Southern California's 50,000 Watt AM Stations

[Gregg.]

We were discussing some 50,000 watt LA stations in another thread. So I decided to look at all 11 stations in LA powered at 50,000 watts, at least in the daytime. Then there were two LA stations that previously had that power. Plus two in San Diego and two in Tijuana.
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640 KFI Los Angeles ... iHeart ... Talk ... 50,000 watts, non-directional (KFI is a Class A station. It may be the strongest AM station in the U.S., not counting 100,000 watt Radio Martí.)

690 XEWW Tijuana ... ? ... ? ... 77,000 watts days - 50,000 watts nights. Directional all times. (XEWW is a Class A station but also must protect CBU Vancouver and CKGM Montreal)

(710 KSPN Los Angeles ... Good Karma ... Sports ...34,000 watts days - 2,500 watts nights. Until recently, it was 50,000 watts days and 10,000 watts nights)

740 KBRT Costa Mesa ... Crawford ... Christian ... 50,000 watts days - 190 watts nights. Directional all times. (Must protect 740 KCBS San Francisco.)

760 KGB San Diego ... iHeart ... Sports ... 5,000 watts days non-directional - 50,000 watts nights directional. (Must protect 760 WJR Detroit)

830 KLAA Orange ... Angels ... Sports ... 50,000 watts days non-directional - 20,000 watts nights directional. (Must protect 830 WCCO Minneapolis)

870 KRLA Glendale ... Salem ... Talk ... 50,000 watts days - 3,000 watts nights. Directional all times. (Must protect co-owned 870 KGU Honolulu and WWL New Orleans)

(980 KFWB Los Angeles ... Lotus ... Classic Regional Mexican ... 5,000 watts non-directional. For a few years it was powered at 50,000 watts directional fulltime, even though it's on a regional channel.)

1020 KTNQ Los Angeles ... Univision ... Spanish-language Talk ... 50,000 watts. Directional all times. (Started out as a daytimer to protect KDKA Pittsburgh. Now it uses a highly directional antenna.)

1070 KNX Los Angeles ... Audacy ... All-News ... 50,000 watts non-directional. (KNX is a Class A station.)

1090 XEPRS Tijuana .... Núcleo Radio Monterre ... Sports ... 50,000 watts, non-directional days, directional nights. (XEPRS is a Class A station.)

1110 KRDC Los Angeles ... Disney (soon Calvary Chapel) ... Sports (soon Christian) ... 50,000 watts days - 20,000 watts nights. Directional all times.

1150 KEIB Los Angels ... iHeart ... Talk ... 50,000 watts days - 44,000 watts nights. Directional all times.

1170 KCBQ San Diego ... Salem ... Talk ... 50,000 watts days - 2,900 watts nights. Directional all times.

1430 KMRB San Gabriel ... Multicultural ... Cantonese ... 50,000 watts days - 9,800 watts nights. Directional all times.

1540 KMPC Los Angeles ... P&Y Broadcasting ... Korean ... 50,000 watts days - 37,000 watts nights. Directional all times.

1580 KBLA Santa Monica ... Multicultural (soon Tavis Smiley) ... Progressive Talk ... 50,000 watts. Directional all times.

.
The directional patterns are so complicated on some of these stations that KMPC uses five towers, KBLA uses six.

 

[davideduardo]

We were discussing some 50,000 watt LA stations in another thread. So I decided to look at all 11 stations in LA powered at 50,000 watts, at least in the daytime. Then there were two LA stations that previously had that power. Plus two in San Diego and two in Tijuana.

One of the two never actually built the Construction Permit for 50 kw.

.

640 KFI Los Angeles ... iHeart ... Talk ... 50,000 watts, non-directional (KFI is a Class A station. It may be the strongest AM station in the U.S., not counting 100,000 watt Radio Martí.)

It's no more powerful than any of the 243 other 50 kw AMs in the US. As to land coverage, there are many with much greater coverage areas like KMOX, WLS, WHO, and other Midwestern Great Plains 50 kw stations... even lesser-known KRVN in rural Nebraska.

690 XEWW Tijuana ... ? ... ? ... 77,000 watts days - 50,000 watts nights. Directional all times. (XEWW is a Class A station but also must protect CBU Vancouver and CKGM Montreal)

It also protects next adjacent stations on 710 in LA and 670 in Simi Valley.

(710 KSPN Los Angeles ... Good Karma ... Sports ...34,000 watts days - 2,500 watts nights. Until recently, it was 50,000 watts days and 10,000 watts nights)

Protects Seattle.

740 KBRT Costa Mesa ... Crawford ... Christian ... 50,000 watts days - 190 watts nights. Directional all times. (Must protect 740 KCBS San Francisco.)

And, at the new site, it protects San Diego.

760 KGB San Diego ... iHeart ... Sports ... 5,000 watts days non-directional - 50,000 watts nights directional. (Must protect 760 WJR Detroit)

Protects 740 in LA metro, 760 in Honolulu and several others. Was wedged in when Mexico forced the US to move the former KFMB from 540 to 760.

830 KLAA Orange ... Angels ... Sports ... 50,000 watts days non-directional - 20,000 watts nights directional. (Must protect 830 WCCO Minneapolis)

Also protects 830 in Honolulu, and, I believe, Tucson and Grass Valle.

870 KRLA Glendale ... Salem ... Talk ... 50,000 watts days - 3,000 watts nights. Directional all times. (Must protect co-owned 870 KGU Honolulu and WWL New Orleans)

KHCM in Honolulu was moved to 880.

(980 KFWB Los Angeles ... Lotus ... Classic Regional Mexican ... 5,000 watts non-directional. For a few years it was powered at 50,000 watts directional fulltime, even though it's on a regional channel.)

It had a CP, but never built. The CP expired. Up to 50 kw is now allowed on regionals, but not too many have been built due to the declining value of AM stations.

1020 KTNQ Los Angeles ... Univision ... Spanish-language Talk ... 50,000 watts. Directional all times. (Started out as a daytimer to protect KDKA Pittsburgh. Now it uses a highly directional antenna.)

It was non-directional when it was KPOP. When it became KGBS under Storer , it was directional daytime. I believe it protected some 1010 stations to the NE. It also protects 1020 in Roswell.

1090 XEPRS Tijuana .... Núcleo Radio Monterre ... Sports ... 50,000 watts, non-directional days, directional nights. (XEPRS is a Class A station.)

It is fully directional daytime and night with two lobes, NNW and SSE. The one that matters hugs the CA coast to serve the OC and LA markets. That one I know... I met the Engineer, Jorge Wilkins who was a friend of my wife who did the midday shift there earlier in her career before going to KTNQ.

1110 KRDC Los Angeles ... Disney (soon Calvary Chapel) ... Sports (soon Christian) ... 50,000 watts days - 20,000 watts nights. Directional all times.

1150 KEIB Los Angels ... iHeart ... Talk ... 50,000 watts days - 44,000 watts nights. Directional all times.

It was religious KRKD with 5 kw. from a hilltop at Montecito Heights, and then moved around 1999 to a shared, diplexed system at the KTNQ site in Industry..

1170 KCBQ San Diego ... Salem ... Talk ... 50,000 watts days - 2,900 watts nights. Directional all times.

1430 KMRB San Gabriel ... Multicultural ... Cantonese ... 50,000 watts days - 9,800 watts nights. Directional all times.

1540 KMPC Los Angeles ... P&Y Broadcasting ... Korean ... 50,000 watts days - 37,000 watts nights. Directional all times.

1580 KBLA Santa Monica ... Multicultural (soon Tavis Smiley) ... Progressive Talk ... 50,000 watts. Directional all times.

The directional patterns are so complicated on some of these stations that KMPC uses five towers, KBLA uses six.

Four or five towers are really relatively simple systems. The classic one are 4 in line or 4 in a parallelogram. Complicated are the ones with 8, 9, 10 or more towers and doglegs and the like.

1520 in Port Hueneme used to be 50 kw days, but moved back to 10 kw day and 1 kw nights.

 

[Signal Geek]

We were discussing some 50,000 watt LA stations in another thread. So I decided to look at all 11 stations in LA powered at 50,000 watts, at least in the daytime. Then there were two LA stations that previously had that power. Plus two in San Diego and two in Tijuana.
.

640 KFI Los Angeles ... iHeart ... Talk ... 50,000 watts, non-directional (KFI is a Class A station. It may be the strongest AM station in the U.S., not counting 100,000 watt Radio Martí.)

690 XEWW Tijuana ... ? ... ? ... 77,000 watts days - 50,000 watts nights. Directional all times. (XEWW is a Class A station but also must protect CBU Vancouver and CKGM Montreal)

(710 KSPN Los Angeles ... Good Karma ... Sports ...34,000 watts days - 2,500 watts nights. Until recently, it was 50,000 watts days and 10,000 watts nights)

740 KBRT Costa Mesa ... Crawford ... Christian ... 50,000 watts days - 190 watts nights. Directional all times. (Must protect 740 KCBS San Francisco.)

760 KGB San Diego ... iHeart ... Sports ... 5,000 watts days non-directional - 50,000 watts nights directional. (Must protect 760 WJR Detroit)

(980 KFWB Los Angeles ... Lotus ... Classic Regional Mexican ... 5,000 watts non-directional. For a few years it was powered at 50,000 watts directional fulltime, even though it's on a regional channel

1090 XEPRS Tijuana .... Núcleo Radio Monterre ... Sports ... 50,000 watts, non-directional days, directional nights.

XEPRS is also directional in the daytime.

I lived in L.A. for decades, and don't remember KFWB 980 ever being 50kw.

And... AM 760 in San Diego may still be authorized for 50kw at night, but they've haven't used that power in many months. Signal strength readings show they're at the same power day and night.

 

[davideduardo]

XEPRS is also directional in the daytime.

Always has been since they "went" to 50 kw.

I lived in L.A. for decades, and don't remember KFWB 980 ever being 50kw.

It was just a CP, never constructed.

 

[Weiserguy]

And... AM 760 in San Diego may still be authorized for 50kw at night, but they've haven't used that power in many months. Signal strength readings show they're at the same power day and night.

That explains why I wasn't able to hear KFMB/KGB (whichever it's now called) last night when I was dialing around on my car radio. 760 used to come in from San Diego like gangbusters at night in the Bay Area, lately it's been AWOL.

 

[Signal Geek]

That explains why I wasn't able to hear KFMB/KGB (whichever it's now called) last night when I was dialing around on my car radio. 760 used to come in from San Diego like gangbusters at night in the Bay Area, lately it's been AWOL.

The call letters switched to KGB-AM when iHeart took ownership. There was another reason as well. When Tegna bought out the owners of KFMB-TV-AM-FM, they kept the TV station and its KFMB call letters, but sold both radio stations to Local Media San Diego-- with the proviso that the radio owners had to find new call letters. Hence, the FM became KFBG and the AM (after LMSD sold it to iHeart) became KGB-AM (since iHeart already owned KGB-FM).

 

[Gregg.]

For XEPRS, I used the website FCCdata.org. It's usually reliable for Mexican stations but maybe not always. It says XEPRS is non-directional daytime.

https://fccdata.org/?call=xeprs&ccode=6&country=MX&lang=en&city=

As for KFI, I suppose the lowest station on the dial in the U.S. at 50,000 watts non-directional might qualify it for "strongest." I avoided saying "most powerful." It does put a large chunk of its signal over the Pacific Ocean. Many powerful stations in the Plains States have great ground conductivity and don't waste any of their signal over water, so they'd likely qualify for "widest coverage." In North America, 540 CBK Watrous-Regina, has the best land coverage. But that's Canadian. I'm not sure if XEWA 540 San Luis Potosí is still on the AM dial and is still at least 50,000 watts.

Yes, I forgot that 1520 KVEN Port Hueneme was once 50,000 watts daytime. But no more. I wasn't aware KGB isn't running 50,000 watts at night. Do they have to ask for permission for lower power? The FCC webpage still lists it at 50,000 watts nights.

https://transition.fcc.gov/fcc-bin/amq?call=KGB&arn=&state=&city=&freq=530&fre2=1700&type=0&facid=&class=&list=0&NextTab=Results+to+Next+Page%2FTab&dist=&dlat2=&mlat2=&slat2=&NS=N&dlon2=&mlon2=&slon2=&EW=W&size=9

And I guess KFWB was already in decline by the time it got authorization for 50,000 watts. So it never joined those handful of AM stations on regional channels with maximum power 24/7, WWJ, KMJ, KJR, etc.

 

[Sixeye]

Do radio and television stations still get special rates for electricity from their local utility company? The TV transmitter engineer at a local station here told me that his station did. This was about three decades ago now. Still, at the time, they were running their generator part of the day because it was less expensive than paying for utility power. (Stations can no longer do that here due to CARB regulations.) Across the mountain from them, my company did not get the same break though we were receive only except for microwave transmitters.

 

[davideduardo]

Do radio and television stations still get special rates for electricity from their local utility company?

Not that I know of... at least in places where I have worked. Stations pay the same business or industrial rate that applies to any other comparable consumer per the local utility rate system.

The TV transmitter engineer at a local station here told me that his station did. This was about three decades ago now.

I can see where radio or TV might have had a rate reduction in some areas, but I have never heard of a specific case. Maybe others will join in with experiences in their market area.

 

[davideduardo]

For XEPRS, I used the website FCCdata.org. It's usually reliable for Mexican stations but maybe not always. It says XEPRS is non-directional daytime.

https://fccdata.org/?call=xeprs&ccode=6&country=MX&lang=en&city=

Unless there has been a change in the last year or two, the station is directional day and night. I can see it trying to go non-directional to better serve San Diego, their current interest. But going back decades it was designed from the offset to rimshot Los Angeles with 24/7 directional operation.

Digging, it looks like there is an application for 50 kw non-D daytime and 800 watts, non-D nights. I can't tell if this is actually granted or in effect.

As for KFI, I suppose the lowest station on the dial in the U.S. at 50,000 watts non-directional might qualify it for "strongest." I avoided saying "most powerful." It does put a large chunk of its signal over the Pacific Ocean. Many powerful stations in the Plains States have great ground conductivity and don't waste any of their signal over water, so they'd likely qualify for "widest coverage." In North America, 540 CBK Watrous-Regina, has the best land coverage. But that's Canadian. I'm not sure if XEWA 540 San Luis Potosí is still on the AM dial and is still at least 50,000 watts.

KFI hits terrible ground conductivity just a few miles east of the transmitter... including a smaller mountain range and several fault lines. While it, arguably ,has the best LA signal, it is nowhere near as good as the higher power AMs in the Midwest. Even 5 kw ones like WNAX cover more land area.

Yes, I forgot that 1520 KVEN Port Hueneme was once 50,000 watts daytime. But no more. I wasn't aware KGB isn't running 50,000 watts at night. Do they have to ask for permission for lower power? The FCC webpage still lists it at 50,000 watts nights.

Several people have observed that it has not notified properly, but is not running high power at night.

And I guess KFWB was already in decline by the time it got authorization for 50,000 watts. So it never joined those handful of AM stations on regional channels with maximum power 24/7, WWJ, KMJ, KJR, etc.

Apparently the cost plus some zoning issues on towers put that idea to an end.

 

[Signal Geek]

Unless there has been a change in the last year or two, the station is directional day and night. I can see it trying to go non-directional to better serve San Diego, their current interest. But going back decades it was designed from the offset to rimshot Los Angeles with 24/7 directional operation.

Digging, it looks like there is an application for 50 kw non-D daytime and 800 watts, non-D nights. I can't tell if this is actually granted or in effect.

My measurements show XEPRS has the same coverage it historically had. If they had gone non-directional, I'd likely notice a significant signal increase at my Inland San Diego location.

 

[davideduardo]

My measurements show XEPRS has the same coverage it historically had. If they had gone non-directional, I'd likely notice a significant signal increase at my Inland San Diego location.

And if they are 800 watts non-directional at night,, that would be very noticeable.

 

[Gregg.]

I know a number of directional AM stations no longer want to maintain complicated tower arrays. And they want to collect the money that selling those large transmitter sites would bring. (How much did Cumulus pocket by selling WMAL/WSBN 630's acres of transmitter land north of DC? It was tens of millions of dollars!)

So these stations consolidate on one tower and go non-directional 24/7, even if it means a big loss of nighttime coverage. Often they have an FM translator for nighttime listening. Or they sacrifice their nighttime listeners for the cash, especially if they're running a format like talk, religion or adult standards that doesn't have a lot of nighttime listening anyway.

But that's not XEPRS. An all-sports station would have significant nighttime listening for live sporting events (even though The Mighty 1090 is not the Padres flagship anymore).

Could it go 50,000 watts non-directional in the daytime if it wanted? A check of stations on 1090 AM shows almost nobody on that frequency nearby in Mexico or the U.S. There's a fulltime 50,000 watt station on 1090 in Seattle but that's far enough away that in the daylight they wouldn't overlap. There's also a Denver station running 50,000 watts by day, with a big reduction at night. So that's not a problem either. Nothing else within 1000 miles.

If XEPRS thought it could better cover the San Diego market non-directional from its site in Rancho del Mar, including the growing eastern suburbs of San Diego, maybe it could try requesting it. But no way would it want to reduce nighttime power.

 

[oldies76]

David, always wanted to know this answer. Most AM's lower their power at night to avoid interference. But if a station as powerful as KFI or KNX 1070 stayed at 50,000 watts during the night, how far away could one hear its signal? To the north, east, west and south.

 

[davideduardo]

David, always wanted to know this answer. Most AM's lower their power at night to avoid interference. But if a station as powerful as KFI or KNX 1070 stayed at 50,000 watts during the night, how far away could one hear its signal? To the north, east, west and south.

KFI and KNX are what used to be called 1A (non directional, generally 50 kw dayand night) or 1B (generally 50 kw non-directional or directional) have the same primary coverage at night as daytime. At night, though, they get added additional coverage when skywave propagates such stations hundreds of miles.

That added coverage was useful in the pre-TV days when most listening was at home at night to the drama and entertainment shows on network radio. That was also when there were vastly fewer stations overall and people in more remote cities, towns and even states listened to the big city stations because where they lived there were no stations.

But after WW II, two things happened: stations multiplied and TV came on the scene. Within a decade, network style radio shows were almost totally dead because of TV, and music radio had replaced it.

Still, some of the high power stations got listening in less populated areas that had no station or did not have one for specific tastes. It would be another two decades before the addition of sill more stations on AM and the huge 70's rise of FM to parity made the night coverage of AM pretty much worthless.

Still, those 50 kw 1A clear channels (640, 650, 660, 670, 700, 720, 750, 760, 770, 780, 820, 830, 840, 870, 880, 890, 1020, 1030, 1040, 1100, 1120, 1160, 1180, 1200, 1210) are protected hundreds of miles out even though nearly nobody listens to AM radio at night any more. And the 1B's, which are some but not all, on frequencies like 680, 710, 810, 1070, and others were protected but not as much: KNX had to share 1070 with another 50 kw station in the Maritimes in Canada, for example.

Back in the day of the 50 kw non-directionals, stations like WSM would get letters from listeners in every state. That was due to the kind of programming that would eventually be available on TV locally or on local radio stations, so most of the Barn Dance and similar live country music AM night shows died.

So, in the 70's the FCC allowed directional stations, up to 50 kw, on the 1A clear channels to serve less populated areas. The national AM station was officially dead, and FM supplemented AM and pretty much replaced it over the next few decades.

 

[xmtrland]

KFI and KNX both stay 50KW ND day and night. I can hear both hear in the in the Seattle area.

 

[TomásEstefan]

XEPRS is also directional in the daytime.

I lived in L.A. for decades, and don't remember KFWB 980 ever being 50kw.

And... AM 760 in San Diego may still be authorized for 50kw at night, but they've haven't used that power in many months. Signal strength readings show they're at the same power day and night.

KFWB had a CP for 50 kW but it was never built, studies showed that because of the incredibly tight patterns required it would improve existing coverage only by about 2 % daytime and about 20 % at night. Not worth it.. As I understand it, the thought was that both KFWB and KLAC (since they for many years have used the same facility near downtown LA) would both move out to the SG Valley and diplex off of 1110. But for various reasons it didn't happen...

 

[TomásEstefan]

I know a number of directional AM stations no longer want to maintain complicated tower arrays. And they want to collect the money that selling those large transmitter sites would bring. (How much did Cumulus pocket by selling WMAL/WSBN 630's acres of transmitter land north of DC? It was tens of millions of dollars!)

So these stations consolidate on one tower and go non-directional 24/7, even if it means a big loss of nighttime coverage. Often they have an FM translator for nighttime listening. Or they sacrifice their nighttime listeners for the cash, especially if they're running a format like talk, religion or adult standards that doesn't have a lot of nighttime listening anyway.

But that's not XEPRS. An all-sports station would have significant nighttime listening for live sporting events (even though The Mighty 1090 is not the Padres flagship anymore).

Could it go 50,000 watts non-directional in the daytime if it wanted? A check of stations on 1090 AM shows almost nobody on that frequency nearby in Mexico or the U.S. There's a fulltime 50,000 watt station on 1090 in Seattle but that's far enough away that in the daylight they wouldn't overlap. There's also a Denver station running 50,000 watts by day, with a big reduction at night. So that's not a problem either. Nothing else within 1000 miles.

If XEPRS thought it could better cover the San Diego market non-directional from its site in Rancho del Mar, including the growing eastern suburbs of San Diego, maybe it could try requesting it. But no way would it want to reduce nighttime power.

You mention 1090 in Seattle. Their nighttime directional pattern is intended to protect Mexico. If and when XEPRS operates at night with full directional power giving them an ERP of around 200 kW or so, this station actually causes interference to Seattle's 1090 within 20 miles of the station's transmitter. Except for frequent selective fading distortion XEPRS's signal strength is "local" from BC to BC...

 

[SomeRadioGuy]

KFI and KNX both stay 50KW ND day and night. I can hear both hear in the in the Seattle area.

i can hear KNX battling it out with CFAX, up here 2500 miles away.. but KFI is blocked by KYUK. when i was 150 miles further north KFI and KNX were all alone on their channels

 

[SomeRadioGuy]

You mention 1090 in Seattle. Their nighttime directional pattern is intended to protect Mexico. If and when XEPRS operates at night with full directional power giving them an ERP of around 200 kW or so, this station actually causes interference to Seattle's 1090 within 20 miles of the station's transmitter. Except for frequent selective fading distortion XEPRS's signal strength is "local" from BC to BC...

Try BC to AK

Here they are one night all alone a bit over a year ago

XEPRS-AM 1090 Tijuana, BC, Mex Fri Dec 31, 2021 928pm AK Time.mp3

drive.google.com

Often, XEPRS and whatever 1090 seattle is these days mix, but XEPRS always leads by a good margin. XEPRs is heard here nightly, before they lost a tower..... with varying degrees of readability