KLVS City of License Change Application from Stockton to Livermore (Old KSTN-FM)

[Michael Rivers Kramer]

This has to be the ultimate manipulation of FCC rules. Watch EMF shovel crap a couple of loopholes.

EMF acting though licensee San Joaquin Broadcasting as an LMA partner and "Technical Consultant" has applied with the FCC to change the COL of KLVS (Formerly KSTN-FM) from Stockton to Livermore. Why? So they can bring KLVS into "compliance" since KLVS doesn't provide the required signal over Stockton, but does over Livermore. Nice....

https://licensing.fcc.gov/cgi-bin/w...xt=25&appn=101360596&formid=301&fac_num=69685

They're using the following argument....

https://licensing.fcc.gov/cdbs/CDBS...?appn=101360596&qnum=5320&copynum=1&exhcnum=1

That little pesky rule....73.315...Funny, KSTN-FM has been using that site with a Stockton COL since umm...oh let's see 1962?


The nice thoughtful people at EMF...

The same broadcasters that used a little thing like the FCC approved altenative Longley-Rice propagation prediction method to "prove" that moving KARA to Sutter Buttes would still cover Williams, CA with at least a 70 dbu using Longley-Rice even though they couldn't show adequate coverage using the traditional 73.315 method.

https://licensing.fcc.gov/cgi-bin/w...xt=25&appn=101228783&formid=301&fac_num=88177

The COL coverage argument for KARA 99.1

https://licensing.fcc.gov/cdbs/CDBS...?appn=101228783&qnum=5240&copynum=1&exhcnum=1

They clearly know their way around the rules....

If you use the same KARA argument (Longey-Rice) with KLVS (Formerly KSTN-FM), you will see that KLVS not only puts the required 70 dbu over Stockton it also does so over Elk Grove, parts of Sacramento, Modesto and points in between.

I cannot link a map, but you may make one for your self using FCC parameters with that really cool Canadian L-R Map making site....

http://lrcov.crc.ca/main/

KLVS FCC facility info:

http://www.fcc.gov/fcc-bin/fmq?list=0&facid=69685

What this is really about is:

1. First Move the COL to Livermore

Then:

2. Change the facility to effectively serve the lucrative San Francisco Bay Area.


I'm concerned that under-radioed Stockton is losing yet another station. On the surface, Stockton appears to be in the "Shadow" of significantly smaller Modesto. But if you were to take cash cow KATM and sister KHKK (both licensed to Modesto but puts a 70 dbu over the entire Stockton market as well) at move the station (with the same advertisers) to the Stockton market. The revenue for both markets would be the same. As it stands, revenue in the Modesto radio market is way above average for a market it's size while revenue in the Stockton radio market is way below average for a market it's respective size.

Now the Stockton market is left with...

AMs

1 Silent KSTN (1420), Might as well be silent KWSX (1280), KWG (1230), KCVR (1570) and KCBC (770). I think these AM's may collectively pull a 1 share.

FMs

Four Class A's ... KQOD (100.1), KJOY (99.3), KWIN (97.7) and KMIX (100.9) and non-coms...KAIS, KUOP and KYCC.

One final thought...

I wish America's NPR stations would have the tenacity to multiply like EMF's K-Love and Air 1. In fairness, EMF is hardly alone in the world of playing both sides of the fence to get what they want.

 

[kenrayc]

What I don't get the FCC doesn't see this, EMF has so many overlapping signals it's ridiculous. If NPR or any Commercial broadcaster had 2 wide overlapping stations carrying the same programming they would be shut down.

 

[RadioStarOne]

Maybe you should go to Washington, DC. and point it out to the shortsighted folks at the FCC in person! But really who cares anyway? Not many to be sure. Maybe EMF's finanical records need to be investigated like the FCC did to Dr. Eugene Scott? Watch them run for their favorite congress person and senate person and cry in their beer! Go get them!

 

[Big D]

What I find amazing is how a non comm like EMF has the revenue to operate all these translators/full power FMs during a time when many commercial broadcasters can barely keep their heads above water. I guess their business model is ideal...a centralized broadcast facility that works for markets around the US...thus, all their staff is out of Rocklin. And most of their revenue is from listener support?

Stockton again, comes up as the loser; same with the KOSO move.

Getting into the bay area must have been the plan all along for EMF. Why else would they purchase 107.3 and continue to operate 89.7 in Walnut Grove? 2 full signals with all that overlap.

It is interesting how the contemporary christian format has gained popularity and success competing against commercial stations. 15-20 years ago, most of the "religious" stations were often on AM, and featured talk, taped sermons, or traditional religious music. The contemporary music has rejuvinated the format, expanding to FM, and attracted advertisers (in the case of KKFS, and some Salem stations).

 

[sloux]

As someone who enjoys listening to KLOVE, I am impressed with the reach of KLVS throughout the Central Valley and the East Bay east of the Coastal Range. I too am puzzled by all the overlap of many of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Valley lesser signals in relation to KLVS. The existence of KLVS seems to make many of the translator and educational signals redundant.

The suggestion made here if I understand it correctly, is the notion of moving the COL is a precursor to moving the transmitter to a more lucrative service area. Perhaps this is so, but I don't see it as being a panacea to reaching the Bay Area with a strong signal. Recently I became aware of a signal out of San Jose on 87.7 MHz which covers the East Bay extremely well. Why go to the expense of moving KLVS?

 

[w9wi]

Recently I became aware of a signal out of San Jose on 87.7 MHz which covers the East Bay extremely well. Why go to the expense of moving KLVS?

The 87.7 signal is not likely to live past the end of 2012.

It's not technically a radio station -- it's the sound side of a low-power TV station. These low-power stations were not bound by the mandatory digital conversion last summer -- yet. The FCC has said all along they will eventually require these stations to go digital, and last week they issued a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking proposing to do just that. They're suggesting a drop-dead date sometime in 2012. (exactly when they don't say)

Once it happens -- once all low-power TV stations are required to go digital -- the East Bay 87.7 signal will go digital and will no longer be audible on FM radios.

 

[DaveBayArea]

A while ago I did a Longley-Rice calculation of this station's real coverage & saved the .jpg here:

http://davencin.users.sonic.net/KSTN_Real_Coverage.JPG

Yes, indeed it covers Stockton just fine. In fact 107.3 is arguably one of the best signals in Northern California. There's nothing on that frequency for miles (except an LPFM in Occidental) and nobody runs HD on 107.5 or 107.1 either. If EMF were to move this closer to San Francisco they would still have to protect 106.9 (on Mt. Beacon) and 107.7 (on Mt. San Bruno). I'm sure it's short-spaced already, so they would be limited as to how much closer they could move to the Bay Area.

It would be a shame to have that wonderful grandfathered signal go away, but I can sure see them doing it. BTW - I hear the channel 6 FM is on Loma Prieta with 600 watts ERP. If that's true, the franken-FM is definitely providing some coverage. When KFAT/KWSS was there (as a full-power class B) they only ran 1100 watts IIRC. They also appear to be paying no attention to modulation. The 87.7 is significantly louder than the other FM's on the dial and quite distorted on my GM factory car radio.

Dave B.