Chris Townsend Gets A's Post-Game Gig

[BossRadioDJ]

From the Oakland A's website on MLB.com:

The A's on Wednesday morning announced another change to their radio broadcasting schedule by welcoming Chris Townsend as the club's new in-studio host of Oakland's one-hour postgame show on XTRA Sports 860 AM (KTRB).

http://oakland.athletics.mlb.com/ne...t_id=8663348&vkey=news_oak&fext=.jsp&c_id=oak

 

[BossRadioDJ]

Also from the article:

Another big change debuting Thursday is what Pries calls "an incredible signal." KTRB recently added a daytime transmitter in Hayward, Calif., which will now provide quality day game coverage for A's fans in all local counties, as well as some outside of the Bay Area.

"They're going to notice a big difference in the strength of the signal," Pries said. "It's extremely strong."

 

[SCV_Ears]

Considering some of their broadcast partners under the reign of Charlie O., being able to hear a game in the Coliseum is great progress!

 

[djj]

Also from the article:

Another big change debuting Thursday is what Pries calls "an incredible signal." KTRB recently added a daytime transmitter in Hayward, Calif., which will now provide quality day game coverage for A's fans in all local counties, as well as some outside of the Bay Area.

"They're going to notice a big difference in the strength of the signal," Pries said. "It's extremely strong."

Yeah, okay for the DAY game coverage, but a great deal of the broadcast games are
NIGHT ones, no? Example: KTRB's signal during the Critical Hours here in the North Bay is
affected by KPAM 860, Portland, Oregon...
That nighttime KTRB signal still sux...ANY word on when THAT situation will improve?
--jay

 

[DanStrassberg]

That nighttime KTRB signal still sux...ANY word on when THAT situation will improve? --jay

Don't hold your breath. There is no quick or obvious solution. Does KTRB still own of have access to the Sacramento River Delta site that was to have been its day site? If so--and especially if the tall towers that KTRB had proposed there were a major factor in the site's never having been built out--an array very similar to (or even identical to) the existing night array might be built there. The existing night array consists of four short guy-wire top-loaded towers that do not require illumination. Would such an array at the Delta location cover the market adequately? I don't know. The salt water path to much of the market would help enormously, but San Jose would be so far away that it might not even fall within the NIF contour (8.<something> mV/m, IIRC). Also, IIRC, there was some problem with setting up a microwave link to transmit the programming to the Delta site. That would seem to be a soluble problem, but all the while the Delta site was in play, nobody solved it.

 

[BossRadioDJ]

Well, if KTRB was able to work out a deal with Salem to co-exi$t peacefully at the same site in Hayward, I wonder if they could work out the same type of deal with CBS (less likely?) at Black Point, or one of the stations that transmit at the Bay Bridge Toll Plaza...

 

[DanStrassberg]

Well, if KTRB was able to work out a deal with Salem to co-exi$t peacefully at the same site in Hayward, I wonder if they could work out the same type of deal with CBS (less likely?) at Black Point, or one of the stations that transmit at the Bay Bridge Toll Plaza...

KTCT 1050 seems to be almost a natural--except, what is going on with that site? I've been told that KTCT is just across the street from KFAX/KTRB (D). There have been many applications over the last maybe 20 years attempting to increase KTCT's night power to 50 kW from the current KTCT site. From what I can tell, none of these has been granted, much less. built. According to CDBS, there are currently five towers there. Four of them--the ones that are almost, but not quite, in line--would seem to be almost tailor-made for KTRB. Seems doubtful that KTRB could get 50 kW-N from that site, but it would seem to be a definite possibility for KTRB to get enough power to provide better night service to the Bay Area than is apparently possible from its current night site. An 860/1050/1220 triplex from the KTCT site also appears possible--albeit costly.