94.5 station wants to enter San Antonio

[AnyHuman]

It looks like S Content Marketing south of town is attempting to improve their 94.5 FM signal KEMA from Three Rivers TX, and get SA coverage with it.
https://fccdata.org/?facid=&call=ke...=&party=&party_type=LICEN&latd=&lond=&lang=en

We'll see if this happens, as the following is a quote from a letter which was sent to the licensee on April 25th by the FCC, in response to their new attempt to move.
"This letter is to notify you that the applicant is delinquent on the payment of debts owed to the Federal Communications Commission."

I have a question, with radio decreasing in popularity why do this if they owe the FCC money already? Also why move if it appears 94.5 is already on the air? I've heard a station near the Three Rivers area on 94.5 the last few times I was around, always repeating the same Texas Country playlist over and over and over... If you aren't gonna pay the FCC the money you owe them, at least reshuffle 94.5's Windows Media Player and record a station announcement, haha.

 

[saradio1]

It looks like S Content Marketing south of town is attempting to improve their 94.5 FM signal KEMA from Three Rivers TX, and get SA coverage with it.
https://fccdata.org/?facid=&call=ke...=&party=&party_type=LICEN&latd=&lond=&lang=en

We'll see if this happens, as the following is a quote from a letter which was sent to the licensee on April 25th by the FCC, in response to their new attempt to move.
"This letter is to notify you that the applicant is delinquent on the payment of debts owed to the Federal Communications Commission."

I have a question, with radio decreasing in popularity why do this if they owe the FCC money already? Also why move if it appears 94.5 is already on the air? I've heard a station near the Three Rivers area on 94.5 the last few times I was around, always repeating the same Texas Country playlist over and over and over... If you aren't gonna pay the FCC the money you owe them, at least reshuffle 94.5's Windows Media Player and record a station announcement, haha.

Perhaps, they are looking to sell once it moves closer to SA

 

[b-turner]

It is very likely the station has no real local presence and likely very little, if any income where it is. The repeating Texas Country playlist is aired just to keep the station on the air at minimal cost. A move, should the monies owed the FCC get paid and the engineering study approved, would increase the value of the station over and above the cost of relocation. Remember, many stations operate with leased tower space,so a move from one tower to another is a matter of moving a bit of equipment and paying for the labor and engineering to make that move.

If approved, it appears the station would become a rimshot for San Antonio. It would be more likely the value of the 'stick' would go up as well as the chances to lease the station to a group targeting San Antonio. All in all, income potential increases with population count in the coverage area and station value increases the closer you get to a major market.

I don't know the 'wiggle room' the station has but sometimes such moves are baby steps. I know one AM station that began at 500 watts. Everybody thought the owner would lose his shirt on that 500 watt money pit. What they didn't know was they had all the engineering work ready to file to upgrade to 3,000 watts before they ever got the license for the 500 watts. Nobody saw that coming.

 

[AnyHuman]

Perhaps, they are looking to sell once it moves closer to SA

Probably, and I agree with B-Turner about the logistics regarding the repetitive playlist. There's probably nobody in the station's coverage area to update the playlist and liners and I imagine they're using it just because they can't get Internet to repeat one of S Content's other stations, but in that case I'd shut off KEMA to save money.

It's also been talked about over here that Roy Henderson, owner of S Content, has a questionable past with the FCC.
https://www.radiodiscussions.com/showthread.php?693471-KJJB-95-3-Eagle-Lake

 

[Robert Mezzetti]

I Would Like 94.5 To Be A Move-In I Have Listen In Austin Not A Bad PlayList Great

 

[SomeRadioGuy]

I Would Like 94.5 To Be A Move-In I Have Listen In Austin Not A Bad PlayList Great

It'll never amount to much and the owner will likely only marginally operate it and hes probably looking to sell it.

 

[AnyHuman]

If you ask me the owner should improve the nice playlist, adjusting it automatically with the music player on shuffle so it's more interesting.

 

[AnyHuman]

Still no IDs...

They still haven't updated the playlist!

I also heard the audio on the right hand side turning on/off as if someone was messing with equipment. If they're messing with the equipment why not update the playlist and make liners?

 

[AnyHuman]

In July, I heard an ID "KEMA 94.5 Three Rivers" repeat about 30 times or so as if someone added music and the ID a bunch of times and not putting the music player on shuffle. I haven't heard the station since but then again I haven't been in the area...

 

[AnyHuman]

Anybody know any status on this station? Have they improved the music, added more liners, or increased power? I'd imagine last time I heard it in July it was at most 100 watts, didn't cover much when traveling from San Antonio to Corpus Christi and back.
The construction permit still looks to be allowed and expires in 2021. https://fccdata.org/?facid=&call=ke...=&lmspl=&party_type=LICEN&latd=&lond=&lang=en

 

[The Rimshot]

Which AM station was that?

 

[The Rimshot]

It is very likely the station has no real local presence and likely very little, if any income where it is. The repeating Texas Country playlist is aired just to keep the station on the air at minimal cost. A move, should the monies owed the FCC get paid and the engineering study approved, would increase the value of the station over and above the cost of relocation. Remember, many stations operate with leased tower space,so a move from one tower to another is a matter of moving a bit of equipment and paying for the labor and engineering to make that move.

If approved, it appears the station would become a rimshot for San Antonio. It would be more likely the value of the 'stick' would go up as well as the chances to lease the station to a group targeting San Antonio. All in all, income potential increases with population count in the coverage area and station value increases the closer you get to a major market.

I don't know the 'wiggle room' the station has but sometimes such moves are baby steps. I know one AM station that began at 500 watts. Everybody thought the owner would lose his shirt on that 500 watt money pit. What they didn't know was they had all the engineering work ready to file to upgrade to 3,000 watts before they ever got the license for the 500 watts. Nobody saw that coming.

Which AM station was that?

That’s a great story.

 

[b-turner]

That AM station was KYND 1520 in Cypress/Houston. Mike Vendetti handled securing the frequency and guided the first time radio station owner on how to baby step the station up to it's potential with the leas cost and competition. I have to admit when I saw the allocation while working in a different market, I surmised the poor applicant was going to lose his shirt because the station barely touched the Houston suburbs. Later I went to work for the guy and watch the suburbs overtake the area. What had been a narrow two lane that intersected with a 4 lane highway became a busy exit on the freeway with a Super Walmart, Lowes and many other businesses supporting subdivisions with homes starting in the low 300s (expensive for Texas where you could get a good suburbia home for under $150,000 in a nice neighborhood at the time).