Bustos seeks ‘ZoneCasting’ for KZTM and KDDS

[AuxRSS]

Reportedly, Seattle would be the biggest U.S. market to use this new geo-targeting technology a la digital streaming.

Bustos Media Seeks ‘ZoneCasting’ In Seattle | Radio & Television Business Report

Bustos Media Holdings, the radio station ownership group led by Amador Bustos, has filed applications to deploy ZoneCasting technology for FM radio stations KZTM and KDDS with the intent of offering localized coverage in the Seattle-Tacoma market.

rbr.com

The technology will enable Class C KZTM-FM 102.9 in McKenna, Wash., which uses a broadcast tower to the far west of the metropolitan region; and Class C KDDS-FM 99.3 in Elma, Wash., sharing the same facilities as KZTM, to deliver “more relevant local content and advertisements to two high-growth underserved Hispanic areas” — specifically the Washington cities of Aberdeen and Centralia.

 

[bobdavcav]

Wait, I thought this was the technology that allowed stations to broadcast different commercials on boosters, am I correct? If so, I don't know how they're going to do this, as at least as far as I know, KDDS doesn't have any boosters anymore, and KZTM never had any. Is the plan to apply for boosters in these areas?

 

[Kelly A]

Wait, I thought this was the technology that allowed stations to broadcast different commercials on boosters, am I correct? If so, I don't know how they're going to do this, as at least as far as I know, KDDS doesn't have any boosters anymore, and KZTM never had any. Is the plan to apply for boosters in these areas?

Solution in search of a problem. All I can say is; good luck to them.

 

[bobdavcav]

While I might actually agree with that statement if I knew more about how this worked, it doesn't answer the question. As far as I know, neither station has boosters, which if I understand correctly are needed for this to work properly.

 

[Frequency1]

KDDS has filed for three FM translators two in Centralia and one in Chehalis and so has KZTM-FM.

 

[fordranger797]

Will this be a situation where KDDS and KZTM have an HD channel they want to relay on a translator? Otherwise, I'm not sure why anybody would tune into the translator over the main station, which is crystal clear in those areas.

 

[Kelly A]

Will this be a situation where KDDS and KZTM have an HD channel they want to relay on a translator? Otherwise, I'm not sure why anybody would tune into the translator over the main station, which is crystal clear in those areas.

Haven't you heard? Listeners will tune into translators or boosters specifically for special local spots played out of that particular booster or translator. Another example kids of why to stay away from hallucination-inducing drugs. They can make you delusional into thinking you're doing something worthwhile.

 

[fordranger797]

Haven't you heard? Listeners will tune into translators or boosters specifically for special local spots played out of that particular booster or translator. Another example kids of why to stay away from hallucination-inducing drugs. They can make you delusional into thinking you're doing something worthwhile.

Basically the equivalent of me choosing to try to listen to a static filled KGON instead of KZOK, despite the music being exactly the same. But I get to hear what’s happening at voodoo doughnuts.

 

[Kelly A]

Basically the equivalent of me choosing to try to listen to a static filled KGON instead of KZOK, despite the music being exactly the same. But I get to hear what’s happening at voodoo doughnuts.

This whole idea was an offshoot of some local TV stations in communities back in the 90s that included running separate spots during common breaks in multiple counties covered by multiple cable systems. Instead of feeding different breaks down the line to different cable systems, this hair-brained idea is to do the same for radio with translators or booster stations on the radio.
But this is an apples and orange proposal. TV stations feeding cable systems are 'closed circuits' where translators or boosters for radio stations are over the air only and inside their primary over-the-air coverage.

 

[gr8oldies]

Basically the equivalent of me choosing to try to listen to a static filled KGON instead of KZOK, despite the music being exactly the same. But I get to hear what’s happening at voodoo doughnuts.

Voodoo Donuts will have their ad on the West Podunk translator while West Podunk residents are at work downtown. Makes no sense

 

[seattlesarchiebunker]

So they’re going to spend tens of thousands of dollars of equipment and engineering (plus sales expenses) to add much lower-paying spots over the Seattle ones in smallish towns?

I may have been born in Maryland, but in this case, I’m from Missouri. You’re gonna have to show me.

 

[bobdavcav]

To me, the only way this makes sense is when running boosters. If doing this on translators, this makes no sense as I would think listeners would stay on one frequency or another unless traveling to an area where the other works better. Even if these are boosters, at least in this case, how is the multipath not going to be so bad that the signals are unlistenable anyway?

 

[speer360]

It is odd the cancelled the Seattle Area boosters, then relaunched the zonecast additions in another area.

https://www.radiodiscussions.com/threads/kdds-boosters-license-cancelled.768888/

 

[Kelly A]

To me, the only way this makes sense is when running boosters. If doing this on translators, this makes no sense as I would think listeners would stay on one frequency or another unless traveling to an area where the other works better. Even if these are boosters, at least in this case, how is the multipath not going to be so bad that the signals are unlistenable anyway?

Answer: Yes. Step to your right, and you'll hear one fuzzy spot. Two steps backward and you'll hear a different fuzzy spot.

 

[SomeRadioGuy]

KDDS has filed for three FM translators two in Centralia and one in Chehalis and so has KZTM-FM.

Will this be a situation where KDDS and KZTM have an HD channel they want to relay on a translator? Otherwise, I'm not sure why anybody would tune into the translator over the main station, which is crystal clear in those areas.

To me, the only way this makes sense is when running boosters. If doing this on translators, this makes no sense as I would think listeners would stay on one frequency or another unless traveling to an area where the other works better. Even if these are boosters, at least in this case, how is the multipath not going to be so bad that the signals are unlistenable anyway?

boosters, not translators./. Bustos applied for 3 boosters, not translators... at least when i can see when checking fcc records

 

[fordranger797]

boosters, not translators./. Bustos applied for 3 boosters, not translators... at least when i can see when checking fcc records

I would make the natural assumption that they would have to be using different frequencies in Aberdeen and Centralia, because it seems impossible that you could broadcast anything on 99.3 and hear it clearly over the main station. And even if they are using different frequencies, I think the main station will still sound better (and provide a more reliable signal) than anything you get from a translator.

It might work if they had an HD they wanted to relay from the main station, but there are considerations for where they could realistically locate a translator.

 

[SomeRadioGuy]

I would make the natural assumption that they would have to be using different frequencies in Aberdeen and Centralia, because it seems impossible that you could broadcast anything on 99.3 and hear it clearly over the main station. And even if they are using different frequencies, I think the main station will still sound better (and provide a more reliable signal) than anything you get from a translator.

It might work if they had an HD they wanted to relay from the main station, but there are considerations for where they could realistically locate a translator.

on channel boosters operate on the same channel and broadcast the same programming...... they often work because of some terrain shielding

 

[fordranger797]

on channel boosters operate on the same channel and broadcast the same programming...... they often work because of some terrain shielding

It wouldn’t work for KDDS or KZTM. I’ll let an expert like Kelly chime in, but it would be impossible in this scenario. Aberdeen and Centralia are serviced well by the main station. Adding any sort of booster would be a disaster. As I recall, KDDS canceled the license on their boosters in the Kent valley due to complications (and to be fair, those boosters were intended to be synched up perfectly with the main station). I don’t think it worked as they had intended.

 

[seattlesarchiebunker]

I think the idea was originally trialed in West Palm Beach and Broward County in Florida. The idea being that West Palm being a separate market from Broward would allow the station to put targeted ads in a larger market. That implementation made sense.

That part of FL is about as flat as it gets, so they must have figured out capture effect and where the interference zones are.

In a situation such as this, I’d hope they’d have most of the interference zones in pretty isolated areas of Grays Harbor Co.

So, on paper, the maxxcasting can be done even in an area with optimal reception. In practice, it may be difficult to implement as any other booster is.

 

[fordranger797]

I think the idea was originally trialed in West Palm Beach and Broward County in Florida. The idea being that West Palm being a separate market from Broward would allow the station to put targeted ads in a larger market. That implementation made sense.

That part of FL is about as flat as it gets, so they must have figured out capture effect and where the interference zones are.

In a situation such as this, I’d hope they’d have most of the interference zones in pretty isolated areas of Grays Harbor Co.

So, on paper, the maxxcasting can be done even in an area with optimal reception. In practice, it may be difficult to implement as any other booster is.

I’m trying to picture how this could actually work in practice. So far, I’m not seeing how you could swing it. If 99.3 and 102.9 were located on Tiger or Cougar mountain, both stations would be extremely weak by the time they reached the locations referenced in the article (Aberdeen and Centralia). If you could legally add an on-frequency booster in Aberdeen, it could conceivably work. But this entire scenario defeats the intended purpose of a booster, as both locations would be way outside of the contour.

In reality, both of these stations provide strong coverage to both communities, so it sounds like a recipe for interference if their intention is to set up boosters. If the opposite is true (and they intend to set up translators on different frequencies to relay the main station), I still don’t see how that would be more attractive to a listener. As was previously stated, I can’t imagine anyone choosing a weak translator so they could hear local commercials.

They’ve got a good thing going at Bustos. I wouldn’t mess with what’s already working, and I certainly wouldn’t waste money on trying to figure out these engineering challenges.