Since we've woken up David Eduardo now...

[AliceTheCook]

Got a question, and I hope you or someone might know the answer. WHY do all the Spanish stations here keep swapping formats and frequencies relentlessly? One day, it's "Super Estrella" on 104.9, and "El Gato" at 101.7. The next month, they've swapped formats but not calls. Then one station decides to use three or four stations to simulcast the same format. Then that goes away soon thereafter. Then there'll be an AM/FM simulcast (KZMP) that stays for a while, goes away for a while, then comes back. Or take a KZMP-1540 and count the 15 or so call letter changes over the last 25 years. Or take KESS/KSSA, whose call letters seem to pop up anywhere and everywhere on the dial, AM and FM. It's nearly impossible to track what Univision, Entravision and the others are doing.

My point here is, does this not get frustrating for the listener? Isn't it counterproductive to keep doing all this switching around? Seems like when it's a 'white' station, format/frequency/call letter swapping is a big ordeal that stations usually shy away from. Maybe KLNO and (the latest version of) KESS and KEGL/La Preciosa are getting popular because, God forbid, there's some CONSISTENCY there???

 

[davideduardo]

> Got a question, and I hope you or someone might know the
> answer. WHY do all the Spanish stations here keep swapping
> formats and frequencies relentlessly? One day, it's "Super
> Estrella" on 104.9, and "El Gato" at 101.7. The next month,
> they've swapped formats but not calls. Then one station
> decides to use three or four stations to simulcast the same
> format.

You are exaggerating. Except for some AM Fm simulcasts, there have never been multi-FM casts except while some of the upgrades were transistioning.

Most of the big changes had to do with the 106.7, 107.9 and 107.1 upgrades where ownership changes and upgrades happened at onece.

The rest of the changes have to do with the fact that there are only 3 good Spanish FM signals and one good AM one. The remainder try for niche positions, and when one of the big stations blocks a niche, they change.

The really big move was KEGL going Spanish, KLNO modifying format while KDXX blocked KEGL, and then KESS going mass appeal regional Mexican while KLNO became Recuerdo... all the KLNO, KESS and KDXX changes happening in the last 60 days. Oh, ande KDXX now take sup the hard core regional position.

At the same time, Entravision decides they can-t make it in Dallas, and puts all the stations up for sale, since they are all bad signals.

> Then that goes away soon thereafter. Then there'll
> be an AM/FM simulcast (KZMP) that stays for a while, goes
> away for a while, then comes back.

1540 is esentially useless, so they try brokering, it does not work, it goes back to simulcast.

> Or take a KZMP-1540 and
> count the 15 or so call letter changes over the last 25
> years. Or take KESS/KSSA, whose call letters seem to pop up
> anywhere and everywhere on the dial, AM and FM.

KESS is the heritage call set in Dallas, if there is one. It moved to FM, and then the FM it was on upgraded in a frequency swap and ended up at present frequency. Once that was done, the calls on AM were changed.

> It's nearly
> impossible to track what Univision, Entravision and the
> others are doing.

Not by calls. Spanish stations seldom, if ever, use calls to identify in Spanish... they use names. Calls are uncommon in most of the rest of the world in fact. Calls are only used in legal ID, and then in English. So what you track is the format, not the calls.
>
> My point here is, does this not get frustrating for the
> listener? Isn't it counterproductive to keep doing all this
> switching around? Seems like when it's a 'white' station,
> format/frequency/call letter swapping is a big ordeal that
> stations usually shy away from. Maybe KLNO and (the latest
> version of) KESS and KEGL/La Preciosa are getting popular
> because, God forbid, there's some CONSISTENCY there???
>

 

[Mediafrog]

> 1540 is esentially useless, so they try brokering, it does
> not work, it goes back to simulcast.

1540 has been a basket case for 30 years now, since FM took over as the dominant listening choice. It seemed to do much better when it only targeted Fort Worth under the KCUL and later, KBUY calls. Starting with KRXV in 1976, it has been a constant format/call spin-the-wheel operation. It also has had three transmitter sites during this stretch, all in rather unsuccessful bids to make a bigger impact.

> KESS is the heritage call set in Dallas

Starting in 1976 on 93.9, when the KBUY call was moved to Amarillo.

> Spanish stations seldom, if ever, use calls to
> identify in Spanish... they use names.

As has been the case in Latin America for decades. In 40 years of listening to Latin American shortwave simulcasts of their local AM/FM's, I've hardly ever heard call signs except at sign-on and sign-off. The religious stations have seemed more likely to include calls along with the name, probably because many if not most of them were owned or operated by American religious organizations (HCJB, TGN, HRVC, TIFC, 4VEH, etc.) and thus have that influence.

 

[davideduardo]

Re: Call letter usage

> As has been the case in Latin America for decades. In 40
> years of listening to Latin American shortwave simulcasts of
> their local AM/FM's, I've hardly ever heard call signs
> except at sign-on and sign-off. The religious stations have
> seemed more likely to include calls along with the name,
> probably because many if not most of them were owned or
> operated by American religious organizations (HCJB, TGN,
> HRVC, TIFC, 4VEH, etc.) and thus have that influence.
>

Did you know that HCJB had to get permission to identify by call letters? the law required usage of the station name, not the calls. I tried to do this in 1967 with HCSP1 and asked to be allowed to call it HCSP and was turned down. I had to use a name, as the calls were for "administrative purposes only."

In Ecuador, however, most people knw HCJB as La Voz de los Andes since call letter usage was simply not traditional.

 

[Phantom]

HCJB, Quito Ecuador ... one of my first QSL cards ... fantastic signal

> > As has been the case in Latin America for decades. In 40
> > years of listening to Latin American shortwave simulcasts
> of
> > their local AM/FM's, I've hardly ever heard call signs
> > except at sign-on and sign-off. The religious stations
> have
> > seemed more likely to include calls along with the name,
> > probably because many if not most of them were owned or
> > operated by American religious organizations (HCJB, TGN,
> > HRVC, TIFC, 4VEH, etc.) and thus have that influence.
> >
>
> Did you know that HCJB had to get permission to identify by
> call letters? the law required usage of the station name,
> not the calls. I tried to do this in 1967 with HCSP1 and
> asked to be allowed to call it HCSP and was turned down. I
> had to use a name, as the calls were for "administrative
> purposes only."
>
> In Ecuador, however, most people knw HCJB as La Voz de los
> Andes since call letter usage was simply not traditional.


David,

In the early 60s, when I first started listening to shortwave on a small Silvertone radio, HCJB boomed into Oklahoma City.

The signal was incredible ... unbelievable.

I still have a QSL card from HCJB.

Got to find it ... one of my first catches ...

I am sure you have a QSL card from them also ...

Mainly religious programming then ...

Memories.

Tony <P ID="signature">______________
Tony Lyndell Williams</P>

 

[davideduardo]

Re: HCJB, Quito Ecuador ... one of my first QSL cards ... fantastic signal

>
> In the early 60s, when I first started listening to
> shortwave on a small Silvertone radio, HCJB boomed into
> Oklahoma City.
>
> The signal was incredible ... unbelievable.
>
> I still have a QSL card from HCJB.
>
> Got to find it ... one of my first catches ...
>
> I am sure you have a QSL card from them also ...

Actually, I do not. I was never an SWL, just Medium Wave.

However, for a year, in 1964, I co'hoted the DX Mailbag show, and later, the HCJB engineers were always ready to help me in the design of my equipment there, esepecially the FMs. My first FM transmitters were built from schematics that they created based on local parts availablity. Fine, fine engineers and good people.
>
> Mainly religious programming then ...

World Radio Missionary Fellowship and HCJB )Heralding Christ Jesus´s Blessings) have, since 1933 when HCJB went on the air, been fundamentally religious. Today, they promote building of local evangelical FMs instead of SW. They even provide kits with all the parts to assemble a station in a remote location.
>
> Memories.
>
> Tony
>

 

[Phantom]

More on HCJB, "DX Mailbag" which Dave hosted ...

> >
> > In the early 60s, when I first started listening to
> > shortwave on a small Silvertone radio, HCJB boomed into
> > Oklahoma City.
> >
> > The signal was incredible ... unbelievable.
> >
> > I still have a QSL card from HCJB.
> >
> > Got to find it ... one of my first catches ...
> >
> > I am sure you have a QSL card from them also ...
>
> Actually, I do not. I was never an SWL, just Medium Wave.


Medium wave was my favorite ... although I was fascinated by radio and shortwave in general.

My amateur call as a 16 year old was WA5VIZ.

Maybe someday, I will get my license back.


> However, for a year, in 1964, I co'hoted the DX Mailbag
> show, and later, the HCJB engineers were always ready to
> help me in the design of my equipment there, esepecially the
> FMs. My first FM transmitters were built from schematics
> that they created based on local parts availablity. Fine,
> fine engineers and good people.


Wow ... I listened to DX Mailbag so many times ... so interesting. Incredible ... I probably heard you 41 years ago ... and now we are chatting via computer.

A God-given gift to me to be able to chat with you David.


> > Mainly religious programming then ...
>
> World Radio Missionary Fellowship and HCJB )Heralding Christ
> Jesus´s Blessings) have, since 1933 when HCJB went on the
> air, been fundamentally religious. Today, they promote
> building of local evangelical FMs instead of SW. They even
> provide kits with all the parts to assemble a station in a
> remote location.
> >
> > Memories.
> >
> > Tony
> >
>


Thanks for YOUR memories David ...

email sometimes when you have a minute ... love to hear from you.

[email protected]

Tony<P ID="signature">______________
Tony Lyndell Williams</P>

 

[Mediafrog]

Re: HCJB, Quito Ecuador ... one of my first QSL cards ... fantastic signal

> World Radio Missionary Fellowship and HCJB )Heralding Christ
> Jesus´s Blessings) have, since 1933 when HCJB went on the
> air, been fundamentally religious.

Actually they went on the air in 1931, and thus are celebrating their 75th anniversary this year.

> Today, they promote
> building of local evangelical FMs instead of SW.

With their new operation in Australia, they are cutting back on the SW output from Ecuador. The transmitter site at Pifo is also falling prey to the expansion of the Quito airport. They will probably increasingly emphasize satellite feeds to local stations in the future.