15~Ten's Power Grab

[DrAkbar]

Somethin' doesn't smell right about KFuNN's pattern and power changes! Monday night the Mighty 15~Ten didn't drop to 100 watts until 7pm, at which time Nurse Jeff and I heard legal IDs for both KFNN Mesa and KSPA Ontario. YIKES!

Wassup with these wattage weasels? Powering up to 22kw before local sunrise and dropping to 100 w after sunset. And if you think the Buckeye Boyz are the only ones to question KFuNN, here's what our good bud Oldiesfan posted the other day:


It's a new month, with new sign-on/off aka power up/down times
of 6:45 AM to 6:30 PM for most if not all metro AMs.

So how did our usual suspects do? Good, with one exception and
one "what, it's now March?"

So who's our one exception? Uh huh, KayFunn 1510. Using the
correlation that their 100-watt DA-N is dead meat in the 'Tuke,
they were audible at 6:37 AM (they weren't around 6:20).

This evening, I'm still waiting (at 6:57 PM) for them to drop off
the table. Over the past 20 minutes or so, while the meter still
shows "daytime" the signal has been getting more stepped on,
mostly by KSPA Ontario.

And this just in! We now have the KFNN power drop...at 6:59:50.

Hmmmmm.....perhaps someone needs to bring these obersavations to mis-management as KFuNN has a history of grabbin' power when they probably shouldn't. Here's their web site www.kfnn.com ....only problem is the last time we tried it, it was a fried as their lamptimer!

 

[TheRadioVortex]

In January "1510 KFNN Mesa/PHOENIX" stayed on the air until about ~5:59pm local time, so that Moe Ansari could be heard for the rich retirees in Apache Junction, Sedona, and the snowbirds in Gold Canyon. Literally as soon as the show was over, the power/pattern immediately went down to nightime operations. 8) They better watch out as they have great programming in demand during this recession like brinker and ansari. Wouldn't want to see them get a visit from the San Diego field office like up at Tabback's 780 KAZM in '07

BTW, why is KFNN licensed to Mesa when they don't cover it at night? Well I guess if you're class D it doesn't matter, right?

Could they file an APP to get more coverage to the SW?

Where are their towers located?

 

[oldiesfan6479]

Wouldn't want to see them get a visit from the San Diego field office like up at Tabback's 780 KAZM in '07

I was going to make a snide response like "we wouldn't?" but I won't.

BTW, why is KFNN licensed to Mesa when they don't cover it at night? Well I guess if you're class D it doesn't matter, right?

That's a big 10-4. Nighttime is like "bonus coverage"...but not necessarily
of your COL.

Where are their towers located?

Diplexed with the KOOL 960 site at Chicago and McDowell roads...er, the
KOOL 960 site on Chauncey's ranch at Bell and Scottsdale roads...nope,
roll ahead some more...KARZ 960...KOOL Gold 960...OK, I got it...the KKNT
960 site a couple miles north (NNW?) of the Loop 101/Squaw Peak Freeway
interchange.

Whew. Of course now I've got "Ms. Homeland Security" mad at me. ;D

Or follow along with the KayFunn page on the FCC AM Query--it has the
XMTR site coordinates:

http://www.fcc.gov/fcc-bin/amq?stat...&slat2=&NS=N&dlon2=&mlon2=&slon2=&EW=W&size=9

 

[DrAkbar]

In January "1510 KFNN Mesa/PHOENIX" stayed on the air until about ~5:59pm local time, so that Moe Ansari could be heard for the rich retirees in Apache Junction, Sedona, and the snowbirds in Gold Canyon. Literally as soon as the show was over, the power/pattern immediately went down to nightime operations.

The Nurse and I think you're on to something. At local sunset, KFuNN seems to keep that 22kw running until the paid program is over. Then when it's time for something real yawning (Clark Howard, Bruce Williams, etc) they drop to 100 watts. Same thing happens in the morning when sunrise occurs after 6am....they don't want their local yucksters fighting the skywave with 100 watts, so they turn the afterburners on early.

Someone's gonna get caught, then the real kFUNn begins!

 

[KOHS]

The Nurse and I think you're on to something. At local sunset, KFuNN seems to keep that 22kw running until the paid program is over. Then when it's time for something real yawning (Clark Howard, Bruce Williams, etc) they drop to 100 watts. Same thing happens in the morning when sunrise occurs after 6am....they don't want their local yucksters fighting the skywave with 100 watts, so they turn the afterburners on early.

Someone's gonna get caught, then the real kFUNn begins!

Ooops, did I just click send in Outlook? I didn't meant to tattle and spoil the kFUNn, really I didn't.

 

[oldiesfan6479]

Tuesday evening's power drop...

Guess!

Uh, 6:59:50?

10-4 Eleanor.

 

[DrAkbar]

Tuesday evening's power drop...

Guess!

Uh, 6:59:50?

10-4 Eleanor.

Guess the CE is too busy trying to get their web site back up to reset the lamptimer. Because the Nurse and I sleep in late, perhaps Oldiesfan can confirm that early morning unauthorized power up time for us. Somehow we suspect the KFuNN lamptimer isn't set right for mornings, too!

 

[oldiesfan6479]

Somehow we suspect the KFuNN lamptimer isn't set right for mornings, too!

Not quite as crass a deviation as in the evening--KayFunn did some sort of
power up between 6:35 and 6:40.

What kind of power up it was...well, let's leave that to the guys in the black
'51 Ford sedan with the whirling loop antenna on the roof.

 

[radioman148]

In January "1510 KFNN Mesa/PHOENIX" stayed on the air until about ~5:59pm local time, so that Moe Ansari could be heard for the rich retirees in Apache Junction, Sedona, and the snowbirds in Gold Canyon. Literally as soon as the show was over, the power/pattern immediately went down to nightime operations. 8) They better watch out as they have great programming in demand during this recession like brinker and ansari. Wouldn't want to see them get a visit from the San Diego field office like up at Tabback's 780 KAZM in '07

BTW, why is KFNN licensed to Mesa when they don't cover it at night? Well I guess if you're class D it doesn't matter, right?

Could they file an APP to get more coverage to the SW?

Where are their towers located?

It's amazing how many stations do not pay attention to the times they are suppose to power down.
Does the FCC look the other way?

 

[oldiesfan6479]

Tuesday evening's power drop...

Guess!

Uh, 6:59:50?

10-4 Eleanor.

Wednesday evening--lather, rinse, repeat. :

 

[oldiesfan6479]

For the Thursday evening power-drop lottery,
if you had 6:59:50 (again?!) you win.

 

[radioman148]

LOL!! ;D

 

[DrAkbar]

If anyone is interested in discussing the Power Grab with 15~Ten mgmt, just follow this link: http://www.kfnn.com/Contactform.asp Please let Nurse Jeff and me know if you get a reply.

 

[phil]

Maybe they are trying to make up for loss of signal on Central Ave since the Light Rail trolly started operating.

 

[radioman148]

Maybe they are trying to make up for loss of signal on Central Ave since the Light Rail trolly started operating.

That must be the answer.

 

[TheRadioVortex]

Can't they go more to the S.S.W. ? I don't recall if 1510 KPIG (SFO) and THE SPA (SDO) applied for more power or not after 1510 KGA Spokane downgraded. Could they shoot more towards 1510 KGA? How about Denver's Sporting News radio affiliate, can they go that way? Maybe a new 7 or even 9 tower directional array :

I think they could go up to 50,000 watts daytime with 4 towers in a different configuration perhaps ...

Maybe they could even be the long awaited Phoenix All-News station w/ traffic every 10 minutes !

That might get better ratings than 1190 NOVA-M. ???

Or, will that happen to CBS owned 1580? CBS does all news in San Francisco, and L.A., so how about expanding to Phoenix ! 8)

Or, how about 5kW/250W 1190 w/ their great processing going to all news ! :-\

Here's the friendly ghost at night - .1kW
http://radio-locator.com/cgi-bin/pat?call=KFNN&service=AM&status=L&hours=N

Day pattern - 22.5kW -
http://radio-locator.com/cgi-bin/pat?call=KFNN&service=AM&status=L&hours=D

 

[DrAkbar]

Can't they go more to the S.S.W. ? I don't recall if 1510 KPIG (SFO) and THE SPA (SDO) applied for more power or not after 1510 KGA Spokane downgraded. Could they shoot more towards 1510 KGA? How about Denver's Sporting News radio affiliate, can they go that way? Maybe a new 7 or even 9 tower directional array :

Kinda boxed in at night. KFuNN has to protect Denver, Spokane, Nashville, San Francisco and Ontario. Speaking of that plain vanilla 'burb, the owners of KSPA have already filed for more nighttime pow-pow-power. There's really no need for KFuNN to upgrade their nightime coverage because the financial news format and audience packs it in after 5pm. Plus they don't need no stinkin' ratings to get revenue. The only beef Nurse Jeff and I have with the Mighty 15~Ten is their inability to power up and down at the right time.

 

[radioman148]

>>The only beef Nurse Jeff and I have with the Mighty 15~Ten is their inability to power up and down at the right time.>>

Nobody ever said they were stupid.

 

[KeithE4]

Or, will that happen to CBS owned 1580? CBS does all news in San Francisco, and L.A., so how about expanding to Phoenix ! 8)

KMIK is owned by Disney, not CBS, and even if it was, I doubt that they'd put all-news at the "wrong" end of the AM dial.

In any case, all-news wouldn't work here or TMISU (the only other company with viable all-news stations besides CBS) would be doing it.

 

[radioman148]

Or, will that happen to CBS owned 1580? CBS does all news in San Francisco, and L.A., so how about expanding to Phoenix ! 8)

KMIK is owned by Disney, not CBS, and even if it was, I doubt that they'd put all-news at the "wrong" end of the AM dial.

In any case, all-news wouldn't work here or TMISU (the only other company with viable all-news stations besides CBS) would be doing it.

Why wouldn't all news work?