Cumulus has canceled the license for KVEN-AM Ventura.
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KVEN-AM Ventura
- Thread starter Frequency1
- Start date
That has to be one of the simplest type AM stations to maintain. Why not sell it? I get that AM radio is in peril, but why turn in a license for a class C non directional AM? I'm surprised someone like Relevant wouldn't want it.
The ASRs are in the name of Abella Properties, LLC. I guess the land is worth more than the station.
That
That’s what long wires are for…lol. I understand the argument of about land value, but again this is a Non-directional AM and they could put up a long wire to keep it alive under and STA.
Directional stations that require complex arrays and multiple sites are understandable candidates for deletions. I’m guessing Cumulus didn’t want to be bothered with any effort at all.
That’s what long wires are for…lol. I understand the argument of about land value, but again this is a Non-directional AM and they could put up a long wire to keep it alive under and STA.
Directional stations that require complex arrays and multiple sites are understandable candidates for deletions. I’m guessing Cumulus didn’t want to be bothered with any effort at all.
I wonder if the Los Angeles Dodgers will get a new affiliate for their radio network in the Oxnard-Ventura radio market now that KVEN is gone.
I remember when KVEN programmed a 50s/60s oldies format as “The Boomer.” I would listen to it every summer when vacationing in Ojai. I’ll never forget the voice of Wolfman Jack reading the TOH ID: “KVEN Ventura/Oxnard.”
EDIT: Found the answer to my own question. Wikipedia says that KVYB-FM 106.3 in Oak View will be the new Ventura County affiliate of the Dodgers Radio Network.
I remember when KVEN programmed a 50s/60s oldies format as “The Boomer.” I would listen to it every summer when vacationing in Ojai. I’ll never forget the voice of Wolfman Jack reading the TOH ID: “KVEN Ventura/Oxnard.”
EDIT: Found the answer to my own question. Wikipedia says that KVYB-FM 106.3 in Oak View will be the new Ventura County affiliate of the Dodgers Radio Network.
Last edited:
Cumulus Surrenders KVEN; Dodgers Move To FM - RadioInsight
radioinsight.com
Here is more.
RIP KVEN. When I lived in LA, I often drove through Ventura, Santa Barbara and SLO counties for work. KVEN was usually the first station I would seek out once I left LA county.
I can't imagine giving away those call letters. It would be like giving away KLAC or KFI.
The only real reason I think they shut it down and cancelled the license, is that knowing Cumulus' reputation for slash and burn broadcast management, it's just another way of eliminating any kind of competition. Cumulus is known to buy a station, fire all of the air personalities, replace morning drive with cheaper air personalities, and either automate or pickup the rest of the day-parts off of a satellite or both. The fact that they turned the freq in to the FCC rather than sell it cheap or even give it to a non-profit or other community group that could use it as a community voice proves to me that know the station has value, and given the opportunity they'd shut down all stations in the market except their own if they could find a legal away to do so.
There are a bunch of LP FM's in VC with various formats. This shows a real need for other voices besides mainstream broadcasting. The LP FM's each serve only a few miles. Just think what somebody or a community group with a little imagination could do with a basic 1000 watt ND AM signal on 1450 whose daytime signal actually serves all of Ventura County along with Santa Barbara. I think the only reason a company like Cumulus would give this back to the gov't is simply because they don't want anyone else to have it.
They might have lost the land that the towers were on? KCOD in Palm Desert was given to the local college and they turned in their 1450 license as well.
Many companies turn in the license to prevent another radio entity selling against them. Eliminating an entity from the advertising pie means the whole market is healthier.
I doubt many LPFMs could handle the cost of operation and associated costs involved in running an AM. The vast majority of LPFM stations are operating on budgets of under $5,000 a year.
It is possible the tower site land exceeds the financial potential of the station.
I doubt many LPFMs could handle the cost of operation and associated costs involved in running an AM. The vast majority of LPFM stations are operating on budgets of under $5,000 a year.
It is possible the tower site land exceeds the financial potential of the station.
It might be, but the station could be operated with a simple top-loaded wire antenna, and a solid state 1kw Xmitter in a closet. Coverage wouldn't be as good as a 1/4 wave tower with ground radials, but it would be within limits and cover the metro.
A "flat top" or "inverted L" are all going to be a small fraction of a wavelength, and likely will have a very steeply incline j on the two sidebands. 1400 only covered a part of the country daytime with a "real" antenna and at night it was lost within 10 to 12 miles of the site. With a wire antenna it is improbable that it would have a good ground or counterpoise.
Some markets still have good AM "anchors" that bring people to AM. Ventura Country does not.
I think you're right David, but I believe the folks at 1590 KVTA might disagree with your last statement.
Who said a community group would want it? Up where i am, a group got a CP for a 10KW AM up on a tall mountain... sodl the permit, got a 100 watt lpfm later on and are happy... the 10kw wouldve been too expensive. you assume someone would want the AM
I think you mean a 10kw FM. You would not put an AM station on top of a tall mountain. The relatively long wave length (compared to FM) of an AM station requires a good ground plane for maximum coverage
I know of many, many AMs that have been built on the sides or top of mountains. In fact, when I owned stations in Ecuador, in Quito all 30 AMs were on mountainsides or on top of a mountain. Only in later years did some stations locate far from the city on flatter land.
But up and down the Andes, there are and were stations on mountains.
My favorite was the Venevision Radio Caracas station, 100 kw on 950, which leveled the top of a small mountain peak and built their site on it. There were no better sites.
Sorry, yes I did... fat fingers
KVTA in 25-54 gets less than a 0.5 share That is hardly an AM magnet.
Oxnard/Ventura has about the lowest local AM share in the nation... below a 4 share and often below a 3 share.
Presumably that's partly due to the fact that virtually the entire Spanish speaking market has migrated to FM. At one time 910 KOXR had a large audience but no more except for Dodger Baaeball.
I'm glad it worked for you. 50 years ago 1500kHz in Burbank did that and it was a disaster. 10kw yielding 500 watt coverage by day and uncontrollable skywave at night. KSTP in the Twin Cities got the FCC to make them drop their night power to a kw.
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