KGO was live an local in its peak days in the 80's and 90's. They stuck with the same generation of thinking and presentation style, while KFI, with a newer period of dominance has been able to stay fresher by doing things like eliminating Dr Laura and then Rush and building local franchises. KGO just aged out and disintegrated, as the new owners handled a possible transition just horribly.
In the case of the Bay Area KQED-FM is NPR News/Talk affiliate that does well in the Bay Area overall, while KALW-FM is NPR affiliate thats mainly San Francisco City Proper only. In Sacramento area Its Capital Public Radio and in some cases the KQED Translator at 89.3FM.
KFI’s aggressive presentation dates back to Cox ownership and stayed in place when Clear Channel took over. Even in the mid-2000s, they weren’t hesitant to make substantial moves like moving Phil Hendrie to 570 in 2005 or picking up Tim Conway Jr. after KLSX folded. Booting Rush onto 1150 was the best move they could have ever made, when they made it. Considering the stark limitations the format has, KFI is the most forward-thinking station in the format, much moreso than WLW.
How did certain FM's get granted that extra 10kw beyond the 100 kw FCC allowed maximum signal strength for FM?
Even more... a couple around 500,000 watts.
Before FM was further regulated (talking about over 60 years ago), there were much higher power authorizations. A few of those still exist.
They have an indoors-usable signal that covers Grand Rapids, Kalamazoo and Battle Creek but does not make it to Lansing or even Muskegon. (65 dbu)
Grand Rapids is quite blessed power-wise, as it has two other superpower grandfathered stations, 105.7 WSRW-FM at 265,000 watts, which you listed, as well as 104.1 WVGR at 96,000 watts. WVGR is interesting as it is a public radio "grandfathered superpower" Class B, FM station, licensed to the University of Michigan. For almost 40 years, WVGR blanketed West Michigan with a powerful 108,000-watt signal from an arm on a local TV tower (WOOD-TV), until it needed WVGR's space for an HD transmitter, WVGR was forced to cut its power to 20,000 watts until it moved to its own tower in 2006 and boosted its power to its present 96,000 watts, largely restoring its original coverage area. Without its grandfathered superpower status, the maximum power that it could be granted today, would be 23,500 watts ERP.
Having spent six years at KFBK and coming up on two at KXJZ, I have to say that's not right.
Good Point too.
So therefore what is it meant for? Besides to make i heart media a bunch of money and to inform the public with solid news and information? Which is precisely what it does do very well.
I think both stations would be happy to have as many people as possible within range of their signal listening. My issue was RadioPatrol’s suggestion that KFBK was somehow intended to serve suburban and rural areas rather than urban and that KXJZ was intended to serve urban rather than suburban and rural.
