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97.3 WKBC Modification

Robert Blalock Brown passed away November 18, 2025. His son David Caldwell Brown is sole successor trustee,

That, my friend, is correct, confirmed by a friend in the area, this morning.


It isn't known if a sale is imminent, but it seems a safe bet, especially if the COL and tower site move are approved.
It's a safe assumption, we'll see what comes down the pipeline.
 
If sold one has to wonder if Don Curtis comes hungry. I know they just bought Wilmington but 97.3 is totally different area and would be way bigger than anything Boone or Lenoir brings to the table.


Dunno, good conjecture.
 
Couldn’t moving 97.3 to the 96.9 tower cause interference issues?
The new Camlica broadcast tower in Istanbul, Turkey has full power FMs on every single channel from 87.6 to 107.8... 102 FMs in total on one tower.
So, second adjacents on the same tower should not be an issue, it's just not something that's ever been licensed in the U.S. before.

1778088272388.png
 
The new Camlica broadcast tower in Istanbul, Turkey has full power FMs on every single channel from 87.6 to 107.8... 102 FMs in total on one tower.
So, second adjacents on the same tower should not be an issue, it's just not something that's ever been licensed in the U.S. before.

View attachment 11940
I used to work very close to the 100.9 tower in Matthews, and couldn’t pick up 101.9 at my desk due to interference which is a fifth adjacent channel. I’m not an engineer, but I don’t see how you can have 2 frequencies that close together and not have a problem.

I looked through the application, and they talk about interference with WQMG and WCOS (which they’re not currently short spaced with now, but will be if approved) but only mention that they’re “grandfathered” when talking about WKKT and WPEG.

I see a lot of problems with the application.
 
The buyer will most likely be a religious operator. Either K-Love, possibly Radio Training Network (His Radio) and I wouldn't totally rule out Blue Ridge Broadcasting (Billy Graham) or GNN (Good News Network) based in Augusta GA area.

Signal value is based on population inside the 60 dBu Contour any where from $2 to $3 per person. There will be around 2 million covered so $4-6 million.
Bible Broadcasting Network is paying $4.2 million for the 100.9 signal. With its C3 upgrade, the 60 dBu population will be 1,672,472 which comes to $2.47 per person.
 
The new Camlica broadcast tower in Istanbul, Turkey has full power FMs on every single channel from 87.6 to 107.8... 102 FMs in total on one tower.
So, second adjacents on the same tower should not be an issue, it's just not something that's ever been licensed in the U.S. before.

View attachment 11940


Hmmm, interestin'. Thanks for the info.
 
I used to work very close to the 100.9 tower in Matthews, and couldn’t pick up 101.9 at my desk due to interference which is a fifth adjacent channel. I’m not an engineer, but I don’t see how you can have 2 frequencies that close together and not have a problem.
I believe you're possibly talking about two different things, here, what's on the tower and what's coming into your radio.

I looked through the application, and they talk about interference with WQMG and WCOS (which they’re not currently short spaced with now, but will be if approved) but only mention that they’re “grandfathered” when talking about WKKT and WPEG.
I believe the interference of which they are referring, has to do with their directional signal, haven't looked at the application, personally, not yet, anyway. I do know, they're directional now.

I see a lot of problems with the application.

Reckon we'll see what comes down the pike.
 
The buyer will most likely be a religious operator. Either K-Love, possibly Radio Training Network (His Radio) and I wouldn't totally rule out Blue Ridge Broadcasting (Billy Graham) or GNN (Good News Network) based in Augusta GA area.
Blue Ridge Broadcasting? Don't believe I've ever heard of them. What do they own now?

Signal value is based on population inside the 60 dBu Contour any where from $2 to $3 per person. There will be around 2 million covered so $4-6 million.
Bible Broadcasting Network is paying $4.2 million for the 100.9 signal. With its C3 upgrade, the 60 dBu population will be 1,672,472 which comes to $2.47 per person.

Roger on the number crunching, thanks.
 
The more I think about it, I think it’s safe to go ahead and rule out the Mix format and branding staying for all of the Mix Charlotte fans on here (which there seem to be a lot of). Like I said yesterday, this is a prep for a sale.
 
I looked through the application, and they talk about interference with WQMG and WCOS (which they’re not currently short spaced with now, but will be if approved) but only mention that they’re “grandfathered” when talking about WKKT and WPEG.

I see a lot of problems with the application.
I don't. It's an extremely well constructed application that follows all of the FCC's rules, even the very complicated "Rural Radio" and grandfathering rules.

In a nutshell, if a pair of stations both existed prior to the 1964 adoption of the FCC's current class and spacing protocol, and if their facilities back then were close enough that they became short-spaced with the adoption of the 1964 rules, they get a "get out of jail free" card in which NO spacing restrictions apply to them, so long as they're second- or third-adjacent. So when WKBC-FM says it's pre-64 grandfathered to 96.9 and 97.9, that's *all* they need to say, because section 73.213 of the rules says there are NO spacing restrictions that apply to those stations.

It's complex stuff. There are maybe 15 or 20 consulting firms that fully understand how to comply with these rules, and WKBC-FM used one of them.

What are the "problems" you think you see with the application that these firms presumably missed?
 
My first thought was they were going to finally give Charlotte a Hot AC that would cover the market.
my first thought was there is no way to tell who'll buy it, and therefore what they'll program on it.
they're moving 97.3, not WKBC-FM.
For instance: 100.9 isn't WABZ, WKKT isn't WDBM, WHQC isn't WOHS, and WOSF isn't WAGY. but WXRC is still WXRC. so there's that.
 
The move-ins are getting to be a bit much. Soon every FM within 150 miles of Charlotte will identify with Charlotte. So much for “Hometown Radio”. How many stations can the Charlotte market support?
 


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