FCC Makes Change in COL/ Amend FM Table Allotments Minor Amendment

[Mike O]

Friday, November 3rd the FCC adopted new rules for changing the FM Table of Allotments and AM / FM Community of License.

From the FCC web site www.fcc.gov

Effective immeadiately the Report and Order adopts the following rule changes:

*Permits Community of License Minor Change Applications - Allows AM and FM licensees and permitees to change their community of license by first-come/first-served minor modification applicatons.

*Requires Simultaneous Filing of Form 301 with Petitions to Add New FM Allotments - Requires filing Form 301, and paying the required filing fee, with all petitions to add new FM allotments to the Table.

*Eliminates the Prohibition on Electronic Filing of Rulemaking Petitions to Amend FM Table of Allotments - Eliminates the current prohibition on electronic filing of petitions and other documents in proceedings to amend the FM Table of Allotments.

What, if anything will this mean for Houston?

I don't think there are any stations that can move into Houston, even as a rim shot. Beaumont stations like KYKR 95.1 and KIOC 106.1 are blocked moving any closer to Houston by Brenham (KTTX 106.1) and College Station (KNDE 95.1). The big Class C's on Senior Road will prohibit any stations in the suburbs due to spacing issues (unless the FCC adopts my spacing Table - Highly Unlikely).

Mike O

 

[stan]

Mike,

What about Cumulus moving another station, 94.1, into the Houston area?

 

[Mediafrog+]

What about Cumulus moving another station, 94.1, into the Houston area?

The soon-to-be upgraded KULF in Brenham prevents the 94.1 in B/PA from becoming a Houston rimshot.

We are about to the point where the only way to add signals in Houston would be through a significant frequency realignment...which would take many years. By that time HD multicasting (and the proliferation of radios capable of receiving it) might eliminate the need for more move-ins.

 

[TexasTuner]

However, if Cumulus wanted it badly enough, they might find a way to make it worth KULF's while to move/downgrade/go away. It's happened before, many times. It comes down to whether Cumulus's money is worth more than KULF at this point in time.

Texas Tuner

 

[Mediafrog+]

However, if Cumulus wanted it badly enough, they might find a way to make it worth KULF's while to move/downgrade/go away.

KULF is currently a minimal C3 (virtually an A since they are using only 6.4 kw) with a CP to upgrade to C2 @ 50kw. No real possibility of a downgrade. And at a glance I don't know where they'd move to--First Adjacent issues everywhere.

Besides, Cumulus has enough headaches with two eastern rimshots already...why would they want a third?

 

[stan]

Besides, Cumulus has enough headaches with two eastern rimshots already...why would they want a third?

My wife always says that sarcasm isn't a good way to communicate, as I was kidding about Cumulus moving another rimshot into the Houston area.

I figured that Cumulus seemed interested in exporting the Beaumont / Port Arthur stations over to the Houston area, and 94.1 was about the only one left with that ability (other than 102.5).

Is there any truth to the story that the soon to be 97.5 KFNC ESPN station will be run out of the Beaumont cluster, since they already broadcast ESPN radio on their AM 1450 station?

 

[TexasTuner]

However, if Cumulus wanted it badly enough, they might find a way to make it worth KULF's while to move/downgrade/go away.

KULF is currently a minimal C3 (virtually an A since they are using only 6.4 kw) with a CP to upgrade to C2 @ 50kw. No real possibility of a downgrade. And at a glance I don't know where they'd move to--First Adjacent issues everywhere.

Besides, Cumulus has enough headaches with two eastern rimshots already...why would they want a third?

Because, in the scheme of things, if they can move it and make it work, even if it's a rimshot, then it's worth far more money than serving the Golden Triangle.

Texas Tuner

 

[CW]

Besides, Cumulus has enough headaches with two eastern rimshots already...why would they want a third?

My wife always says that sarcasm isn't a good way to communicate, as I was kidding about Cumulus moving another rimshot into the Houston area.

I figured that Cumulus seemed interested in exporting the Beaumont / Port Arthur stations over to the Houston area, and 94.1 was about the only one left with that ability (other than 102.5).

Is there any truth to the story that the soon to be 97.5 KFNC ESPN station will be run out of the Beaumont cluster, since they already broadcast ESPN radio on their AM 1450 station?

The next move I keep hearing about is Cumulus moving 96.1 from Lake Charles to Sour Lake COL (But putting the transmitter on the current 94.1./101.7 tower south of Vidor....) In conjunction with that, 94.1 was proposed to go back to a lower tower and less power....not sure WHAT Cumulus has in store with that!
94.1 wont likely move and 102.5 is pretty well stuck because of 1st adj in Jasper and the Cs on 2nd adj in Houston.

As to ESPN, WHY keep it on 1450 when 97.5 will cover better than 1450 in the BPT area (funny, since 97.5 as KAYD was KAYC-1450's sister FM for MANY years and one of the 1st FMs in Texas after WWII...originally on 99.5)?? GEESH, I miss the old days when KAYC was alive and kicking on 1450....but that was sooo many years ago...

of course, today you can hear the Texans on 100.3, 99.9, 560 and 1600 driving on I10 east....(but WHY??) I JUST dont understand that!! 75% of the signals almost overlap...with 560, you get as much if not more coverage than KSHN and KOGT combined!

 

[newschoolrocker]

The big Class C's on Senior Road will prohibit any stations in the suburbs due to spacing issues (unless the FCC adopts my spacing Table - Highly Unlikely).

Mike O

I'd like to see your spacing table!

 

[jd]

The big Class C's on Senior Road will prohibit any stations in the suburbs due to spacing issues (unless the FCC adopts my spacing Table - Highly Unlikely).

Mike O

I'd like to see your spacing table!

Yeah, Mike. C'mon and share it with us! CW might have a cow, but the rest of us are really curious. (just kidding, CW )

 

[CW]

The big Class C's on Senior Road will prohibit any stations in the suburbs due to spacing issues (unless the FCC adopts my spacing Table - Highly Unlikely).

Mike O

I'd like to see your spacing table!

Yeah, Mike. C'mon and share it with us! CW might have a cow, but the rest of us are really curious. (just kidding, CW )

No problem....personally, I would like to see it also....the problem is the NAB...Look at their fight against LPFMs on 2nd adj....heck, I say that is bull [EDIT]..opps gotta watch that!! hehehe

Seriously, I know of one LPFM, 107.1 in Port Arthur that I can get within 3 miles of it listening to FIRST adj 106.9 KHPT and there is no problem...even table top radios can hear The Point in Groves and north Port Arthur (evidently still within city grade? The map doesnt say so) and 107.1 hardly causes a problem.....not bad considering the distance, etc.

BUT add a lot of 400kHz spaced HIGH power signals and you get intermod, etc, something the FAA cannot stand for (recall the issue in Shreveport a while back)....plus remember, the IF freq of 10.7MHz is another issue to overcome...no station can be allocated at 10.6 or 10.8MHz offset within so many miles of a station....plus the issue of 98.5 and Channel 6 TV and on and on and on....I think the mileage for 400 kHz spaced stations COULD be reduced...but it wont in our lifetime....MAYBE 600kHz spacing may get a reduction (since it shares the same with 400..which to me doesnt make sense)...but even so, that wont help the eastern rim shots of today....they would have to move 40 miles closer in to make a difference in the target audience in the SW side of Houston...and thats the problem. Redoing the entire allocation table would be such a mess....and Class C's likely would have to be reduced in power if any distance spacing was decreased......so there would be a trade off....

(AND I still say 105.3 BOB....gag....will still suck in the Woodlands after their new tower...the contour wont improve at all!! No much how much money you throw toward it, "you canna change the laws of physics!")

 

[jd]

(AND I still say 105.3 BOB....gag....will still suck in the Woodlands after their new tower...the contour wont improve at all!! No much how much money you throw toward it, "you canna change the laws of physics!")

Kinda like applying a fresh coat of lipstick to a pig, only a lot more expensive. Oink.

 

[Mike O]

The big Class C's on Senior Road will prohibit any stations in the suburbs due to spacing issues (unless the FCC adopts my spacing Table - Highly Unlikely).

Mike O

I'd like to see your spacing table!

OK, here it is...really extremely simple, but The FCC makes everything a major project. CW feel free to rip to shreads as this will never happen.

First Channel 6 will not be a problem much longer, in fact The FCC is still debating [as usual], about deleting Channels 2 through 6 as very few stations are opting to use them for HDTV, too much skip and interference and more than a few stations on 2 thru 6 will cause those channels to be nearly unusuable for Digital TV. The few stations on 2 thru 6 can be moved elsewhere in the core of 7 to 51 on the big day Analog TV ceases to exist. What are we looking at now, February 2008? A far cry from thee original date.

I would like to see channel 6 turned over to the FM band for more EDUCATIONAL stations at UNIVERSITIES, COLLEGES, JR COLLEGES and HIGH schools. Not for stations from the large "religious" organizations that want your parents or grandparents every last cent to heal them, they have gotten way out of hand and are a blight on the radio dial. It is a shame because there are some very good and decent operations like KSBJ. However it appears the KSBJ's are few and far a part. I don't know of any legal solution to this problem however.

No translators, with the exception of very rural areas that fall in the white or gray zones only. Likely rural Montana, Wyoming and Connecticut.

The IF freq distance will still be protected to current FCC standards, I believe that Canada has done away with IF Channel spacing aboot two years ago, however.

Intermod must not be that big a problem or can be corrected when it rears its ugly head as Toronto is using both 2nd and 3rd adjacent channels for stations with their antennas with-in a few miles of each other downtown, or even the same building, like The CN Tower. Mexico uses 2nd adjacent in the same city as do many other countries.

Co-channel, leave as is. I think that stations are close enough, maybe too close, especially up north where co-channel interference is the norm. The 107.5 BMT QRM problem is prime example. Last trip to Niagara Falls I nearly always received co-channel interference long before I ran out of signal.

3rd adjacent - delete spacing requirements and allow 3rd adjacents on the same tower. I know this causes a problem for rim-shots, but there really shouldn't be rim-shot stations. The FCC did not have rim-shots in mind and look at what Houston has as rim-shots. How many really serve the public interest? BMT stations all wanting to be HOU stations where the $$$'s are. They don't serve The Triangle as they should, hell, sorry golly gee darn they don't serve The Triangle at all. Many of the signals suck and doesn't really serve HOU as they should. Read any post cocerning 88.3, 89.7, 90.5, 91.1 KPVU, 93.3, 97.5, 98.5, 99.9, 100.7, 101.5 KSTB (who), 103.3, 103.7, 105.3 KPTI (who), KTWL 105.3 (TBD, I betting with JD though) and 107.9. Probably a few I missed that I don't know about, also 97.1 and 96.9, 101.7 (Bay City) and 102.5 (Bay City) and there are complaints about the lousy signal and getting buried during tropo openings.

First adjacent is approximately 40% of the current spacing and 2nd adjacent is approximately 48% of current spacing. A Class C to C 2nd adjacent would be 50km as example, 1st adjacent C to C 96km. If 3rd adjacents were kept in the mix 25% of current distance. 3rd adjacent C to C 25km.

The other is a mandate from The FCC that ALL receivers meet separation and sensitivity standards that will pick up all stations without bleed over or misses the weaker stations. This would be for AM as well as FM. Better receivers would solve the problem of any stations being too close. Most radios I have do very well on 1st adjacents, and a few pick up stations all over the place and bleed two channels over. Poor quality and should not be allowed.

One last ramble, ditch AM IBOC and go with DRM [Digital Radio Mondaile] as the AM HD standard.

Oink

 

[stan]

One last ramble, ditch AM IBOC and go with DRM [Digital Radio Mondaile] as the AM HD standard.

Oink

Is that the same as the Kahn system used by KOLE / KRCM in Beaumont?

 

[CW]

One last ramble, ditch AM IBOC and go with DRM [Digital Radio Mondaile] as the AM HD standard.

Oink

Is that the same as the Kahn system used by KOLE / KRCM in Beaumont?

No its not...DRM is being used overseas (Europe) and was developed there...Continental had demos of it on shortwave during a NAB show in Vegas a couple of years ago...and it was fantastic! Kahn's is merely a hybrid..one sideband carries the L+R mono up to ~10kHz...the other sideband has the digital signal that extends the high end but thats it! You are still in an analog mode...and subject to such issues like static..

For details on DRM, you can look at www.drm.org or Google DRM or Radio Mondaile. You can also Google CAM-D or KAHN (watch out for the Star Trek referrals for info on Leonard's system.

(BTW IBOC is LICENSED by Ibiquity to the stations...so they must constantly PAY for the license (yearly) to keep their HD on the air...DRM and others do not require it...which is why I am not buying a HD radio...after a while, something will give....)