Re: [IRCA] New Ford auto radios-the future?

[Tim Hills <thills@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

I don't pay too much attention to FM but the AM stations here all seem 
to have their market niche.

2 are talk radio on 1140 (KSOO) and 1320 (KELO) with 4 or 5 hours of 
local talk/issue programming per day plus they both carry Mass/Services 
on Sunday for shut ins and cover local semi-pro games and high school 
tournaments. It's interesting to hear the different takes of the talking 
heads on each station about local issues. The host of the 
afternoon/drive time call-in was Mayor of Sioux Falls in the 1980s and 
leans to the Liberal side. The morning guy on the other station is a 
hard core Conservative. Politics aside I think it's a good thing to get 
both sides of an issue. Both have night patterns roughly NW running 5KW, 
could be catches in Western Canada or Montana. KELO does QSL by email, I 
know the guy that handles that for them, not sure about KSOO.

My issue with both of the above stations is that their night patterns 
converge in my back yard and both transmitters are less than 5 miles 
away causing untold havoc in the upper MW band but it's given me a 
challenge that I'm slowly overcoming as spare time permits for 
experimentation,

One is C&W which will probably never change, rural coverage is good with 
plenty of farm oriented news, I think they've had the same format for 
over 70 years. Npn directional day and night so KXRB on 1000 might be 
readable for some distance. I've gotten them on a car radio 300 miles to 
the west right before local sunset. Unknown QSL policy.

KWSN, 1230 is our ESPN affiliate also carrying the local College and 
semi pro games with sports news focused on the Sioux Falls market. With 
440W/ND it would be a rare DX. Owned by the same company and studios in 
the same building as KELO so if someone catches it let me know if you 
need help with confirmation.

KNWC on 1270 is a Christian/Religious station running 5KW/day and 2300W 
night directional on a SW/NE bearing. Local services and "Big Name" 
preachers but they have broken to all local coverage for 
disasters/emergencies in the past and I have heard that they do QSL by 
email from their web site.

KZOY on 1520 runs 500W/ND day only. 80's rock and focused on the 
Brandon, SD market. Catch phrases to listen for are "Sunny Radio" and 
"Where it's always in the '80s".

The AM stations here are all alive and well and considering that there 
is still a lot of rural audience and plenty of political controversy and 
small town sports to go around for at least the forseeable future other 
than KZOY I don't see any of them going off the air anytime soon.

Tim Hills
Sioux Falls, SD
On 7/27/2011 20:20, Patrick Martin wrote:
> > > Radio is VERY much alive...especially in a small town!
> I work for a 50,000 Watt FM in a town of 4000 people... we just got done
> with play by play of 13 and 14 year old girls softball.
> It's EXTREMELY LOCAL...when businesses find out were covering it, they
> CALL US..... and we make alot of money doing it.<<
>
> Local Radio may very much be "Alive". However, most of what is on the
> air these days, is not local!  Good for you, working for a "real radio
> station", not something that relays satellite audio and has zillions of
> translators all over the country.
>
> Patrick
>
> Patrick Martin
> Seaside OR
> KGED QSL Manager
>
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