San Marcos AM station is history...and there's more to the story

[jd]

I noticed an item today about KUOL 1470. The license for the station was turned in and the call letters were deleted.

Here's a link to a letter from the FCC to a Washington law firm about the status of the station and five others around Texas, owned under various company names associated with Paulino Bernal:
http://licensing.fcc.gov/cgi-bin/prod/cdbs/forms/prod/getimportletter_exh.cgi?import_letter_id=43677
The gist of the letter is that the FCC wanted proof (with several specific items) that each of the stations had actually been on the air within a specified 12 month period.

Here's the response to the inquiry from the FCC:

http://licensing.fcc.gov/cgi-bin/ws...efix=BR&App_Arn=20130401ASZ&Facility_id=60694

Apparently, rather than attempting to offer proof that any of the stations had been operating during the described period, it was decided that all six licenses would be returned to the FCC for cancellation.

 

[Mediafrog+]

Decades ago, as KCNY, this station was actually a locally originated full service small town station. The growth of FM did it in long ago, and the facility sputtered along for years before the plug was pulled. Of course there are hundreds of such stories out there.

 

[Anonymouse]

The last time I heard 1470 on the air it was late 2011, and it was just broadcasting dead air.
I bet if I tune to 98.9 in San Antonio right now, the group's legal ID will still say "KUOL 1470 AM San Marcos"...

 

[fredcantu]

The way San Marcos is growing they probably will get a better return by selling the transmitter site than operating the station. And IIRC they still have an FM translator in San Marcos.

 

[jd]

And IIRC they still have an FM translator in San Marcos.

That's right, it's K218CO on 91.5, listed as running just 10 watts ERP at about 128 feet. The antenna is actually closer to Kyle than San Marcos: https://maps.google.com/?q=http://t...=91.5&contour=60&city=SAN_MARCOS&state=TX.kml

The primary station for the translator is shown to be KCZO in Carrizo Springs, as is the case for 14 other translators in Texas and California.

 

[Anonymouse]

The primary station for the translator is shown to be KCZO in Carrizo Springs, as is the case for 14 other translators in Texas and California.

How can a California translator retransmit a station in TX?


Also the last time I was up around New Braunfels/San Marcos area I did hear a 91.5, it was playing the audio of CSN but it was pretty overdriven. One good thing about it though was that it was nice otherwise, no horrible compression like what they use on their stations down here in San Antonio. Here the CSN stations sound way too compressed making me not want to listen too much.

 

[dougw9wi]

How can a California translator retransmit a station in TX?

By satellite, I suppose

Seriously, the FCC allows a translator to relay any station, anywhere, as long as:

- The translator operates below 92MHz.
- The station it relays is non-commercial.
- The translator is commonly owned with the station it relays.

Which explains why I heard an EAS alert for a severe thunderstorm warning in Marin & Sonoma Counties, California while driving through Meridian, Mississippi...

 

[jd]

How can a California translator retransmit a station in TX?

The same way a non-commercial station in Twin Falls, Idaho (the best example) can feed translators via satellite. The rule for retransmission of an over the air signal doesn't apply if the translator is in the non-commercial band.

Also the last time I was up around New Braunfels/San Marcos area I did hear a 91.5, it was playing the audio of CSN

The one in New Braunfels is a Calvary Chapel translator, running 230 watts, and they're the reason the one in San Marcos has such low power.

 

[bturner]

This San Marcos station has always been a tough haul. As a low wattage station it covered little. Economically it suffered with many merchants wanting the college students and others wanting the locals. You were forced to choose and could not have it all. With both Austin and San Antonio radio easily received in the community, it was tough to get a sizable audience to support a survivable spot rate to offer the service/localism required to get that small audience.

I worked for the company that had owned the station. It was always the station they wished they hadn't purchased. In the end when the son of one of the partners took over, he started leasing stations and selling the rest, something he regrets as he learned after selling them all that he loved radio.