In the broadcast television world, Gary Cocola is a pioneer of digital multicast programming. In Bakersfield, no less than 11 DT offerings can be found on his company’s Channel 34 in the southern San Joaquin Valley of California. In Cocola Broadcasting’s home market of Fresno, multiple digital low-power TV stations accompany KGMC-43 in offering a wide variety of programming to the market.
Now, Cocola is investing in a FM translator near Fresno — perhaps for the “KKDJ Radio” operation.
Cocola’s KJKZ-LD 27.1 is home to “KKDJ Radio,” which pays homage to an iconic 1980s-era Fresno facility. In February 2021, five-watt K272GD at 102.3 MHz signed on as a home for KKDJ, using a north Fresno (despite its South Fresno city of license) tower at the Morris Cocola Broadcast Center and KNGS-LPFM 100.7 in Hanford, a Central Valley city to the south of Fresno.
With the FCC’s blessing, it appears K263BH at 100.5 MHz in Auberry, Calif., is poised to join the KKDJ Radio family, bringing a broadcast signal to Fresno’s north.
K263BH uses a tower on a perch near Meadow Lakes and serves communities near Millerton Lake and Table Mountain Casino, in addition to Fresno’s northern reaches and the city of Clovis.
To make the addition of K263BH happen, Cocola Broadcasting is acquiring the property from New Life Christian School, under licensee name “Advance Ministries Inc.,” for $25,000. A $5,000 deposit has been made to the buyer by Cocola.
Serving as Cocola’s legal counsel in this transaction is Mark Denbo of Smithwick & Belendiuk.
