Soledad FMs Moving Across the Street

[Updated] The FCC in late February and early March granted Minor Modification applications for all of the iHeartMedia FM stations atop Mt. Soledad to consolidate at the historic KFMB-TV site, moving from KGTV’s antenna across the street. iHeart’s KMYI 94.1 and KIOZ 105.3 will join current master FM antenna partners KPBS-FM 89.5, KBZT (FM) 94.9, KXSN (FM) 98.1, and KFBG (FM) 100.7. The move will require a new 12-bay master antenna to handle the high input power. The current 8-bay antenna has been known locally as “Quadzilla.”

At the same time, EMF’s KLVJ (FM) 102.1 Encinitas will move its main transmitter from the UCSD tower site to the new master FM antenna.

iHeartMedia’s KSSX (FM) 95.7 Carlsbad will also move from KGTV to KFMB-TV, but their allocation requires a separate, directional antenna to be mounted on a tenant tower at KFMB-TV. The signal has some light reduction in signal toward Mexico to the southeast.

he FCC granted a Minor Modification application for iHeart Media to move K277DH, the KLSD (AM) translator on 103.3 MHz, from a KGTV-owned tower to the KFMB-TV tower. The CP specifies a vertically polarized Kathrein yagi with an east-west orientation at 250 watts ERP.

Since the KFMB Stations were sold to TEGNA, InSite has been managing the site for income and there have apparently been some reductions in site leasing costs. American Tower Corp. recently acquired all of the InSite properties and management contracts and will take over management of the KFMB-TV property.