Four STL-area AM allocations in Auction 109 receive no bids

[PTBoardOp94]

The FCC included four St. Louis-area AM allocations in Auction 109, in an unusual action after the licenses were revoked in 2020 for the former 1190 KQQZ, 1430 KZQZ, 1490 KFTK, and 1510 WQQW. The licensee was found to have filed false documents with the FCC.

The FCC set the opening bid for each at $50,000. None of the four received a bid, according to the results of Auction 109. That raises serious doubts about whether any will ever return to the air.

Screenshot of the auction results is attached.

 

[PHIL Z]

So does this mean other stations on or near those Frequencies in that area can upgrade their Signals?

 

[b-turner]

What it likely means is these frequencies will carry a lower minimum bid on the next auction.

 

[SomeRadioGuy]

butt butt.. where are all the radio experts who thought live and local with a 5000 song playlist is a sure fire winner and insisted these allocations were worthy?

Oh thats right, they realized to buy land, rebuild 1430's transmission site, and build a new studio is a MINIMUM $500,000 ENDEAVOR.. PROBABLY CLOSER TO $1M. There's no guarentee the previous site owner would sell/lease you the land or that the previous station owner(s) would sell you any equipment.

1190 needed multiple towers, had a crappy night signal.. 1490 was near worthless and 1510 is a multi tower daytimer, worthless.. had no translator

 

[Kent]

What it likely means is these frequencies will carry a lower minimum bid on the next auction.

I seem to remember that AM allocations generally are just deleted and aren't preserved in this situation. The FCC, of course, can do whatever it wants, as it did with auctioning those frequencies off in the first place, but I wouldn't think the odds would be very strong that those signals would ever come back.

So does this mean other stations on or near those Frequencies in that area can upgrade their Signals?

Depends on what the FCC ultimately decides to do with them. If those signals get deleted, other AM's would be able to upgrade without regard to them as those allocations would no longer exist. Of course, that assumes anyone with an AM on the same or an adjacent frequency would even want to upgrade. Given how much land is required to upgrade a directional AM signal and how little of a return on investment AM tends to be these days, the cost of an upgrade might well not be worth the benefit.

 

[b-turner]

I have to agree the investment is likely not worth the potential return. My reasoning in the frequencies being reauctioned later is purely monetary. The FCC takes in a few dollars versus none of the frequencies are simply deleted.

 

[davideduardo]

I have to agree the investment is likely not worth the potential return. My reasoning in the frequencies being reauctioned later is purely monetary. The FCC takes in a few dollars versus none of the frequencies are simply deleted.

I think the Commission learned a lesson on the value of AM signals. This might accelerate making AM translators permanent and allowing the AM to go silent.

 

[PTBoardOp94]

FCC broadcast band auctions don't happen very often. The previous FM auction, Auction 98, was 6 years ago. The one before that was in 2011. So even if the FCC thinks better of the minimum bid, and re-lists these allocations in the next auction, it will be a while before bidders get an opportunity.

And as everyone pointed out, the cost of the auction is a small part of the startup costs of a broadcast station, especially on the AM band. 3-5 years from now, who knows what the economics might look like, but an AM renaissance seems unlikely.

 

[AnyHuman]

FCC broadcast band auctions don't happen very often. The previous FM auction, Auction 98, was 6 years ago. The one before that was in 2011.

But we just saw auction 109.

Either way AM radio is on the decline.

 

[gr8oldies]

1070 in Indy either coming back on or not will be a good bellweather

 

[PTBoardOp94]

The other FCC auctions between 98 and 109 were not AM/FM broadcast auctions. Well, one of them would have been, but it was cancelled last year due to corona.

 

[JJSPC]

Anything going on with the tower sites of these former stations yet?

 

[SomeRadioGuy]

Anything going on with the tower sites of these former stations yet?

the former owner allegedly owns them.