All posts by Gary Stigall

KOGO On the Air from the KGB-AM Site

KOGO (AM) 600 kHz started broadcasting full-time from their new site at the west end of Santee beginning October 28, 2024. iHeart filed with the FCC a License to Cover the Construction Permit for that move from Emerald Hills. At the new site, KOGO will operate with a transmitter output of 9,000 watts daytime, 10,000 watts nighttime, both directional to the southwest with a slightly different pattern than they had at the old site. The extra power from their previous 5 kW output is needed to compensate for the inefficiency of the short antenna (69°) designed for KFMB (now KGB-AM)  at 760 kHz, and the losses due to multiple matching and filter devices used to multiplex with KGB-AM. 

When KLNV 106.5 and KWFN 97.3 are finished moving to the KGB-FM tower, owner Vertical Bridge will be free to convert the old Emerald Hills site property to a residential development. 

KOGO had been at the Emerald Hills site since 1948, when its callsign was KFSD. 

Three San Diego LPFM Applicants Tentatively Selected for Processing

The FCC issued a Public Notice on October 16, 2024, selecting from 2023 LPFM filing window mutually exclusive (MX) applications for further processing. The PN listed filings in a separate spreadsheet with selection criterion scores. Petitioners have 30 days to file objections to the selections. Applicants have 60 days to file Major Change (usually frequency move) amendments and 90 days to file frequency time share proposals.

Three San Diego area applicants were given the green light, forcing them to time share the 96.9 MHz channel each chose. The three applicants were:

  • The Labors Training and Community Development Alliance with its site near the intersection of Interstate 5 and California State Highway 54.
  • The Football Camp for Kids with transmitter in the same area.
  • The Justice Overcoming Boundaries in San Diego County with the transmitter at Bonita Long Canyon Park.

The three parties could ask to share the channel with differing time schedules, or carry some or all of the programming over a merged operation. Sometimes parties get cold feet with the complications and expenses and quit the process altogether.

Pirate Station on 101.7 MHz Interfering with KGB-FM

An FM station with no known authorization on 101.7 has been interfering with adjacent channel KGB-FM in areas south of downtown San Diego. The station broadcasts religious music and information, apparently from Tijuana. Operation is reported to be intermittent. The station has a Facebook page and a forum page about it on RadioDiscussions.com. If you have any information you can add about its whereabouts, please let us know. 

Thanks to Bob Gonsett for this news tip. 

Chapter 36 Online Meeting Oct 16: Intraplex IPL and Ascent Audio Transport

The evolution of audio transport over IP has been long, and some might argue, painful march. Fortunately, we’ve experienced advances in bandwidth, efficiency and fidelity with better codecs, tenacious reconnection schemes, and clever error correction protocols.

Tony Gervasi of GatesAir

Tony Gervasi of GatesAir will discuss the latest generation Intraplex IPL and Ascent products, which he promises “isn’t your normal codec and transport system.” What can they do for you? He’ll give an overview with best practices and several use cases.

Join us Wednesday, October 16, at 12:30 PM PT, via this Microsoft Teams link. By phone, use +1 614-421-7917,,463204509#.

About Tony Gervasi

Tony’s background includes more than 30 years of experience in the broadcast industry, including 20 years as Sr. VP of Engineering & Technology for Nassau Broadcasting, where he bought his first Intraplex STL T1 system in 1996.  During his tenure at Nassau, he relied on Intraplex products to provide audio and data transport for over 100 radio stations in 15 markets, including Boston and Philadelphia. 

In April 2018, Tony joined the GatesAir family as the sales manager for Intraplex.