There were six 3-letter calls in the Seattle area,(seven, if you count Olympia)after I became an adult. Gone are KXA, KTW, KOL, KMO and KGY.
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Sinclair selling KOMO, KVI & KPLZ
- Thread starter DN14224
- Start date
Sure, but to BigA's point, assuming the station operating at 1000kHz continues some form of news, that wouldn't preclude any promotional opportunities between the two entities down the road. Besides, as you pointed out, 1000kHz promoting KOMO TV is a big part of this deal over time. (which by the way, I think was a masterful move by Lotus to work that deal)
I do agree with your point, at least as reported in the recently published agreement verbiage, that use of the call letters and existing branding will remain with KOMO TV. That appears to be a given.
I'm just waiting for you to answer the question. You can't.
Nothing "absurd" about it. It happens in lots of other markets.
Similar to the deal worked out when Tegna sold KFMB AM/FM in San Diego. But the AM station is still news talk, even though it has different call letters and branding.
Tegna Sells San Diego Stations To Local Media San Diego For $5 Million.
TV giant Tegna has cut a deal to sell news/talk KFMB (760) and adult hits KFMB-FM (100.7) San Diego to Local Media San Diego for $5 million. Tegna, which acquired
More like a serious loss of money. Have you tired dyplexing two stations together? I seriously doubt one would be able to amortize the cost of doing so over twenty years. By that time, who knows what will be left of AM Radio.
I don't see anything absurd about that assertion. Lotus could easily brand KOMO-AM as AM 1000 Newsradio, with call letters KMNR (I'm just making something up, so don't go complaining there's already a KMNR in Twin Falls or something), and continue a relationship with KOMO. All this says is that Sinclair isn't giving up the rights to the KOMO branding, whether that be on TV, FM, AM, or something else. For that matter, I don't see why Lotus couldn't enter a license agreement to continue use of the KOMO branding on 1000/97.7, with the caveat that Sinclair could pull usage of the brand at any time if Lotus did not live up to certain expectations regarding content, etc.
Some of the posts here are providing a lot more insight in regard to how this deal could work. It would be ideal to see a news format to continue on 1000 kHz, though I think we're going to have to let go of the KOMO call letters. It sounds like a win-win situation for Sinclair, because if 1000 kHz continues as a news station under Lotus control, there will still be KOMO content and promotion.
Not necessarily. Remember that Sinclair keeps pretty tight editorial control over their TV news stations. Selling 1000kHz to another owner may mean that editorially the two could go separate ways. Let's say purely just as an example; 1000kHz becomes a FOX Radio News affiliate. Even though both right-wing editorial slants for both Sinclair and FOX, they are rabid competitors. 1000kHz can promote KOMO TV News as part of the purchase and sale agreement, but there would be no way on God's green earth that Sinclair would want to give their news to a FOX-affillate.
Important to note that diplexing a directional system is very intricate, requiring very competent engineers and quite complex and expensive antenna tuning.
But single-tower diplexing is rather cheap and easy. I diplexed my 570 and 810 in Ecuador with surplus caps and home-made coils and my OIB. And I am not a particularly stellar engineer, either.
They're not "giving their news" to anyone. The deal they have is Lotus provides a certain dollar amount of free advertising to Sinclair. How that's accomplished is not spelled out.
Sinclair's local news tends to be pretty straight, especially in blue states. However their stations have must-carry right wing editorials. Those are two different things. I doubt they'd use the national editorials to promote their local news.
I've been involved with diplexing AM's before. One with 6 towers, two patterns on one 10kW station, and a DA-Day 50kW. One of the stations was on 950kHz, and the other 850kHz. Vashon Island is a tricky site. There are several AM stations in relatively close proximity to each other. That means extra traps for all stations involved.
Nothing is certain with this deal. But we do know there will be changes on the three radio frequencies. Stay tuned.
Well, actually, 4 frequencies. And I would bet 97.7 is more important to them than 570.
Got me on that Chico!
The specifics haven't been published, but at the price they paid, I doubt it.
Besides the 1000kHz TX site, Sinclair/KOMO-TV have a pretty large earth station facility on site used for backing up their centralcasting operations and uplinking other feeds. That's right next door to the AM TX building. I also doubt whether Sinclair would let that go with the radio station.
I think it is silent now. I was in West Seattle and I didn’t hear KARR on there at all. They have a CP to move to Capitol Hill in Seattle. They they changed it already. I would have easily heard KARR in West Seattle.
Yeah, they were on for well over a year, then pffft! Gone. Of course, pandemic, economy, costs of running a translator, etc. etc.
What does that have to do with the Sinclair sale?
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