FCC denies move of KUSF transmitter to Sausalito

The Federal Communications Commission has denied a request to move the former KUSF transmitter from the University of San Francisco campus to Sausalito, citing a lack of sufficient justification.

UPDATE 5 p.m. 3/17/11: Brenda Barnes, president of KUSC and managing director of the Classical Public Radio Network, confirmed that the company’s lawyers made a “procedural misstep” in the filing, and that they will refile the application to move the transmitter. She said the dismissal from the FCC was a blessing in disguise: Now that they know about the UC regents’ objections they can change the antenna pattern and refile. “Since we did get the objection from KALX we’re doing the engineering to address their concern,” Barnes said.

It’s the latest chapter in the ongoing saga over the sale of KUSF, San Francisco’s only broadcast college radio station, to the University of Southern California-owned Classical Public Radio Network. Foes of the sale, including a group of fans and former volunteers calling themselves Save KUSF, say that a valuable public service is being lost, while USF says they were funding something that no longer served students.

A few hours after shutting down 90.3’s radio signal and ejecting volunteers and staff, the old KUSF frequency began broadcasting classical music formerly heard on classical station KDFC 102.1. KDFC was purchased by the Classical Public Radio Network just prior to the swap, leaving national radio conglomerate Entercom to keep the most valuable part of this deal with the 33,000 watt 102.1 frequency it acquired along with KDFC in 2007.

The complicated business deal that took place in January resulted in three frequencies changing hands, leaving KDFC to broadcast on 90.3 and 89.9 (formerly KNDL, a religious station that went out of business after the purchase) and 102.1 to simulcast San Jose classic rock station KUFX. The eclectic musical and cultural programming that was KUSF went off the air and onto the internet, with just a fraction of its former content and audience.

A week after the sale, the Classical Public Radio Network via USF applied for an assignment of license to own and operate the 90.3 frequency. A few weeks later it filed a request to move the radio transmitter to a location in Sausalito where it would interfere with the signal contours of at least two other college stations, Berkeley’s KALX 90.7 and Stanford’s KZSU 90.1 A request for a waiver to interfere with KALX’s protected signal contours was included in the petition.

Even though interference with the other stations would be minor, the FCC cited a lack of supporting evidence for denying the move. A letter from the FCC said interference with part of an adjacent channel is allowed, “where the benefit of increased non-commercial educational service so heavily outweighs the potential for interference in very small areas." It goes on to say that the applicant "must provide sufficient justification to meet this criterion.”

The Classical Public Radio Network is trying to expand their frequency range via USF, which could impede on future efforts to expand by KALX. The UC Regents filed an informal objection to USF’s petition and waiver request on Tuesday.

“KUSF is trying to maximize their protected contour,” Todd Urick, program and technical director of Common Frequency, a non-profit dedicated to supporting college and community radio, said. “This prevents KALX from upgrading.”

Steve Runyon, founder and manager of KUSF, said that the application was dismissed for lack of adequate information, and that in all likelihood another one will be filed.
“This is purely a technical matter,” Urick said.

USF spokesman Gary McDonald, said it is unclear what the decision means.

“As I understand it this has nothing to do with the petition to sell the station,” McDonald said. “This is unrelated. The new station wanted the transmitter moved, so how these interplay I’m not sure yet.”

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A map of proposed expansion of 90.3 coverage:
 
A map of KALX coverage:
 
A map of current KUSF coverage:

 

 

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