95.9FM in Dallas

[317C50KW]

We need most of all diversity in ownership. We need to bust up these monopolies...and we need to ensure that stations serve their "community of license".


I can only imagine what we'd hear if KSKY actually had to program to Balch Springs!

 

[93-3TheSurge]

We need most of all diversity in ownership. We need to bust up these monopolies...and we need to ensure that stations serve their "community of license".


I can only imagine what we'd hear if KSKY actually had to program to Balch Springs!

LOL or 96.7 programming to Flower Mound!

 

[dfwrunner]

We need most of all diversity in ownership. We need to bust up these monopolies...and we need to ensure that stations serve their "community of license".


I can only imagine what we'd hear if KSKY actually had to program to Balch Springs!

Hopefully something different than they have on now...

 

[TexasTom]

I can only imagine what we'd hear if KSKY actually had to program to Balch Springs!

Dead air, most likely. Does anyone really think that Balch Springs could support a radio station of its own?

I support ownership diversity, but I suspect that imposing strict requirements related to COL would end up hurting ownership diversity, not helping it. Consider, for example, the effect that such rules could have on locally owned 95.3 KHYI.

 

[93-3TheSurge]

I just think that listeners in Athens and Palestine (KCKL), and Sulphur Spring, Mt Vernon and Mt Pleasant (KSCH) would love to hear a Dallas FM station. The "superstation" of the four aforementioned towers gives them that opportunity. You don't usually see four towers (albeit one is a translator) within 75 miles of each other, why not capitalize on that?

 

[julesism]

I have a ton of family (my mom's entire side) east of Mt. Pleasant and I can promise you that none of them give a rats behind about anything from\about big D... well, with the exception of the Cowboys.

 

[93-3TheSurge]

Well, Jules, it's a good thing KSCH's signal doesn't go east of Mt Pleasant!

 

[dismuke]

I think the idea of reducing the number of listening choices kinda disturbing...we need more choice not more stations playing the same thing. We need most of all diversity in ownership. We need to bust up these monopolies...and we need to ensure that stations serve their "community of license".

Uhhhm - people have more listening choices and more diversity open to them today than ever.

And if terrestrial broadcasters are to remain relevant and prosper, then broadcasters need more freedom, not less - especially given they face an increasing number of competitors who are not forced to jump though similar regulatory hoops.

And exactly what does it mean to "serve" one's community of license" mean anyway? That is a VERY ambiguous term isn't it? Exactly who within that community is one supposed to "serve"?

A community, in this context, is nothing more than a collection of individuals who live or work within a certain geographical boundary. Those individuals do not speak with one voice nor do they think with one mind nor do they have identical tastes or interests. So exactly which group of individuals within that community is deemed so special that broadcasters must be compelled to "serve" their interests and desires verses everyone else's?

I would argue that, if there is to be any modicum of logic used in attempting to attach any rational meaning to such a vague notion, it would mean offering programing that appeals to the largest number of people and broadest common denominator possible. But, for the most part, that is what commercial broadcasters already attempt to do - so if that is what is meant by it, there would be no need for compulsion.

In practice, of course, what "to serve one's community" means is: whatever the bureaucrats at the FCC say it means - which, in practice, means that broadcasters are forced to pander to whatever activist special interest groups have the political pull to get the FCC on their side to force stations to carry programing that they think listeners/viewers ought to be tuning into. Observe that most "community interest" type programming that broadcasters carry to fend of the FCC tends to air at times when few people are watching or listening because most people have zero interest in the stuff.

And the notion that one should offer programing catering specifically to one's city of license is especially irrelevant and cumbersome in the context of stations licensed to big city suburbs. Most people who live in suburbs such as Balch Springs, Plano or Southlake do NOT have deep ancestral roots or strong historical ties to those communities. Most moved there for reasons such as proximity to their jobs, the quality/affordability of the housing, the fact that the public school system is less horrible than in other parts of the area, etc. Ask where they are from, many will simply say "Dallas" or "Fort Worth." What a typical person from Southlake or Balch Springs wants from a radio or television station is not especially different than what a typical person from Plano or White Settlement wants.

Now, if one is talking about hyper local oriented programing of the sort that small town radio stations once (and perhaps still do in some areas) carried such as broadcasting high school sporting events and giving scores for all the teams in the surrounding podunk towns or reading the school lunch menu over the air or giving updates on the price of pork bellies and bushels of wheat etc., the reality is that a lot of that kind of information is more suited to being covered by the Internet which is in a far better position to serve small audiences and can do so in far more depth than a radio station which, even in small markets, has many listeners who frankly couldn't care less about such things. And as more people turn to the Internet to acquire such information, the less they even want the watered down lowest common denominator version that radio and television stations used to provide.

What is better suited to "serve" and provide a voice for those who have an interest in the latest controversy surrounding the Balch Springs city council - a message board such as this one specific to Balch Springs issues or KSKY being forced to air a talk show devoted to Balch Springs topics that few people - including most of those who happen to live in Balch Springs - even care about or will voluntarily tune into?

And to suggest that there are fewer listening choices today is simply preposterous. There are more listening options today than there ever have been in both quantity of stations and in programing and formats. Good luck if you wanted to listen to 1920s and 1930s popular music fifteen years ago. Today, anybody who has an Internet connection or a smart phone can listen to that or any other sort of music available on tens of thousands of stations. We live in a world where anybody who wants to can start a station in his living room with a minimal investment and have a worldwide audience. To say that there exists a "monopoly" of any sort is simply bizarre. To say that there is somehow a lack of "diversity" of ownership is absurd. There are stations that are owned by giant corporations and there are countless more owned by nobodies such as myself who do it for no other reason than as a "labor or love" to make their particular passion available to the world.

And if one wishes to counter with: "but we are talking AM/FM and the Internet don't count" then such an assertion becomes more outdated and more absurd with every passing day and with every wireless data plan that is sold. To complain that one has to go to an Internet station or a website to listen to 1920s and 1930s music or to find out what sort of school lunch mystery meat Junior is going to whine about this evening is becoming as absurd as complaining that classical music fans are under served because such music is not available on the AM dial and one has to tune into an FM station to hear it. To ignore the existence of the Internet in terms of the diversity of entertainment and information that is available to radio audiences is as absurd as ignoring the existence of television would have been circa 1955.

The Internet is far better suited for catering to diverse audiences and for providing niche oriented content which has only marginal or even no commercial viability. So it is entirely normal that such content will fade away from terrestrial broadcasting. Conventional broadcasting's strength has always been its ability to serve the widest common denominator - so it is normal for commercial stations to focus on that strength and become more nationally oriented as that portion of their audiences which craves more specialized content drifts away towards alternative media outlets which do a better job at providing it.

For the FCC to come in and impose such "diversity" and "community service" on stations on the premise that it is still 1932 with few stations, no television, no cable and no Internet will only hurt terrestrial radio and put it at a disadvantage relative to the various alternatives which are constantly and rapidly emerging. Audiences do not live in a bubble of some overly romanticized past about what radio is "supposed to be like." Compelling station owners to live in such a bubble and program accordingly will only hurt and kill stations.

The ONE and ONLY exception that I would make to the above with regard to the issue of "serving" one's community of license is with regard to extreme emergencies which constitute a widespread threat to life and property. I have zero problem with a Granbury station carrying nothing but national programs or programs designed to appeal listeners in D/FW. However, if a tornado is heading towards Hood County or if a chemical spill and a toxic vapor cloud occurs, people in that region need to have a place they know that they can turn to for information in the event of an emergency. I do not have a problem with the FCC requiring stations to have a plan in place for how they get such information out in the event of such an emergency. I am not suggesting that each station have a local Brad Barton - timely automated weather service alerts will work as would a plan for local officials, such as the police or government officials, to have the ability to jump on the air themselves to provide necessary information if it becomes necessary.

But beyond that, it ought to be entirely up to station owners and nobody else what sort of programing is carried on their stations - not politically connected activist groups, not FCC busybodies and not arm chair quarterbacks on message boards such as this one. And if you don't like the sort of programing your local stations carry - well, you can always do what I did and start your own station.

 

[johnqdoe]

I really don't think the people of Mt Pleasant or other parts of east Texas would get any better radio than what they get now. It's mostly cookie-cutter, keep the breaks under 30 seconds, or VT and syndicated in Dallas too. Serving the city of license doesn't mean serving JUST Balch Springs or Granbury or whatever....If that was the case, why have any station over 2 watts???? That has more to do with being able to actually broadcast during severe weather or other emergencies...instead of a VTd jock "playin the hits"

 

[Mediafrog+]

Uhhhm - people have more listening choices and more diversity open to them today than ever.

Dismuke's post, although lengthy, is probably one of the best things I've ever read on these boards. A good grasp of media realities in 2010.

 

[93-3TheSurge]

WOW! Dismuke just went off! Easily the post of the day.

I think residents of Mt Pleasant, Mt Vernon, Sulphur Springs, etc. would enjoy being able to pick up a station out of the Metroplex. Sure, you would have those who dislike "big city" radio and are stuck in their small town ways, which is fine, but I believe they would be in the minority.

Take a look at current radio stations today. KGSR (Austin) has a tower in Bertram, which is about an hour northwest from Austin, the city it serves. It's signal goes about 2.5 hours from Austin, and reaches small towns such as Llano, Brady, Coleman, Brownwood, etc., but you hear callers check in from there on a frequent basis. The existing 95-9 KFWR, the station I would like to see turned into a "superstation," has a signal that almost reaches Abilene, yet it is a "metroplex" station. I have heard callers check in from Cisco, Breckenridge, etc., so to say that these listeners are not interested in big city radio is a farce.

The "superstation" idea derives from the television side of the media, from Atlanta's WTBS and Chicago's WGN. Now, a lot of people, including myself, "don't give a rat's ass" about Atlanta or Chicago. Being an Astros fan, I absolutely hate the Braves and the Cubs; however, it was still nice to have the option of tuning in and watching Braves and Hawks games, watching Cubs and Bulls games, and watching Chicago's Nine O'Clock news, even though I was 11 hours away from Chicago.

There isn't anything wrong with radio in East Texas, but with the "superstation," it gives listeners another option on the radio dial.

 

[dfaulkner]

Mt. Pleasant & local or hyper local radio has been mentioned several times in this. Does KIMP
(In-Mt.-Pleasant) 960am still broadcast "The Hometown News" each morning at 11. (The same woman anchored it for about 40 years, I believe.) The Hometown News was hyper-local down to annoucing
the names & vehicles of everyone who had been pulled over by the police in the last 24hrs. My grandparents in Titus County would listen to this newscast daily, almost without fail. It meant a great deal to them to hear it. KIMP (most of the rest of the day) played basically a top 40 format, had TSN news at 55, Weather Bulletins Immediately, etc. It was an outsanding small town station. The FM side back then (the 1970's) was on 100.7 & was mostly an automated A/C format with TSN news & immediate Weather alerts (at least during the day when the AM was on, 960 was a sundowner.) This may be of interest or may just seem like I rambling again, but all the mentions of Mt. Pleasant & small town radio brought it to mind....

 

[jd]

There isn't anything wrong with radio in East Texas, but with the "superstation," it gives listeners another option on the radio dial.

A lot of people would tell you that there's plenty wrong with East Texas radio, but that's already covered over on the Texas board.

As for giving people another option, they've already got it. Folks around Sulphur Springs and Malakoff (two of the locations you mention in your plan) have been able to hear the Ranch for quite a while. KRVA-FM 107.1 Campbell and KRVF 106.9 Kerens are programmed separately from KFWR but use "The Ranch" moniker.

 

[dfaulkner]

Mt. Pleasant & local or hyper local radio has been mentioned several times in this. Does KIMP
(In-Mt.-Pleasant) 960am still broadcast "The Hometown News" each morning at 11. (The same woman anchored it for about 40 years, I believe.) The Hometown News was hyper-local down to annoucing
the names & vehicles of everyone who had been pulled over by the police in the last 24hrs. My grandparents in Titus County would listen to this newscast daily, almost without fail. It meant a great deal to them to hear it. KIMP (most of the rest of the day) played basically a top 40 format, had TSN news at 55, Weather Bulletins Immediately, etc. It was an outsanding small town station. The FM side back then (the 1970's) was on 100.7 & was mostly an automated A/C format with TSN news & immediate Weather alerts (at least during the day when the AM was on, 960 was a sundowner.) This may be of interest or may just seem like I rambling again, but all the mentions of Mt. Pleasant & small town radio brought it to mind....

I should fill that out a bit..."The Hometown News" was probably what many small town newscasts were, it included mention of births, deaths, weddings, anniversaries, graduations, those leaving to or returning from military service, news about the local government, etc. It wasn't just who got pulled over by the cops.

 

[93-3TheSurge]

There isn't anything wrong with radio in East Texas, but with the "superstation," it gives listeners another option on the radio dial.

A lot of people would tell you that there's plenty wrong with East Texas radio, but that's already covered over on the Texas board.

As for giving people another option, they've already got it. Folks around Sulphur Springs and Malakoff (two of the locations you mention in your plan) have been able to hear the Ranch for quite a while. KRVA-FM 107.1 Campbell and KRVF 106.9 Kerens are programmed separately from KFWR but use "The Ranch" moniker.

It's not so much "The Ranch" I'm concerned with, but a "metroplex" station. You can flip the format, but I would like to see 95.9 and the four towers within 75 miles of Dallas serve as a "superstation," with Dallas-Fort Worth commercials, weather, DJs, and remotes from the DFW area. I'm sure 107.1 Campbell or KRVF 106.9 does not do a simulcast with KFWR, they just have the same moniker, not the same commercials, weather, etc., as KFWR.

 

[93-3TheSurge]

I was looking at the LCKM Radio Group's website, and they own four FM stations in North Texas, and four FM stations in Southern Oklahoma with an additional AM station. They blanket the area really well, with 3 of the North Texas station owning the moniker, "The Ranch."

But, not all three have the same frequency...

 

[LibertyNT]

I think they are also on 1410 in East Texas.

 

[jd]

I was looking at the LCKM Radio Group's website, and they own four FM stations in North Texas, and four FM stations in Southern Oklahoma with an additional AM station.

Besides looking at the LKCM website you might want to so more research about why they have some of those stations in Southern Oklahoma. There's more to the story but I'm not going to take the time to explain it to you.

They blanket the area really well, with 3 of the North Texas station owning the moniker, "The Ranch."

You have a really vivid imagination. If you're thinking that those three stations blanket the entire area well, you're sorely mistaken. KFWR itself currently has great coverage west of Fort Worth, but the signal over much of Tarrant County isn't all that remarkable. Their upgrade, as noted previously, isn't going to be that spectacular either. The station in Campbell is a low-powered Class A that covers Sulphur Spings and Commerce, but little else. The one licensed to Kerens is a Class C3 with a bit more coverage; it covers Corsicana and Ennis quite well but Waxahachie is a stretch and there's really no meaningful coverage into Dallas County, regardless of what you may think.

The subject of the Ranch's coverage problems has come up many times on this board, and is perhaps best described by one poster who observed that (paraphrasing here) the Ranch has stations on three sides of the Metroplex and none of them make it into Dallas.

But, not all three have the same frequency...

Didn't we just talk about that? You're the one who started this thread and came up with the idea of a "Ranch Superstation." I gave you credit for an interesting idea, but it's just not practical. Why are you so adamant about replacing local stations with a regional one? The stations on 95.9 in Sulphur Springs and Malakoff are locally owned and provide a service to their communities. What's really implausible is your idea of using the translator in Garland to fill in the gap in Eastern Dallas County. It's just not going to happen. By now I'm convinced that that you are either a radio neophyte or an incurable dreamer, and possibly both.

 

[jd]

I think they are also on 1410 in East Texas.

That's the other "Ranch," KKUS 104.1 in Tyler, part of the East Texas Radio Group. It's a successful classic country station. Since their tower is located northwest of Tyler, a few years ago they elected to use a couple of AM stations to reach the eastern side of the market: KFRO 1370 in Longview and KCUL 1410 in Marshall.

 

[93-3TheSurge]

JD, I don't care what anyone says, it wasn't me that pissed in your cornflakes.

Now that you know that, as far as Sulphur Springs and Malakoff, there are other stations that provide service to those areas, such as KRVA (Sulphur Springs), and 106.9 (Kerens-Malakoff). Let's give those areas an opportunity to be apart of something bigger, an opportunity to create a superstation for the metroplex. Sure there will be gaps, but I wouldn't call the translator idea "implausible." I'm sure one could acquire it for a bargain, and as far as east to west coverage is concerned, you can pick up K240DS from University Park to Terrell, which doesn't fill in the entire gap, but it is good enough.

Look, you have four towers with the same frequency within 75 miles of a Top 5 city like Dallas, why not take advantage of that? Having radio stations close by with the same moniker but different frequencies and different broadcasts isn't the same. We "incurable dreamers" have wanted to see an FM station with 250,000 watts that can be heard for 270 miles, and with FCC regulations, this isn't possible; but when you combine 3 radio stations (plus one translator) that are within 75 miles of one central location (Dallas) with the same frequency, you can find a loophole to beat the FCC.

As far as the LCKM's stations and you saying, "there is more to the story but I'm not going to take the time to explain it to you," how pretentious is that? I have this knowledge, but I just choose not to share it with you. I am way to important, what with my 2,665 posts and all, to expound on this any further. Next time just to keep it to yourself.


One last time JD, it wasn't me that pissed in your cornflakes.