KPFK Translator Testing on 93.7 Coming Soon? (Feb 2, 2008)

An E-mail from "H" let me know (thank you) that the FCC has just granted the frequency of 93.7 to KPFK (originating in Los Angeles) for a translator in Rancho Bernardo.

http://www.fcc.gov/fcc-bin/fmq?list=0&facid=86285

The transmitter will be at Mt. Woodsen.

Sometime in mid-February, XLNC will no longer be broadcasting on 90.7FM after the move to 104.9 is made official when the engineers have finished testing the transmitter. At the time, KPFK 90.7 from Los Angeles will be audiable in San Diego for the first time in eight years.

The Wires (Feb 2, 2008)

TV Tech: NAB Goes to Bat for LPTV. At its annual meetings this week, the NAB Television Board approved a resolution to help publicize the plight of low-power television stations during the final year of the DTV transition.

TV Tech: FCC to Hold DTV Education Workshop for Low-income Consumers. The meeting will be held in the commission meeting room and will be Webcast from the FCC’s Web site at www.fcc.gov/realaudio

Radio World: KCRW Media Player Lets Listeners Access, Bookmark Shows. Users can access playlists, subscribe to podcasts, embed content on blogs, buy a CD or book from the artist/author being interviewed and share links to favorite programs with friends.

InsideRadio: 2007 was a "breakthrough year" for HD Radio sales. iBiquity says 330,000 HD Radio receivers were sold in '07, a 725% increase from the 40,000 units purchased in 2006. iBiquity released the sales data to the NAB Radio Board during meeting in Washington. HD Digital Radio Alliance CEO Peter Ferrara tells Inside Radio says "Just by sheer number of units out there, and more stores stocking them, sales will go up exponentially."

XM Satellite Radio and Sony BMG announce that they have settled the lawsuit brought against the satcaster over the portable Pioneer Inno device. No terms of the deal were disclosed.

XLNC Testing on 104.9 (Feb 1, 2008)

Testing, Testing, 1, 2, 3…

Recently, you may have tuned to 104.9 FM and heard classical music. You are hearing tests that we need to run before we switch to the new frequency. Our engineers are working on the antenna panels to achieve the best reception for the region and we should be moving to 104.9 FM soon. Stay tuned to 90.7 FM for updates about our progress.

We'll be announcing our official moving date to 104.9 FM very, very soon. Keep checking XLNC1's website for updates. Remember that the new frequency will be 104.9 FM.

You can also keep listening to XLNC1 for updates about our “moving day” and thank you for your patience.

FAQ:

When will XLNC1 begin broadcasting on 104.9 FM?
We expect to begin broadcasting sometime this week.

What progress has been made to make the switch to 104.9 FM?
All the equipment has arrived and we are working quickly to install it, test it, and begin broadcasting at 104.9 FM as soon as possible.

Will XLNC1 be broadcasting on 104.9 and 90.7 simultaneously?
No. Once we switch to 104.9 FM, we will no longer be broadcasting on 90.7 FM.

Will XLNC1 104.9 have a stronger signal?
Yes. At 90.7 FM, XLNC1 is able to broadcast at 1,000 watts but at 104.9 FM, XLNC1 will be able to broadcast at 7,500 watts.

What areas will be able to receive the new frequency?
If you can hear XLNC1 on 90.7 now, you will have a better signal after we move to 104.9 FM. We anticipate that listeners throughout San Diego County and Northern Baja California will be able to hear a stronger, clearer broadcast from XLNC1.

Why is XLNC1 moving to a new frequency?
104.9 FM is a better frequency for our listeners since there was interference on 90.7 FM.

How will I know when you switch to 104.9 FM?
XLNC1 will broadcast several announcements before the switch telling listeners our “moving day.”

Where and how tall is the antenna?
Our new antenna will be at a higher elevation in Cerro Bola, Tecate, Baja California, Mexico. It stands 100 feet tall and is 4,200 feet above sea level.

The Wires (Feb 1, 2008)

HD Radio sales jump 725% in '07. In what iBiquity terms a "breakthrough year," listeners bought 330,000 HD Radio receivers last year, a jump from 40,000 in 2006. iBiquity released the sales data to the NAB Radio Board during its Winter meeting this week in Washington.

Don Imus doubles his affiliates. "Imus in the Morning" is now heard on 31 stations, two months after his return to radio. That's up from the initial 12 affiliates at launch. Citadel VP of talk programming Phil Boyce says "This show has grown faster than I imagined when we decided to bring Imus out of his rather short retirement." Boyce tells Inside Radio ad sales are also building.

TV's loss could be radio's gain. A survey by the ad agency Carat shows listeners are up for grabs at nights thanks to the TV writers strike. It finds 25% of people are watching less TV and more people are looking at other entertainment options such as online surfing, video games and reading. Many of those options could also involve radio listening. Carat SVP Michelle Lynn says they plan to keep conducting the surveys "to examine the new opportunities that arise as a result of the strike."

Outlaw Punk Podcast: This is the podcast to introduce crunched-up straw hats and shit-kick'n Cowboys to the spiked wristbands and green hair punks. This is not the kind of music for two-step'n too, but for kick'n the mud on the four-wheeler and digging down to find the last cold beer in the cooler.

Pagen Poet Radio: Pagan Poet Radio was launched in April of 2004 in accord with a mission statement to serve as a platform for creative pagan expression. Since then, they've been airing a "defiantly different" mix of pagan, celtic, irish, folk, rock, goth, and soundtracks. Check out the station to hear N-Side, the first poet to be represented by CyberPR.

Radio World: What’s With FM Digital Power Increase?

Seattle PI: From Bill Virgin -- For those who grew up with radio in the 1930s and 1940s, that was when radio was at its best, with such dramas as "The Shadow" and comedians such as Jack Benny. Not so for those who came of age listening to radio in the 1960s, when top 40 ruled AM radio with the booming voices of legendary disc jockeys such as Seattle's own Pat O'Day. But that style of radio was hopelessly outdated for radio listeners of the 1980s, when personality-driven shows such as Robin & Maynard in Seattle helped FM take over music radio

Inside Music Media: From Jerry Del Colliano -- I was surprised to find many young people enthusiastic about the prospect of paying $5 for a CD. I'm sure the record business is not. I can hear them right now: "We can't make money on $5 CDs" -- like they can make money on free downloading, right? I put the question to students in my USC class "Music, Broadcasting & the Mobile Future". About 75% of them -- a surprising number -- said they would buy CDs or multiple CDs -- a significant increase over their current spending -- if the labels charged a flat $5 for the CD. Only one condition: they also want a high fidelity digital version for purchasing the plastic

The Wires (Jan 31, 2008)

Randy Dotinga: The quack who ducked to Mexico.

Hannah Ray Montana? (Jan 31, 2008)

(editor's note: it should be noted that Miley is the most successful female teenage personality in the history of the collective medium consisting of television, radio, internet, satellite, magazines, and other communications. Not even Marie Osmond at 15 way back in 1974-75 peaked as high as Miley does today.)

BULLETIN...BULLETIN...BULLETIN (NOON, Jan 30, 2008)

91X turned 25 on January 11, 2008. It launched its current modern rock format on that date in 1983.

We reported on this last month with little fanfare. Now it's all over San Diego county in print in the San Diego Reader Blurt section.

Once again...91X is 25 years old. Doesn't make that make you feel old?

More on this breaking development as the story unfolds!

Scam Regarding Domain Renewals (Jan 30, 2008)

There is a scam currently going on regarding renewals of domains.

If you receive an e-mail from a company named "Domain Registry of America" regarding the expiration of your domain name and they want you to renew it, an agreement to their suggestion would actually mean to agree to transfer the domain away from [your current domain registrar] (incurring a substantially higher yearly charge just to keep the domain).

Please disregard this letter. Your domain will automatically be renewed through [your current domain registrar] until you tell them not to do so anymore.

When I last checked, DROA wanted $30 a year for my five domains, resulting in $150 a year. For $30 a year, I can renew my five domains through 1and1.com.

The Wires (Jan 30, 2008)

Charlotte Observer: Georgetown Partners L.L.C. has submitted to the FCC an ex parte filing in response to the January 22, 2008 joint filing with the FCC by Sirius Satellite Radio Inc. and XM Satellite Radio Holdings Inc. charging that Sirius-XM's so-called "A La Carte" proposal is nothing more than a "fairytale" with the potential of a very unhappy ending for consumers

Inside Music Media: From Jerry Del Colliano -- Tom Taylor broke the news of John Hogan's "draconian" first quarter contingency plan in his Taylor on Radio-Info publication Monday. It's bad -- all bad. Hundreds of additional jobs are in jeopardy -- this from the industry leader that has been cutting jobs at a record pace in preparation for what they hope will be the completed sale of Clear Channel to Bain Capital and Thomas Lee Partners within a few months. Clear Channel has a problem. It isn't making budget for the first quarter and revenues are down

Happy Hare: In 2000, I was doing a Saturday and Sunday mid-day show on Pop Standards KPOP in San Diego just playing the vanilla early and mid 50’s songs that Clear Channel mistook for a music list, when I looked up from my board, and saw gazing in at me through the large show window,. a radiantly smiling John McCain. It took me several moments to focus in on what I was seeing. Not a large poster of McCain, but McCain himself. I could tell because I waved, and he waved back. How often have you told yourself, “There are no coincidences?.” Probably like me, not a lot. But, this is a sure fire example of predestination

The Radio: TheRadio.Com has launched The Jammin' Channel, a contemporary music channel with a playlist that features music to get funky and boogie down to, with all fun, upbeat, soul oldies from the ‘80s, ‘70s and ‘60s

The Wires (Jan 29, 2008)

Inside Music Media: From Jerry Del Colliano -- The HD Radio Alliance has gone and done it. It has officially opposed the merger of XM and Sirius Satellite Radio. That tells me enough that if I'm at the DOJ, I'm going to approve the merger immediately -- which they're likely to do anyway