KBRT Files for CP At New Site

[Carmine5]

Crawford has formally applied for a CP to locate the KBRT transmitter site from Catalina Island to Orange at the old KPLS site using a new 4-tower array and an increase in power to 50 kW day and 190 watts night. The lease on the current site is due to expire 12/13.

Of interest is this statement as to why they're moving:

"Current and past conflicts between the station and island residents make it highly unlikely that the lease will be renewed."

Gee, after that horrendous brush fire a few years back which was started at their tower site and threatened the city of Avalon, ya' think?

https://licensing.fcc.gov/cgi-bin/w...xt=25&appn=101406595&formid=301&fac_num=34588

 

[nmoore6676]

Your comment about them not getting the lease renewed is likely correct but in fairness it was not the station which started the fire but a contractor hired to replace the guy wires on the towers. It was a careless and stupid thing to use a chop saw to cut wires in dry brush but that shouldn't keep them from operating a radio station. the contractor on the other hand should be held liable for damages both criminal and civil.

I rather suspect though that their real intent for the move is to spread their signal over more potential listeners. Plus powering a 50KW station on an island is not that easy as I suspect the utilities available are limited. Moreover their 190 watts at night will be better deployed on land and not over the ocean.

 

[Carmine5]

Your comment about them not getting the lease renewed is likely correct but in fairness it was not the station which started the fire but a contractor hired to replace the guy wires on the towers. It was a careless and stupid thing to use a chop saw to cut wires in dry brush but that shouldn't keep them from operating a radio station. the contractor on the other hand should be held liable for damages both criminal and civil.

I rather suspect though that their real intent for the move is to spread their signal over more potential listeners. Plus powering a 50KW station on an island is not that easy as I suspect the utilities available are limited. Moreover their 190 watts at night will be better deployed on land and not over the ocean.

The comment about the lease expiring and not being renewed is taken directly from one of the exhibits on the application. And although the fire was started by a careless contractor (Gary Dennis Hunt), Crawford Broadcasting had been named in numerous civil lawsuits as residents sued for damages (reported to be over 50 million dollars).

So I don't expect anyone on the island will be shedding any tears when Crawford leaves.

 

[davideduardo]

I rather suspect though that their real intent for the move is to spread their signal over more potential listeners. Plus powering a 50KW station on an island is not that easy as I suspect the utilities available are limited. Moreover their 190 watts at night will be better deployed on land and not over the ocean.

I haven't looked at the engineering, but 50 kw at the chosen site is likely to cover less than a directional 10 kw pointed in a single lobe over salt water at LA. I'd be that the significant areas of LA, such as the San Fernando Valley, will have less signal. And the 190 watts at night, right in the KCBS major lobe, will be totally useless.

 

[ercjncpr]

I rather suspect though that their real intent for the move is to spread their signal over more potential listeners. Plus powering a 50KW station on an island is not that easy as I suspect the utilities available are limited. Moreover their 190 watts at night will be better deployed on land and not over the ocean.

I haven't looked at the engineering, but 50 kw at the chosen site is likely to cover less than a directional 10 kw pointed in a single lobe over salt water at LA. I'd be that the significant areas of LA, such as the San Fernando Valley, will have less signal. And the 190 watts at night, right in the KCBS major lobe, will be totally useless.

That is exactly what I was wondering about David. In fact , I also wonder, in this internet age why any extant AM daytimer puts out any post-sunset wattage at all, when they could just tell their listeners to go to their website after they sign off.

 

[radiohistory]

That's what I recall from around 1985 when KBRT got the PSSA night power; they tried using the very low power after sunset, but soon gave up on it, due to too much interference form KCBS.

Jim Hilliker
Monterey

 

[semoochie]

I don't see a new application but sure as heck see a grant!

 

[calguy]

I rather suspect though that their real intent for the move is to spread their signal over more potential listeners. Plus powering a 50KW station on an island is not that easy as I suspect the utilities available are limited. Moreover their 190 watts at night will be better deployed on land and not over the ocean.

I haven't looked at the engineering, but 50 kw at the chosen site is likely to cover less than a directional 10 kw pointed in a single lobe over salt water at LA. I'd be that the significant areas of LA, such as the San Fernando Valley, will have less signal. And the 190 watts at night, right in the KCBS major lobe, will be totally useless.

That is exactly what I was wondering about David. In fact , I also wonder, in this internet age why any extant AM daytimer puts out any post-sunset wattage at all, when they could just tell their listeners to go to their website after they sign off.

No offense, but why put out the wattage at night? Why have a radio station at all if you're going to push people to a website. Yeah, internet radio in your car is coming, but why rush to kill a radio station and the industry any faster than it's already happening?

 

[DanStrassberg]

I haven't looked at the engineering, but 50 kw at the chosen site is likely to cover less than a directional 10 kw pointed in a single lobe over salt water at LA. I'd be that the significant areas of LA, such as the San Fernando Valley, will have less signal. And the 190 watts at night, right in the KCBS major lobe, will be totally useless.

IIRC, KBRT's 50 kW-D from Orange will cover just about the same area on the mainland as did the 10 kW signal from Catalina Island. I'm not sure what the polar plot of the ID field will look like. (Remember, the ID field plot would not show the effect of the salt water to the west of the site.) The 5 mV/m coverage map, however, shows what looks like a huge lobe over the Pacific. There will be no need to change the CoL because the 5 mV/m daytime contour will totally envelop Catalina Island with miles to spare. Given KCBS's huge skywave, I doubt that the 130W-N covered any more than Catalina Island, if that. The new 190W-N should at least put a listenable signal over a tiny area near the new Orange County Tx site. The tiny area may not exceed the land covered by the ground system, but it's a larger part of the mainland than the old night signal covered.

 

[nmoore6676]

Your comment about them not getting the lease renewed is likely correct but in fairness it was not the station which started the fire but a contractor hired to replace the guy wires on the towers. It was a careless and stupid thing to use a chop saw to cut wires in dry brush but that shouldn't keep them from operating a radio station. the contractor on the other hand should be held liable for damages both criminal and civil.

I rather suspect though that their real intent for the move is to spread their signal over more potential listeners. Plus powering a 50KW station on an island is not that easy as I suspect the utilities available are limited. Moreover their 190 watts at night will be better deployed on land and not over the ocean.

The comment about the lease expiring and not being renewed is taken directly from one of the exhibits on the application. And although the fire was started by a careless contractor (Gary Dennis Hunt), Crawford Broadcasting had been named in numerous civil lawsuits as residents sued for damages (reported to be over 50 million dollars).

So I don't expect anyone on the island will be shedding any tears when Crawford leaves.

Crawford is named in the lawsuit because of their pockets being deeper than those of the contractor. However I've always felt that criminal charges need to have been brought against the contractor as I feel they should be whenever anyone causes so much destruction and potential loss of life by a careless and irresponsible act such as that recent wildfire near Reno.

But as they always say you can't outlaw stupid, or fix it either I guess. :

 

[jonbruce]

Yes, it is a granted CP. The app. was filed a while back. From what I have been reading on the Crawford broadcasting web site they have allready started construction at the new transmitter site.

 

[jonbruce]

Today's Feb. engineering update from corp. CE W.C. Alexander states that the new site should be up and running this summer. Most of the work has not been completed. Cheers to Hatfield and Dawson's great work. The best consulting engineering firm based in Seattle.

 

[Black Star Bob]

I've always felt that criminal charges need to have been brought against the contractor as I feel they should be whenever anyone causes so much destruction and potential loss of life by a careless and irresponsible act such as that recent wildfire near Reno.

Criminal charges were brought. Gary Hunt, the guy that started the fire plead guilty and did some time.