KSMB App to Move To Baton Rouge Market

[txchipk]

Interesting application on the FCC site this morning... KSMB has applied to change from its current Lafayette-licenses facilities to a new facility, licensed to Baker. New tower site is the one between Baton Rouge and Lafayette. As noted in the application, it would make it part of the Cumulus Baton Rouge cluster.

Here is the application: https://licensing.fcc.gov/cgi-bin/w...xt=25&appn=101447400&formid=301&fac_num=41057

Previous owner Citadel filed last year to put KRDJ 93.7 in a trust since it was over the Lafayette ownership limits. KRDJ then filed to change city of license to Zachary, making it -- for FCC purposes -- in the Baton Rouge market. That application is still pending.

If the KSMB app is approved and it is moved, KRDJ could return to now-Cumulus and stay in the Lafayette market. If both the KSMB and KRDJ applications are approved, it seems like Cumulus would be over the limit in Baton Rouge (FMs would be KRDJ, WEMX, KSMB, WCDV, KQXL-FM) unless it has further plans (perhaps re-engineer WCDV towards the New Orleans market, where Cumulus is under the market cap?).

Anyone know what the plan is?

 

[Fieldtech1]

Its definitely an unexpected move. Why mess with the strongest station (billing and signal)in your cluster. I will definitely check around for the scoop.

 

[chriscollins]

That is very odd indeed.

 

[smashedcd]

Awsome flip it to AOR as K94 KSMB and make 93.7 top 40!

 

[jd]

(perhaps re-engineer WCDV towards the New Orleans market, where Cumulus is under the market cap?).

That would run into a short-space problem with WOSM 103.1 Ocean Springs MS, which currently has a CP to upgrade to a class C1.

 

[RFLA]

Yeah but one, the FCC has granted short spaces before depending upon how short spaced it is (I wanna say less than 20km they allow it)
also , 103.3 can catch seek in Kenner and metarie so technically do a 104.1 and claim it for another market like CC did

RFLA

 

[Fieldtech1]

WCDV could possibly downgrade their class to C0 (C-Zero) Class and transmit from the vacherie tower. If they combine into the 92.3/104.1 antenna they could run at 45kw from 2000'

here an approximation of what the coverage might look like.
http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/822/wcdv.jpg/

 

[stevenNOLA]

Is the point to move KSMB's signal out of Lake Charles since they now have sister stations there and keeping KRDJ becomes a fringe benefit?

 

[RFLA]

WCDV could possibly downgrade their class to C0 (C-Zero) Class and transmit from the vacherie tower. If they combine into the 92.3/104.1 antenna they could run at 45kw from 2000'

here an approximation of what the coverage might look like.
http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/822/wcdv.jpg/

I was reading on the radio info newsletter that the fcc is trying to shortchange some of these rural moves to the city (Too Late for 107.5) but the vacherie tower is too far from even your work for city grade... that's why 92.3 is technically Laplace and 104.1 is technically Houma. But wonder if they could engineer by moving to move the signal closer to NOLA but still keep the city grade over Hammond like say a Ponchitula tower?

 

[Johnny Marchese]

Now that this bringing another top 40 to B.R. happens, does CC possibly tinker with the idea to move WJBO to FM in a translator type move to compete with WBRP? Or change formats on WFMF? Also does someone try to fill the Lafayette void flipping to Top 40?

 

[RFLA]

technically I think they may still feed Lafayette..Sort of like Rock 93.7 with it's proposed moved to Zackary

 

[Fieldtech1]

The FCC denied KRDJs move a few weeks ago, perhaps thats why they applied to move KSMB, so that they dont have to shed any stations? To me it would have been more fesable to move a station like KXKC vs KSMB out of market without a tower move since it already hits a good portion of the Baton Rouge dma with a 60dbu signal. They could change COL to Grosse Tete or Maringouin as first aural service and hit those towns with a 70dbu signal from the parks tower.