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Washington KXLE-FM downgrade

The New Chico said:
Get some pretty odd bounces off the Chuckanut range at times. The three B'ham translators broadcast from tower 3 of KPUG's array on Sunset. Not super high nor super powerful, but there ya go. KPUG 97.9 doesn't compete against Seattle Class Cs (with HD) like 96.5 and 98.9- and it shows! They all have the same power but 96.5 and 98.9 are all about Jack and the Bull.
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Jack and The Bull......Sounds like a XXX movie they used to show at those sleaze theaters on 1st Ave in Seattle back in the day.

You won't get KOYS-LP, KZAX-LP or anything on an occupied Seattle frequency either in Burlington. LPFM power/height restrictions see that the Chuckanut Bounce is of no use to them. Plus the HD from KSWD and KUOW down here makes sure that's impossible. 97.9 was also one of the few clear in-between-stations spots up here for hundreds of miles, although a pretty tight squeeze.
 
No, no, wasn't it called "Jack and the Bull Do Pioneer Square"? Or was it Ballard?
 
Ironically, the thread's title is valid again. KXLE-FM has decided to skip the Yakima upgrade and go for an 18kw ERP C2 from a site between Cle Elum and Ellensburg , close to I-90. The proposed contour does not cover Yakima.

The KXLE-FM paperwork is here;


(The KXLE booster will not be needed.)

Contingent for this downgrade is an upgrade back to C3 status for KRHR Odell, (Hood River), Oregon at 95.1 .

The KRHR paperwork is here:

 
This is the original site at Lookout. Covers Kittitas County like a glove.
 
They might have gotten backlash from long-time locals and farmers that have relied on KXLE 95.3 for decades. And it's 2025, the ad revenue increase wouldn't be by much, I'm sure.
They were 51KW from that same site for decades. It will still cover west to Snoqualmie Pass before it dies and gets replaced by other weak western WA translators and Zed in Vancouver.
 
Perhaps the East Yakima planned destination site was not so great. Other customers needs, tower weight limits, even the local power grid can play havoc on plans to occupy a tower. At least the plans for KJET 105.7 on South Mountain still can move forward.
 
Andy Travis said:
Excellent, what religious broadcaster will be buying KJET?
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I've said it for months... I expect the South Sound will tune in 105.7 and find Positive Life Radio in the near-future. They have successfully moved into PDX via 104.5 White Salmon and the old WAY-FM translator. I have a good feeling they will march into the Puget Sound soon enough - even with heritage Spirit 105.3 in the market. PLR also expanded to Astoria a few years back.
RF has a good idea for a 2nd probability...maybe KKDZ 1250 (Punjabi) adds an FM simulcast.
 
crainbebo said:
I've said it for months... I expect the South Sound will tune in 105.7 and find Positive Life Radio in the near-future. They have successfully moved into PDX via 104.5 White Salmon and the old WAY-FM translator. I have a good feeling they will march into the Puget Sound soon enough - even with heritage Spirit 105.3 in the market....
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104.5 White Salmon and the old translator are apparently for sale. There's this listing at radiotvdeals,com (but sorry I do not have the cash.):

"NEW LISTING! Primary FM and same-channel translator. Very unique setup and well worth taking a look. There is no office/studio. A new owner would have the option of continuing to operate remotely or establishing their own office/studio. Total pop count is approximately 1,565,300 combined within the two, separated 60-dbu contours. That's F(50:90), not Longley-Rice. The best buyer might be a non-commercial broadcaster in order to take full advantage of the unique primary/translator arrangement. Asking price is $2.1 million. Must be all-cash."
 
That's very interesting! They have been touting about the success of their Christmas in July food drive. Many donations came from Portland. If the 104.5 is for sale, is PLR "cheerful on the air" but really in trouble?
 
KJET Union 105.7 must be on low power. The Orting CSN translator is dominating KJET along I-5 even in spots where KJET could be heard earlie4.
 
I noticed CSN already is planning for the big KJET 105.7 Union (South Mountain) upgrade. Their current 9-watt 105.7 Orting translator will shift to 94.5 and become K233DX at 11 watts ERP. So much for hearing Roxy 94.5 (Olympia-Shelton) in the Orting-Puyallup region.
 
I wonder how many listeners those small translators have these days. If you look at a list of say, all CSN's translators, at any given time I wonder what the total audience is given the wattage. I know larger translators can work but some of these seem like a cling to spectrum for little return.
 
CSN's audience is dedicated - they have affiliate churches - you can hear the 30-second hourly announcements with details about local church services, etc. CSN has a huge translator footprint in the Western US.
 
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I didn't know they used the window on the translators for local or regional announcements, as I'm not in audible range of one of their signals. That's smart, at least they're using it to its full ability.
 


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