KEOM

[poops]

I've been in Arlington all week on business and just wanted to let the folks on this board who are associated with KEOM know that I have enjoyed their programming while I've been up here. I realize that RB is no longer contributing to this board, but I hope he does still read it so he can pass my thanks to the students and staff. Well.... back to listening to the Houston stations tomorrow.

poops

 

[davideduardo]

I've been in Arlington all week on business and just wanted to let the folks on this board who are associated with KEOM know that I have enjoyed their programming while I've been up here. I realize that RB is no longer contributing to this board, but I hope he does still read it so he can pass my thanks to the students and staff. Well.... back to listening to the Houston stations tomorrow.

poops

In the ratings data released yesterday, out of 52 stations that "made the book2 KEOM was tied for 40th with a 0.5 share and a cume of 186,00 persons1

 

[DFWPT]

I realize that RB is no longer contributing to this board, but I hope he does still read it so he can pass my thanks to the students and staff.

RB (and Dr. Griffin) are no longer at KEOM. Peggy Brooks is the new Station Manager, and Chris Douglas is the new Music Director.

 

[charles123]

I realize that RB is no longer contributing to this board, but I hope he does still read it so he can pass my thanks to the students and staff.

RB (and Dr. Griffin) are no longer at KEOM. Peggy Brooks is the new Station Manager, and Chris Douglas is the new Music Director.

How did you find out about this??

 

[jeffdfw]

I've been in Arlington all week on business and just wanted to let the folks on this board who are associated with KEOM know that I have enjoyed their programming while I've been up here. I realize that RB is no longer contributing to this board, but I hope he does still read it so he can pass my thanks to the students and staff. Well.... back to listening to the Houston stations tomorrow.

poops

In the ratings data released yesterday, out of 52 stations that "made the book2 KEOM was tied for 40th with a 0.5 share and a cume of 186,00 persons1

Hi David,

Will you please post the ratings on here? Thanks!

 

[DFWPT]

I realize that RB is no longer contributing to this board, but I hope he does still read it so he can pass my thanks to the students and staff.

RB (and Dr. Griffin) are no longer at KEOM. Peggy Brooks is the new Station Manager, and Chris Douglas is the new Music Director.

How did you find out about this??

i'm a good friend of Brooks, Douglas, Griffin & Bass. (sounds like a law firm)

 

[scrtr84]

With the economic situation deteriorating so rapdily, I have to wonder how they can afford to keep KEOM on the air? It wouldn't surprise me if Mesquite Schools was thinking of shutting that thing down.

 

[gbsncmtr]

That's an interesting thought. I wouldn't think it would cost any more per student served to keep the station on the air that it does to fund the football team or the band. Am I missing something?

 

[scrtr84]

Well consider how much money gets spent on the electric bill alone, just to run the transmitter. That has to be pretty hefty. I could see them shutting down the transmitter alone, and maybe just do an internet only broadcast. That would cut the electric bill quite a bit, for sure.

 

[Huff]

Well consider how much money gets spent on the electric bill alone, just to run the transmitter. That has to be pretty hefty. I could see them shutting down the transmitter alone, and maybe just do an internet only broadcast. That would cut the electric bill quite a bit, for sure.

Mesquite ISD is actually having no problem operating KEOM thanks to the tower off of which it broadcasts. It was built in 1992 and is co-owned by the school district and the City of Mesquite. They allowed wireless companies to build the tower on Mesquite ISD property, KEOM then got to place its antenna on the tower, and the school district and city continue to make money off leasing tower space. The school district's share funds the operation of KEOM.

http://gallery.bostonradio.org/2002-10/dfw/100-00816-med.html

 

[radioguybroadcasting]

EMF has been trying to buy KEOM for years and eyars, but MISD won't and doesn't want to sell.

 

[LibertyNT]

Ive had the luck to be at Mesquite Stadium and See that Tower.

 

[scrtr84]

Mesquite ISD is actually having no problem operating KEOM thanks to the tower off of which it broadcasts. It was built in 1992 and is co-owned by the school district and the City of Mesquite. They allowed wireless companies to build the tower on Mesquite ISD property, KEOM then got to place its antenna on the tower, and the school district and city continue to make money off leasing tower space. The school district's share funds the operation of KEOM.

http://gallery.bostonradio.org/2002-10/dfw/100-00816-med.html

I am sure that worked for them, when the economy was good, and other cell towers hadn't yet popped up in Mesquite. But times change and I've heard KEOM's budget was recently cut. Thay must be losing revenue from clients leaving the tower. The way things are going, their funding to operate KEOM will eventually run dry. It may even happen by the spring of 2009, since the economy will probably remain bad through at least the 1st quarter of 2009.

 

[radioguybroadcasting]

Mesquite ISD is actually having no problem operating KEOM thanks to the tower off of which it broadcasts. It was built in 1992 and is co-owned by the school district and the City of Mesquite. They allowed wireless companies to build the tower on Mesquite ISD property, KEOM then got to place its antenna on the tower, and the school district and city continue to make money off leasing tower space. The school district's share funds the operation of KEOM.

http://gallery.bostonradio.org/2002-10/dfw/100-00816-med.html

I am sure that worked for them, when the economy was good, and other cell towers hadn't yet popped up in Mesquite. But times change and I've heard KEOM's budget was recently cut. Thay must be losing revenue from clients leaving the tower. The way things are going, their funding to operate KEOM will eventually run dry. It may even happen by the spring of 2009, since the economy will probably remain bad through at least the 1st quarter of 2009.

I highly doubt it. KEOM is a wonderful learning tool.. and many in administration at MISD realize that and plan on keeping it.

 

[TexasTom]

Well consider how much money gets spent on the electric bill alone, just to run the transmitter. That has to be pretty hefty. I could see them shutting down the transmitter alone, and maybe just do an internet only broadcast. That would cut the electric bill quite a bit, for sure.

It's fairly obvious from this and your other comments in this thread that you seem to want MISD to shut down or sell KEOM for some reason.

But regarding the ridiculous idea that the electric bill would be more than MISD could afford, let's do a little math.

Per KEOM's authorization, their transmitter power output is 26.5 kw. In order to get that much power, they're probably using a 30 kw transmitter. Looking in a BEXT catalog, I saw several FM transmitters in that power range -- and the power consumption for those transmitters ranged from 50 kva to 60 kva. Using a rate of $0.15 per kwh gives a cost per hour of operating that transmitter of $7.50 to $9.00. At 168 hours per week, that would give a weekly electric bill for running the transmitter of around $1500, or about $80,000 per year.

For a large school district, that hardly seems like a prohibitive amount -- I suspect that the electric bill for a single high school is more than that. So, sorry to disappoint you, but it seems unlikely that MISD will be forced to shut down KEOM's transmitter because they can't afford the electric bill to keep it going.

 

[1Letterman]

Given the value of signals, they won't sell just because of the commercial value of the frequency. That's an asset. Can be leveraged as such.

I think the notion that the station is teetering on the verge of extinction is laughable. Look at what schools are spending their money on EXTRA-CURRICULAR. Like it or not, the radio station experience is a course of study. Not the band. Not the choir. Not the football team. Those are extras. And they cost a lot more than the radio station does.

Also, the radio station benefits the community outside the bounds of the school system.

 

[gbsncmtr]

Now hang on there for a second . . . I taught band in the public schools for 30 years, and for a number of my students band was a "vocational" course. They were able to go from our program to college and then onto careers as band directors, choir directors, professional musicians, private music teachers . . . all possibilities they probably wouldn't have discovered if it weren't for the training they received in our band classes.

 

[1Letterman]

I was referring to the marching band. Which as you know, costs a lot more than just teaching music in the classroom.

Also, if you delete the football team, the impact of the marching band is somewhat dissipated.

Additionally, it's a teacher's mindset you possess, but you're too focused on your own discipline. By your standard, ANYTHING done in a school which results in employment in that field at a later date is suddenly "vocational."

I'm sure there are cheerleading instructors and coaches who are employed. So now cheerleading isn't extra-curricular. I'm sure there are people who would like to go into the priesthood. So now the Bible Club isn't extra-curricular. I'm sure there are people who are employed in the stamp collection industry. So now the Stamp Club isn't extra-curricular.

My point, which as a former teacher you were unable to hone in on, is that there are dozens of more extra-curricular things going on at the average school which could be cut before the radio station would ever be sold. It is an ASSET. I know they don't teach that in music, but as an ASSET, it has a value beyond the cost of operating it.

The same cannot be said of the marching band and its equipment which are an outlay of costs with no tangible assets to the school other than selling equipment at a loss.

 

[scrtr84]

First of all, I never stated I “wanted” KEOM to shut down. I am simply saying it may become a necessity. You guys seem to be overlooking the economics of the whole thing. Jobs are being drastically cut almost daily. Sooner or later it will impact public schools. “All” extra / vocational programs would be in jeopardy, including KEOM. What happens when the district stops earning revenue from the tower, because clients move off the tower or go out of business?

And this talk about how band classes led band students to careers in music doesn’t compare to the fact that radio jobs are going away. Let’s assume the average number of students in any class year for KEOM, is 30. When all of them graduate, how many of those 30 will land jobs in radio?

I’m just being realistic here, that’s all.

 

[JayDavis]

Enough talk about the dollars and cents issue.

When are they going to start changing the playlist and add songs from the 80's? I swear I read that on this board this year.