Purpledevil Posted June 25, 2014 Share Posted June 25, 2014 If you haven't kept up with the drama that has been going on at Pacifica, with eviction from towers in New York, to hostile takeovers of the station in L.A., this might make you start.90-1 KPFT, our little gem on Lovett Blvd., has been running the station on a special temporary authority by the FCC, because the license for the station has expired and not been renewed. The license for the station can not be renewed because KPFT can not reach its fully licensed power because the transmitter was destroyed in a lightning strike 2 years ago. The STA for KPFT runs out in November, and the transmitter has not been replaced to date. If KPFT is not renewed, the license is deleted, the frequency goes up for an auction some 10 years down the road, and Houston loses its largest licensed non-commercial radio station on the dial. This is, of course, the worst case scenario, but with the recent money troubles that Pacifica has faced, can they afford to replace a 100 kilowatt transmitter right now?As a Houstonian, would you miss KPFT if it suddenly vanished in November? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Purpledevil Posted June 25, 2014 Author Share Posted June 25, 2014 http://www.radiosurvivor.com/2014/06/24/more-churn-at-pacifica-radio/Sorry, forgot to post a link, lol. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
editor Posted June 25, 2014 Share Posted June 25, 2014 Was that the station that ran the Prison Show? Is it still on? Even though I don't agree with most of what comes out of Pacifica, it's a shame to lose any local content, even if it was only a few hours a week. The problem, though, is with Pacifica. That place is a mess. What would be ideal is if Pacifica, which I believe to be desperate for cash, could sell KPFT to a local college to continue operation as an independent voice in Houston. But who wants to buy a station and then immediately have to shell out money for a new transmitter and the rest of its baggage. Might as well wait for the license to come up for auction and bid against the religious broadcasters. It would be great if the local Pacifica bunch could extract themselves from the mothership and continue as an independent organization. But again, that takes money. Lots of money. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Purpledevil Posted June 25, 2014 Author Share Posted June 25, 2014 I'd agree with the desire for Pacifica to sell on my part, but I just don't see Pacifica doing that. It seems like when it's looking like the bottom is about to drop out on Pacifica, they somehow find away to pull their collective heads back above the water.I am in total agreement of your assessment, editor. I'd much prefer to have UH with 90-1 in its portfolio, or especially TSU, so that "The Choice" could be moved to the far superior signal of 90-1, but I think we both realize that something like that is not in the game plan of the Pacifica group. The problem with sitting back and waiting for the allocation to be auctioned, if indeed KPFT goes dark, is the time it would take to return the channel to our market, and of course the money involved with building another station from scratch. The license for KPFT itself, is likely worth more than what's left of the equipment, and that's what any suitor (imo) would be after. KPFT is a very prime dial setting in this market. Sure wish UH would have waited a couple of more years to acquire a second signal for the classical feed. 90-1 would have made a fine place to air it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FilioScotia Posted June 25, 2014 Share Posted June 25, 2014 Pacific is its own worst enemy. They've worked hard to position themselves so far out on the left wing fringe that they have no one but their small left wing fringe audience to turn to for help when times are hard, and times are always hard at Pacifica. I cannot remember a time when KPFT wasn't in serious financial trouble. How it has managed to stay on the air is an imponderable mystery. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Witch King Posted June 25, 2014 Share Posted June 25, 2014 ...As a Houstonian, would you miss KPFT if it suddenly vanished in November? No! Good bye KPFT and Good Riddance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tiger198619 Posted June 26, 2014 Share Posted June 26, 2014 We could use another "soft rock/AC" station to compete with Sunny 99.1, This would be a great opportunity for that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Purpledevil Posted June 26, 2014 Author Share Posted June 26, 2014 Very doubtful on the non-commercial band, tiger. Would be a good idea to create some competition for Sunny though, but it would come from a commercially licensed facility if it does transpire.Guilty pleasure of mine would be if Alvin Community College could rake up the money to outright purchase it, even as/is, from Pacifica. I know I'd donate to help bring "The Gulf Coast Rocker" to the Gulf Coast flame thrower that is 90-1. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gnu Posted June 26, 2014 Share Posted June 26, 2014 I guess I am an oddball. I enjoy a lot of KPFT's music programming. I am glad there is still a terrestrial station out there that is not broadcasting the same lame playlist everyday (BTW, I like KACC, too). I also appreciate that they broadcast the BBC Newshour. I believe the only programming that KPFT broadcasts which originates from Pacifica is Democracy Now! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
atomictelephone Posted June 27, 2014 Share Posted June 27, 2014 I guess I am an oddball. I enjoy a lot of KPFT's music programming. I am glad there is still a terrestrial station out there that is not broadcasting the same lame playlist everyday (BTW, I like KACC, too). I also appreciate that they broadcast the BBC Newshour. I believe the only programming that KPFT broadcasts which originates from Pacifica is Democracy Now! Democracy Now hasn't had any affiliation with Pacifica since WBAI went through tumult some years ago. While it's true Amy's program airs on Pacifica stations (she was a former WBAI staffer) it is now independent of Pacifica. Michio Kaku's show Explorations which KPFT airs also originates from WBAI but is separate from Pacifica as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Firebird65 Posted June 30, 2014 Share Posted June 30, 2014 As a Houstonian, would you miss KPFT if it suddenly vanished in November? It's news to me it's still on. I thought that station disappeared years, if not decades, ago. So no, I guess I wouldn't miss it at all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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