radio towers once near Watsonville?
BradTaylor
Back in the late '80s I remember a couple of tall (duh) radio towers
west of Watsonville, in the general vicinity of Pajaro Dunes.
Revisiting the area a few years later, I saw they were gone. Does
anybody remember these towers, who broadcast from them, and their fate?
Just curious. Thanks.
--Brad
Peter
Just curious. Thanks.
>>
This was the site of KDON/1460, from the 1930s (?) to the date the State took
the site (sometime in the late 1980s ?) in order to expand the parking lot of
Sunset Beach State park.
When I last visited the site, all evidence of KDON, save a 3 foot length of guy
wire, was gone.
I have mounted that piece of guy wire on a plaque.
KDON had then morphed into KHTT (or something similar), still under Henry
ownership, but it was heavy metal (on AM, no less!) just before the State's
action.
The 1460 allocation remained "notified", and several applications to move to
other sites were filed, but none were ever constructed.
The CP was apparently sold to Clear Channel, which subsequently diplexed with
980's new unlimited-time site in 1999.
1460 went back on-air with a One-On-One-type format, and later converted to a
newstalk-type format, as KTXX.
1460's original operation was 5 kW DA-1, and it could be heard up and down the
Coast, even though it was a Class III-B and did not receive the more dramatic
protection of the Class III-As (KFRC, KYA, KHJ, KFAC, et. al.).
1460 now operates with 10 kW DA-1.
There was once a KDON on 1240, but this KDON ... 1460 ... now KTXX ... is a
different KDON.
The original KDON 5 kW DA-1 pattern data is still in the FCC database.
The application for 10 kW DA-1, diplexed with 980, can be found at:
http://svartifoss2.fcc.gov/cgi-bin/ws.exe/prod/cdbs/forms/prod/cdbsmenu.ht
s?context=25&appn=100421689&formid=301&fac_num=26925
KenG
their new "more powerful" station on 1460. At about that same time, KMBY came on
the air 1240 in Monterey, on the old KDON frequency.
In the 50's, KDON (1460) had studios in Salinas, Monterey, Watsonville and Santa
Cruz, and rotated their broadcast day in two or three hour segments among those
different studios.
They were a Salinas (COL) station after their move to 1460, with their transmitter
at Pajaro Dunes/Sunset Beach west of Watsonville.
I can remember at least three studio locations in Salinas. They were once located
on the second floor of the local newspaper, the Salinas Californian, and across the
hall was KSNI (Salinas Newspapers Incorporated), and FM ahead of its time, which
folded after just a few years.
Saturday Mornings, KDON would broadcast live from their Salinas studios, a country
show, featuring Big Jim DeNoon a local western star (Similar to Cottonseed Clark on
KEEN in San Jose), with his band.
Phil Kane
Yes, I remember them, they were for one of the Salinas AM stations
(KDON?) and dowm they went after the Loma Prieta earth quake..
--
Phil Kane
The Central Scrutinizer
talking about is KLIV's Top 50 survey called "Norman."
Peter
>>
Yes, I remember them, they were for one of the Salinas AM stations (KDON?) and
dowm they went after the Loma Prieta earth quake..
>>
After the Loma Prieta Earthquake, 1340's site was taken by eminent domain to
make way for new low-income housing.
AFAIK, it did not fall down. It was taken down in the process of constructing
the new residential units.
1460 was undoubtedly razed several years before.
1340 was dark for years, but 1080's owner brought it back to life, with a La
Selva Beach COL, but co-located with 1080, and diplexed into one of 1080's
towers.
Because of the taller 1080 towers, the input power of 1340 is reduced to
maintain its previously notified night efficiency using a 90 degree stick.
About 850 watts, I think.
1340's day power remains 1,000 watts, even with the higher efficiency of the
111 degree stick.
Phil Kane
>>>
>Yes, I remember them, they were for one of the Salinas AM stations (KDON?) and
>dowm they went after the Loma Prieta earth quake..
>>>
>
>After the Loma Prieta Earthquake, 1340's site was taken by eminent domain to
>make way for new low-income housing.
>AFAIK, it did not fall down. It was taken down in the process of constructing
>the new residential units.
IIRC the Watsonville station site was condemned for safety reasons
and Phil could not afford to move elsewhere so 1340 went dark.
>
>1460 was undoubtedly razed several years before.
Could be ... my time line may be a bit hazy for that period.
--
Phil Kane
Peter
>>
IIRC the Watsonville station site was condemned for safety reasons and Phil
could not afford to move elsewhere so 1340 went dark.
>>
Perhaps a "condemnation" of the same trumped-up type that resulted in Santa
Cruz's Cooper House to be razed?
Jim Hilliker
####
From: Jim Hilliker
Monterey, CA
KDON was the calls of 1210 and 1240 in Monterey until it became KMBY.
The 1460 station had its towers near Watsonville because it was first
KRUZ-Santa Cruz! Later, it became KDON and was re-licensed to
Salinas.
Peter
>>
KDON was the calls of 1210 and 1240 in Monterey until it became KMBY.
>>
1210 is simply the pre-NARBA version of today's 1240.
>>
The 1460 station had its towers near Watsonville because it was first
KRUZ-Santa Cruz!
>>
Was KRUZ ever constructed?
1460 was an impossibility before 1941 as that frequency was assigned to
KSTP/WTOP as de-facto Class I-B stations (became 1500 after NARBA).
>>
Later, it became KDON and was re-licensed to Salinas.
>>
Same question.