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Seattle LPFM roundup

Nope.

KGHO-LP is the LPFM Licensed to "Grays Harbor LPFM", in Hoquiam. All the translators are licensed to "Northwest Rock n Roll Preservation Society". Same operators, John Earl Spencer and Brian Paul Kelly (dba Paul Kelly). I don't know if they're still together or not. The building in Hoquiam that was formerly the actual AM transmitter site and studios of the original KGHO-AM/FM is still owned jointly by Mr. Spencer and Mr. Kelly. They originally bought the AM 1490 and FM 95.3 along with the building (from I believe Trinity Broadcasting). They sold the AM/FM to Morris Communications (the AM is now KWOK and the FM is KXXK), now part of Alpha. Spencer/Kelly retained the building and still own it. They then received a CP and subsequent License for KGHO-LP (99.9), under the name Grays Harbor LPFM. They then picked up several FM translators under the name of Northwest Rock n Roll Preservation Society. The translators have moved around a bit, and some of the representations in FCC filings are perhaps not what they seem. They had a translator out in the Ocean Shores area, but sold it during one of the FCC "buy it and move it" deals.

BTW after they bought the KGHO operation, they bought the 920 AM in Olympia which was off the air. I believe I sold them an AM transmitter at some point when I was working for Harris from 1995-98.
 
AM FM listener said:
Strange as it sounds, there seems to be two KGHO's. The one owned by Grays Harbor LP FM, broadcasting on 92.7 and 99.9 in the Grays Harbor area; and the one owned by NWRRPS, broadcasting on 92.9, 104.1 (and perhaps 101.1) in the Tacoma-Olympia area. However, all them brand themselves as "Classic Rock & Roll".
Click to expand...
Total simulcast, see my other post.
 
Thanks, BossBill. Your previous post (#81) was the kind of info I was looking for. I sensed a connection between Spencer and Kelly but was confused by the two different licensees for the various translators. From Bonney Lake, WA, my reception of 92.9 and 104.1 is spotty, at best, which is a shame because I really enjoy the station(s).

Question: are LPFM's required to do a TOH ID like other stations are? I've never heard one for KGHO.
 
valvashon said:
Seattle LPFM roundup:

95.3 KDXB-LP: License to cover issued on 10/23/17. This station was heard with silence, in mono for several days before the license was issued. Since the license was issued it has also been heard 24/7 with silence in mono. Given the coverage area I believe that the station was built as licensed, with the antenna at the licensed location and the transmitter at the correct power level. Since it's been on the air over a month I wonder when the KMIH booster club will start supplying it with an off-air signal. I'm always surprised that a station like this can be built to apparently professional standards but then left on broadcasting dead air for over a month.

96.9 KODX-LP: License to cover also issued on 10/23/17. This one signs on at 11am and off around 5 or 6 pm weekdays with a similar schedule on Saturday. They appear to be off on Sunday. Outside of these hours they actually shut their transmitter down. A news and public affairs station carrying a heavy schedule of Pacifica programs. I did hear Mike McCormick making a between show announcement one day. They broadcast in stereo with good sound quality, although they are much quieter than other stations. Good coverage area and I'm guessing that they have their transmitter at the licensed power and their antenna at the correct location along 15th in the U-district. I have not attempted to make a visual sighting of the antenna. For a week or so I heard the station broadcasting silence, in stereo, during their broadcast hours. For the last week they seem to be off the air completely. Good website. If they can get their operational issues straightened out this could be a successful station.

100.3 KUCP-LP (Kent): Not really a Seattle area station but I've included them anyway as I have heard this station many times while traveling along SR 167. Good signal, good sound quality, with religious programming in what appears to be the Ukrainian language.

101.1 KMGP-LP: "Space 101 FM"; this is the station run by the Sand Point Arts and Cultural Exchange. License to cover issued on 10/11/17. Heard on or around that time with automated AAA style music and announcements. Great signal on this one, broadcasts in mono from the roof of McMahon Hall at the UW. They actually need some studio engineering help (and can pay) if anybody's interested. Reportedly they get knocked off the air about once a week due to the constant Windows updates to their automation computer!

101.9 KQES-LP: This dumpster fire has been much discussed elsewhere here. Suffice it to say that this confusingly programmed (NTD Television audio?) continues to soldier on, unattended, mostly unmonitored, probably with listeners in the low double digits. If NTD wanted to be on the air in this market why not rent a TV subchannel?

102.1 KXSU-LP: Student run Seattle University radio station. Longtime internet station makes the jump to FM. Pretty good signal- surprising considering their meager 7 watts- from possibly the first Seattle LPFM station to sign on. I find the sound quality poor, however. Not distorted, not clipping, just kind of muddy. Poor studio engineering or poor delivery to what I assume to be a transmitter and antenna on the roof of some SU buidling.

104.9 KHUH-LP: Hollow Earth Radio. This is the spot to find Tuvan throat singing or hammered dulcimer music. But only if you have a visual on the antenna, which is on the roof of the Central Cinema on Capitol Hill. One of the worst licenses I have seen issued, this one suffers very heavy interference from whatever is on today from 104.9 in Eatonville. If you are driving around they get taken over by the time you get to the corner of Boren and Madison for example. They had an application in for 100.3 FM for a while but then filed a change to 104.9 on 6/22/17. I'm guessing nobody associated with the station owns a car (I mean that in the best way possible) and didn't check to see what kind of interference they might suffer at 104.9. I predict that this one won't last, at least not at 104.9. License to cover issued on 9/25/17.

105.7 KVRU-LP: Rainier Valley Radio. License to cover issued on 9/21/17; heard since then with an automated R&B format (for lack of a better description) and announcements regarding their signal testing, etc. Have also heard an occasional public affairs talk show. Good signal, good sound quality (in Stereo) and a nice music selection (at least for now). I enjoy listening and I suspect that this station will be successful.

106.5 KQWZ-LP: Licensed to "One America" with license to cover issued on 9/25/17 (station is licensed to Sea-Tac). Traveling south of Seattle one day I did hear dead air in Stereo on 106.5. No website and no idea what "One America" is. Bit of a mystery on this one.

107.3 KBFG-LP: KBFG stands for Ballard Fremont Greenwood. Mostly automated folk and independent music with some programmed shows. Like may of these other LPFM's they are trying to find volunteers to round out their schedule. Decent signal, good audio in Stereo, this one is pretty much a one-man-band station (I met the owner whose name I forget at the moment) currently run out of his house. Good website. This one could be successful unless we end up with "one too many" of these LPFM stations in the Seattle area.

Note- the NW Broadcasters site was used in the preparation of this post for info about frequency changes, license to cover dates, etc. Thanks to them.

Val
Click to expand...

Where did you get this information? I would like to find info for San Diego, although our town is very inhospitable to FM radio signals.
 
If that's the 99.9 KGHO-LP (which WAS 98.5 before K-LOVE snuck into Thurston County), that pattern is ridiculous. The parent LPFM won't even make it to the ocean beaches. 92.7 does pretty well, on the other hand. But on the northern reaches of the North Beach (i.e., Moclips), even the locals are a little dicey at times. Plenty of picket-fencing on KSWW, for example.
Perhaps the 92.9 I heard on the summit of Thorp Mountain (N of Kachess Lake) in Aug 2020 was actually the KGHO translator? I swore I heard 'Olympia's Classic Rock' but maybe my ears were deceiving me - KISM was mixing with them.

And speaking of KYNR, I know they had some difficulties a few years back when their studio was broken into, thieves got off with the boards and other electronic equipment...thousands of dollars worth. I am hopeful that they will remain on the air, turning in the license renewal. Why would the FCC dismiss it? They forgot to write something in one of the boxes?
 
crainbebo said:
If that's the 99.9 KGHO-LP (which WAS 98.5 before K-LOVE snuck into Thurston County), that pattern is ridiculous.
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Really? What's ridiculous? Because EMF runs a network of actual radio stations?

crainbebo said:
And speaking of KYNR, I know they had some difficulties a few years back when their studio was broken into, thieves got off with the boards and other electronic equipment...thousands of dollars worth. I am hopeful that they will remain on the air, turning in the license renewal. Why would the FCC dismiss it? They forgot to write something in one of the boxes?
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Many times when struggling radio stations start falling into patterns like being broken-into, there's something behind the scenes going on that effect other aspects of trying to keep the lights on.
 
Kelly, I think what was being referred to as ridiculous was the pattern submitted for whatever station the link was for, has nothing to do with EMF.
 
No, no, no...has nothing to do with EMF. The old 98.5 pattern did NOT reach the ocean beaches. They had to use 92.7 to get into the ocean beaches, along with the old Ocean Shores translator on 107.3 (which later moved to 107.9 when The Quake moved from 107.9 to 103.9 and KANY took over 107.3). Both were full simulcasts of KGHO-LP.
KAHS-LP, the Aberdeen HS station on 106.5, has a similar pattern. The 100 watts can't make it 15 miles to Ocean Shores. In fact, it fades before Lytle Seafoods on Hwy 109.

KNBQ 98.5 is on Capitol Peak with much better coverage, but targets Olympia/Centralia of course. K-LOVE maintains KLWA-101.3 in Westport for the Twin Harbors region. It has been on long before KNBQ - in fact, it was on long before KMCQ flipped.
 
KNLI 92.9 in Waller (East Tacoma) has filed for renewal on 1/21/22. They are still silent as far as I know.

KDXB 95.3 had their license cancelled by the FCC on 2/1/22. This will likely be the last time I type out those call letters.
 
crainbebo said:
If that's the 99.9 KGHO-LP (which WAS 98.5 before K-LOVE snuck into Thurston County), that pattern is ridiculous. The parent LPFM won't even make it to the ocean beaches. 92.7 does pretty well, on the other hand. But on the northern reaches of the North Beach (i.e., Moclips), even the locals are a little dicey at times. Plenty of picket-fencing on KSWW, for example.
Perhaps the 92.9 I heard on the summit of Thorp Mountain (N of Kachess Lake) in Aug 2020 was actually the KGHO translator? I swore I heard 'Olympia's Classic Rock' but maybe my ears were deceiving me - KISM was mixing with them.

And speaking of KYNR, I know they had some difficulties a few years back when their studio was broken into, thieves got off with the boards and other electronic equipment...thousands of dollars worth. I am hopeful that they will remain on the air, turning in the license renewal. Why would the FCC dismiss it? They forgot to write something in one of the boxes?
Click to expand...
Since I was involved, I take exception to the "before K-LOVE snuck into Thurston County" comment. K-LOV is one of two formats operated by Educational Media Foundation (EMF). We (JOSH Broadcasting LLC) launched 98.5, licensed to Central Park. We played Christmas music for a while, and sold it to EMF. There was no "sneak in". Unlike Gig Harbor, with coverage that misses its Community of License, 98.5 covers its COL very well.
 
I completely forgot that 98.5 started with your company. So much has changed in the Twin Harbors over the years. North Pole Radio, some years ago. Felt strange to hear noisy Christmas music on 98.5 driving in the Goose Prairie area near Chinook Pass...on Labor Day weekend no less! KGHO-LP moved to 99.9 when the Christmas music stunt started.
KNBQ does relatively well for 1600 watts, even with Victoria to the north.
 
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