KOMO-AM Seattle announced today they will simulcast their news format on South Sound Broadcasting's 97.7. The signal doesn't cover the entire metro.

So KOMO becomes the 2nd major news/talk station in Seattle to go to FM. (KIRO moved to 97.3 FM last year) Is it just a matter of time before someone in PDX does this, and who?

Why they can't use their existing station 101.5?

>>Why they can't use their existing station 101.5?<<

Because it makes a boatload of cash for Fisher. Why jeopardize that?

As to who would do this first in PDX - CC, of course. But it won't happen anytime soon. If the Brew tanks (pun intended) look for a KEX simulcast.

My understanding is KOMO didn't buy this frequency, they just have a "deal" to run their programming. A good move for KOMO to atleast try and compete with KIRO on the FM band. And their frequencies are SO close together, I love it!

KPLZ 101.5 has not been a key ratings player for many years, but from what I hear they do really well with 25-49 females and have many loyal clients.

In San Francisco, KCBS broadcasts on 740AM with a simulcast on 106.9FM...

If KPLZ does really well with 25-49 females and is one of the top billers in the market, I'd say that's a key ratings player! 97.7 is another rim-shot signal coming from the Olympic Mountains. On paper, they appear to cover Seattle and Tacoma pretty well. Everett is a lost cause because of a Vancouver BC station on the same frequency. This won't have the full effect of a local FM but should be interesting.

Good point, Semoochie. I guess by "key player", I mean their overall ratings have been low for sometime now. But in market #13, if you can own this demo, that is "key". Thanks for the clarification of my thoughts!

The station is "KFMY-FM1" Olympia on 97.7KHz with 3.7kw.

http://fjallfoss.fcc.gov/prod/cdbs/forms/prod/getattachment_exh.cgi?exhibit_id=6 54263&formid=301&q_num=5300

At that web address you will find a map of the coverage of KFMY from its new city of license, Oakville, WA. It will be on South Mountain as a class C.

Let's hope PDX is next. I could see KEX-FM replacing Z100 since most of that music is already on 107.5.

Also, it would be great if KOMO-FM would have a repeater serving Vancouver.

I'm not sure what the FCC rules are on this. A repeater is allowable in many circumstances, but when you get into markets that are far apart, I think there are issues. FCC regs not my strong suit, but I think repeaters are meant for close-in locations that have reception problems.

Click "view map" to see KFMY-FM1 coverage map:

http://recdev.akane.recnet.com/cdbs/fmq.php?facid=&call=KFMY-FM1&ccode=1&latd=&l ond=&city=&state=&country=US&zip=&party=&party_type=LICEN&jaws=0

For an out-of-market commercial station to be brought in on a translator, as with KOMO being re-broadcast in Vancouver, WA, the translator would have to be owned by an organization other than that owning KOMO.

I didn't mention it before because I thought it was a foregone conclusion but take a look at the newly licensed coverage: 63kw @ 728 meters above average terrain OR 1019 meters above sea level! That's what we're talking about, not a C1 with booster on the south end of the Olympic Peninsula. It's 60dbu in Seattle and 70dbu in Tacoma. It probably comes in better downtown than anything on West Tiger or Cougar!

Putting KOMO's programming within earshot of Portland would be interesting over time, and reminds me of the 60's and 70's in which KGO pulled a share or two during 7p - 12m. The reason? It offered something that no Portland station did at the time.

Despite Seattle traffic and weather, I think a KOMO repeater could pull some Portland listeners who are looking for a decent national news fix at the top or bottom of the hour. Something beyond Portland's 90 seconds of 'in depth team coverage.'

It's also a reminder of the difference between Market #12 and Market #24 (or so): Seattle has news and/or talk stations that do original local programming all day. Portland does not.

From my place in downtown Seattle, KFMY at 97.7 is one of the strongest signals on the FM band.

>>From my place in downtown Seattle, KFMY at 97.7 is one of the strongest signals on the FM band.<<

However if you go a mile or two north of "your place" & listen on anything other than a car radio - it's a virtually nonexistent signal.

KFMY ("The Eagle") had it's own translator up there. I don't remember it's frequency. I wonder if that will be broadcasating KOMO as well.

Is AM better in Seattle than FM due to hilly terrian?

Do you mean programming or reception?

Seattle was slow to develop a lot of FM formats because of the terrain. And, being a Seattle native, I do remember FM reception to be very spotty in Seattle. I remember I once went to a doctor who had just moved to Seattle from Miami, and when he found out what I did for a living (radio), he quizzed me why FM reception was so bad. He moved back to Miami, probably not because of that.

Portland is lucky with FM since nealry all of the transmitters are in one of two locations: Sylvan or Healy Heights. They sit atop the major hill that would shadow an FM located some place else.

In Seattle, it was a tougher choice.

Queen Anne Stations lose signal on the east side of Capital and First Hills... where big homes enjoy massive views of Lake Washington and the Cascades. Since tower space was at a premium, most FM operators opted for Cougar Mountain, just outside Issaquah.

I recall KPLZ's move downtown in '78, and the ugly sound from the air monitor. We had to listen in mono to eliminate multi-pathing.
But as the Seattle suburbs grew, the loss of signal through deepest downtown Seattle became an acceptable loss. Covering the burbs is the easy choice over covering the city.

That said, AM remains much more viable in Seattle, Portland, San Francisco and even Los Angeles thanks to the dependable signal that beats the terrain.

But again, as many of us have preached to the choir these past years, compelling programming trumps technical advantage. If you're broadcasting what people want to hear, people will find it.

True, Rich. But the average listener out there is finding less relevance on the AM band. It may become the "dial-up internet" of radio, if not already. Sad, because those of us of a certain age grew up with AM radio, and it was the gold standard. (I wanted to say it was "the king", but that would be a little too inside )

Most Seattle FMs have moved to West Tiger Mountain with roughly twice the height above average terrain of Cougar Mountain which is virtually identical to Stonehenge Tower!

Yes, things have improved on the FM in Seattle! But, believe me, back in the 80's it was bad.

Seattle, the FM reception is very bad around the downtown area. The only stations that comes in clearly are KEXP 90.3 and KUOW 94.9. Also, the stations transmitting from South Mountain.

When I visited Seattle a few years ago, I was bummed that I didn't have clear reception of C89-5. Which sucked because I was looking forward to hearing that kind of music on broadcast radio.

FM reception in downtown Seattle is, for the most part, really poor. That's why 99% of my listening is on-line.

Clear Channel would be good to switch Jammin 107.5 to KEX-FM.

No one would miss the rap, and KEX would have a whole new listenership.

> KEX would have a whole new listenership.

Perhaps, people who work in office buildings where AM reception is poor and where the Internet stream of KEX is blocked would be the new listenership. I am a bit skeptical that people who don't listen to AM stations--or even the Internet streams of AM talkers--and thus are either listening only to music radio or to NPR, would suddenly find Rush Limbaugh and Dr. Laura Schlessinger palatable because they are on FM. Isn't it possible that these listeners stopped listening to AM because they associated it with wall-to-wall conservative political talk shows?

No. People moved from listening to AM back in the 1970s and early 80s because FM was the new thing and had a lot more distance during the day. That, and FM radio was clearer back then.

The "wall-to-wall" conservative talk didn't really start until around 1990 or so.

As far as the conservative talk stuff, I like to cite Minneapolis's KTLK as an indicator of how it can work.

Unfortunately, rronline is not showing the Minneapolis-St. Paul ratings. Can you show me where I can look at them? I am just skeptical that people who don't care for socially and politically conservative viewpoints are going to go for Dr. Laura and Rush Limbaugh.

I think that if Clear Channel were to simulcast KEX, it would have been on K-Hits or maybe, Kool. Since it didn't happen, I don't expect them to entertain that possiblility in the near future. I expect it to happen eventually however, within the next 5 years.