Watch what those volunteers do after hours!

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ap/tx/5493657.html

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080130/ap_on_fe_st/odd_radio_arson_4

"He had a dream of a career in radio and was very disappointed about where it had led him."
--- quote from the fire chief.
Doesn't that pretty much describe everyone??
I got a chuckle out of that. ;)

$300,000 damage to the station but what cost value for 19 days off-air? What financial hardships did this cause for people unable to report for work? Now the company insurance has to kick in for damages thus driving up rates for them and everyone else. I can see a temporary insanity plea already, out in 5 at the most.

Could someone please burn down the Entercom building and put us out of our misery?

He might have flown the KOOP, but now he has an exclusive long-term contract with WALL.

" his Internet program was called "Mellow Down Easy,""

He really should have listened to his own show a bit closer.

His new program: "Music to Toast Marshmellow's With".

> $300,000 damage to the station but what cost value for 19 days off-air?

I was very briefly involved with KOOP in 1996 and 1997. This is a station that is operated by volunteers, and there is (or was) very little underwriting of programs. Almost all of the station's operating budget came from listener donations. Thus, the cost value for being off the air for 19 days is the amount of donations lost.

This Feinstein guy really needs to get a life if he thinks that song selections getting changed on an automation system constitute the end of the world. My condolences go out to the volunteers that donated their time and money to put that place together, only to have this self-centered jerk try to flush it all down the toilet.

Broadway....I should have read this first. I just posted the same story. My bad.

of course...you are forgiven...God's good...

One positive thing about being a non commercial station, is the direct support by listeners, volunteers and the community in general. Benefit concerts will be given, and likely other fund-raising efforts that would not be used by a commercial station will occur:

http://www.koop.org/#more_benefits

Tragic loss! but I bet they will make a strong recovery.

KOOP is a share time station with KVRX. Both broadcast from the same transmitter site and both have the same 3kw power. This might explain why KOOP was only broadcasting on the internet at the time of the "Mellow Down Easy" program. This might also have been KVRX's time to be on the air. KOOP was off 19 days but I'll bet KVRX filled the time and maybe even asked for donations for itself during KOOP's absence.

The KVRX website:

http://www.kvrx.org/

> This might explain why KOOP was only broadcasting
> on the internet at the time of the "Mellow Down
> Easy" program.

Yes--the story was something along the lines that both KVRX and KOOP applied for the last available FM frequency allotment in the Austin area at the same time. The judge thus ordered that both stations would have to share the frequency. When I lived in the Austin area, the 91.7 signal was on the air 24 hours a day, but (according to KOOP's engineer) a lawn sprinkler timer at the transmitter site would select which station's audio feed was sent through the airchain to the transmitter. The transmitter site was owned and maintained by KVRX, and KOOP had to pay a $10,000 yearly "tower rent" fee for the right to use the transmitter site.

As of 1997, both KOOP and KVRX were using separate microwave links to send their audio to the transmitter site. Weekdays, KVRX was heard 6:00PM-9:00AM and KOOP 9:00AM-6:00PM. I can't remember what the weekend programming hours were or why KVRX apparently got more hours out of the share-time deal. During the day, KVRX programming was available via a cable TV system (most likely a UT campus-only cable system). At night, the KOOP people went home.

I find it interesting that the FCC would issue two different call letters to the same transmitter. Is this a first?

Same frequency and city of license too?

Same frequency but KOOP is licensed to Hornsby & KVRX is licensed to Austin. That might be the reason.

KOOP:
http://www.fcc.gov/fcc-bin/fmq?list=0&facid=65320

KVRX:
http://www.fcc.gov/fcc-bin/fmq?list=0&facid=66607

Both at the same transmitter site (and likely on the same transmitter)! Interesting that BOTH have filed an application to increase power to 50KW (again at the same site).

FCC docket 90-639:

http://fjallfoss.fcc.gov/prod/ecfs/retrieve.cgi?native_or_pdf=pdf&id_document=60 05043317

Gives a snapshot of the almost 3 year struggle to put this together. Wow!

In the Phoenix area, 88.3 is a shared-time arrangement. KNAI runs from 5am until 7pm with a spanish language format, La Campesina, licensed to the National Farm Workers, founded by Cesar Chavez. A timer automatically kicks the feed over to KPHF, licensed to Family Stations, and broadcasts a feed of religious programming in English from 7pm 'til 5am. Both appear to be licensed to Phoenix, and use the same transmission facility in north Phoenix. Obviously they have separate studios in different locations.

Not a common arrangement, but I believe a few others exist. Let's face it...the spectrum space is precious!

KNAI pulls some exceptionally good ratings for only being a part-timer. KPHF either doesn't subscribe, or has zero listeners ... or both.

Did WBAP and WFAA share transmitters or were there 4 separate facilities, 2 with 50kw, clear channel?

Yes, they did! I forget when that arrangement ended... Have to go google it.

570 was 5kw, and 820 was 50kw. Knowing the technology of the times, they were separate sites.

Randy: The reason KNAI does so well is they serve the local Hispanic community with LIVE local programming. They have one local host who is a community leader, and regularly makes the local TV news when the illegal immigration topic gets argued in the news, which is pretty much daily. KPHF is simply a relay from another Family station, with no locally originated programming that I'm aware of...other than local IDs. Frankly, being non-commercial, I doubt either one is very much concerned with Arbitron.