Chalk Hill Communications buys KXAL-FM

[Greg Branch]

An article in today's LNJ addressed the radio roulette that will be occuring here in ETX. This also answers the question about the new 94.3 signal that Waller is acquiring in Bullard.

http://www.news-journal.com/hp/content/news/stories/stories/2009/09/22/09222009_radio_deal.html

Chuck's QX-FM Standards format will move from 104.7 to 100.3.

The Church at Lake Cherokee takes over 104.7 and changes to light classical. No details, but hopefully the Longview and Kilgore translators will stay with the 104.7 signal when the format changes. Also, no details on the Tyler translator.

Waller to put the Brisa format that was previously on 100.3 on the new 94.3 frequency in Bullard to better serve Tyler.

[Chuck]

An article in today's LNJ addressed the radio roulette that will be occuring here in ETX. This also answers the question about the new 94.3 signal that Waller is acquiring in Bullard.

http://www.news-journal.com/hp/content/news/stories/stories/2009/09/22/09222009_radio_deal.html

Chuck's QX-FM Standards format will move from 104.7 to 100.3.

The Church at Lake Cherokee takes over 104.7 and changes to light classical. No details, but hopefully the Longview and Kilgore translators will stay with the 104.7 signal when the format changes. Also, no details on the Tyler translator.

Waller to put the Brisa format that was previously on 100.3 on the new 94.3 frequency in Bullard to better serve Tyler.

The newspaper failed to report that the plan is for light classical in the daytime and jazz at night.  The idea is for the 104.7 signal to stay on 101.9 Longview and 105.3, Kilgore.  The Tyler translator will stay with its current KZQX format.

[jd]

Waller to put the Brisa format that was previously on 100.3 on the new 94.3 frequency in Bullard to better serve Tyler.

Credit where it's due, Greg...you were the first to predict that here a while back.

[Greg Branch]

Chuck - technical question - do you know how the Tyler translator receive the QX-FM signal? Are translators still required to receive their programming from the over the air signal? Are they picking up the Kilgore translator and rebroadcasting it?

[Chuck]

Chuck - technical question - do you know how the Tyler translator receive the QX-FM signal? Are translators still required to receive their programming from the over the air signal? Are they picking up the Kilgore translator and rebroadcasting it?

Tyler gets its signal from 105.3 in Kilgore.  There are actually two receivers that can switch automatically, depending on which one is getting the better signal. 

I've experimented with picking up 100.3 at that location, and it seems to work pretty well, despite having KERA's translator on the building next door at 100.1.  The good news is KERA signal is vertically polarized, and our receive antenna is horizontally polarized.  I've also found that the Sony HD tuners are amazing in translator applications.  They reject adjacent channel interference with ease.

[C414B]

Chuck - technical question - do you know how the Tyler translator receive the QX-FM signal? Are translators still required to receive their programming from the over the air signal? Are they picking up the Kilgore translator and rebroadcasting it?

Tyler gets its signal from 105.3 in Kilgore.  There are actually two receivers that can switch automatically, depending on which one is getting the better signal. 

I've experimented with picking up 100.3 at that location, and it seems to work pretty well, despite having KERA's translator on the building next door at 100.1.  The good news is KERA signal is vertically polarized, and our receive antenna is horizontally polarized.  I've also found that the Sony HD tuners are amazing in translator applications.  They reject adjacent channel interference with ease.

My understanding is that translators relaying NCEs are not bound by the rule requiring reception via the mother station's off-air signal. Would this not apply to LPFMs or are LPFMs not given the same privileges as NCEs? (Hope I'm not showing my ignorance here by asking.)

[Kent]

My understanding is that translators relaying NCEs are not bound by the rule requiring reception via the mother station's off-air signal. Would this not apply to LPFMs or are LPFMs not given the same privileges as NCEs? (Hope I'm not showing my ignorance here by asking.)

Only translators in the non-commercial band have exceptions to the over-the-air rule.  I suspect translators relaying LPFM's would be exempt from the over-the-air rule if and only if they were in the non-commercial band.  It may be possible to have a few such translators in the non-comm band as LPFM's are non-comm operations.

[C414B]

My understanding is that translators relaying NCEs are not bound by the rule requiring reception via the mother station's off-air signal. Would this not apply to LPFMs or are LPFMs not given the same privileges as NCEs? (Hope I'm not showing my ignorance here by asking.)

Only translators in the non-commercial band have exceptions to the over-the-air rule.  I suspect translators relaying LPFM's would be exempt from the over-the-air rule if and only if they were in the non-commercial band.  It may be possible to have a few such translators in the non-comm band as LPFM's are non-comm operations.

Understandable. Thanks for the clarification!

[drewbuddy]

Cut and pasted from yesterday's "Taylor on Radio-Info" e-mail..

"Make it two sales this Summer for Spanish hits “Brisa 100.3” KXAL-FM, in east Texas. Sale #1, a regular-ole Form 314 asset sale, was from Dudley Waller-managed Waller Media to William Waller, Jr. Price was $300,000. Sale #2 is from William Waller to Chuck Conrad-led Chalk Hill Communications. Price this time, in late Summer 2009 - $250,000. Just for the heck of it, I tracked back to mid-2005, when Waller Media bought Class A KXAL-FM, Tatum, Texas from Hunt Broadcasting. The price four years ago? $975,000. KXAL is currently simulcasting Waller Broadcasting’s Spanish hits KDVE, Pittsburg, TX at 103.1. We’ll see what plans Chuck Conrad has for it. Broker on KXAL – Bill Whitley of the Dallas office of Media Services Group."

Congrats to Chuck for picking up KXAL. Any big plans for it? I wonder if that Class A can be improved.

slight mistake "$975,000 for KXAL/KDVE combo not $975,000 for KXAK alone." Just to clarify, congrats Chuck...

[Greg Branch]

Sounds like Chuck is moving ahead with this. QX-FM is now simulcasting on 100.3. Calls are still KXAL-FM.