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KFNN 1510 Gone Silent?

As far as I'm aware, the only requirement is that a co-owned translator's service contour has to remain entirely within the primary station's 60 dBu contour (for FM) or daytime 2.0 mV/m contour (for AM).

If the translator and primary station are not co-owned, then this rule does not apply if I remember correctly. Feel free to correct me if I'm wrong about any of this.
There is no city of license coverage requirements for an FM translator. A translator licensee can pick whatever city of license for a translator they chose. As far as "fill-in" requirements, the translators 60 dBu contour must EITHER be contained inside of the AM's daytime 2 mv/m contour OR contained inside a 40 KM radius (25 mile) of the AM stations transmitter site. This rule was relaxed some (from BOTH to EITHER) after some AM's complained about having tight daytime directional patterns being tough to design an translator's 60 contour to stay inside of an AM's 2mv contour, especially if the translator was collocated at the AM's tower site. The only thing the FCC later tightened up with many AM's now operating with temporary small coverage STA operations because of a lost tower site, that any associated translator 60 dbu must conform with the AM's STA 2 mv daytime operation or 40 km radius of its operation. While the 40 km radius is fairly easy to conform to with an STA, if its operating at a fair distance away from the licensed operation of the AM station. It can cause some translator to modify or shut off.
 
What would they do with the rest of the time as I think those are the only two nationally sindicated progressive shows now as far as I know.
I wouldn't be surprised if Heartland Signal starts out with a simulcast of WCPT. Here's their schedule. The afternoon show is live and local. Outside of Thom and Stephanie, I have no idea who these other hosts are.

 
The afternoon show

Driving It Home with Patti Vasquez​


is on KKNW 1150 Seattle. Pretty good show.
 
Sierra H can now save money from leasing KMLE-HD3 for Mega. It would make sense for them to take the 95.9 translator too (unless KNLB wants it to go with its co-channel translator on the White Tanks being fed by KYOT-HD3).
So you think it will be Mega 1580 am and 99.3 fm translator then.
I wouldn't be surprised if Heartland Signal starts out with a simulcast of WCPT. Here's their schedule. The afternoon show is live and local. Outside of Thom and Stephanie, I have no idea who these other hosts are.

I have heard of The Devils advocate show before.
 
So you think it will be Mega 1580 am and 99.3 fm translator then.
I believe so. Move the KAJM call letters to 1580 and finally make 104.3 KZNY. It makes more sense to own the feeding station than to lease the HD3 from Audacy. However, I don't think they'll include 1580 in the branding, because who's listening to music on AM. It'd be worth it to fire up an HD2 on one of their full power FMs to have some kind of reach in parts of East Mesa and Gilbert (which the 99.3 translator can't reach), despite it not being able to reach parts of East Central Phoenix and Mesa.
 
Does anyone know the current status of the KFNN tower site in North Scottsdale next to the Arabian horse ranch?

Also, with 1540 gone (DKASA), and 1480 down to 1 KW, wouldn't KFNN have more flexibility with higher power with a ND signal from a single tower?
 
Also, with 1540 gone (DKASA), and 1480 down to 1 KW, wouldn't KFNN have more flexibility with higher power with a ND signal from a single tower?
Probably not. The main determinant isn't local stations like DKASA, it is other licensees on the same channel or adjacent channels.

KFNN has to protect KGA/Spokane and KSFN/San Jose and KSPA/Ontario Calif., and KOAZ/Albuquerque, and KPLS/Littleton, Colo., which are all on 1510. 1500 and 1520 are relatively empty in the west due to KSTP/St. Paul and KOKC/Oklahoma City being dominant stations, and I didn't check anything in Mexico that might require protection.

With KGA's downgrade a few years back, I could imagine KFNN being able to build a more favorable DA. But non-directional operation with more than the present 100 watts at night seems unlikely.
 
Probably not. The main determinant isn't local stations like DKASA, it is other licensees on the same channel or adjacent channels.

KFNN has to protect KGA/Spokane and KSFN/San Jose and KSPA/Ontario Calif., and KOAZ/Albuquerque, and KPLS/Littleton, Colo., which are all on 1510. 1500 and 1520 are relatively empty in the west due to KSTP/St. Paul and KOKC/Oklahoma City being dominant stations, and I didn't check anything in Mexico that might require protection.

With KGA's downgrade a few years back, I could imagine KFNN being able to build a more favorable DA. But non-directional operation with more than the present 100 watts at night seems unlikely.
I was actually thinking more about the daytime, which was directional also, and being able to keep the same power or higher going non directional.
 
Probably not. The main determinant isn't local stations like DKASA, it is other licensees on the same channel or adjacent channels.

KFNN has to protect KGA/Spokane and KSFN/San Jose and KSPA/Ontario Calif., and KOAZ/Albuquerque, and KPLS/Littleton, Colo., which are all on 1510. 1500 and 1520 are relatively empty in the west due to KSTP/St. Paul and KOKC/Oklahoma City being dominant stations, and I didn't check anything in Mexico that might require protection.

With KGA's downgrade a few years back, I could imagine KFNN being able to build a more favorable DA. But non-directional operation with more than the present 100 watts at night seems unlikely.

Also, keep in mind that WLAC, though barely heard in Phoenix, is the one station the rest of the nighttime outlets on 1510, including KFNN, have to protect.
 
Does anyone know the current status of the KFNN tower site in North Scottsdale next to the Arabian horse ranch?
You mean the old KOOL 960 site? Wasn't that decommissioned in the early '90s and moved to near Tatum and Deer Valley, where KFNN hopped on board? The Chauncey Ranch towers were removed for development years ago.
 
You mean the old KOOL 960 site? Wasn't that decommissioned in the early '90s and moved to near Tatum and Deer Valley, where KFNN hopped on board? The Chauncey Ranch towers were removed for development years ago.
No. I was referring to the site at Tatum/Deer Valley next to horsemanship school and stables. So, KFNN is still there at this site?
 
KFNN's licensed site has never been on Tatum Blvd, as far as I can tell. But it is about 1.5 miles west of the intersection you highlight, and there is a horsemanship school next door. KFNN has been there for 30 years.

What I don't know is whether Heartland Signal's acquisition will include the lease to use those towers, but given the purchase price I would have to assume so.
 
KFNN's licensed site has never been on Tatum Blvd, as far as I can tell. But it is about 1.5 miles west of the intersection you highlight, and there is a horsemanship school next door. KFNN has been there for 30 years.
I figure it's not too far away. The 960 site is definitely not on North Scottsdale anymore.
What I don't know is whether Heartland Signal's acquisition will include the lease to use those towers, but given the purchase price I would have to assume so.
It depends on whether Salem (the tower owner) wants a "progressive talk" signal broadcasting from their site. They seem to be set in their "traditionalist" ways. There's no other AM tower site close to there that 1510 could move to and still blanket Mesa with a daytime signal without using a lot of power.
 
It depends on whether Salem (the tower owner) wants a "progressive talk" signal broadcasting from their site. They seem to be set in their "traditionalist" ways. There's no other AM tower site close to there that 1510 could move to and still blanket Mesa with a daytime signal without using a lot of power.
Y'know, I wonder if a change of city of license would be possible. I understand it's not necessarily a simple process, but if done, the next owners of KFNN wouldn't have to worry about blanketing a city so far away from the tower.
 
There's no other AM tower site close to there that 1510 could move to and still blanket Mesa with a daytime signal without using a lot of power.
They couldn't use the Lumberyard, and diplex with 1440? They'd probably have to lower their power to 1000 or 5000 watts daytime and 50-100 watts at night, but it would cover pretty much all of Mesa north of Baseline Rd., and probably into Gilbert as well.
 
They couldn't use the Lumberyard, and diplex with 1440? They'd probably have to lower their power to 1000 or 5000 watts daytime and 50-100 watts at night, but it would cover pretty much all of Mesa north of Baseline Rd., and probably into Gilbert as well.
I didn't even consider that as an option. I wonder who owns that tower site?
 
They couldn't use the Lumberyard, and diplex with 1440? They'd probably have to lower their power to 1000 or 5000 watts daytime and 50-100 watts at night, but it would cover pretty much all of Mesa north of Baseline Rd., and probably into Gilbert as well.
1440 and 1510 are awfully close for a diplex. The bandwidth might end up so narrow that the audio would sound like that of an old pay telephone.
 


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