In late March, one of the nation’s most listened to Classical radio brands found itself in a quandary. An FM translator with 250 watts had signed on the air, using a tower near the old Candlestick Park adjacent to U.S. Highway 101 in the southeastern part of San Francisco.
Taking matters into its own hands, this University of Southern California station offered its audience a downloadable one-page “Interference Complaint” for listeners who have trouble picking up broadcasts via this signal.
It worked: A silent STA came in July. Now, the questionable FM translator no longer exists.
Instead, a different translator with a different signal contour has arrived in the East Bay.
According to FCC documentation, K285HD in San Francisco, licensed to operate with 250 watts at 104.9 MHz, has formally been deleted from the Commission’s database.
It comes after Multicultural Radio Broadcasting surrendered the translator’s license, granted in 2017 to give some “AM revitalization” to its KEST-AM 1450, airing a mix of personal growth and Asian-language programming.
And, it follows a Silent STA request submitted in late July to the Commission in which Multicultural cited “interference concerns” as the primary decision to go dark — at that time, temporarily.
It appears it could not fix these concerns, which began March 27, 2019 with the K285HD sign-on, USC-owned KDFC alleges.
KDFC uses KXSC-FM 104.9, licensed to Sunnyvale, Calif., to reach a wide swath of Silicon Valley and San Jose. Because of where K285HD sat, its signal traveled beyond contour maps in ways leading to reception challenges for KXSC, USC argued.
Multicultural never elaborated on the matter.
While K285HD is no more, those tuning to 104.9 MHz in such East Bay communities as Concord and Martinez will be hearing something other than KXSC.
But, as shown in the map above, that’s OK — the KXSC signal contour does not reach those cities.
As such, K285FA has signed on the air, as a 99-watt translator relaying KSFB-AM 1260 and its “Relevant Radio” Christian Talk & Teaching programming.
The license for K285FA was granted Sept. 30.
Given its limited area, interference is likely of no concern to KDFC or the other station at 104.9 MHz within the San Francisco DMA.
That would be Class B1 KDHT-FM 104.9 in Rohnert Park, Calif., an Amaturo Sonoma Media-owned Classic Hits station serving Wine Country, just north of San Francisco. KDHT’s signal contour does not include the East Bay communities served by K285FA.
