MediaCo adding NYC stations on HD subchannels

[Mediafrog+]

MediaCo is adding its NYC stations WQHT and WBLS to HD subchannels in several of its markets, including Houston, on December 1:

MediaCo To Launch Hot 97 & WBLS On HD Subchannels In Dallas, Houston & Los Angeles

MediaCo has announced it will launch simulcasts of Hip Hop "Hot 97" WQHT and Adult R&B 107.5 WBLS New York

radioinsight.com

The particular station(s) not specified. I get KQQK in HD, but no HD reception on KTJM (does it have HD?) so guessing 107.5 will carry the extra subchannels.

 

[Ryan Williams]

Really weird.

 

[Identnut]

I have to wonder how WBLS's simulcast will work. Steve Harvey does not air in Houston, but he does in Dallas and Los Angeles on competing stations.

 

[Mrtejano]

MediaCo is adding its NYC stations WQHT and WBLS to HD subchannels in several of its markets, including Houston, on December 1:

MediaCo To Launch Hot 97 & WBLS On HD Subchannels In Dallas, Houston & Los Angeles

MediaCo has announced it will launch simulcasts of Hip Hop "Hot 97" WQHT and Adult R&B 107.5 WBLS New York

radioinsight.com

The particular station(s) not specified. I get KQQK in HD, but no HD reception on KTJM (does it have HD?) so guessing 107.5 will carry the extra subchannels.

Typo? You meant 107.9? But yes strange for them to have 2 English stations instead of bringing another of their Spanish formats to Houston.

Maybe making plans to flip their stations to English since they have all the competition in Spanish now.

 

[HTX]

KQQK is the only one in the area with HD. None of their Dallas stations currently have HD so i wonder which one will add it

 

[Mediafrog+]

Typo? You meant 107.9?

Yes, typo, I meant 107.9.

But yes strange for them to have 2 English stations instead of bringing another of their Spanish formats to Houston.

While being fully aware of current demographic trends in Houston we may be at a saturation point for Hispanic targeted formats. And a possible flip of 97.5 targeting that market is still lurking.

Maybe making plans to flip their stations to English since they have all the competition in Spanish now.

I think if 98.5 and 107.9 ever return to English language formats it will be under different ownership, very likely religious.

 

[Mediafrog+]

KQQK is the only one in the area with HD. None of their Dallas stations currently have HD so i wonder which one will add it

KTJM is squeezed by first adjacent translators on both sides which would likely wreck the HD digital sidebands on 98.5, at least in the SW part of the market. Probably better to add HD 2 and 3 to 107.9.

 

[dxsphere]

My guess is that KQQK will add HD2 and HD3. KTJM had HD once upon a time, but it's not likely they'll waste their money to resurrect it if they can place subchannels on KQQK. The adjacent translators just make it even less likely.

 

[Fieldtech1]

The press release says that the stations will each be on a "dot 2" on their stations. I'm guessing they will fire up HD on KTJM for one of the simulcast and put the other on KQQK. It's not a huge investment if they already have a modern HD capable transmitter. Maybe an exciter upgrade.

 

[Mediafrog+]

The press release says that the stations will each be on a "dot 2" on their stations. I'm guessing they will fire up HD on KTJM for one of the simulcast and put the other on KQQK.

The first adjacent translators will cause problems with any HD on KTJM as posted upthread. Also I’m sure the translators won’t like the “digital hash” stepping on their signals.

Why would they call it “Dot 2”? This isn’t digital television.

 

[lanceventa]

Why would they call it “Dot 2”? This isn’t digital television.

Because they're TV people...

 

[Mrtejano]

Because they're TV people...

The first adjacent translators will cause problems with any HD on KTJM as posted upthread. Also I’m sure the translators won’t like the “digital hash” stepping on their signals.

Why would they call it “Dot 2”? This isn’t digital television.

I wonder if the reporters are just copy and pasting. Cause many different news medias have said dot 2 as well.

 

[Mrtejano]

Random question, why New York stations and not any California stations?

Do these 2 stations in New York have better ratings than any of their stations in California? Or are the ones from California very similar to what they have here in Texas?

 

[stan]

The first adjacent translators will cause problems with any HD on KTJM as posted upthread. Also I’m sure the translators won’t like the “digital hash” stepping on their signals.

Why would they call it “Dot 2”? This isn’t digital television.

maybe that will get rid of some of the nuisance translators.

 

[Mediafrog+]

Random question, why New York stations and not any California stations?

Do these 2 stations in New York have better ratings than any of their stations in California? Or are the ones from California very similar to what they have here in Texas?

The MediaCo stations in SoCal are all Regional Mexican, so no point in airing them in Houston where there are ample choices for the format. Meanwhile NYC’s WQHT can be considered competition for KQBT and KBXX, while WBLS is an alternative to KMJQ.

The last attempt to compete directly against Magic 102 was the short lived Kiss 104.5 in the late 2010s. Going back further, Y98-5 KHYS had a few good years in the early 1990s, but that was during KMJQ’s “102 Jams” aberration.

 

[Mrtejano]

So they’re going to wait till the 1st to try out the HD HD2 signal? They should start doing it now to fix any flaws. Maybe test it with La Raza on HD2.

 

[lanceventa]

Random question, why New York stations and not any California stations?

Do these 2 stations in New York have better ratings than any of their stations in California? Or are the ones from California very similar to what they have here in Texas?

MediaCo is attempting to build Hot 97 into a national brand. It is launching it on streaming television platforms (and recently OTA in Atlanta). This is just a simple way to increase its exposure within other outlets it owns.

 

[Mediafrog+]

MediaCo is attempting to build Hot 97 into a national brand. It is launching it on streaming television platforms (and recently OTA in Atlanta). This is just a simple way to increase its exposure within other outlets it owns.

I’ve been wondering if the Hot 97 format could be the future of either KTJM or KQQK if the numbers for the current Regional Mexican formats continue to erode.

Baby steps towards national formats, much like K-Love and Air 1 have already achieved. Common in other countries, as David Eduardo frequently points out.

 

[IngenieroPerron]

I’ve been wondering if the Hot 97 format could be the future of either KTJM or KQQK if the numbers for the current Regional Mexican formats continue to erode.

Baby steps towards national formats, much like K-Love and Air 1 have already achieved. Common in other countries, as David Eduardo frequently points out.

if kqqk flips format, it could mean that some of the programming staff would want to head on over to kess,

 

[dxsphere]

NYC's Hot 97 & WBLS Will Soon Be On-Air In California & Texas - Radio Ink

MediaCo is bringing Hot 97 and WBLS to major multicultural markets in Texas and California via HD signals acquired with Estrella Media.

radioink.com

RadioInk learned that WBLS will simulcast on HD subchannels of KZZA 106.7 (Dallas area), KQQK 107.9 (Houston area) and KBUE 105.5 (Los Angeles area); with WQHT simulcasting on HD subchannels of KNOR 93.7 (Dallas), KTJM 98.5 (Houston) and KRQB 96.1 (Riverside).

Of all of these, KQQK is the only one currently transmitting in HD, so we should see KZZA, KNOR, KBUE and KRQB launching HD signals and KTJM re-launching its HD within the next few days, with all of these stations and KQQK adding an HD2 subchannel.