KGOW nighttime news

[jd]

Oh, this is not good.

The informal objections filed by Disney about 1560's plans to run 19,000 watts at night have been dismissed. That's not good news, though. They're dismissed as moot since the entire application has been dismissed: http://fjallfoss.fcc.gov/prod/cdbs/forms/prod/getimportletter_exh.cgi?import_letter_id=7480

The FCC cited interference concerns (and here's a new one) with co-channel KOCY Del City/Oklahoma City and insufficient coverage of KGOW's community of license, Bellaire. Disney had complained of potential interference to Houston's KMIC and WQEW New York. (Co-incidentally KOCY is a Radio Disney affiliate, although not company-owned).

The application was actually a revision of the existing construction permit for 1,000 watts, the one that's on hold pending a survey of land use in the Bear Creek Park area by the Army Corps of Engineers. In its dismissal letter the FCC cautioned GOW that it would not be given a second chance to correct another deficiency in that application, and that would include any more "modifications" like the ill-fated 19,000-watt facility. So it's back to the drawing board. KGOW is stuck with a site they can't build yet, a better site that the FCC now says won't work, and a still unapproved 100-watt temporary fix in a mixed-use neighborhood in Bellaire that would barely cover a three-mile radius.

It's hard to get in The Game when you're stuck on the sidelines.

 

[mrtexmex2007]

Its all about the money

 

[stan]

The FCC cited interference concerns (and here's a new one) with co-channel KOCY Del City/Oklahoma City and insufficient coverage of KGOW's community of license, Bellaire. Disney had complained of potential interference to Houston's KMIC and WQEW New York. (Co-incidentally KOCY is a Radio Disney affiliate, although not company-owned).

This just shows how ridiculous the FCC has become. KMIC should have the only allowable objection - period, and that's questionable in itself since they don't seem to broadcast at night (http://www.radio-info.com/smf/index.php/topic,79494.0.html). No one in Houston gives a rat's patootie about KOCY or WQEW.

 

[jd]

This just shows how ridiculous the FCC has become.

Right, Stan. Can't wait to hear Mediafrog's take on this (and you gotta wonder what our departed friend Mike O_ would have said!). You know, I really get the impression the bunch in Washington just doesn't care too much for KGOW. When you start citing the skywave problems at a pip-squeak station way up in Oklahoma, much of which relates to adjacent channel XERF 1570 from Mexico, that's REALLY pushing it. Is that KGOW's fault? Hell, no. What about all the stations in Mexico that invade the coverage of Houston area stations via skywave, even flamethrower KTRH? And how in the world did KCHN 1050 over in Brookshire ever get approval for nighttime, since XEG often comes blasting in like it's licensed to West U.? Oh, and then there's KLAT 1010, which has been short-spaced with KBBW Waco for decades and still will be when the Waco station finishes out their current CP. Yeah, it's okay to take away the one and only AM station in Brazosport and slap it into Missouri City, but we've gotta make sure the kids in OKC don't hear a smidgen of sportstalk mixed in with their Hannah Montana news; that's simply unthinkable! Gimme a friggin' break.

 

[Mediafrog+]

Can't wait to hear Mediafrog's take on this

Another ridiculous decision. The idea that KGOW would cause any destructive interference to either KOCY or WQEW is laughable. Tune across the AM band at night--virtually every last frequency is a pileup of co-channel slop. Stations have been pounding each other at night since the mid-80's, when the final clear channels were broken up, and former daytimers were allowed night operation. The increase in signals from Latin America has also contributed to the issue. And let's not get into IBOC hash, which is on the way.

The bottom line: AM's today concentrate on covering their home market, and there is no need to ensure interference free reception outside of the primary listening area. You would have to be well outside either the OKC or NYC markets to notice any interference from KGOW, and those stations don't have any audience in those areas, anyway. The days of the average person listening to distant stations is long gone, for better or worse. I enjoyed DXing the AM band decades ago, but I accept those days of relatively interference free reception are gone. It's all about the home audience now.

I think the Canadians had the right idea with AM: High powered transmitters into highly directional arrays that throw a sufficient signal over home markets, all very carefully coordinated to minimize clashes. Of course, lots of Canadian AM's are now moving to the FM band.

I sometimes get the feeling that the FCC still thinks it's the 1930's, with small town Americans sitting by their Atwater-Kents listening to the local peanut whistle AM. They need to realize that stations serve markets now, that cities are bigger than they used to be, and stations need adequate coverage to reach an audience.

When you start citing the skywave problems at a pip-squeak station way up in Oklahoma, much of which relates to adjacent channel XERF 1570 from Mexico, that's REALLY pushing it.

Just wait until XERF launches IBOC. Then KOCY will know what real interference is.

]

 

[OldChicago]

Perhaps it is easier said than done, but since they are having all of this trouble getting a site for 1560 night time coverage to work, why don't they look into getting a frequency in the expanded band above 1610 thru 1710 and just move the operation there.


Old Chicago

 

[jd]

why don't they look into getting a frequency in the expanded band above 1610 thru 1710 and just move the operation there.

Good point, but the FCC isn't accepting any applications for new stations in the X-band. When the original assignments were made KLAT applied for 1690 but then wisely didn't follow up on it. So the chance for an X-band station in Houston is gone until another filing window is opened up, which may never happen.

There is one thing, though, that would work quite well for KGOW. The FCC seems to be favoring the idea of FM translators for AM stations. Trouble is, it's intended to help stations whose nighttime coverage is inadequate for their markets, and there's the rub. Since KGOW has no licensed nighttime facility and their prospects for getting one soon remain dim they'd have to seek a waiver of FCC rules to do it, providing the FCC actually goes ahead with the "AM on FM" translator idea. I'm personally not sold on it, but in KGOW's case it would be a good use of an empty FM frequency. (Hmmm...94.9 comes to mind.)

 

[Apollo18]

Is it a coincidence that three different Disney stations are crying about an upper register station?

Are they whining about other upper-dial stations as well?

 

[jd]

Is it a coincidence that three different Disney stations are crying about an upper register station?

It's interesting, at least. But the supposed conflict with the Oklahoma station wasn't the subject of a complaint. It was discovered during a preliminary review of the application, something that I'd characterize as computation error and it's totally off the wall. The FCC staff apparently didn't even address the supposed interference with KMIC and WQEW. So for now Disney's "whining" has paid off, delivering another setback to KGOW, and they didn't have to go into an extended hearing process. That's just wrong.

 

[jd]

I'm really surprised by the latest news about KGOW:

The FCC has actually granted a waiver and approved the application for The Game to construct a 100-watt nighttime facility in Bellaire.

The waiver was needed because of the FCC's restriction about filing multiple applications, since they already hold a construction permit for the Bear Creek Park area nighttime site. It ain't much, but at least it will get 1560 on the air for actual 24-hour operation until they can get something better.

 

[purpledevil]

I guess the only question is will The Game actually last long enough to see the damn thing built out? KGOW has been on for what now, a month? And they still don't have the daytime signal that's supposed to blow the doors off where it should be? Hey, it'll give mrtexmex2007 something else to post when David Gow sells that puppy off and KGOW becomes the latest Ranchero or Tropical station in Houston. I mean, how long before he says enough is enough and won't lose anymore money on this nightmare?

Or...I guess they could go back to the "Greatest Oldies of All Time" jockless stunt they did over the weekend before the Game started. That's cheap enough until he can unload it.

 

[keyboards]

Lets See....Now 2 months and counting down till Korean Time brokerage returns to the BIG 1560!