I noticed that KTXV 890 Mabank ("Radio Saigon") has applied for a change from a Class B station to a Class D. That's because they asking the FCC for permission to drop their nighttime authorization. While their 20,000 watt daytime signal has fairly good penetration into some parts of the Dallas area it's certainly not remarkable; the transmitter site (just southeast of Eustace) is roughly 55 miles southeast of downtown Dallas. The KTXV studios are located off LBJ around Walnut Hill and as required by FCC rules are within the city-grade contour; one has to assume that the only thing in Mabank is an office containing the station's public file.
KTXV's nighttime operation, with just 250 watts that barely made it 10 miles away, has been used only sporadically since the station went on the air. It just wasn't worth the expense. My question is whether this move really is meaningless. Maybe they don't intend to remain a daytime only Class D. Stations of that class can operate with up to 249 watts at night, and what's more, they don't have to provide comparable coverage like they do during daylight. AM stations have to provide daytime city-grade coverage of all or essentially all of their community of license. Nighttime Class D's don't. In fact they don't have to provide any COL coverage. So who knows if KTXQ officially going daytime only is meaningless? It looks like they could apply for a low-power nighttime operation at some future time, probably in Dallas.
KTXV's nighttime operation, with just 250 watts that barely made it 10 miles away, has been used only sporadically since the station went on the air. It just wasn't worth the expense. My question is whether this move really is meaningless. Maybe they don't intend to remain a daytime only Class D. Stations of that class can operate with up to 249 watts at night, and what's more, they don't have to provide comparable coverage like they do during daylight. AM stations have to provide daytime city-grade coverage of all or essentially all of their community of license. Nighttime Class D's don't. In fact they don't have to provide any COL coverage. So who knows if KTXQ officially going daytime only is meaningless? It looks like they could apply for a low-power nighttime operation at some future time, probably in Dallas.
