Joe is Back!

[stan]

Frank, you have your work cut out for you.

 

[rbrucecarter5]

Frank, you have your work cut out for you.

I was disappointed to see one thread go, because it was taking an interesting turn - speculation about the fate of KPFT. Joe will do what Joe does - he added a bit of excitement on here, but anybody who wants to talk to him can do so on that other radio forum. I don't see any rush by members here to talk to him over there. I'm a bit confused as to what his deal is.

 

[Anonymouse]

I've heard of Joel Osteen as well. False prophet right?

 

[rbrucecarter5]

I've heard of Joel Osteen as well. False prophet right?

What the heck does Joel Osteen have to do with this thread? Possibly as someone interested in obtaining KPFT, should it become available? Personally - after listening to Joel Osteen's channel on Sirius XM - I think I'd rather KSBJ get it so they could broadcast NGEN, filling in a tremendous hole on the North and Northwest sides of Houston. They cannot just leave that area to HD-2, because the average consumer no more understands HD radio than they did how to program a VCR in the 80's. NPR has understood the problem and responded with second frequencies in major markets, including Houston, for classical. KSBJ has filled in the best they can with rim shots and translators, but they desperately need a REAL second frequency for NGEN to get the market penetration and ratings it deserves.

 

[purpledevil]

I've had many conversations with Anonymouse, both in private and public, and I am 99.99% sure that he wasn't intending to bait the thread like he did, Bruce. May have been a simple confusion amongst threads on his part. He's actually a good kid, with a bright future ahead of him. Try to take it easy on him, knowing him as I do, I'm absolutely certain he wasn't trying to troll.

I certainly agree with your assessment for the need of a full powered signal such as KPFT for N-GEN. It'd be a very formidable 1-2 punch for KXBJ/KXBJ.

 

[JoeFM1]

I've had many conversations with Anonymouse, both in private and public, and I am 99.99% sure that he wasn't intending to bait the thread like he did, Bruce. May have been a simple confusion amongst threads on his part. He's actually a good kid, with a bright future ahead of him. Try to take it easy on him, knowing him as I do, I'm absolutely certain he wasn't trying to troll. I certainly agree with your assessment for the need of a full powered signal such as KPFT for N-GEN. It'd be a very formidable 1-2 punch for KXBJ/KXBJ.

Ye Ol' Purple One, have no fear, Mouse wasn't trying to troll here. Last night we had an exchange of information in assorted posts that are now missing from threads.

As for KPFT, you may recall that I work over there on a volunteer basis. I occasionally back up another guy on the sound board, but I'm primarily support. This is a pic of me holding the old antenna they used back in the 70s when their transmitter was sited out at Fondren and Hwy 90.

For your information, we have a new solid state transmitter ordered and coming. This will enable us to cover more distant areas, and eliminate the cost of maintaining three translators in Goodrich, Galveston, and Huntsville. They'd like to move to one of the taller towers out Splendora way, but I heard that because of other stations we're pretty much boxed in and stuck at the current site. There's also talk of selling the current studio location, as its land value is estimated at close to a million. Right next door a contractor is building a six story condo compley with units starting at halk a million.I will reproduce our current fund raising flyer below...

KPFT has been operating at 30-50% of its authorized power (100 kilowatts) for almost three years. However, finally KPFT has ordered the Nautel GV30D solid state transmitter it needs to return to full power.

KPFT has raised a portion of the transmitter cost itself, but needs help raising the rest, $20,000 . KPFT hopes you, along with multitudes of other lovers of KPFT and community radio in general, will band together to help fill the gap in our transmitter funding. By helping KPFT get a new transmitter, the station will get back to full power, it will regain listener and donors, and will be better able to support itself and serve Houston and surrounding communities.

Operating at reduced power has impacted our fund drives, the means through which KPFT receives most of its funding. Now that the new transmitter is ordered we can anticipate more successful on-air drives, but only if we pay the last portion of the cost for the transmitter so we can take delivery.

We have some special thank you gifts for your donation, bumper stickers and magnets for every donor beginning at the $5 level up to a special campaign t-shirt in a beautiful neutral camel color for a $100 donation. We hope these gifts make donating to KPFT's transmitter a little more fun.

The History of KPFT Transmitters:

In 1970 and 1971, just months after coming on-air, KPFT's transmitters were blown up by the KKK, and a pre-internet campaign similar to this one had to be conducted . . . twice . . . to replace those transmitters. But it was done.

In the early '90s, Pacifica's engineering department, under the direction of Don Mussell, secured tower space for KPFT at its present location, and constructed an impressive antenna system capable of operating at 100kW Effective Radiated Power. To do this, a transmitter must deliver 30kW of RF power into the transmission line (or "coax") leading up the tower to the antenna, which is centered at 650 feet above ground.

The FCC however, took more than ten years to grant KPFT that final power authority, forcing it to remain at 30kW ERP, or one-third of what was requested.

Also during that ten year period, HD Radio came along.

In the same year (2006) that the FCC gave KPFT the go-ahead for 100kW operation, a 50/50 matching government grant program was offered, thru the Department of Commerce’s PTFP program (now discontinued), promoting the deployment of HD technology. Upon discovery that we could take advantage of that grant program to finance not only our initial investment in HD Radio, but the power upgrade as well, the decision was made, and in 2007, HD operation at 100kW began.

Sadly, it has turned out that the accommodations allowed to KPFT's transmitter, by its landlord, cannot sustain the heat and power requirements for a vacuum-tube transmitter operating at this newly authorized 100kW ERP, and we were forced to reduce power back to the previous level to prevent fire or other catastrophic damage.

A new-generation, tubeless 30kW HD transmitter will deliver the power we need.

This solution will provide KPFT with newer, safer transmission equipment which can be maintained by younger personnel not familiar with the ancient art (and lethal danger) of the vacuum-tube.

In 2007, we didn't have much choice in equipment. Both HD radio and tubeless FM amplifiers were still in the beta-test phase at lower powered stations, and were not yet cost-effective. The largest FM operations are realizing financial savings in both power consumption and maintenance by using this new generation of transmitter technology currently installed at KPFK- Pacifica in Los Angeles, and now sitting on a loading dock in Maine, ready to be bound for KPFT here in Houston.

Matters such as these for broadcasters carry a sense of urgency in that the FCC has a "use it or lose it" approach to all users of broadcast spectrum. We are in real danger of having the KPFT license permanently rolled-back to it's pre-2007 limit, unless we prove to the FCC that we actually have the means to build the facilities to their maximum limits. Furthermore, the existing transmitter is reaching the end of its useful life. Its impending failure is not a matter of "if" but "when". We would hate to be off-the-air and forced to spend more to fix something, again, that is ready for retirement.

How KPFT fits in the larger Gulf Coast Community

The Pacifica Foundation is Houston's third-oldest broadcast media operating company. We arrived with a bang here (actually two bangs) in the middle of the Vietnam War and the NASA Moon landing era. KPFT is part of the landscape and, because of its 45-year tenure in the community, is recognized and supported by the larger community with enthusiasm.

FM radio didn't really change much for the first 50 years, but in just the past ten years we've seen an accelerated pace, first replacing tape, then Internet streaming, now transmitters with digital modulation and no vacuum tubes.

KPFT's unique history has set the standard for what listener-supported community radio on the FM dial can be.

KPFT serves the Greater Houston and Galveston population of nearly six million people, reaching almost 150,000 listeners every week and bringing to the airwaves an eclectic schedule of music, news, languages and information programming. In our 45+ year history, we’ve grown along with Houston, helping to foster cooperation among the various peoples of the community and becoming a unifying force in a city of great economic and cultural contrasts.

In addition to being a radio station in its own right, KPFT is also an important part of the nationwide Pacifica Radio Network. Maverick broadcaster and peace activist Lewis Hill founded Pacifica Radio in 1949.

Lew Hill’s dream of a truly alternative media became a reality when its flagship station, KPFA in Berkeley, went on the air as a bold, alternative to commercial radio. Hill’s vision created the country’s first audience-supported radio station and gave birth to public broadcasting as we know it today.

Hill and Pacifica’s other founders sought to create independent, non-commercial radio in the service of peace, social and racial justice, and the arts. They saw, and we see, radio as a forum to ignite the democratic spirit. For over 60 years, Pacifica has produced challenging, courageous, smart and independent programs.

KPFT was founded by journalist Larry Lee, who convinced Pacifica to establish an independent listener-supported station in Houston. Lee felt it was important for the Houston community to have an alternative voice to standard radio fare and, as a realization of this vision, KPFT first took to the airwaves on March 1, 1970. The first sound to emanate from 90.1 FM was the song “Here Comes The Sun” from the then-brand-new “Abbey Road” album by The Beatles. Just two months later, however, on May 12, 1970, the Ku Klux Klan blew up the KPFT transmitter, and the station was off the air for a few weeks until repairs could be made. Several months after returning to the air, on October 6, 1970, the transmitter was bombed again. This time the damage was far more extensive, and KPFT was off the air for more than three months.

On January 21, 1971, with a national PBS television audience tuned in and Arlo Guthrie live in the KPFT studios playing “Alice’s Restaurant” the song that had been playing when the first bombers struck back in May, KPFT returned to the Gulf Coast air once again.

Pacifica and KPFT remain on the air to this day, thanks to the thousands of listener-sponsors who believe in the mission of the Pacifica Radio Network. The network includes KPFT in Houston, as well as stations in Berkeley (KPFA), Los Angeles (KPFK), New York (WBAI) and Washington, D.C. (WPFW) with signals reaching 22% of American homes and an audience of over a million listeners each week. In addition, more than 200 other community and public radio stations across the country broadcast Pacifica’s news and public affairs programs. Thanks to the internet, KPFT and its fellow Pacifica stations reach a truly worldwide audience.

 

[chrocket87]

$100 for a t-shirt!?! No wonder Pacifica is going broke....

 

[purpledevil]

How's that venti mocha frappacino, Joe? No wait, you're back to your own account. Didn't need that wi-fi after all.

You're like a cat, man. By my count, you've got 6 lives to go. So there's more missing posts now? Geez Louise...

Anywho, I don't know who wrote the excerpt above. Whether that was you Joe, or you lifted it from somewhere, but it's wording makes it sound like the Klan marched down Lovett Blvd. and blew up KPFT in 1970. That's overstretched a bit. Lone conviction was in 1971, one Jimmy Dale Hutto. Sensationalistic journalism right there, I tell you. Forgotten in the story is that KPFT has seen other instances of violence against it, namely the windows being shot out in '07, a guy punching out windows with a knife the next year, and two years after that someone cut the power lines to the transmitter. Needless to say, there are some that wish to see KPFT meet its demise.

Edit to add: here's a little background on the 1970 incident.

http://blog.chron.com/40yearsafter/2010/10/kpft-stunned-but-not-silenced/

 

[rbrucecarter5]

Ye Ol' Purple One, have no fear, Mouse wasn't trying to troll here. Last night we had an exchange of information in assorted posts that are now missing from threads.

As for KPFT, you may recall that I work over there on a volunteer basis. I occasionally back up another guy on the sound board, but I'm primarily support. This is a pic of me holding the old antenna they used back in the 70s when their transmitter was sited out at Fondren and Hwy 90.

For your information, we have a new solid state transmitter ordered and coming.

Thanks for the information on KPFT! I am glad someone is capturing the history of this aspect of Houston radio for the future.

If I might - I have some observations about the tower on Fairbanks N. Houston. Visually, to me, it looks like it is either slightly leaning or bowed. I've noted that the number of tenants has shrunk over the past few years, which is a good thing because it looked seriously overloaded. I hope that as a part of your fundraising, you budget some tower maintenance, because we both know even a small degree of imbalance in guy wire tensioning is very dangerous! I'm not sure what is behind the tower, but going down across Fairbanks would be very bad - several businesses, a major traffic artery in the area, and houses.

 

[purpledevil]

Maybe I'm focusing on the wrong thing here, but what makes KPFT so special to STILL be under their licensed 100kW power, since April 2012 mind you, yet have received now 8 extensions of the STA, the most recent occurring May 21, 2015? What am I missing here? Why is this acceptable, when other local broadcasters are raked over the coals for going off the air, lapses in license renewals, etc.? I'm sorry, but 90-1 is one of (if not THE) strongest signals in the region. If Pacifica can't operate the facility as it is licensed to be operated, let's get the license into someone's hands that can.

 

[Mediafrog+]

Fixing the transmitter issues should increase KPFT's sale price. ;-)

 

[davideduardo]

$100 for a t-shirt!?! No wonder Pacifica is going broke....

Checking out the Pacifica station's website, one is greeted with the typical hyperbole/lie about needing money for a 100,000 watt transmitter.

There ain't no 100,000 watt transmitters. And they only need a 30 kw one anyway.

Then it goes on to say that the station is operating at a fraction of its power, ignoring the fact that the station is still on the air with relatively high power and also ignoring the laws of physics that say that their coverage was only reduced by about 35% (it takes 4 x the power to double the coverage) and that most of the Houston market lives neatly within the present reduced power range.

It's creepy the way that organization seems to think that its farts don't stink.

 

[JoeFM1]

Jon Matthews Briefly on KPFT

Thanks for the information on KPFT! I am glad someone is capturing the history of this aspect of Houston radio for the future. If I might - I have some observations about the tower on Fairbanks N. Houston. Visually, to me, it looks like it is either slightly leaning or bowed. I've noted that the number of tenants has shrunk over the past few years, which is a good thing because it looked seriously overloaded. I hope that as a part of your fundraising, you budget some tower maintenance, because we both know even a small degree of imbalance in guy wire tensioning is very dangerous! I'm not sure what is behind the tower, but going down across Fairbanks would be very bad - several businesses, a major traffic artery in the area, and houses.

Bruce, the tower does not belong to KPFT. One of station's biggest expenses is the lease on that old rusty perch. If there's a good example of a radio tower slumlord, there you go... If they could relocate to a better site at the same costs, they likely would. But other stations have them boxed in to that locale. This pic is of me at the tower a year ago...

While I'm still a volunteer at KPFT, I personally never listen to the station and have no interest whatsoever in its programming. In my opinion, it'd better serve Houston and attract a far larger audience if they changed their format to classic hits -- something along the lines of 88.5 KEOM up in Mesquite (D/FW). See http://www.keom.fm/

I started helping produce Ray Hill's "Prison Show" in 2008, and became lead producer after David Babb took over in 2011. David was good, but we wanted to get the show more professional sounding so we could put it into syndication across Texas. Everyone agreed that the show needed a cohost. When we were considering who would be a good fit, I suggested Jon Matthews (from the old Moby & Matthews on 97 Rock). As a former prison inmate, who better a canidate? I even contacted Moby, and he read some copy promoting "Get Your Lazy Asses Outta That Bunk And Listen To The Prison Show." I'll upload it, as I'm sure there are some collectors who'd like to save this now classic recording! See https://youtu.be/_Qyz2ygVyvs

We gave it a try: Jon Matthews did a couple of shows with David and the audience really liked him. Then came the fallout. Because of the sexual nature of his felony convictions, the corporate world has "banned" Jon Matthews from working in radio. KPFT was founded by felon Ray Hill, and the stations puts all kinds of excons behind a microphone. But when we dared defy the "ban" -- hmmm, that's a familiar term... -- of Jon Matthews, other stations put an enormous amount of pressure on KPFT management. Despite having served his time and having paid the figurative "debt to society," the bigwigs at Pacifica told local management to find a way to ban Jon from KPFT. David was so pissed he resigned over this censorship. See http://www.chron.com/news/houston-t...host-resigns-over-decision-to-ban-3603610.php

 

[rbrucecarter5]

Bruce, the tower does not belong to KPFT. One of station's biggest expenses is the lease on that old rusty perch. If there's a good example of a radio tower slumlord, there you go... If they could relocate to a better site at the same costs, they likely would. But other stations have them boxed in to that locale. This pic is of me at the tower a year ago...

While I'm still a volunteer at KPFT, I personally never listen to the station and have no interest whatsoever in its programming. In my opinion, it'd better serve Houston and attract a far larger audience if they changed their format to classic hits -- something along the lines of 88.5 KEOM up in Mesquite (D/FW). See http://www.keom.fm/

Its been a long time since I tuned over to 90.1. I suppose their promotion of themselves as "the first satanic station in the country" sort of put me off in the 80's. Not a very smart promotion if the vast majority of people identify themselves as Christians or at least deists. Maybe I will give them a try to see if there is anything worth listening to ---

Not to worry - I am an equal opportunity offender. KHCB had a chucklehead on the air criticizing Christian rock music in the 80's. He was arrogant and NOT very well informed on his topic. I haven't bothered tuning them in either.

Failing finding something really creative on 90.1 - like you I'd really like to see something like KEOM. Classic hits / oldies of any vintage would be a welcome addition to Houston radio. I think the music has a wider appeal than people think. When living in Dallas, I was discussing Dallas radio with three very attractive teenage girls - who happened to be triplets. They wanted me to guess their favorite station, and would only give me the first two letters of the call letters, which were "KE". I discounted KESS and KESN (Spanish and Sports), I guessed KEGL, then KERA. Nope! Their favorite was KEOM - and they weren't even from Mesquite! I miss KEOM - they do a great job with the 70's. Now they are more "oldies" than KLUV up there, which has added more and more 80's. Fortunately, I have pretty good luck with their HD-2 from my West Houston location. Or did before KGLK and KRBE started up their HD-2 oldies.

If Pacifica goes under, though, I would still rather see KSBJ get hold of it than another Christian ministry - because they would very likely change it to NGEN.

 

[JoeFM1]

Moved.

 

[JoeFM1]

Friend at the FCC just sent me a link to a new FCC press release that concerns unlicensed operation on TV white space. I am in Hot Springs, Arkansas right now. I have called the folks in Houston and told them to shut down the JoeFM broadcast on 87.85 MHZ until I have a chance to study the FCC press release and related attachments.

https://apps.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DOC-334757A1.docx

 

[JoeFM1]

Well, JoeFM has been silenced again. Unless I decide to go pirate, I can no longer operate JoeFM on 87.85 MHz. The FCC has just amended its rules to prohibit, without an experimental license, operation of unlicensed white space devices below TV channel 14.

 

[DJboutit3]

Joe the only legal way you can broadcast is to get 3 to 5 part15 am transmitters and link them together over a 5 mile area

 

[JoeFM1]

Just noticed the Pasadena 87.9 has disappeared. Talked to Steve at the FCC. He had nothing to do with it. Makes me wonder if they got the same memo from Washington about the new rules prohibiting unlicensed use of white space below channel 14. They obviously were putting out a lot more than 4 watts but nobody complained.

Joe FM on 87.85 MHz is currently silent, but I'm legally challenging the amended rule. The FCC encouraged my white space experiment. I spent a lot of money and time building a transmitter that combines analog audio and ATSC video on the VHF low band. I properly registered to use my fixed white space device. Now they want to take it away...

The Texas Constitution guarantees all Texans the right to be free of retroactive laws that affect vested property rights. I paid for and built my transmitter and thus have a vested property right to use pursuant to regulations then in effect. A better example is this: think of all the CB radios out there in cars and trucks. People use them daily. Now imagine the FCC deciding to give the 49 MHz band to cell phone companies. It won't fly because folks have a vested property right to use their CB. Maybe I'm barking up the wrong tree here, but I have not yet given up.

 

[LibertyNT]

The Texas Constitution guarantees all Texans the right to be free of retroactive laws that affect vested property rights. I paid for and built my transmitter and thus have a vested property right to use pursuant to regulations then in effect. A better example is this: think of all the CB radios out there in cars and trucks. People use them daily. Now imagine the FCC deciding to give the 49 MHz band to cell phone companies. It won't fly because folks have a vested property right to use their CB. Maybe I'm barking up the wrong tree here, but I have not yet given up.

LOL Good luck with that!!
Doesn't apply to federally regulated airwaves. Also CB operates in the 26-27mhz area. 49 mhz was the original FM band currently used for unlicensed wastelands of whatever, typically baby monitors, RC cars, and old school cordless phones.

FWIW CB was originally a Licensed service. KSC-2934 is stamped on one of my really old CB radios.

Remember, unlicensed operation is a privilege, not a right.