KQV to go off air after Dec 31

[sparks]

I'll have to take your word for it.
I hope KQV goes back on the air again with an all News format, on a better signal, with affordable terms and expenses

Hopefully it will go back on the air. I doubt it will have a news format. That is a little too expensive these days. There is little chance it will have a better signal but who knows. The new owner will need to co-locate or build a new site. How much would anyone invest into an AM station these days. I'm not sure what you mean by affordable term and expenses. Two of the interested parties have existing transmitter sites so their operating expenses would be low. I do not already own a site as I sold my site a couple of years ago. I would need to co-locate on an existing AM tower somewhere in the area. I have a couple of options so I'm not concerned.

I only hope the new owner keeps the KQV call letters.

 

[ixnay]

Sorry I'm late to the party (I discovered this thread this morning), but had there been rumors (loud or otherwise) around PGH that KQV was on life support? (I've rarely been in western PA in my lifetime; the closest in recent years was Cresson, PA in 2014)

ixnay

 

[PHIL Z]

Prior to 1947 KQV Was 1000 W full time sharing towers with 1320 on Crane ave.

 

[davideduardo]

I'll have to take your word for it.
I hope KQV goes back on the air again with an all News format, on a better signal, with affordable terms and expenses

Scott Fybush occasionally visits these boards, and he can give his far more knowledgable estimate of what it would take to get KQV back on the air from a different site.

The original station was 1 kw non-directional. But to go to 5 kw, it became directional. The pattern was such that it located to the NNW of downtown, with most of the power going over the city. That was great at the time, as urban sprawl hand not outgrown the signal... yet.

To move to another transmitter site, they need to observe the "new" rules as to protection of other stations on 1410 and adjacent channels. These rules are stricter, and could mean a reduction of power (and coverage). And diplexing a directional station into existing towers is very expensive.

Or, they can try to go non-directional, using less power. 1 kw or under daytime, and perhaps a couple of hundred watts (if lucky) at night.

So, let's really speculate: what could a station on the pretty miserable 1410 do with, let's say, 800 non-directional watts daytime and 200 watts at night?

 

[TheBigA]

So, let's really speculate: what could a station on the pretty miserable 1410 do with, let's say, 800 non-directional watts daytime and 200 watts at night?

The problem with the directional signal is the antenna array needed. That gets expensive.

Does the reach justify the expense? Probably not.

I sense these bidders are aware of the finances, and are adjusting their offers accordingly.

 

[gr8oldies]

There are adequate evangelical and Catholic stations in Pittsburgh apparently. I don't know what the ethnic component, if any, is. Oldies? Sure, if you could run as lean as WDJO and had a backer like the auto dealership in Cincinnati. Otherwise, maybe every AM can't or shouldn't be saved. I don't know if KQV's complete absence would allow WING to loosen it's night pattern to cover Xenia and Springfield or not.

 

[CTListener]

I don't know what the ethnic component, if any, is.

In the 2010 census, the city was overwhelmingly non-Hispanic white and African-American. Hispanics of either race were only 2.3 percent while Asians constituted just 4.4 percent. It has unusually large Italian, Ukrainian and Croatian communities, and a big part of its white population is of German extraction, although most have been in this country for many generations and are 100 percent assimilated. Whether a leased ethnic format would work there is anyone's guess, but that would seem to be the only choice other than becoming another teach-preach-and-beg station or pulling some third-tier right-wing talkers and self-help/financial hosts off the birds and run on a shoestring.

 

[joebtsflk1]

So, let's really speculate: what could a station on the pretty miserable 1410 do with, let's say, 800 non-directional watts daytime and 200 watts at night?

It's hard from a midwesterner's perspective to think that any of the former regional channels are "miserable" but with PA's bad ground conductivity, anything above 1000 kHz is probably worthless unless you've got at least 5 kW. Just an eyeball comparison, but looking at Radio-Locator's coverage maps I'd say WBGG Pittsburgh's 5 kW on 970 is roughly equivalent to KGYM's 5 kW on 1600 in the better ground conductivity of Iowa.

A thought: Pittsburgh Public Media operates a class D, 1 kW-D, .004 kW-N on 1550, jazz formatted WZUM which is about 7 miles east of downtown. True, WZUM has a fairly potent FM translator near downtown PGH, but a second AM station placed in the northern or western burbs would compliment WZUM's coverage. That could be a good fit for KQV's future, assuming anyone at Pittsburgh Public Media is paying attention.

 

[TheBigA]

That could be a good fit for KQV's future, assuming anyone at Pittsburgh Public Media is paying attention.

From what I can see, they're operating with a pretty tight budget. Not a lot of expendable cash for a purchase plus all the additional cost for towers and such.

 

[gr8oldies]

My understanding is Pittsburgh Public Media was interested in WZUM because of translator possibilities. If there's no available translator for 1410, I doubt they'd go for it

 

[semoochie]

It's hard from a midwesterner's perspective to think that any of the former regional channels are "miserable" but with PA's bad ground conductivity, anything above 1000 kHz is probably worthless unless you've got at least 5 kW. Just an eyeball comparison, but looking at Radio-Locator's coverage maps I'd say WBGG Pittsburgh's 5 kW on 970 is roughly equivalent to KGYM's 5 kW on 1600 in the better ground conductivity of Iowa.

A thought: Pittsburgh Public Media operates a class D, 1 kW-D, .004 kW-N on 1550, jazz formatted WZUM which is about 7 miles east of downtown. True, WZUM has a fairly potent FM translator near downtown PGH, but a second AM station placed in the northern or western burbs would compliment WZUM's coverage. That could be a good fit for KQV's future, assuming anyone at Pittsburgh Public Media is paying attention.

Aren't they still regional channels?

 

[joebtsflk1]

I was thinking "Class III"when I typed "regional"....

 

[joebtsflk1]

From what I can see, they're operating with a pretty tight budget. Not a lot of expendable cash for a purchase plus all the additional cost for towers and such.

We'd have to assume that the Dickey family would be donating the license, or taking just a nominal amount. Otherwise, you're right.

 

[TheBigA]

We'd have to assume that the Dickey family would be donating the license, or taking just a nominal amount. Otherwise, you're right.

Even if you assume that, consider how much money it will cost to do the engineering and construction for the new towers (plural). That could cost more than the value of the license and equipment.

 

[FreddyE1977]

Given how bad the current 5KW array covers, a non-D signal, even at a lower power level, may cover okay.

I can get the current night signal of 1360 WGBN at my house now. Never used to under the old arrangement.

 

[PHIL Z]

I can get the current night signal of 1360 WGBN at my house now. Never used to under the old arrangement.

What area do you live? We used to get 1360's Static nighttime signal in the North Hills area, now nothing.

 

[PHIL Z]

I was thinking "Class III"when I typed "regional"....

1400 is in Wheeling with a good signal into southern Allegheny county. 1450 is in Washington about 20 miles South. 1230 and 1240 out Because of 1250 Pittsburgh. We have a 1320 and 1360 in allegheny county so 1340 out.

 

[PHIL Z]

1230 Beaver Falls, 1490 East Liverpool both with signals into Allegheny county.

 

[cingram]

So, let's really speculate: what could a station on the pretty miserable 1410 do with, let's say, 800 non-directional watts daytime and 200 watts at night?

200 watts is probably generous. KQV's present directional array radiates about 30 watts in the direction of WING 1410 Dayton at night. That is likely a good guess as to what nighttime power level they could use, non-directional.

C

 

[PHIL Z]

WING has an STA for 1250 watts nighttime Non directional due to pattern switching problems. With KQV off could they go fulltime non directional?