Who:KMGG(LP), 99.9, Future Broadcasters Inc., Byron Powdrell
What: Urban AC — A format that hasn’t been here in over 20 years … Also part of the programming is to feature local talent in our genre, R&B, smooth jazz and gospel.
Where: Albuquerque, N.M.
When: Went on air July 4th 2014
Why: When I was 12, I wanted to follow in the footsteps of my uncle who was on the radio in the late ’70s. My parents bought me a Mr. Microphone. I then had what I needed to make a radio station with some wire, switches, and a cassette player — I was on the air! I started in broadcast radio in 1983 at public radio KANW. I left in 1998 and made the move to commercial radio, where I worked my way up to assistant operations manager for AGM’s two clusters before leaving American General Media in 2001. I missed multiple filing windows, finally making the October 13th, 2013 window and the rest is history. We’re Albuquerque’s only urban AC station. Making waves and affecting numbers!
How: In the studio, we start with Shure SM7, Sennheiser MD421 II, Rode Procaster microphones with a Symetrix 528e voice processor. The on-air board is a Yamaha MG206C. On-air software is from Jazler (and it’s awesome). Adobe Audition is used for production software. A Gentner digital hybrid brings in callers.
I have a Sage ENDEC, NuVo dual tuner with RDS and Rolls RS78b tuner for an EAS system.
Further along in the chain is a BW Broadcast RDS2 encoder, BW Broadcast TX300 V2 300 watt transmitter going to a Shively 6812b two-bay antenna on a Rohn self-supporting tower. The majority of the gear was purchased from SCMS and Bob Eburg, a fantastic guy.
There’s a separate computer for streaming to TuneIn with audio input from an M Audio Fast Track Pro USB interface.
We have been visited by many of the local engineers wondering who built the station and they all were very impressed. We’re now on the third minor modification, with each extending our range and tightening up in weak areas. With this minor mod, we should get the remaining 10% of Albuquerque, giving us the almost 700,000 people in the metro area, as well as Rio Rancho, N.M., with over 100,000 people, and some smaller towns south of Albuquerque. This Iowe to Michi Bradley and REC Networks.
But: My latest mod is on hold while the FCC figures out what to do with a “Guel” application, which literally keeps us from moving to the highest structure in Albuquerque. Until then, we will move forward with a booster to fill in another area in our 60dB contour. With a signal at 100 watts we intend to rival the big boys here in the market. As the saying goes “height over power”!
Tell Radio World about your on-air LPFM.
