It’s amazing how little Mapleton got for KFMF, KZAP and KQPT.
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Bustos Aquires Three FMs in Chico for $400,000
- Thread starter Michael Rivers Kramer
- Start date
Not sure if it's still true or not, but I heard a couple of years ago now that KQPT had to move from their present transmitter site. It's a class B so there might be some serious upcoming expense associated with that license. Also, KZAP was running at low power per an engineering STA that expired on May 4. No indication that they've returned to full power yet. Somehow I feel that maybe they're happy to get out of a "radio on a shoestring" situation.
Dave B.
The company I work for was about to buy these before Bustos stepped in, I've seen the sites myself. KZAP and KQPT got new transmitters in the past year or so, KFM has a bit of an issue with their STL, probably just a misaligned antenna, but otherwise everything was pretty solid. This was Mapleton's smallest market they had stations in, they were not profitable, and they just wanted out of them to consolidate up in Redding. It was a good deal. I'm just curious to see what they do with the formats.
$400,000 is a give away.
It's possible. In the greater Chico area, they have relied on K300AD at 107.9. K300AD was/is a pretty solid translator for Chico. I wonder why they would want to move KQPT. I wonder what they gain by doing that and how long it would take them to make up that expense. Chico is an interesting market, worked there for many years.
The Redding/Chico staff apparently weren't told of the sale ahead of time. One staffer only really knew when I said something after seeing it in the trades
What about KALF? I assume that's part of the deal if they're buying the cluster.
It does not.
It does get a signal in Redding and in fact used to target Redding and Chico in the 80's/
WOW, a lot has changed. KALF used to be a powerhouse in Chico.
I was living in Chico from 1997-2003 and it was used heavily to target the Chico market. Albeit Chico AND Redding are at the edge of KALF's city-grade coverage. That market has changed a lot in the last 15-20 years.
(Recycling a 2019 Bustos Chico cluster-related headline.)
I just noticed at laradiodechico.com website that Bustos has posted a logo and links for "107.9 FM Urbana". This would mean that K300AD (Chico translator) will cease relaying 97.7 KHHZ Gridley "La GranD". Notable is that Bustos earlier had downgraded K300AD from 246 watts to 77 watts and switched its program source from higher-powered KZSZ. No word yet as to the actual launch date and the originating program source. (I would think KHHZ HDx might be the program source but I do not see any HD-digital FCC paperwork associated with KHHZ.)
Bustos' "Urbana" youth-oriented format is heard in Tucson (translator/HD2), Portland (KXXP), and Seattle (HD2). No actual Urbana audio yet heard at the website or on the Bustos "La Rola" app.
I just noticed at laradiodechico.com website that Bustos has posted a logo and links for "107.9 FM Urbana". This would mean that K300AD (Chico translator) will cease relaying 97.7 KHHZ Gridley "La GranD". Notable is that Bustos earlier had downgraded K300AD from 246 watts to 77 watts and switched its program source from higher-powered KZSZ. No word yet as to the actual launch date and the originating program source. (I would think KHHZ HDx might be the program source but I do not see any HD-digital FCC paperwork associated with KHHZ.)
Bustos' "Urbana" youth-oriented format is heard in Tucson (translator/HD2), Portland (KXXP), and Seattle (HD2). No actual Urbana audio yet heard at the website or on the Bustos "La Rola" app.
A follow-on to the previous forum entry. On 6/24 107.9 formally launched its "Urbana" format for the Chico area. You can hear to the top-of-the-hour IDs and K300AD and the parent H2 station at this link:
This begs the question - Did Bustos switch 107.9 back to being fed by KZSZ? - It would be a good move as K300AD could cancel the 77-watt downgrade and go back to 246 watts, covering more of "metro Chico." ("Metro Chico" ... Would that be an oxymoron in the Spanish language?)
This begs the question - Did Bustos switch 107.9 back to being fed by KZSZ? - It would be a good move as K300AD could cancel the 77-watt downgrade and go back to 246 watts, covering more of "metro Chico." ("Metro Chico" ... Would that be an oxymoron in the Spanish language?)
Urbana Debuts In Chico - RadioInsight
radioinsight.com
107.9 FM in Chico is now known as Urbana.
No digital authorization paperwork was ever filed for KZSZ to go HD. The last paperwork Bustos Media submitted was likely the well-dismissed application to change KZSZ from Colusa 298B to Robbins 300A, short-circuiting the Sacramento Auction 109 allocation in the process.
Perhaps HD does not matter anyway for future Chevy truck owners as today's headlines state "GM Pulls HD Radio From 2021 Silverado and Sierra Pickups Over Chip Shortage". (See TheVerge and other press reports)
Perhaps HD does not matter anyway for future Chevy truck owners as today's headlines state "GM Pulls HD Radio From 2021 Silverado and Sierra Pickups Over Chip Shortage". (See TheVerge and other press reports)
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