KTRB/860 Now Silent...

[BossRadioDJ]

I drove past the "old" KTRB/860 towers outside of Oakdale (or is it Escalon?) on Friday, and the thought jumped into my mind that the station's move to San Francisco should begin in earnest soon. Oddly enough, the station went off the air yesterday (June 19) and the new KMPH/840 will begin broadcasting in its place starting this Sunday.

The new Modesto 840 station had originally been assigned KPMP as its call letters, but will instead be using KMPH, complementing Pappas' TV station (Channel 26) in Fresno.

According to John Higdon in ba.broadcast, they are in the process of tuning the studio-to-transmitter link from San Francisco to KTRB's new nighttime site near Livermore. According to someone I've spoken to that is close to the project, we'll probably hear KTRB/860 performing tests in the next month or so.

KMPH/840 *could* start testing in the next day or so, if it hasn't already...

Nothing new at KTRB's website, however: http://www.ktrb860.com/

D.J.

 

[newsperson]

This is really a huge project! Imagine building a 50 KW multi-tower array near Infineon Raceway for daytime coverage and then having to build another multi-tower 50 KW array near Livermore for nighttime coverage. To top this off, both facilites must be completed before you can file a license to cover with the FCC.

Of course that means at least three STL systems, one to get to a line of sight point out of San Francisco then two others to get to each different site. Then you will need your AM audio processing at each transmitter site, one side of a remote control and tower phase indicators for each tower at each site.

Plus you (I mean Harry) will pay a monthly land lease cost (or purchase cost) at each site, insurance and maintence at each site. The only cost that is not additional is the power bill. Yes you have two bills except when one 50KW transmitter is on the other one is off. Except there is the cost run the tower lights and air conditioning in each building.

The FCC annual fee should be the same.

If an owner does not need money, is not worried about spending millions of dollars before realizing any revenue, then this could be a really great facility.

So how about some comments on the transmitter sites and how you think the real world coverage will be?

Even though the city grade coverage includes San Francisco both day and night, due to the distance I wonder how it will really be?

How about programing? The only network shows I have noticed are already on in San Francisco. Money talk (KGO), Handle on the Law (KNEW). Besides a good signal in a competitive market you need a compeling reason for listeners to tune in.

Any ideas on what the could do for programing, should do for programing, or what they may really do in order to save money?

I look forward to your comments.

CK

 

[BossRadioDJ]

This is really a huge project!... You (I mean Harry) will pay a monthly land lease cost (or purchase cost) at each site, insurance and maintence at each site. The only cost that is not additional is the power bill. Yes you have two bills except when one 50KW transmitter is on the other one is off. Except there is the cost run the tower lights and air conditioning in each building.

If I understand everything correctly, the power bill at the "Livermore Hills" (nighttime) site will actually be for diesel -- the site is so remote that it isn't served with electricity by PG&E, and will be run instead on diesel generators. As for tower lights, apparently it was engineered so that the towers are short enough that they are below the FCC and FAA requirements for needing lights.

As for the STL, add one more hop to the process, beyond just to the Northbay site, the Livermore site and the main studio link in San Francisco; according to John Higdon in ba.broadcast, the link to the nighttime site has to be "bounced" off an additional relay tower on Sunol Ridge due to the lack of line-of-sight.

I'm hoping that Pappas doesn't go with a mix of canned (out of market) talk programming and brokered stuff, but the scuttlebutt is that this is the way they'll go on 860. With KGO dominating talk radio locally, and with KSFO, KNEW, KQKE and KNTS picking up the leftovers (oops, did I forget Free FM?), and with the Asian and Spanish-language radio market already approaching saturation, I hope that they'll do something more creative.

My gut instinct -- and how often has that been wrong? -- tells me that the new big city version of KTRB/860 will be run on a shoestring. I don't have high expectations. And I hope, as I always do, that I'm wrong and they'll do something dazzling, the way I hoped Free FM would.

D.J.

 

[RadioStarOne]

Run on a shoestring until it is sold to another broadcasting company! I bet

 

[MikeAmatori]

A minor correction DJ...The leftover stations should not include KSFO. Rush, Laura, Sean, Levin...Lee Rodgers, Brian Sussman are not leftovers.
These are the top of the syndication heep and highley rated local shows.
In fact,Todays ARBs put KGO at #1 and KSFO at #4. with a 9.5 total share.

You may, however, place KNEW,KQKE,KNTS in that group. One highly rated show,
Savage, does not make KNEW 1st string.

KTRB will just be another junk pile of 3rd string syndication and infomercials. Next year they will most likely get the A's, since their VP of broadcasting appeared before the Livermore and County Gov. folks stating that "They, Livermore, needed a station like KTRB to better serve the community...oh and as an outlet for major league baseball too."

 

[newsperson]

KTRB will just be another junk pile of 3rd string syndication and infomercials. Next year they will most likely get the A's, since their VP of broadcasting appeared before the Livermore and County Gov. folks stating that "They, Livermore, needed a station like KTRB to better serve the community...oh and as an outlet for major league baseball too."

Newsperson replies:

So Ken Preis from the A's spoke on behalf of Pappas.....It is possible that the Oakland A's and Harry Pappas could get together on price for buying/selling KTRB? One party wants to sell high (Pappas) and the other party (A's) wants to pay low.

Imagine instead of a three and one half hour baseball game broadcasting seven hours now as they sometimes do now with pre-game, post-game, wrap-up, extra innings and more post games they could repeat the game at midnight like the Giants do and run the A's 24-hours a day!

I have heard that Harry Pappas does have a general manager selected already, so there may be more longer term plans and vision for programing than we realize. Although it is just funny to think of the new 860 Khz. at San Francisco broadcasting "all Oakland A's all the time!"

So what are your thoughts on this?

CK

 

[BossRadioDJ]

A minor correction DJ...The leftover stations should not include KSFO. Rush, Laura, Sean, Levin...Lee Rodgers, Brian Sussman are not leftovers.

You are correct, sir. KSFO does serve a distinct and sizeable audience, and does not serve leftovers.

I think my comment was directed more toward KTRB coming into a market and battling for an audience that is "less big" due to the presence of both KGO and an already crowded group of established, if not dominant, competitors. If KTRB stays with a talk format once it moves into the Bay Area, it'll be interesting to see what they'll do differently -- especially after watching Free FM stumbling from the starting line during its first six months.

D.J.

 

[MikeAmatori]

Dear Newsperson, The A's buying KTRB? It works only if you can come up with somthing to fill in the the time around those 162 7 1/2 hr Broadcasts. Not to mention the 203 days without baseball. Trouble with owing your own station, you need to have content to fill it up with...And don't say they can go all sports, cause they can't, at least not easily or cheaply. You would need a fair ammount of personel to man a radio station, sales, production, engineering etc...Not to mention a studio build out. You see the A's get all those services for free when they hook up with an existing station. It's part of their deal. The A's don't produce anything
for the broadcast, they supply a broadcast that needs to be produced. Ask KSFO,
KNEW, KFRC, KABL, KYCY etc.

 

[paulsecic]

A minor correction DJ...The leftover stations should not include KSFO. Rush, Laura, Sean, Levin...Lee Rodgers, Brian Sussman are not leftovers.
These are the top of the syndication heep and highley rated local shows.
In fact,Todays ARBs put KGO at #1 and KSFO at #4. with a 9.5 total share.

You may, however, place KNEW,KQKE,KNTS in that group. One highly rated show,
Savage, does not make KNEW 1st string.

KTRB will just be another junk pile of 3rd string syndication and infomercials. Next year they will most likely get the A's, since their VP of broadcasting appeared before the Livermore and County Gov. folks stating that "They, Livermore, needed a station like KTRB to better serve the community...oh and as an outlet for major league baseball too."

I doubt KTRB will amount to much with all the talkers. Probably be mostly brokered junk

 

[BossRadioDJ]

Re: KMPH/840 Now Testing

The latest step in this process: KMPH/840 began testing today, running their transmitter with open carrier and legal IDs every ten minutes or so.

If you tune in, be patient, but you'll hear them ID regularly.

The birth of a new station!

D.J.

 

[apco25]

Re: KMPH/840 Now Testing

The latest step in this process: KMPH/840 began testing today, running their transmitter with open carrier and legal IDs every ten minutes or so.

If you tune in, be patient, but you'll hear them ID regularly.

The birth of a new station!

D.J.

Yes the birth of another AM the listening public doesn't need.

 

[sfradio]

The latest step in this process: KMPH/840 began testing today, running their transmitter with open carrier and legal IDs every ten minutes or so.

If you tune in, be patient, but you'll hear them ID regularly.

The birth of a new station!

D.J.

Yes the birth of another AM the listening public doesn't need.

yeah, when we have the no listener 1550 and 1510

 

[BossRadioDJ]

Yes the birth of another AM the listening public doesn't need.

No, KMPH/840 will continue to serve the listening public that KTRB formerly served in Modesto. KTRB had a specific niche audience that it was serving there, and the indication is that KMPH will carry on with that.

But you can save your comment and re-use it when it comes time for KTRB/860 to start testing...

D.J.

 

[ajhenderson]

I have always said the FCC caused the brokered programming you here all despise, and this proves my point. There is no need or viable market for a new AM in the Bay Area, so if everyone's so against leftover programming, you should blame the FCC for allowing the facility modification

 

[Tom_KYA1260]

I can just say they'd better be good.




How about programing? The only network shows I have noticed are already on in San Francisco. Money talk (KGO), Handle on the Law (KNEW). Besides a good signal in a competitive market you need a compeling reason for listeners to tune in.

Any ideas on what the could do for programing, should do for programing, or what they may really do in order to save money?

I look forward to your comments.

CK






[/quote]

 

[paulsecic]

I can just say they'd better be good.




How about programing? The only network shows I have noticed are already on in San Francisco. Money talk (KGO), Handle on the Law (KNEW). Besides a good signal in a competitive market you need a compeling reason for listeners to tune in.

Any ideas on what the could do for programing, should do for programing, or what they may really do in order to save money?

I look forward to your comments.

CK

[/quote]Shut it down.

 

[LKellerIII]

I, too am having a hard time getting excited about yet another AM talk station running syndicated programming. Is it too soon to predict the return of the Don Imus to morning drive? Be still, my heart...

 

[nickgilbert]

I, too am having a hard time getting excited about yet another AM talk station running syndicated programming. Is it too soon to predict the return of the Don Imus to morning drive? Be still, my heart...

he IS in morning drive on KVON 1440

 

[LKellerIII]

And I believe Imus was on a Vallejo based AM station for awhile between KPIX and KYCY. I was referring to the SF market.

 

[RadioStarOne]

Re: KTRB/860 Now Silent...KMPH 840

KMPH 840 has now launched their new format of Talk and Music with Class...."Adult Standards." Have you heard it yet?