Shared frequency time stations

[Unregistered]

KTAV-KRLS Merger

Same situation in Des Moines, two colleges share the LPFM frequency on 94.1 In the 70s there was a share-time of an FM in Knoxville IA, the result of a settlement between competing applicants. The local AM wanted the FM mainly to do HS sports, and the other side was a religious broadcaster. So, that's the arrangement they put into the shared time agreement. KRLS was on the air maybe 6 hours a week for HS sports, otherwise it was Christian KTAV. KRLS bought out KTAV somewhere in the 80s.

joebtsflk1 -Could you send me any information on the KRLS-KTAV merger that you mentioned above? I am working on an estate that left money to specific radio stations form the 1980s, and I want to make certain that the merger happened. I cannot seem to get any answers for there being a merger.

Thank you for your time.

[email protected]

 

[joebtsflk1]

The KDEC/KWLC sharing arrangement dates back to at least January 1928. It was a fairly common situation at the time: an educational institution wanted to broadcast but didn't want to use enough hours to justify their own frequency. So they were assigned to share time with a commercial station.

I can only guess why the arrangement has survived this long.

- For KDEC: Maybe they figure they couldn't operate profitably in the 8pm-1am hours used by KWLC. The FCC minimum schedule regulations require operation between 6-10pm -- if the college is willing to pay for half that time KDEC isn't going to complain. (it does look like KWLC gets the channel fulltime on weekends, which seems a bit strange -- one would think sports programming would be quite profitable for KDEC on the weekends)

- For KWLC: I believe there's only one transmitter & KDEC is probably paying for it.

KWLC does stream & looking at the website it looks like an active facility, unlike some college stations I've encountered.

This is only an assumption, but I think a reasonable one, that the KDEC-KWLC shared time arrangement might not last too much longer. Luther College has a CP for an LPFM on 96.9.

 

[MickeyD]

How many radio stations out there shared time for broadcasting. For example in New York City, WFDU and WNYU have separate license, but they both share frequency of 89.1 FM. Similar to Phoenix, AZ of KNAI and KPHF 88.3. Does FCC stills allow share time frequencies? Also, what other share frequencies stations are out there?

Does the FCC still allow time shares? Kind of I guess if you look at the FCC's application for a new FM the box for time share has been removed. That being said the law has not been changed and all applications for a time-share have to be submitted on paper.

 

[K.M. Richards]

Does the FCC still allow time shares? Kind of I guess if you look at the FCC's application for a new FM the box for time share has been removed. That being said the law has not been changed and all applications for a time-share have to be submitted on paper.

Time-sharing agreements are being allowed for LPFM, and in fact are encouraged by the FCC to resolve situations where there are mutually exclusive applications for a frequency in a given area.

 

[JRH]

This is only an assumption, but I think a reasonable one, that the KDEC-KWLC shared time arrangement might not last too much longer. Luther College has a CP for an LPFM on 96.9.

The each have their own transmitters, or still did as of a few years ago. We've taken Luther college football and basketball feeds from them, and they came from KDEC, so they probably have some sort of an arrangement to let KDEC have sports broadcasts. The high school sports probably being more important to KDEC than Luther.

Years ago, KDEC tried to move to 1200, but the FCC didn't allow it. Since then, they put on an FM, so the AM probably isn't too important any more.

 

[MickeyD]

Time-sharing agreements are being allowed for LPFM, and in fact are encouraged by the FCC to resolve situations where there are mutually exclusive applications for a frequency in a given area.

An LPFM without a time-share is a challenge but cutting it into bits makes it even more so. I was referring to a Full-Service station.

 

[K.M. Richards]

An LPFM without a time-share is a challenge but cutting it into bits makes it even more so. I was referring to a Full-Service station.

As the wording of your post didn't make it clear to me whether or not you intended LPFMs to be included, I posted in the interest of completeness. Thanks for clarifying your position!

 

[FredLeonard]

My vote for the most interesting share timer would be WFAA and WBAP in Dallas and Fort Worth, sharing 570 and 820 and alternating in use of each frequency.

WFAA was licensed to Dallas (regardless of the frequency). WBAP was (and is) licensed to Fort Worth.

570 was an NBC-Blue, then ABC, affiliate regardless of which licensee was operating at the moment.
820 (originally 800) was an NBC-Red affiliate, again regardless of which licensee was operating.

In Chicago, RCA-owned WENR shared time with Prairie Farmer-owned WLS on 890 (originally 870). Both carried NBC-Blue and later ABC. WLS fed some programs to NBC, most notably "The National Barn Dance," which ironically enough, in most markets was carried the NBC-Red affiliate. The show launched the careers of, among others, Gene Autry, George Gobel and Andy Williams (who sang with his brothers a la The Osmonds and The Jacksons). WENR, meanwhile, fed "The Breakfast Club" with Don McNeil to NBC-Blue and then ABC.

 

[gr8oldies]

You can catch an example of the WBAP split between 820 and 570 if you look up the coverage of the JFK assassination on WBAP which is on YouTube.

WIBW and KKSU ended a longstanding frequency share on 580 in 2002.

 

[K.M. Richards]

570 was an NBC-Blue, then ABC, affiliate regardless of which licensee was operating at the moment.
820 (originally 800) was an NBC-Red affiliate, again regardless of which licensee was operating.

Here is a link to a 1960's WBAP schedule showing how the affiliation stayed with the frequency even as the two stations switched places throughout the day (and this is just 3:00pm to midnight!):
http://www.dfwradioarchives.info/WFAASched63.JPG

The way the time was split up was, to list 820's schedule:
6:00-8:30am WFAA
8:30-10:30 WBAP
10:30-12:30pm WFAA
12:30-3:00 WBAP
3:00-5:30 WBAP
6:30-7:00 WFAA
7:00-10:00 WFAA M/W/F, WBAP T/Th/Sa
10:00-midnight WBAP M/W/F, WFAA T/Th/Sa

And here is an article from the University of North Texas archives telling the entire story:
http://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth35102/m1/26/?q=

The time share lasted until 1970.

 

[FredLeonard]

And lest we forget, originally everybody shared time. There was only one frequency allocated for commercial broadcasts (360 Meters or 833 MHz). As new frequencies were allocated, most had multiple stations (not just two) sharing time. In the early 20s, a radio station was sort of like a website: If you had something you wanted to sell/promote, you got your self a license, equipment and a time allocation. Then AT&T got the idea of operating radio as a common carrier and selling access to people who wanted to use their facilities, just as they did on their phone network.