Catalina Island Loses a Possible Station

[Carmine5]

I don't have an X-File but I do keep a "dufus" file on dumb mistakes when filing apps with the FCC. This is going in it.

Back in December 2003 when the FCC opened a new AM station filing window, some guy in Redding filed an application for a station on Catalina Island at 1450. It was MX with an application for 1450 in Helendale.

The guy listed it as a first AM service for Catalina. Unfortunately, according to the FCC, there is no such thing as "Catalina", it's either Santa Catalina Island or Avalon. When he tried to amend the error, he filed too late, used the wrong form, wrongly identified the COL as "Catalina-Avalon" and failed to supply any stats on Avalon. Naturally the other guy in Helendale got the channel.

Not sure how necessary this station would have been anyway. The engineering shows a 0.025 Kw signal feeding a 3-tower array, covering just Avalon and a portion of the island.

But next time this guy files for a station out of his area, it might help if he checked a map.

http://fjallfoss.fcc.gov/prod/cdbs/forms/prod/getimportletter_exh.cgi?import_letter_id=9624

C5

 

[jonbruce]

The applicant, Mark C. Allen of Redding owns a mortuary up there so maybe this dead horse won't bother him all that much. He had another AM app. thrown out for Catalina earlier, at 1340. However, he is the owner of KVTU-LP ch.3 in Los Angeles.

 

[Carmine5]

The applicant, Mark C. Allen of Redding owns a mortuary up there so maybe this dead horse won't bother him all that much. He had another AM app. thrown out for Catalina earlier, at 1340. However, he is the owner of KVTU-LP ch.3 in Los Angeles.

Either that or he's been spiking his Mai Tai's with formaldehyde.

I wonder if this is the same guy that has that LPTV in Los Angeles for sale for 10M. It's been on the block a while.

http://www.mediaservicesgroup.com/index.cfm?pg=cla

I know he has an LPTV in Redding and a few translators.

C5

 

[radiofreqk1]

Mark is a "High Volume filer". He has filed over 50 other applications -- all over the US. I have even done a few of his applications. I think that a Mr. Mayhugh is the guy trying to sell the LPTV in LA. FYI --- Marks family owns the Funnel Home, he doesn't live there. He doesn't use it as a broadcast station studio or office. He is not an underground broadcaster - nor has Mark anything to do with any broadcasts on AM 1500 -- in or around the Long Beach area.

 

[qtpieislit]

Back in December 2003 when the FCC opened a new AM station filing window, some guy in Redding filed an application for a station on Catalina Island at 1450. It was MX with an application for 1450 in Helendale.
Not sure how necessary this station would have been anyway. The engineering shows a 0.025 Kw signal feeding a 3-tower array, covering just Avalon and a portion of the island.

25 watts feeding a three tower array on 1450? With all that co channel noise?

 

[Carmine5]

Back in December 2003 when the FCC opened a new AM station filing window, some guy in Redding filed an application for a station on Catalina Island at 1450. It was MX with an application for 1450 in Helendale.
Not sure how necessary this station would have been anyway. The engineering shows a 0.025 Kw signal feeding a 3-tower array, covering just Avalon and a portion of the island.

25 watts feeding a three tower array on 1450? With all that co channel noise?

Sorry, I just noticed that I added an extra zero. It should read 250 watts into a 3-tower array.

The pattern shows that the station would have covered most of the island and out to sea. None into the mainland.

C5

 

[jonbruce]

I don't think he could have got the zoning to construct those towers on Catalina anyway.

 

[nmoore6676]

I don't think he could have got the zoning to construct those towers on Catalina anyway.

Probably could have arranged some sort of diplex on KBRT but why would anyone want a 250 watt station on an island? With the status of radio today there would be no financial support and the coverage wouldn't even attract the God Squad. Also I thought the FCC didn't want anymore low power AM's except those already authorized.

I guess that these guys just file a flurry of applications hoping that some will stick and to what end is anybody's guess.

 

[Carmine5]

I don't think he could have got the zoning to construct those towers on Catalina anyway.

You're probably right. I'm finding that there is a lot of NIMBY resistance to new AM tower construction.

The supplied aerial photo shows that the proposed tower site is near the Wrigley mansion. I doubt that would have flown with the city of Avalon.

C5

 

[radiohistory]

This is all a far cry from 83 years ago, when the first radio broadcasting station went on the air from Avalon!!
A rich ham radio operator, who worked as a fish and game warden on the island (after running away from a bad marriage back east and hiding from his socialite parents), Lawrence Mott ran station KFWO from the living room of his home on Claressa Street in Avalon from July of 1925 through 1928. Getting the title of Major from the U.S. Army Signal Corps, he was often known as Major Lawrence Mott.

This was in the pre-FCC and pre-Federal Radio Commission days, when the Department of Commerce handed out licenses for radio stations to anybody who had the proper equipment and an interest in broadcasting. And, much of what was on the air in 1925 was still non-commercial. Mott, who was a close friend of Catalina Island owner William Wrigley, Jr., used KFWO to promote tourism on the island, using the station slogan taken from the call letters, "Katalina For Wonderful Outings." Besides trying to get more visitors to come to Catalina with special news and talks, Mott used a phone line to broadcast music from the Hotel St. Catherine orchestra a few times each day, along with live music from his home performed by volunteer singers and musicians.

KFWO was on 1420 kilocycles/khz. with only 250 watts, probably using a flattop wire antenna from Mott's home. Though the station was on the air a few hours in the daytime, the bulk of its broadcast hours were at night, when the skywave signal was heard often outside of Southern California. Two years later, in 1927, KFWO was moved by the FRC from 1420 to 1370-AM, and in 1928, was moved from 1370 kilocycles to 1000 kilocycles. With only a few hundred stations on the air at that time, KFWO had reception reports from at least 25 states from the west coast to the east coast.

In 1928, Mott was exploring making KFWO a commercial station. Then, he got married to a long-time ladyfriend. He decided to move from Catalina to the Hollywood Hills and he took KFWO off the air. He did not bother to sell his radio station, he simply took it off the air and turned in the license. The FRC had about that time assigned KFWO to divide or share air time on 1500-AM with KWTC in Santa Ana, but that never took place. However, Mott donated a lot of his equipment to KWTC owner John Hancock. Some of the old KFWO equipment was still in place around 1930 after KWTC became KREG at the Santa Ana Register newspaper building. It was soon discovered that the old KFWO equipment was outdated and was taken out of service, to help the station's technical quality improve.

Anyway, my point is that today, I don't think one could get a regular radio station on the air in a residential neighborhood as Mott did, and broadcast from a piano and microphone setup in his living room. Radio was much simpler and maybe more fun in those pioneering days of broadcasting in Southern California.

Jim Hilliker
Monterey, CA

 

[w9wi]

Also I thought the FCC didn't want anymore low power AM's except those already authorized.

They won't authorize new stations with less than 250 watts night power. They've been processing, and granting, a fair number of new 250-watt fulltime Class C stations lately.

(actually, the limit isn't 250 watts, it's some field strength which is achieved with 250 watts to a tower of typical efficiency. Particularly efficient towers can achieve this strength with less than 250 watts.)

 

[Carmine5]

Anyway, my point is that today, I don't think one could get a regular radio station on the air in a residential neighborhood as Mott did, and broadcast from a piano and microphone setup in his living room. Radio was much simpler and maybe more fun in those pioneering days of broadcasting in Southern California.

Jim Hilliker
Monterey, CA

Jim, thanks for the well-researched history on Catalina Island radio. I remember reading this on the laradio.com website. And, of course, you wrote that piece as well.

Yes, erecting and running a radio station has gotten so complex; so regulated, politicized, leveraged, calculated and flat-out costly that it has lost much of the fun, "casualness" and chance-taking that characterized radio of an earlier age.

But that's progress--or so they tell me.

C5

 

[radiohistory]

I also wanted to point out that KFWO/The Mott Station, was one of the most popular stations on air in the 1920s in the L.A. area....Also at that time, especially 1925, many station only ran 100 watts to 1,000 watts and still got out well, with 5,000 watts rare then and considered 'superpower'!

It was a very different era, with less congestion on the airwaves and less electrical interference and less man made noise to deal with.

jh

 

[nmoore6676]

I also wanted to point out that KFWO/The Mott Station, was one of the most popular stations on air in the 1920s in the L.A. area....Also at that time, especially 1925, many station only ran 100 watts to 1,000 watts and still got out well, with 5,000 watts rare then and considered 'superpower'!

It was a very different era, with less congestion on the airwaves and less electrical interference and less man made noise to deal with.

jh

Thanks again for your historical perspective, you are an encyclopedia of radio history.

I remember that one of my first projects as a boy of 8 or 9 was building a crystal set receiver. I could pick up a lot of stations with a long wire but I doubt that would work anymore. There was a lot less interference in those days (1950's in my case).

 

[jonbruce]

The guy filled an amendment to his dismissed application yesterday. The FCC daily digest reports it for 1420 and the audio division site has it posted there. However, upon looking at the amendment all the tech. info listed is for 1470. He still clings to Catalina-Avalon as the c.o.l. He also mentions it will be the first am station for the island ! I guess he is not aware of 740 KBRT.

 

[Carmine5]

The guy filled an amendment to his dismissed application yesterday. The FCC daily digest reports it for 1420 and the audio division site has it posted there. However, upon looking at the amendment all the tech. info listed is for 1470. He still clings to Catalina-Avalon as the c.o.l. He also mentions it will be the first am station for the island ! I guess he is not aware of 740 KBRT.

And then there is the little matter of last year's Catalina Island wildfire. I have a friend who lives in Avalon and he said that KBRT never offered any kind of compensation or even an apology to the community for what happened. Granted, the fire was started by a contractor but still, KBRT is not regarded as a good neighbor.

So I highly doubt this guy will even win approval from the city for his tower site should the FCC miraculously grant his application. KBRT has pretty much burned that bridge (get it?)

C5

 

[radiohistory]

1420, huh?? Maybe the guy read my earlier post about Lawrence Mott's pioneer station KFWO-Avalon (1925-1928) first using 1420 kilocycles at 250 watts for its first 2 years, 1925 and 1926....lol But its for 1470 now? Still, 2008 is a different than radio was in 1925, and I'm not sure a stand-alone AM even on Catalina would make it financially.

Jim Hilliker

 

[newsperson]

Newsperson responds:

When you file a short-form in an AM filing window sometimes it's better to specify a lower power so you do not bring in other competiting applicants into your circle. If you get the go ahead from the Commission at that time you could specify a higher power as long as you would protect other existing stations. As you know on 1450 you can go up to 1000 watts.

Mark did not even think about a city of license name for this as he probally just picked cooridinates and a spot on the map.

Is anyone familiar with stations that are operating in Avalon? Do they have local formats?

I will look for your replies.

Newsperson

 

[K6JHU]

KISL - 88.7 - Local
KBRT - 740 - Religious - Rim shot to LA

and an application for Two Harbors

Coorect me if I'm wrong

 

[jonbruce]

Yes, The non-com KISL has local programs for the island. 740 KBRT is all paid-religion for Los Angeles 10kw directional days. They don't use the 113 watts authorized for nights. The class A 92.7 commercial freq. moved to the mainland (Fountain Valley) a while back. Even when Avalon was it's C.O.L it programmed for Los Angeles.