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KGOW nighttime update

J

jd

Gow communications has been rebuffed in their latest attempt to add "nighttime service" which would allow them to operate 24 hours a day. As stated here previously, 1560 may only operate under for two hours past local sunset and from 6AM to local sunrise at greatly reduced power levels under post-sunset and pre-sunrise authority. Gow had asked for "Special Temporary Authority" to operate at night in the interim while their authorized nighttime facility is under construction, but the FCC has denied it.

http://svartifoss2.fcc.gov/prod/cdbs/forms/prod/getimportletter_exh.cgi?import_letter_id=7141

The FCC reminded Gow that applicable rules for such an STA deal with emergency situations and not to "the general desire of a licensee to extend its broadcast schedule." In view of recent statements from KGOW that they would be a 24-hour station, and with late evening and overnight programming already lined up and contracts probably signed it looks like 1560 has a real problem. For the FCC, though, the launch of a new format planned for August 20th isn't an "emergency."
 
KGOW needs to forget about any shenanigans with the old facility and get the new 1kw night site built and fired up. Gonna be pretty embarassing to be signing on and off in the middle of drive time if they drag their feet any longer.

Another classic case of diving into the pool before checking if it is full of water.
 
Mediafrog+ said:
KGOW needs to forget about any shenanigans with the old facility and get the new 1kw night site built and fired up. Gonna be pretty embarassing to be signing on and off in the middle of drive time if they drag their feet any longer.

Another classic case of diving into the pool before checking if it is full of water.
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I agree. I sense real desperation here, and I hope they're not actually thinking they could get away with using the old daytime rig (800 watts from south of the former site of the Astrodome) so they can be a "24-hour station." Actual construction of the 1,000-watt site off Eldridge north of I-10 has been delayed because they're having trouble getting the needed local land use permits. Even with that out of the way anything resembling real, legally authorized all-night coverage is likely to be many months away.
 
I'm trying understand why everyone is getting so worked up over this station. We are oversaturated with sports formats, most of which don't show in the ratings, all the am's took a beating like a red headed step child with the ppm's and the signal is going to be wimpy @ best. I tried listening driving in from Katy this morning, the signal was marginal in Katy but improved the closer I got to the loop. Had a friend in Spring try to listen to the station and said it was totally unlistenable. Much ado about nothing.
 
Walter 1 said:
the signal is going to be wimpy @ best. I tried listening driving in from Katy this morning, the signal was marginal in Katy but improved the closer I got to the loop. Had a friend in Spring try to listen to the station and said it was totally unlistenable.
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Keep in mind that the current KILE 1560 is still on the old 800 watt facility. KGOW should be cranking up the new 50kw day rig when it launches. Many of us have heard it testing; very solid signal, at least at my location. Last year during initial tests the 50kw signal was heard in Illinois and Wisconsin around sunset.
 
Mediafrog+ said:
Keep in mind that the current KILE 1560 is still on the old 800 watt facility. KGOW should be cranking up the new 50kw day rig when it launches. Many of us have heard it testing; very solid signal, at least at my location. Last year during initial tests the 50kw signal was heard in Illinois and Wisconsin around sunset.
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Apparently the big rig near Rosharon is operating well when they use it. For now there's no real incentive for them to turn it on, though, wasting the power for a format whose days are numbered. But it really should be on, since KILE is officially licensed by the FCC as a 50,000-watt daytime station. Not operating it as such on a continuing basis is a violation of their license, whether it's by using reduced power without filing for special temporary authority or by using the tower off Almeda Road, which at this point is an unauthorized, unlicensed facility.
 
Mediafrog+ said:
Walter 1 said:
the signal is going to be wimpy @ best. I tried listening driving in from Katy this morning, the signal was marginal in Katy but improved the closer I got to the loop. Had a friend in Spring try to listen to the station and said it was totally unlistenable.
Click to expand...

Keep in mind that the current KILE 1560 is still on the old 800 watt facility. KGOW should be cranking up the new 50kw day rig when it launches. Many of us have heard it testing; very solid signal, at least at my location. Last year during initial tests the 50kw signal was heard in Illinois and Wisconsin around sunset.
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Well that's great if you are selling ads in Ill. or Wisc. Let's not forget that radio is first and foremost a commercial operation. If they can't get their nighttime signal fixed they are screwed. Come winter time they won't be able to crank the 50K up until way past sun up and will have to sign off at dusk. I don't like their chances. And you didn't address the real meat of the situation. We already have three Sports stations and only one does much in the ratings, what makes you think we need yet another? And KILT's numbers have gone up since granato and lance left so do think granato is gong to be able to carry this station on his back?
 
Walter 1 said:
If they can't get their nighttime signal fixed they are screwed. Come winter time they won't be able to crank the 50K up until way past sun up and will have to sign off at dusk.
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I'd also add "blued and tatooed."

It won't be "way past sunup" when they crank up the 50,000 watt rig, but it will be well into morning drive time in fall and winter. Starting with the return of standard time in November and throughout winter they're required to cut power during afternoon drive. Here are their scheduled times for high power through the coming months, and as noted in bold type it doesn't cover both 6-10 AM and 3-7 PM in their entirety in any given month:

6:45 AM-8:00 PM August (CDT), 7:00 AM-7:30 PM September (CDT), 7:30 AM-7:00 PM October (CDT), 7:45 AM-6:30 PM November (CDT), 6:45 AM-5:30 PM November (CST beginning 1st Sunday), 7:15 AM-5:30 PM December (CST), 7:15 AM-5:45 PM January (CST), 7:00 AM-6:15 PM February (CST), 6:30 AM-6:30 PM March (CST), 7:30 AM-7:30 PM March (CDT beginning 2nd Sunday)

Those times correspond to sunrise and sunset at the transmitter site, rounded off to the nearest 15 minute increment and averaged for each month. Okay, most of the times are in bold type, and that's what's bad about it. Even if KGOW's "post-sunset authority" allows them to stay on for two hours, it's with such reduced power that they may as well be "signing off." The same thing generally applies in the morning, when they can sign on year-round at 6:00 AM if the sun hasn't come up before then. During some months, though, the power allowed in the pre-dawn period is pretty close to the puny post-sunset levels.

Walter 1 said:
I don't like their chances.
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I don't either.

Walter 1 said:
think Granato is going to be able to carry this station on his back?
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No. And getting their potential audience to adjust their listening times around a high-power and flea-power operating schedule isn't going to happen either.
 
After being turned down for "special temporary authority" KILE is trying something else to get legal approval for 24-hour operation. Their latest application calls for using a make-shift antenna system with a tower presently used for two-way communication near Hillcroft and Bellaire Boulevard. While that could work, it wouldn't be much of a signal, with just 100 watts non-directional. It still wouldn't deliver a "nighttime interference free" signal over all of Bellaire, their community of license.

KILE is asking the FCC to put aside the rule that prohibits "multiple applications" (for already approved service). For the first time they're mentioning the impending format change in their pleadings, citing long delays involving construction of their authorized 1000-watt nighttime site in the Addicks Reservior area. It's currently on hold while the Army Corps of Engineers draws up a master plan for land use in the Addicks Reservoir area. The application also mentions complaints from Radio Disney. Disney claims that modifying that construction permit (to allow KILE to operate with 19,000 watts from north of Katy) would cause interference to both KMIC 1590 and co-owned WQEW 1560 New York. Here's the KILE "waiver request" from the latest filing:
http://fjallfoss.fcc.gov/prod/cdbs/forms/prod/getattachment_exh.cgi?exhibit_id=518604

Starting with their original move from Port Lavaca back in the mid-90's and including superseded applications, KILE has filed about thirty requests for technical changes over the years. Their recent request to use 100 watts at night under "special temporary authority" was summarily dismissed by the FCC, and unfortunately I don't feel good about this one either.
 
1560 was playing music (oldies) last night...well after dark. The signal and the audio were both horrible. I was listening in front of Fry's in the vicinity of the Southwest Freeway at Wilcrest. I'm assuming that the music is some sort of buffering between the ethnic programming and the debut of their proposed regular programming. Surely they were on the "old" site last night and hopefully using the "old" processing. I do hope that they will employ audio processing "on the big rig" that will make them sound "big" (loud and proud, dominant and bright). If not, they're not going to be much more "noticable" than they were when they were in Port Lavaca.

Audio-wise, there is no (good) reason why they can't sound like a WBBM, a KMOX, or a WLW.
 
KILE was playing music last night?!?

With that being the case, I'd like to request "Breaking the Law" by Judas Priest. Seems appropriate if they still are operating at night with no authority.
 
purpledevil said:
KILE was playing music last night?!?

With that being the case, I'd like to request "Breaking the Law" by Judas Priest. Seems appropriate if they still are operating at night with no authority.
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Good one, purpledevil. I'm kind of enjoy the music, but I'll paraphrase what I've said before: If they're running anything like their formerly licensed 800 watt daytime level, or the 1,000 watt level of their unbuilt (and therefore unlicensed) nighttime facility at any time after sunset or before sunrise (with the exception of the designated test period between midnight and 6:00 AM) they really would be "breaking the law." The same applies if they're using 800, a thousand or anything less than their full licensed power of 50,000 watts during the day on a continuing basis without "special temporary authority" to use reduced power or if they use anything other than their daytime tower array near Rosharon, which at this time is their only authorized site.

For the record, once again, I'm not picking on them. Quite the contrary. I hope the new format is successful, and that they can get a decent power level for nighttime operation and be licensed for 24-hour operation. But if KILE (or KGOW, when the calls are changed) wants the FCC to act favorably on their pending applications, it would be a good idea to follow the rules in the interim.
 
According to David Barron in this morning's Chronicle, KGOW has authorization to run 100 watts at night for six months, so it appears the STA was finally approved (if KGOW management is to be believed.) Probably some simple setup, similar to a TIS/HAR station. Sure will be a breathtaking power drop at sunset. And make sure your volume isn't turned up at sunrise, either.

Article: http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/sports/barron/5061545.html
 
Looks like they may be jumping the gun again. The STA request for the 100-watt rig was only accepted for filing at the FCC this past Wednesday (08/15) and at last report it hadn't been approved. These things take time, especially if you're asking for a waiver of the rules.

On a positive note, though, the call letter switch to KGOW became official today.
 
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