Re: [IRCA] KGA degrade

[Bill Harms <philcobill@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

Well, in my opinion, you are just pointing out what is wrong with AM radio.

<turn on rant>

Anyway, KGA's market is more than just Spokane. It is widely listened to 
throughout Eastern Washington and northern Idaho, in the rural areas, 
day and night. Scott, yes, the area around Spokane and especially if you 
travel along I-90 to the West and US 395 to the South does look like a 
desert, but that is not the whole picture.  The area to the West of 
Spokane, say from Grand Coulee, going to the South towards say, the 
Lewiston, Idaho area, does have a sizable population. (It is called the 
Palouse) That area has been served by KGA day and night. You point out 
that you can find syndicated fare all across the dial. That is true and 
it does seem to make financial sense, but I think that is what is wrong 
with AM broadcasting now. The tendency to ignore programming with the 
local flavoring is a major factor in killing AM. Yes it takes more 
financial resources to keep a local oriented station on the air, but it 
might be worth it for some stations. KGA's signal into the rural areas 
surrounding Spokane has been one of its biggest pluses, but now someone 
wants to take that away so they can add some listeners in another 
market.  To me, that is really not serving in the public interest, like 
they were originally intended. As a radio friend pointed out to me, yes, 
making money is why most stations exist, but stations have been 
entrusted to serve the public, especially the local community.  In 
essence, like much of the rest of our economy, terrestrial radio is 
becoming Wal Martised.

</turn off rant>

Bill Harms

Scott Fybush wrote:
> I beg - politely - to differ. This deal does in fact make a great deal 
> of sense for the new owners, and in this particular case shouldn't even 
> be noticed by anyone listening in Spokane, if it's done right.
>
> Here's how it plays out:
>
> While Class A stations may not use a power less than 10 kW, Class B 
> stations now can (and many do) use powers up to and including 50 kW. It 
> was expedient, back in the mid-nineties, for WOWO to do its downgrade 
> from A to B by dropping to 9.8 kW, but that doesn't mean it HAS to be 
> done that way. Even WOWO subsequently filed an application (never acted 
> upon) to raise its night power back to 15 kW a few years ago.
>
> The WOWO downgrade was also hampered by a few other factors - the tower 
> site is southwest of Fort Wayne, while the station it now has to protect 
> at night (WLIB) is just about due east. If you were designing a night 
> signal for WOWO that took WLIB into account from the start, you'd never 
> in a million years put it where it is.
>
> By contrast, the "new" KGA site that they've been using for the last 
> decade or so is precisely in the spot where you'd build it if you had to 
> protect a station to the south-southwest, where KPIG(AM) is.
>
> The entire population of the market is to the north, and there's just 
> about nothing but empty desert for more than 100 miles along the bearing 
> (roughly 200 degrees) to San Francisco. The closest populated area that 
> would fall in the new KGA null would be the Tri-Cities 
> (Richland/Pasco/Kennewick), and KGA reception is already iffy there at 
> night anyway due to skywave/groundwave cancellation.
>
> There's simply no reason - if this whole thing is done competently - 
> that KGA will lose any of its coverage north into the Spokane market at 
> night. If anything, a tighter northward DA pattern at night will 
> increase signal strength in Spokane and environs.
>
> There are even extra towers available on site (already in use by KJRB) 
> to create that tighter directional pattern.
>
> Yes, it takes away long-range coverage at night - but then again, if all 
> KGA is offering is the same syndicated fare that can be heard all over 
> the dial, is that as relevant a point as it would have been even 20 
> years ago?
>   
_______________________________________________
IRCA mailing list
IRCA@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
http://montreal.kotalampi.com/mailman/listinfo/irca

Opinions expressed in messages on this mailing list are those of the original contributors and do not necessarily reflect the opinion of the IRCA, its editors, publishing staff, or officers

For more information: http://www.ircaonline.org

To Post a message: irca@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx