KPFA

Maria Gilmore Maria.Gilmore at gte.net
Sat Jul 17 14:17:45 PDT 1999


Doug Henwood wrote:


> Eric Beck wrote:
>
> >These figures would apply to the main part of the dial, right? Isn't that
> >why, or at least partially why, WBAI's frequency (99.9) is worth so much?
> >Aren't the costs for left-of-dial frequencies much, much cheaper, or are
> >there no more slots left?
>
> Yeah, BAI has what's normally a commercial frequency, which is what
> makes the license very valuable. I doubt there are many slots left at
> any end of the dial in any major metro area.
>
> Doug

The market the property is in, location on the dial, signal quality and strength, equipment quality and condition...all these factor in. BAI would be a delectable acquisition; it could be sold in a flash. I understand the LA station also has very marketable traits, think I heard it's one of the best, if not THE best, FM signals on the West Coast. Don't know about KPFA.

Doug is correct when he says the spots on the dial are already taken; have been for decades, in any population center of consequence. Hence the battle for micro-radio; the best frequencies you can pump a lot of wattage into legally were nailed down long long ago, and the FCC has not been inclined . What I'm fuzzy on is, as someone else brought up...what is the nature of the license? I'm wondering. If Pacifica's properties are all licensed as nonprofit or educational or whatever, it's like zoning. The FCC would have to okay a change in the nature of the license, to, say, commercial, so whoever buys BAI, let's say, can cash in. I'm not familiar with that ever happening. Maybe someone else is...of course, the radio industry in total is in such incredible upheaval right now, nothing anyone could do at this point would surprise me...



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