KDLS Perry

[iowegian2]

No doubt most in central Iowa have seen news reports about
the effort by a group of Perry residents to raise funds to
buy KDLS AM 1310 after new owners took the co-owned FM to
Spanish. Here's a link ...

http://www.desmoinesregister.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20051107/NEWS08/511070327/1001/archive

If the good folks in Perry are successful in buying the
AM, they should also negotiate rights to broadcast the AM
on a digital subchannel of KDLS-FM, if and when IBOC
equipment is installed.

 

[JonEllis]

The whole part about people not being able to pick up the AM station in Perry confuses me. Either people don't know how to work their AM radios or the station isn't operating at its licensed power (and based on my listening when in the area they appear to be at full power). An upgrade of the AM station isn't going to help since the signal is already about as strong as it can get in Perry.

There's probably some issues with manmade interference, since that's a major AM reception problem everywhere now, but 1310 should be strong enough in Perry day and night to overcome those problems.

 

[jh]

> The whole part about people not being able to pick up the AM
> station in Perry confuses me. Either people don't know how
> to work their AM radios or the station isn't operating at
> its licensed power (and based on my listening when in the
> area they appear to be at full power). An upgrade of the AM
> station isn't going to help since the signal is already
> about as strong as it can get in Perry.
>
> There's probably some issues with manmade interference,
> since that's a major AM reception problem everywhere now,
> but 1310 should be strong enough in Perry day and night to
> overcome those problems.
>
The article didn't say specifically it was people in Perry having trouble hearing the station. The AM is directional going west from the towers east of Perry. It's likely they have cut off the audience east of the towers who were most likely listening on the FM, since the station had been simulecast.

I'm guessing another problem is the format change when the station was sold a year ago. It had been country for a long time. You just don't change a country station in a small market to something else without upsetting a lot people and advertisers.

 

[foreverchanges]

> > The whole part about people not being able to pick up the
> AM
> > station in Perry confuses me. Either people don't know
> how
> > to work their AM radios or the station isn't operating at
> > its licensed power (and based on my listening when in the
> > area they appear to be at full power). An upgrade of the
> AM
> > station isn't going to help since the signal is already
> > about as strong as it can get in Perry.
> >
> > There's probably some issues with manmade interference,
> > since that's a major AM reception problem everywhere now,
> > but 1310 should be strong enough in Perry day and night to
>
> > overcome those problems.
> >
> The article didn't say specifically it was people in Perry
> having trouble hearing the station. The AM is directional
> going west from the towers east of Perry. It's likely they
> have cut off the audience east of the towers who were most
> likely listening on the FM, since the station had been
> simulecast.
>
> I'm guessing another problem is the format change when the
> station was sold a year ago. It had been country for a long
> time. You just don't change a country station in a small
> market to something else without upsetting a lot people and
> advertisers.
>


I can't get the article to work...when did they flip??

My grandparents lived in Perry, I remember spending a couple of weeks there every summer in the 80's. Strange to have KDLS-FM in Spanish...

 

[17meters]

> The whole part about people not being able to pick up the AM
> station in Perry confuses me. Either people don't know how
> to work their AM radios or the station isn't operating at
> its licensed power (and based on my listening when in the
> area they appear to be at full power). An upgrade of the AM
> station isn't going to help since the signal is already
> about as strong as it can get in Perry.
>
> There's probably some issues with manmade interference,
> since that's a major AM reception problem everywhere now,
> but 1310 should be strong enough in Perry day and night to
> overcome those problems.
>
The ERP to the west is in the neighborhood of 1500 watts. The back lobe (toward Woodward)..is about 40 watts. And the nulls (toward Boone and Dallas Center are around 10 watts. Pretty good facility actually. But forget about listening to the AM in Des Moines or anywhere east of I35. But its an easy catch in Caroll or Atlantic.
When Ive heard it the audio doesnt stand out. Probably needs more high end and more compression.

 

[jh]

> I can't get the article to work...when did they flip??
>
> My grandparents lived in Perry, I remember spending a couple
> of weeks there every summer in the 80's. Strange to have
> KDLS-FM in Spanish...
>
About a year ago, KDLS was sold. The new owner flipped from country to Hot AC.
Then a couple of months ago, the people who were leasing AM 1700 in Des Moines for Spanish programming moved that programming to KDLS-FM. Those people are now in the process of buying KDLS, although they intend to continue with English programming on the AM.

 

[foreverchanges]

> > I can't get the article to work...when did they flip??
> >
> > My grandparents lived in Perry, I remember spending a
> couple
> > of weeks there every summer in the 80's. Strange to have
> > KDLS-FM in Spanish...
> >
> About a year ago, KDLS was sold. The new owner flipped from
> country to Hot AC.
> Then a couple of months ago, the people who were leasing AM
> 1700 in Des Moines for Spanish programming moved that
> programming to KDLS-FM. Those people are now in the process
> of buying KDLS, although they intend to continue with
> English programming on the AM.
>

Ah, so they're between owners, that makes sense. Thanks for the info.