Sunday, May 6, 2007

The local radio chessboard

Three places to go if you want to look behind the local radio scenes. First is FCCinfo.com, run by Cavell Mertz & Associates, Inc., an engineering consulting firm. It's a nice front end to the FCC's AM, FM and TV databases. Second is Radio-Locator.com, which began life as the MIT radio station database, back in the mid-90s. Third is Wikipedia.

I hit all three when I noticed that KTMS/990's audio was now also on 1490, where KBKO ("Radio Bronco") used to be. When I went to that station's website, I found html wreckage in the midst of which is a new logo for that says "Radio Bronco FM 107.7". KIST-FM used to occupy that channel. If you follow that link, you'll get to a blank page. KIST-FM is no more. There's still a KIST-AM, technically; but it's known instead as the local Air America station.

As I said a few weeks ago, radio is being shaken up here in Santa Barbara. As with the rest of the U.S. radio scene, radio is a chessboard of frequencies on which owners can move "stations" (in many cases just program formulas with call letters) like pieces in a chess game.

Interesting thing: you can still create your own pieces, here and there. For example, LPFM — Low Power FM — stations can be started, if there is an opening in your locality. As the FCC says, LPFM stations are available to noncommercial educational entities and public safety and transportation organizations, but are not available to individuals or for commercial operations. Current broadcast licensees with interests in other media (broadcast or newspapers) are not eligible to obtain LPFM stations.

Some of the best little stations out there are LPFMs. WCOM in Carrboro/Chapel Hill, NC is one. KRUU in Fairfield, Iowa is another.

As it turns out, however, religious broadcasting organizations are especially resourceful when it comes to finding open channels and dropping stations on them. They've been doing this for years with translator stations (low power signals broadcasting on frequencies other than the originating station). And they're doing that now with LPFM.

I discovered how far they've come with that when I noticed in this Radio-Locator search for Goleta, CA (the town next to Santa Barbara) that there's a new LPFM station called KVRY on 96.3. It's owned by Calvary Chapel of Santa Barbara, it says. When I look up KVRY in FCCinfo.com, I see that no other stations are owned by that same outfit. But when I look up Calvary Chapel in Wikipedia, I find there are Calvary Chapels of Costa Medsa, Oxnard, Albequerque, Chico, Fingerlakes and so on. Plus this:

Calvary Chapel Twin Falls (in Idaho) operates KAWZ whose programming is retransmitted by satellite to 43 full-power stations and 344 broadcast translators around the country. This network of radio stations is called the Calvary Satellite Network International (CSN International). Their programing is mostly Bible teaching with some Christian music. The entire radio ministry is in the midst of a number of law suits involving Calvary Chapel of Costa Mesa and Twin Falls as well as the leaders of both churches. Once Chuck Smith is done with the legal issues the face of these radio stations will be changed. [17] Calvary Chapel Twin Falls also operates KEFX called Effect Radio, which broadcasts Christian rock music. They are a mostly Christian music station with around 50 stations re-transmitting their programming. [18]

There's more on CSN International, aka KAWZ. Which, by the way, already has Santa Barbara covered with a translator on 91.5.

When I look back at FCCInfo for what's happening within 50km of Santa Barbara, I find a pile of applications (that's what APP stands for under Status) among which is one by Calvary Chapel of Twin Falls for a new station in Carpinteria. Here's what else they own. Impressive.

I have nothing against religious broadcasting, except that it seems like some kind of packing material all over the FM dial — pushed into crevices nobody else seems to see.

There has been some encouraging follow-up to what I wrote about the opportunities recently. I'll be adding some more in the next few days.

It's about TIME

TIME Magazine exposes all their archive editorial, going back to 1923. For free. So, when Joe Klein writes an essay for the magazine, he doesn't have to worry that his writing goes down what writers at less enlightened publications call "the $2.50 hole", within which which all old "content" continues to be "monetized" until the end of time (no pun intended). Even if it never sells to a single reader.

I'm a TIME subscriber. It's nice to know that TIME considers free archives more valuable and authoritative than hidden ones. And it makes me more likely to remain a subsciber as well.