I presume, in this case, you're talking about the Melrose KMGO CP, because KCOG has had no plans to change towers and Brand is selling the existing AM tower and surrounding land (except for the rights to any coal underground!) to Iowa Media Network. Since this thread is about KCOG, I'm assuming that, unless otherwise stated, the discussion in replies is about KCOG.
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Iowa KCOG Centerville sold
- Thread starter Mark Roberts
- Start date
There’s the confusion. KMGO and its new tower site got mixed into this discussion. At least that’s what I took from the replies recently.
K.M. Richards
Program Director, The Eighties Channel™
While it's not a radio CP, the longest period of time between a construction permit grant and it going on the air was the one authorizing channel 59 in New Haven CT ... 41 years, 9 months, and 11 days.
History of UHF Television
I did that, in a "by the way..." kind of manner. I didn't think it was worth opening up a new thread just for that. I also figured people might have had their fill of Centerville for a while and wouldn't want to see yet another thread about it. The town was important in my life but probably not to anyone else's life here. But the main point of the thread is about KCOG. It's going to be interesting to see how it does as an adjunct to a streamer. That's a business model we haven't seen much of up to now. I think it's worth keeping an eye on. While I don't know the Iowa Media Network owners, I hope they're successful. They could show the way forward for other stations looking for a way to survive or even do better than just surviving.
I've set my account to ignore some of them, if you catch my drift. I'm not much interested in what people who aren't from Iowa or Missouri have to say about an Appanoose County institution.
The two ARE kinda intertwined. Perhaps the small infusion of cash from the KCOG sale is spurring the KMGO construction, even though you would have thought the KEDB sale would have provided that cash...some of that got spent on a new transmitter for KMGO, which was needed.
Well, sure, but, starting early next year, they won't be connected, except for the lease on the KMGO Rathbun tower for the KCOG FM translator. The consulting contract with Brand is there for half a year too, but Ocker used to work for the radio stations and should know the score.
I wondered about the KEDB sale, too...and whether that KMGO upgrade will really be worth it. Brand will soon have a standalone FM. As far as I know, he has no other media interests to support it, while the new KCOG owners will have the streaming properties, the origin of which was a weekly radio show on KCOG a decade or so ago, plus the weekly newspaper that replaced the daily in 2020...so there could be some synergy between those properties and the radio station. As has been noted here, the FM translator has decent coverage.
...where KMGO is supposed to broadcast from. I have been totally unobservant. After doing a little research, I see KMGO has been under a perpetual STA since 2016, then an auxiliary site license, to broadcast from the Iconium tower site now owned by Iowa Catholic Radio.
Or perhaps I did know this when the KEDB sale happened, and forgot since. My brain is mush lately.
I see that translator antenna is 155m AGL. That should indeed cover well. I also see that's an old-school translator that was not part of the AM Revitalization rules.
A definite plus to keep it running.
I had forgotten about that.
The translator moved from 99.7 in 2019 to resolve interference issues. This also allowed for an increase in height.
Even so, the signal is a little noisier in Centerville than I would have expected. I think that's a common problem with translators that have good height but not a lot of heft, even with the full 250 watts. Here's a sample from October 1. I was on the second floor of a building on the square when I recorded this. You'll notice the noise around the legal ID leading into Fox News. I was using a Qodosen DX-286; the recorder was a Tascam DR-05X that is one of the quietest pieces of electronic equipment I've ever had.
The noise wasn't a one-time thing; I have recordings from the preceding April that have it, too. It's probably fine outside or in a vehicle; perhaps being among the buildings of a business district attenuated the signal a bit. Most buildings on the square are brick.
Link to audio: K280GY-KCOG.2025.10.01-2002.mp3
I have actually been thinking alot lately about how radio can or will become an auxiliary service of sorts to streaming. Maybe even rebroadcasting huge chunks of streaming.
I did that on KSKO for KidJAm Radio from WAPS.. picked up the stream to carry a few hours a week of it on KSKO
I have no special knowledge, but it wouldn't surprise me if one of the first things KCOG does once the sale takes effect is simulcast Appanoose AM. That's an hour of local content right there.
The other thing here is, if the streamer plays music at some point during the day, their music licensing will be higher then if they were just news/talk with bumpers. But streaming only music rates are a bit higher.. why do you think some IHeart speciality formats are on an HD2 somewhere? Lower rates to stream by being broadcast media.
I'm hauling this thread up from the basement, because I found the sale price for KEDB...$600,000. That plus proceeds from the KCOG sale will give Brand $700,000. See: https://radiodiscussions.com/threads/kmgo-98-7-centerville.776940/post-6856471
And would have probably spent a tenth of that total on the NV20LT for KMGO that replaced the old Collins tx, which I believe he sent straight to the scrappers.
The FCC approved the transfer last week.
In the announcement that Iowa Media Network made of the transfer, Russ Ocker mentioned that they were hoping to get it done in March, depending upon FCC approval. This week, according to the IMN Facebook page, they're busy with the state high-school wrestling tournament in Des Moines.
Video of the announcement last December: Iowa Media Network to buy KCOG Radio
In the announcement that Iowa Media Network made of the transfer, Russ Ocker mentioned that they were hoping to get it done in March, depending upon FCC approval. This week, according to the IMN Facebook page, they're busy with the state high-school wrestling tournament in Des Moines.
Video of the announcement last December: Iowa Media Network to buy KCOG Radio
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Iowa Media Network announced that the sale closed this afternoon. Consummation notices for the AM station and the FM translator were also filed today.
New ownership, new slogan, new logo (Facebook screenshot) -
Yesterday (May 16), KCOG discontinued the syndicated service it had been using for its classic-rock programming. The station is now being programmed locally. On its Facebook page, the station described the move as a “baby step” toward future changes. KCOG also set up a stream via Live365. Listening to the stream, it appears to me that KCOG has also discontinued hourly Fox News.
The format remains classic rock, with the nearest competition most likely coming from KRXL in Kirksville, Missouri.
The format remains classic rock, with the nearest competition most likely coming from KRXL in Kirksville, Missouri.
I love that they kept it Classic Rock! Instead of just going oldies or AC Gold. Being able to still rock out to some White Snake or ZZ or Van Halen in Centerville is way better.