/pubacc/prod/sta_list.pl?Facility_id=65483

Here is the official posting saying that 107.9FM is cancelled as of 2019 though.

 

[Kent]

Kramer is correct. Unlike AM allotments, FM's have to be formally removed or altered after they've been assigned to a city's frequency allocation table. It’s possible to petition to change vacant allotments, but it doesn’t look like that has happened here. A quick check of the application shows KCYF believes the KDND allotment is available for others. That has not been the case in the past.

 

[seattlesarchiebunker]

That appears to be correct. Assuming that the 300B allocation is still held for Sacramento, they (KCYF) would probably have to find a new channel to put that allotment back to Sacramento if they take 300. Good luck with that...nothing about that in the application. I think Sacramento is too close to KQPT to just do a channel swap to 298.

However, and this is a big however, the FCC has been known to “temporarily” allocate channels to other areas when it A) serves the public interest and B) the station in question cannot sign on for awhile due to technical challenges at their original frequency.

Best example I can think of is WCVE-FM in Richmond, VA. When the NPR affiliate (on a commercial frequency) was sold by its owner (a seminary), NPR was going to be displaced. 88.9 could be used as a class B, but would require co-location with the local channel 6 TV station. Until testing could be complete, WCVE-FM was permitted to sign on (and broadcast for about 18 months) as a class A station on 101.1 (an unused commercial allocation to Richmond at the time)

Considering 300B will not be signing on anytime soon from Sacramento, it may be to everyone’s advantage to allow temporary broadcasting from Sutter Creek in this situation.

 

[Michael Rivers Kramer]

That appears to be correct. Assuming that the 300B allocation is still held for Sacramento, they (KCYF) would probably have to find a new channel to put that allotment back to Sacramento if they take 300. Good luck with that...nothing about that in the application. I think Sacramento is too close to KQPT to just do a channel swap to 298.

However, and this is a big however, the FCC has been known to “temporarily” allocate channels to other areas when it A) serves the public interest and B) the station in question cannot sign on for awhile due to technical challenges at their original frequency.

Best example I can think of is WCVE-FM in Richmond, VA. When the NPR affiliate (on a commercial frequency) was sold by its owner (a seminary), NPR was going to be displaced. 88.9 could be used as a class B, but would require co-location with the local channel 6 TV station. Until testing could be complete, WCVE-FM was permitted to sign on (and broadcast for about 18 months) as a class A station on 101.1 (an unused commercial allocation to Richmond at the time)

Considering 300B will not be signing on anytime soon from Sacramento, it may be to everyone’s advantage to allow temporary broadcasting from Sutter Creek in this situation.

But the FCC is long overdue for an FM auction. Once that happens, it'll be pretty fast. Watch it become K-Love.

 

[stewie]

But the FCC is long overdue for an FM auction. Once that happens, it'll be pretty fast. Watch it become K-Love.

All joking aside, I'm sure K-LOVE would jump all over it at auction. They have a B1 in Sac but I'm sure they would GLADLY move K-LOVE to 107.9 and Air1 would reside on 99.5. I think you're spot on.

 

[seattlesarchiebunker]

All joking aside, I'm sure K-LOVE would jump all over it at auction. They have a B1 in Sac but I'm sure they would GLADLY move K-LOVE to 107.9 and Air1 would reside on 99.5. I think you're spot on.

They won't be the only ones...trust me. This will probably get close to a record for a FCC FM auction. Pretty sure a market this large hasn't had an auction in a long while. 25-30 years perhaps?

I'm sure all the big players here who have a few million to spare will be placing a bid...even Ed Stolz!

 

[seattlesarchiebunker]

Looks like KCYF will be transferred to Blue Mountain Players — owners of KQBM San Andreas and KQBM-LP West Point (Blue Mountain Radio).

It will be fascinating to see what they are able to do with it. Between the LP and the station, KQBM can be picked up fairly well in most of Amador. If they use the share-time as a repeater of Blue Mountain Radio, it’ll expand their range out well into the valley.

 

[ftballfan]

They won't be the only ones...trust me. This will probably get close to a record for a FCC FM auction. Pretty sure a market this large hasn't had an auction in a long while. 25-30 years perhaps?

I'm sure all the big players here who have a few million to spare will be placing a bid...even Ed Stolz!

If 107.9B Sacramento and 104.1C3 Sanger (Dallas/Fort Worth suburb) come up in the same auction, those two will likely have some of the highest bids seen in years if ever.