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KPLU Intent to sell to KUOW

Kelly A said:
As BigA rightfully pointed out, Pacific Lutheran University is a private college and handles their financial dealings accordingly.
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What was more interesting was the Miami story, where the actual Board of Trustees wasn't in the loop, and got the station sold out from under them.

The point is, if you're at a radio station that is owned by a private college, and the station isn't paying 100% of its cost, it's likely that the school will sell the station to another, more powerful institution. Typically, it's a well-endowed community licensee, like KEXP. It can and does happen without any warning. I can think of at least a dozen examples in just the last few years.
 
To that point, I'm betting stations like KNHC (Seattle Public Schools) and KBCS (Bellevue Community College) are vulnerable to something like this. If a private college that has invested a lot of money into broadcasting is pulling the ripcord, imagine what a community college and school district is thinking about now? Cut losses and put whatever funds into something more in their wheelhouse while they can.
 
FMSteve said:
I don't think it would be advisable to move KUOW up to Tiger. The reason is that the Tiger signals have so much multipath and a few shadows bouncing around here in Downtown Seattle and also along I-5 from Tukwila to Seattle, as well as stretches of I-405 from Newport Hills through Renton. A far better move, and one I advocated 2 years ago on this board, is for KUOW to move to Cougar Mtn. At Cougar you have direct line-of-sight into the heart of Seattle (and the Eastside). KUOW's core audience is in the Seattle-Bellevue-Mercer Island areas with the older, professional/managerial-class folks. Cougar fits the bill to get a better signal out of the frequency. Electricity costs would be much less then what they have now going from 100,000 watts down to maybe 50 Kilowatts. I probably would keel over dead after reading their current, monthly Seattle City Light bill (at their Madison site).

Yes, you can supplement your signal with low-power translators but that in of itself is not a proper solution. The reason for this is that the translators, though useful for in-car listening, probably aren't a good strategy for delivering a strong, quality signal to your bedside nightstand radio. Many people, including myself, wake up to KUOW and I doubt a low-power translator offers good penetration into homes. There are exceptions, like the 250 watt grandfathered West Seattle translator, though in that case the smart choice would be to continue rebroadcasting KPLU to catch all those living along the westerly ridge from West Seattle all through Normandy Park and onward to Federal Way and North Tacoma.

But then of course lies the dilemma. Both main-line signals, 88.5 and 94.9 do not do well on that westerly swath of land described above. This is mostly Puget Sound view property with expensive homes and a corresponding professional/managerial class of listeners.

Should KUOW desire to be serious about delivering a top-notch news product as well as gaining a larger share of the radio market, they will have to seriously consider moving their transmit site higher in HAAT (Height Above Average Terrain) to Cougar Mtn.

Before TV there was RADIO. We must never forget this fact. Even though KCTS Channel 9 owns the tower which holds KUOW, it was KUOW that had the radio service before TV was invented. TV Channel 9 was at one time licensed by the University of Washington (along with KUOW). I am absolutely positive that there is a "sweetheart" deal regarding KUOW leasing on the KCTS tower. I would venture to guess that there is no payment (or maybe just utilities and a pro-rata share of the real estate taxes) due to KCTS each month. Perhaps someone on this board knows the answer to this question.

So, though agonizing for KUOW, they must absolutely consider moving their transmit site up to Cougar. If this signal is going to be the only full-service NPR signal in the market, they must do this.
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Really??? There was radio before TV? Who would've thought! Honestly Steve, no need to be condescending.
 
Kelly A said:
To that point, I'm betting stations like KNHC (Seattle Public Schools) and KBCS (Bellevue Community College) are vulnerable to something like this.
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It depends on the financial commitment. Most high school stations that I'm aware of have been sold. Hard to justify radio over textbooks and teachers.
 
IF SPS sells KNHC someday, maybe they could sell it to WSU (NWPR) so that there still can be some competition for KUOW/NPR provided content in greater Seattle.
 
KUOW has a morning drive opening. Here's the chance for everyone who says they know and can do better to put your demo where your mouth is.
 
Kelly A said:
What confounds me is why some here would think that KUOW would want to pay expensive rent on either Cougar/Tiger Mt. locations. The University of Washington will eventually be on the hook for paying rent to Entercom for the KPLU's main and backup sites on Cougar and Tiger anyway. Why would they want to move KUOW? Makes zero sense.
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Kelly is right about the KPLU Aux site at Cougar. It's on the KNHC tower owned by American Tower, ID# 1056824 at 388 HAAT. So if PLU already is paying tower rent here, then upon consummation of the sale, KUOW might very well be able to re-tune those antenna's and broadcast KUOW off of Cougar without much trouble.

At the very least they could file an STA and do some testing of the new signal.
 
If you all are speculating about KNHC, I would also speculate about KMIH. Since that thing moved to 88.9, it has become very automated.
 
bobdavcav said:
If you all are speculating about KNHC, I would also speculate about KMIH. Since that thing moved to 88.9, it has become very automated.
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It has nothing to do with automation Bob. KNHC and KBCS broadcast from Cougar Mt. with almost full market signals. KMIH? Sandbox.
 
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Kelly A said:
It has nothing to do with automation Bob. KNHC and KBCS broadcast from Cougar Mt. with almost full market signals. KMIH? Sandbox.
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I guess that makes sense. Certainly KMIH would be far less valuable than KNHC or KBCS, but I'm not sure if the increased automation at KMIH which may or may not be a result of financial problems, could be a precursor to a sail of the station.
 
bobdavcav said:
I guess that makes sense. Certainly KMIH would be far less valuable than KNHC or KBCS, but I'm not sure if the increased automation at KMIH which may or may not be a result of financial problems, could be a precursor to a sail of the station.
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Pirate station KMIH!
 
KXA said:
Pirate station KMIH!
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Remember, KMIH is not going to be associated with the new station on 101.1, KDXB...the idea from 101.1 is that the applicant designed the station so it is "completely independent of Hot Jamz (radio)" to allow fundraising, volunteers, and listener participation in the station which is apparently NOT allowed at 88.9/94.5.

According to this applicant, KDXB and KMIH will be completely separate. Apparently because KMIH is owned by Mercer Island Schools and KDXB is owned by "Friends of KMIH", both are OK to be at the same studio locations and essentially "co-owned"

That being said, the 94.5 translator along with its 88.9 originator is worth some fat cash. No offense to all of us radio nerds, but something tells me less students are interested in radio as a career...therefore this equals less participation at KMIH over the past 5-7 years.

Instead of completely dumping the signal to the protest of several wealthy taxpayers, they will wait until the share-time LP station signs on, then dump KMIH and 94.5. They can use the 101.1 station to allow students to learn radio, and keep the basic bills paid by setting up an annuity with the proceeds of the 88.9/94.5 sale.

Now, if that were the case, who would bite on those signals? NWPR and KSER really seem to be the only folks who would get a use out of em and/or want 'em...

Radio-X
 
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The Robin and Maynard line cracked me up. How about running some of my old airchecks of me screaming Hungry For Hits?
I was actually on KUOW in 1965-66 doing a program called Editor Speaks -- we read editorials from various newspapers. That was a real audience grabber\
 
KMIH is a poor man's KQMV. I hardly heard ANY student DJ's on there when I was in Seattle. You'd think they would have all types of local programming and high school sports. Most of the time it was a jukebox of top 40.
I don't get "Friends of KMIH"...
On the other hand, Bellevue High School's KASB has more student DJs and student programs. One of the very few stations in the Northwest where 16 year olds can get on the air and play tunes.
 
crainbebo said:
KMIH is a poor man's KQMV. I hardly heard ANY student DJ's on there when I was in Seattle. You'd think they would have all types of local programming and high school sports. Most of the time it was a jukebox of top 40.
I don't get "Friends of KMIH"...
On the other hand, Bellevue High School's KASB has more student DJs and student programs. One of the very few stations in the Northwest where 16 year olds can get on the air and play tunes.
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Struggling to understand what KMIH has to do with KPLU sale.
 
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