KDYL 1060 Sold

[David]

An application for assignment of KDYL's license has been filed with the FCC. As near as I can tell from looking at the application, the new owner will be Eric Palacios, DBA Radio Activo Broadcasting LLC. According to the asset purchase agreement, the sale price for KDYL is $50,000. That's a far cry from the $712,000 James Su paid for the station just five years ago. But as has been previously discussed on this board, KDYL will need a new transmitter and three phase power capabilities at the minimum to put the station back on the air.

licensing.fcc.gov/cgi-bin/ws.exe/prod/cdbs/forms/prod/cdbsmenu.hts?context=25&appn=101823359&formid=314&fac_num=27458

[drpepper]

i wonder why people buy AM stations still. In midsized markets anyway. without a translator seems like a losing bet, unless you bought an established brand with a station like if broadway sold KALL for instance. I know it has a translator but its signal is half-assed at best.

[David]

In some cases, I think broadcasters buy an AM station because there's no FM stations/translators available in the market they're looking to reach. Between FM translators, low power FM stations, and full power FM's, it can be very difficult to acquire an FM signal for a reasonable price in some areas. Also, depending on an AM station's power level, the station can potentially reach as many listeners as an FM station can. In general, non-profits like El Sembrador and some of the other religious organizations aren't concerned about whether the signal is AM or FM, they just want to get their message out to as many people as possible. I think that's one of the reasons James Su paid so much for KDYL in 2015: 10 kW daytime power will cover a lot of area. Moreover, if an AM station can be bought for the right price, it's easier to recoup a return on investment in a shorter period of time. Depending on the condition of KDYL's tower and antenna, the new owner may be able to get the station back on the air for less than what it sold for in 2015, even with the cost of a new transmitter and three phase power. $50 K is about 1/2 of what KJJC and KNIT sold for a few years ago, and those stations didn't even come with transmitters or towers.

[CAwasinNJ]

The buyer and purchase price are correct. It's been said that it will need a new transmitter/power/etc, but that has not been established as a fact yet.

There's an interesting fact in the timing here. James Su and Eric Palacios have worked together before. Palacios bought KADD (about halfway between Las Vegas and St George) from Su. That paperwork was filed back in June and closed in August. I find it interesting that it took 6 more months to reach a deal on KDYL. It would seem whatever Su was looking to sell 1060 for back then wasn't judged worth it.

When judging why someone would want to buy an AM today, in addition to what David said you have to consider the audience. Palacios' other stations are in Spanish so it's a pretty good bet that 1060 is going Spanish as well. The Spanish stations in the market are 4 rimshot FM's plus 3 AM's and according to Radio Locator all are classified as either Regional Mexican or Spanish Hits (CHR). Since there are Spanish formats that aren't yet represented here, if a listener wanted to hear that format they'll go to where the format is regardless of band. We've seen that before.

[David]

Just out of curiosity, which Spanish formats aren't represented among the four AM and four FM Spanish language stations in the Salt Lake City market that KDYL might offer?

[drpepper]

Thanks david and CA for your replies. and yeah if theres a potential audience to gather then hope they can get a format on the air that enough people will support.
i have listened at times to KDUT, KNIV, KBMG and KEGH; and it seems like KDUT and KNIV are very similar, while KBMG seems to have more of a Rhythmic CHR feel, but also playing a mix of softer songs and dabbling a bit in similar music to KDUT and KNIV. KEGH on brief listening here and there, seems to be a hybrid format of sorts as well. musicly it seems they're kind of a mashup of the other 3 stations mentioned. All of them though, seem to have a nuanced community feel that varries from one station to the other.
it's a safe bet at least one person on this board can speak to the similarities and differences between each station much better than me, these are just some observations i've made while listening to each station.
As far as format holes; there are a couple options that come to mind, i've always wondered why there isn't at least some sort of news talk format on the dial, that seems like something that could do reasonably well. the other would be for one of the FMs. I'm sure it's been considered, and the people who own these stations, and know more than i do, may have ruled it out. But it is similar to what i have heard at times on KBMG. It seems like at this point there might be enough of a younger audience say from 13-44 with addes targeted more at 25-44 to start a bilingual station, similar to KXOL in LA.

[kenglish]

Pardon me while I grouse a bit, but is there any need to broadcast on AM/Medium Wave any more? The noise-floor is getting higher every day that ships arrive from China, dumping cheap electronic junk on our unsuspecting country.
I guess an AM license allows you to apply for a low-powered FM translator, which can cover a few miles. But, the RFI is so intense, and occurs across the entire spectrum...even FM reception is noisy.
Might as well just stream on-line, except that the interference from cheap junk like LED lights even wipes out wi-fi and cell phone service in many instances.
I knew that the noise was getting worse, but it is now completely overwhelming.
Nearly every apartment and condo in my area has turned on their Christmas lights (24/7), and most already have tons of existing lights.
New neighbors downstairs have LED rope lights throughout the apartment, and AM radio is obliterated on nearly every frequency by, I guess, a controller and power supply. If you've been downtown and seen the thousands of new, tiny apartments being built, it's hard to see where any receiver will be more than a foot or so from some RFI producing doo-dad in your own, or neighbors, home.

[David]

The level of RFI on the AM band seems to depend on where one lives. From what I've heard, apartments and condos are among the worst for high RFI interference, most likely because there's a large number of people who are essentially sharing the same living space. In my neighborhood the level of RFI from neighboring homes is relatively low unless my next door neighbor decides to fire up his power tools on the weekend. My neighbor across the street goes all out to decorate for Christmas every year with hundreds of lights and other decorations, and I've never noticed an increase in RFI on AM during the holidays. Then again, I live in an older neighborhood in NE Ogden where most residents can't usually afford to buy the latest & greatest electronic noise generators.

There are better quality radios available which have more RFI shielding than the typical no-name Chinese dollar store radios. In particular, I've had good luck with the various Sangean models that are available on Amazon, eBay, and other online retailers. Unfortunately, most consumers don't want to spend more than $20-$30 for a radio, and then they wonder why they can't hear anything because of all the noise. 🙄

[CAwasinNJ]

I think I'm in the minority but the only major problem I've had with noise on AM was several decades ago with that dimmer light I mentioned a while back. And that's even with using some "antennas" that would make MacGyver proud. CFL & LED lights in the house? No problem. Driving under LED traffic lights? Never noticed them. Even the battery powered pocket radio works fine as long as it's at least 10 feet away from my big tower computer. This was even true when I used to live in a big condo complex. I don't know why but I'll take it.