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KZNS
Jun 21, 2022 9:01:51 GMT -6
Post by oldiesfunhouse on Jun 21, 2022 9:01:51 GMT -6
I created a new thread because this has nothing to do with their "new digs" and, this way, we can talk about anything that involves them. I wanted to point out a couple of changes I've noticed.
The first change is on 97.5 FM. Since it was purchased by the Millers, it has never broadcast in stereo. It is now. I was in the car, the only place I currently listen to over the air radio these days, and was dial flipping and got to 975 during a commercial break in a Bees game. I honestly thought I had miscounted on my stations. But, Born to be Wild started playing in stereo and then Steve Klauke came on. (Please forgive any misspellings.)
The next thing I noticed was yesterday morning. The Zone has re-branded. They are now calling it ninety seven five THE (pronounced with a long E) KSL Sports Zone. 1280 is no longer part of the brand.
Lastly, their top of the hour Legal ID is wrong. It's not giving any call letters. It now just says something like "AM 1280 Salt Lake City, FM 975 Coalville." There are no call letters mentioned. I heard it several times throughout the day yesterday and once this morning. It's hard to imagine Bonneville making an error like that.
Very interesting!
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KZNS
Jun 21, 2022 12:16:11 GMT -6
via mobile
Post by David on Jun 21, 2022 12:16:11 GMT -6
I'm not surprised that Bonneville is now ignoring the KZNS AM frequency. They quit mentioning the AM frequency for KSL several years ago, except during some station breaks and the TOH legal ID. IMO, Bonneville is making a mistake by not promoting the AM frequencies for KSL and KZNS, especially since both stations have a 50 kW signal during daylight hours. Those AM frequencies have the potential to reach a lot more listeners vs. the FM signals, especially with FM's susceptibility to multi pathing, fading, and being blocked by mountains. The way I see it, if Bonneville is going to continue to keep the AM signals on the air and pay for the electricity for two 50 kW transmitters, they might as well take advantage of it by promoting the AM frequencies once in awhile.
Not giving out the call letters at the top of the hour is just asking for an FCC citation and fine. Even if Bonneville has applied for new call letters for KZNS, they're still required by law to mention the current call letters at the TOH.
On the plus side, it appears that the problem with the 1280 AM frequency going off the air at local sunset time and not automatically switching to nighttime power has finally been fixed.
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KZNS
Jun 22, 2022 1:24:25 GMT -6
Post by CAwasinNJ on Jun 22, 2022 1:24:25 GMT -6
I think (the current) KSL-FM has always been stereo. Granted 102.7 is a full market station and has regularly scheduled music, but if I were running an FM I'd want it to be stereo to give it the added punch that a well mixed promo/commercial/etc can give. I know there are those who subscribe to the idea that turning off the stereo pilot increases range (and the Humpy rimshots can use all the help they can get in that regard), but I don't think that's been true to any great degree for many years. YMMV. Are any of the games on KSL-FM in stereo? That might be a good indicator of whether that's in Zone's future as well.
Side note while we're talking about stereo mixing. There's an election promo running on KUTV where the national tag is in the left channel, the music bed is in the right channel and the local tag is in both. It sounds awful.
I wouldn't think it was likely that the KZNS calls are going away but who knows. I agree that not having them in the non-ID is very interesting. I would ask if they were burying the real ID 10-15 minutes before the top of the hour like some stations have been doing for 20+ years, but then the question would be why they were bothering to mention Coalville.
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KZNS
Jun 22, 2022 8:57:33 GMT -6
Post by oldiesfunhouse on Jun 22, 2022 8:57:33 GMT -6
The Jazz games themselves that were on KSL this season were not in stereo but all the commercials, intro and outro music, and production pieces were. On the Spanish side, (Is it 107.1 that is the FM for the Spanish Jazz games?), those were in stereo. The crowd noise was in stereo. I don't know if they were real crowd sounds or fake since I don't know if the Spanish announcers were in the arena or broadcasting from a studio due to Covid. Since I'm not a Spanish speaker I didn't listen for any real length of time. I wonder how hard it would be to mic the basketball court in such a way that you could hear the sounds in stereo. I don't listen to many TV broadcasts but it seems like I've heard some stereo effects like when the ball goes in the hoop etc. That would be awesome! I know none of the broadcasts on the NBA League Pass Audio are in stereo. I kind of don't think they're even set up for it. Not being an audio engeneer whatsoever, I have no clue how difficult that would be. And the road games would be another matter entirely, although I think more and more NBA flagships are on the FM dial these days.
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KZNS
Jun 22, 2022 10:37:25 GMT -6
via mobile
Post by David on Jun 22, 2022 10:37:25 GMT -6
I think (the current) KSL-FM has always been stereo. Granted 102.7 is a full market station and has regularly scheduled music, but if I were running an FM I'd want it to be stereo to give it the added punch that a well mixed promo/commercial/etc can give. I know there are those who subscribe to the idea that turning off the stereo pilot increases range (and the Humpy rimshots can use all the help they can get in that regard), but I don't think that's been true to any great degree for many years. YMMV. Are any of the games on KSL-FM in stereo? That might be a good indicator of whether that's in Zone's future as well. Side note while we're talking about stereo mixing. There's an election promo running on KUTV where the national tag is in the left channel, the music bed is in the right channel and the local tag is in both. It sounds awful. I wouldn't think it was likely that the KZNS calls are going away but who knows. I agree that not having them in the non-ID is very interesting. I would ask if they were burying the real ID 10-15 minutes before the top of the hour like some stations have been doing for 20+ years, but then the question would be why they were bothering to mention Coalville. Isn't Coalville the COL for the 97.5 transmitter? As far as I know, the FCC rules still require a station to give a TOH ID with the station's call letters and city of license for both AM & FM if it's a simulcast like KZNS.
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KZNS
Jun 23, 2022 6:51:27 GMT -6
Post by CAwasinNJ on Jun 23, 2022 6:51:27 GMT -6
I know that sports on TV has been stereo since TV stereo became possible way back in the 80's, so it can definitely be done. The concept isn't particularly difficult.
Yes, KZNS-FM is licensed to Coalville and yes the legal ID rules are still in effect.
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KZNS
Jun 25, 2022 18:49:56 GMT -6
via mobile
Post by David on Jun 25, 2022 18:49:56 GMT -6
The Zone's AM frequency is screwed up again. There's been nothing on 1280 since at least 6:15 this evening, not even dead air. It appears that the AM transmitter isn't even on the air right now. Perhaps a new transmitter is needed.
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KZNS
Jun 26, 2022 0:27:45 GMT -6
Post by CAwasinNJ on Jun 26, 2022 0:27:45 GMT -6
I understand that some of Bonneville's other sports stations (KHTK Sacramento, KMVP Phoenix and KIRO Seattle) have undergone a rebranding and a revamp emphasizing their digital presence. ( www.allaccess.com/net-news/archive/story/219228/khtk-sacramento-rebrands-as-sactown-sports ) I wonder whether the change in branding in Salt Lake that oldiesfunhouse started this thread with is the end of the rebranding or a stepping stone to ween listeners off the Zone brand. The old Zone website now just redirects to kslsports.com.
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KZNS
Jun 27, 2022 15:19:13 GMT -6
Post by seattlefollower on Jun 27, 2022 15:19:13 GMT -6
On the Spanish side, (Is it 107.1 that is the FM for the Spanish Jazz games?), those were in stereo. The crowd noise was in stereo. I don't know if they were real crowd sounds or fake since I don't know if the Spanish announcers were in the arena or broadcasting from a studio due to Covid. Since I'm not a Spanish speaker I didn't listen for any real length of time. "Juan" 1600 KTUB is the Spanish-language home of the Utah Jazz, sometimes also airing on KBMG-FM "Latino." (Yes, Aerostar took it one year away from Alpha) and is sports-oriented a majority of the broadcast day/year.
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KZNS
Jun 30, 2022 9:08:04 GMT -6
Post by oldiesfunhouse on Jun 30, 2022 9:08:04 GMT -6
I don't know when they switched but, when I tuned in yesterday to the internet streams for both 1280and 975, they were both in stereo. Before they switched the audio was terrible on both of them. It still may be a little over modulated but it sounds a lot better than it used to. Also, over the air last night during the Bees game, I noticed 1280 was ahead of 975. I hope they're still going to turn off the delay on 975 during the Jazz games like they always have before. I don't know if i'll get to go to a Jazz game this year but, as a blind guy, I like to take a ppotable radio with earbuds into the arena and listen to the game and it's very frustrating if the delay is on. I wonder what the cost would be to put a low power FM transmitter inside the arena. I know some cities have done that. Denver had one when I was living there in the late 90s. Do any of you speak to Ryan Smith on a regular basis? LOL!
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KZNS
Jul 4, 2022 11:22:48 GMT -6
via mobile
Post by David on Jul 4, 2022 11:22:48 GMT -6
FWIW, KZNS AM & FM have been broadcasting dead air since at least 8:30 this morning. I hope it's fixed before tonight's Salt Lake Bees game at 6:30!
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