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KFAN 107.9 signal has been improved

KFAN 107.9 is down now and needs a new tower site, however the broadcasting is still online for now. The current site land's owners aren't being very nice from the looks of it and KFAN has filed a report with the sheriff... Oh boy...

The following is from their STA request to remain silent.
"KFAN-FM WAS FORCED TO GO SILENT BECAUSE OF THE DEMOLITION OF THE STATION'S TOWER, AFTER A THIRD PARTY SEIZED CONTROL OF THE TOWER AND BLOCKED THE LICENSEE'S ACCESS TO IT AND TO THE STATION'S TRANSMITTER BUILDING. WHILE THE TOWER WAS COMMONLY OWNED WITH THE STATION, IT WAS LOCATED ON LEASED LAND. A THIRD PARTY, 4IP TECHNOLOGY AND MEDIA, LLC D/B/A NEXSTREAM ('NEXSTREAM'), INTENDS TO BUILD A NEW TOWER AT OR NEAR THE FORMER SITE OF THE KFAN-FM TOWER. APPROXIMATELY ONE YEAR AGO, THIS GROUP CLAIMED, WITHOUT PROVIDING ANY SUPPORT FOR ITS CLAIM, THAT IT WAS SOMEHOW AUTHORIZED TO MANAGE THE KFAN-FM TOWER, DESPITE THE FACT THAT NEITHER NEXSTREAM NOR THE LANDOWNER OWNED THE TOWER, AND THE TOWER OWNER HAD NOT AUTHORIZED ANY SUCH MANAGEMENT. FINALLY, ON FEBRUARY 25, 2021, NEXSTAR BARRED ACCESS TO THE TOWER, HAD THE POWER CUT OFF, AND BLOCKED ACCESS TO THE TRANSMITTER BUILDING. THE FOLLOWING DAY, WHILE THE LICENSEE PRINCIPAL INVOLVED IN THE OPERATION WAS IN THE HOSPITAL RECOVERING FROM SURGERY THAT WILL REQUIRE A LONG REHABILITATION PERIOD, HE WAS ABLE, WITH ASSISTANCE, TO HAVE THE STATION RETURNED TO OPERATION, ONLY TO HAVE NEXSTREAM AGAIN ACT TO TAKE THE STATION OFF THE AIR. THE LICENSEE CONTINUED TO ATTEMPT TO HAVE THE STATION RESTORED TO OPERATION, BUT BY MARCH 8, 2021, THE KFAN-FM TOWER HAD BEEN DISMANTLED. THE LICENSEE HAS FILED A REPORT WITH THE LOCAL SHERIFF.

KFAN-FM IS CURRENTLY PREPARING AND WILL SHORTLY FILE AN APPLICATION FOR MINOR MODIFICATION OF FACILITIES TO MOVE TO A NEW TOWER SITE. ONCE THAT APPLICATION IS GRANTED, AND THE NEW FACILITIES CAN BE BUILT, KFAN-FM WILL RETURN TO OPERATION. IN THE INTERIM, THE LICENSEE IS SEEKING AUTHORITY TO REMAIN SILENT."

Application Search Results

Federal Communications Commission
licensing.fcc.gov

Hopefully they can find a new tower...
 
Finding a new tower site should not be that difficult. The Fritz family has a long history in Fredericksburg and the area. KNAF, the AM, was started by the current owner's grandfather and. like KFAN, remains in the Fritz family. Any family that has owned land in the area for a good length of time is likely 'native' and knows the Fritz family.
 
It was transfered from the Fritz family to HILL COUNTRY BROADCASTING, LLC in 2011. Not sure if the Fritz family is Hill Country Broadcasting though. But I can imagine there are lots of towers they can use in the area. I guess even the roof of the studio might work if they can't find one by late February of next year.
 
Well, I was able to get more information... Here is part of a STA request submitted by KBLC which was also on that tower.

"THE LICENSEE WAS CAUGHT IN THE MIDDLE OF A DISPUTE BETWEEN THE OWNER OF THE LAND ON WHICH THE KBLC LICENSED TOWER IS SITUATED AND THE OWNER OF THE TOWER WHO WAS THE LICENSEES LANDLORD. THE TOWER OWNER DEFAULTED ON THE PAYMENT OF RENTAL FOR THE LAND ON WHICH THE TOWER SITS, SO THE LANDOWNER TOOK POSSESSION OF THE TOWER AND EFFECTIVELY VACATED THE LICENSEE FROM THE SITE. THUS, THE NEED FOR THIS STA IS DUE TO CIRCUMSTANCES BEYOND THE CONTROL OF THE LICENSEE."

Application Search Results

Federal Communications Commission
licensing.fcc.gov
I'm tempted to trust KBLC, as it's part of the KHCB network who owns plenty of signals including the 100 KW 105.7 in Houston.

We'll see what happens, but actually KBLC filed that STA in 2018 saying they lost the site in 2017. KBLC has extended their STA since... Messy situation, I see no other STAs for KFAN except the one earlier this year. Don't know how KFAN was on like that in late 2018 without the tower if KBLC is correct.
 
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AnyHuman said:
It was transfered from the Fritz family to HILL COUNTRY BROADCASTING, LLC in 2011. Not sure if the Fritz family is Hill Country Broadcasting though. But I can imagine there are lots of towers they can use in the area. I guess even the roof of the studio might work if they can't find one by late February of next year.
Click to expand...
Hill Country is owned by the Fritz Familly Limited Partnership, which acquired it out of the J &J Frits Media Debter-in-Possession entity in 2011.
 
I knew the operator of KFAN and KNAF back in the early 1990s. I have a deep respect for Jayson (and his wife Jan). Their expertise in operating radio stations was near the top in my book. I was hoping to go to work for them but my prior boss would not release me from my non-compete. By the time the non-compete ended, I had a good position at another station.

I suspect, and say this void of first hand knowledge, they may have run in to trouble by building two additional radio stations to add to their KFAN, KEEP and KNAF. The two new stations came on about when the housing crisis hit about 2008 or so. Running 5 stations versus 3 right when the economy tanked could have been an issue leading to the bankruptcy.

Luckily Jayson's grandfather, if I recall directly, retrieved the stations. In the settlement, I recall Jayson and Jan could not operate the stations for a year. I heard KFAN during this time and it was simply a computer in a closet.

I am guessing there was some substantial debt to wipe out leaving the stations to make some deals, including the KFAN power decrease, if that happened.

I do not know why they may have defaulted on the tower. This may have been some legal strategy that backfired or it may be something different entirely. If it is the lack of funds from KFAN, et. al., they sure don't have the cash to move (engineering study, construction crew, etc.). With Fredericksburg and literally the whole coverage area being so dependent on tourism, you can imagine how Covid-19 might have affected this region and it's media.
 
I think they should just sell KFAN if they can no longer operate it. Maybe someone reading these boards can get it cheap if they don't have a tower? Probably a good deal of work rebuilding it though. At least it's online. I'm currently hearing Blues music but heard TX country artists such as Robert Earl Keen the other day.
 
They wouldn't be streaming if they were broke. Selling is not a put it up for sale and it's sold in a day, week or month. It can take a couple of years and you're not going to get much. If KFAN owed a bank $100,000 and somebody offered $50,000, then what?

Putting up a tower is a pain. You have city, county and other entities fighting you and then, you have to have a spot to put the tower, Landowners can be flaky. None of this is easy and most moves forward open up a new can of worms to deal with.

With all the time, work and money you sink in such an investment, selling is typically the final option after every other option has dried up.

Remember, any change in tower location means an engineering study and FCC approval, then a crew to o the work. Leasing a tower might not be an option because of existing tower users and weight limits. Tower companies don't like radio stations as much as they like cell phone clients that usually pay much more in rent.

And we don't really know KFAN couldn't pay. There may have been a dispute with the landowner and payment of the lease was a symptom of the issue, not the cause.

If I had to speculate, I would say some attorneys are making a little money here as it all plays out.
 
I thought 20 or 25 years ago, KFAN (107.9) might have been a San Antonio rimshot/move in candidate. I’m guessing 107.9’s in Abilene and Victoria, the 107.7 in Georgetown and spacing from then KXTN at 107.5 made it impossible.
 
When KFAN used to be at full power I suppose it could have made it into north SA during tropo conditions. In 2005 or so I remember hearing it for a good distance when traveling around the coverage area.
Why don't they just share the tower with KNAF-FM? https://fccdata.org/?lang=en&facid=83212
KNAF went down earlier this year because of the winter storms but returned in May. They're co-owned with KFAN so sharing the tower would make sense if they can.

Actually I just saw that KEEP in Bandera TX which is also co-owned went down as the upper half of their tower fell recently. They should put these on better towers...
 
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AnyHuman said:
When KFAN used to be at full power I suppose it could have made it into north SA during tropo conditions. In 2005 or so I remember hearing it for a good distance when traveling around the coverage area.
Why don't they just share the tower with KNAF-FM? https://fccdata.org/?lang=en&facid=83212
KNAF went down earlier this year because of the winter storms but returned in May. They're co-owned with KFAN so sharing the tower would make sense if they can.

Actually I just saw that KEEP in Bandera TX which is also co-owned went down as the upper half of their tower fell recently. They should put these on better towers...
Click to expand...

rolls eyes.

"put these on better towers?"

"why dont they just share with KNAF?

How do you know it wasnt a good tower?

And dont htink you think people much smarter and with alot of expierience in radio would put it there if they could? Or maybe theyre looking into it.
 
I've tried to pull in KFAN in Spring Branch about a year ago, but couldn't.

According to the maps out there, I should have been able to.
 
The FM in Fredericksburg was 101.1 FM, now KONO. Before it was KONO it had been Lite Rock and finally, if I recall correctly, KFAN with an Americana format heavily Texas musically. With the sale, KFAN became a new station, 107.9 in Johnson City, a 50 kw. FM. It seems KFAN had a downgrade at some point. Long before that happened, KFAN had acquired the FM in Bandera to simulcast KFAN.
 
b-turner said:
The FM in Fredericksburg was 101.1 FM, now KONO. Before it was KONO it had been Lite Rock and finally, if I recall correctly, KFAN with an Americana format heavily Texas musically. With the sale, KFAN became a new station, 107.9 in Johnson City, a 50 kw. FM. It seems KFAN had a downgrade at some point. Long before that happened, KFAN had acquired the FM in Bandera to simulcast KFAN.
Click to expand...
I had forgotten about KONO originally being a "Fredericksburg station"... but you are correct.

 
b-turner said:
The FM in Fredericksburg was 101.1 FM, now KONO. Before it was KONO it had been Lite Rock and finally, if I recall correctly, KFAN with an Americana format heavily Texas musically. With the sale, KFAN became a new station, 107.9 in Johnson City, a 50 kw. FM.
Click to expand...

Around 1990, KFAN 101.1 ran a Texas music format. All artists had a Texas connection in some form, or the songs would be about Texas or places there. Somewhere, I have an aircheck of it from that time.

Steve Coffman was the morning guy, "Coffee with Coffman" and he went to Victoria and started KTXN 98.7 a few years later with the same format.
 
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I met Steve Coffman when he took KAFM in Dallas to "Progressive Country" back around 1974/75. After leaving Jason at KFAN he went to, I think KENS AM in San Antonio where he continued the format. From there he purchased the Hallettsville AM & FM, then the Yoakum FM as well running the same format before leasing the Victoria FM where the format really excelled. Too bad cancer took him out was too early.
 
The Rimshot said:
I've tried to pull in KFAN in Spring Branch about a year ago, but couldn't.

According to the maps out there, I should have been able to.
Click to expand...
Because last time I heard it, it was very weak and most likely not broadcasting from the licensed site. I think it might cover Fredericksburg, maybe a small bit of Johnson City.
 
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