Emmis has filed a modification to its application to relocate “103.5 Bob-FM” KBPA San Marcos to Austin to correct its coordinates.
KBPA seeks to operate with 46kW/326.2m from the West Lake Hills tower utilized by Emmis’ Rock 93.7 KLBJ-FM. The modifications of KXAI and KMJR are not affected by the amendment.
Original Report 2/7: Educational Media Foundation’s $432,000 December purchase of Regional Mexican “La Caliente 98.3” KMJR Odem TX from Tejas Broadcasting could lead to the addition of a new FM signal for San Antonio with the assistance of Emmis Communications following a series of contingent applications filed yesterday.
To make the move possible Emmis will downgrade Variety Hits “103.5 Bob-FM” KBPA San Marcos from a Class C0 to a Cl with 48kW/326.2m from a tower just east of downtown Austin giving the station a better signal in the northern suburbs of Georgetown, Round Rock, and Taylor. A new Austin city of license will accompany that move.
KMJR will move from 98.3 Odem to 103.7. While remaining on the same tower it will move to what is currently KXAI’s antenna with 75kW/290.3m giving the station identical coverage to what it has now.
Those moves will allow KXAI to relocate from Refugio to a new city-of-license of Balcones Heights where it downgrade from a Class C1 to a Class A. KXAI seeks to operate with 4.3kW/98m where it will cover San Antonio and its adjacent suburbs.
EMF’s “K-Love” currently is heard in the San Antonio market on 91.1 KZLV Lytle, which covers the majority of the market. “Air 1” is on rimshot 97.7 KZAR McQueeny whose 60dBu signal does not cover any of the city.
Terms of compensation to Emmis from Educational Media Foundation were not disclosed and will be held in confidence according to the agreement.
Ryan Williams
I saw these applications this morning and I was surprised. KBPA has been so successful, I wonder how big the consideration would have to be to make a “downgrade” discussion even occur. Also, per some of the technical exhibits, the destination for KBPA would not be a new tower in East Austin but rather the KLBJ-FM tower in the West Austin Antenna Farm (where most of the markets TV and FM stations transmit from). It’s also interesting that Emmis is currently holding a construction permit to “upgrade” KROX-FM from another tower in the West Austin Antenna Farm to the current KBPA tower near Buda (this “upgrade” would take KROX-FM from a C2 to a C1, but move the transmission so far from the center of the market and population that I doubt it is really an upgrade). I don’t have any inside information and maybe they are almost ready to flip the switch on the KROX-FM move, but I wonder if this deal with EMF throws that move in doubt. The KROX-FM move is also strange considering they are moving in the opposite direction with KGSR going from a full Class C from a rural tower to a C2 from the West Austin Antenna Farm. Lastly, I haven’t had a chance to look through all of the applications, so perhaps they have specific waivers requested, but I am curious how they are applying to move KXAI so far in distance (121 miles) and KMJR so many channels (27 to be exact) as minor modification “instant applications”.