KLOA-LP

KLOA-LP was a low-power television station licensed to Inyokern, California, and associated with the Ridgecrest and Indian Wells Valley area. Although legally operating as a television station, it became notable for using the audio carrier of analog channel 6 at 87.75 MHz. Because the lower edge of the NTSC channel 6 audio allocation sits within the conventional FM broadcast band, listeners with ordinary FM receivers could hear the station as an FM-style service. The station marketed this unusual arrangement as a radio outlet while continuing to transmit the video carrier required of a low-power television station. The operation began as K61AJ, a channel 61 translator owned by the Indian Wells Valley TV Booster. Its original purpose was to improve over-the-air reception of Los Angeles station KTLA for viewers in the Ridgecrest region. A construction permit for service to Inyokern and Armitage Field was issued on February 26, 1975. The station therefore originated as a television translator rather than as a conventional music-radio brand. Ownership and technical direction changed in the 2000s. On January 17, 2005, the station was sold to Roy William Mayhugh, who pursued a move from channel 61 to channel 6 and operated it under the interim call sign K06OL. On July 30, 2007, Mayhugh sold the station to Robert D. Adelman, a broadcaster associated with the Antelope Valley area. After the sale, the station adopted the practical identity of a radio service, first using a Spanish adult contemporary format and later an English-language country format. The country presentation was promoted as “Kickin' Country 87.7” and, in a later branding formulation, “87.7 Country Gold.” The call sign KLOA-LP was adopted on April 11, 2012. The brand’s central proposition was its unusual hybrid status: it presented music to listeners through the 87.75 MHz audio carrier while maintaining the technical obligations of a low-power television station. Under United States Federal Communications Commission rules, an analog television station had to transmit both audio and video carriers, but the content of the two carriers did not necessarily have to be coordinated. This allowed KLOA-LP to provide a radio-like audio service without becoming a conventional full-power FM station. Its video signal did not need to carry a corresponding television program of particular commercial importance. KLOA-LP ultimately ended operations because of the nationwide regulatory phaseout of analog low-power television. The FCC’s transition requirements applied to unusual channel 6 operations sometimes described as “franken-FM” stations, whose audio carriers could be received on the FM dial. KLOA-LP signed off near the July 13, 2021 deadline. Its website directed listeners toward sister station KGIL at 98.5 FM in Johannesburg, California. The station is therefore a defunct broadcast brand, remembered primarily for converting a low-power television allocation into a locally oriented audio service.

KLOA-LP developed from a television translator created to serve the Indian Wells Valley and Ridgecrest region of California. The station’s predecessor, K61AJ, was owned by the Indian Wells Valley TV Booster and retransmitted KTLA for local over-the-air viewers. Its construction permit, issued on February 26, 1975, authorized service to Inyokern and Armitage Field. The station’s later importance came from a technical characteristic of analog television channel 6. The channel’s audio carrier was located at 87.75 MHz, close to the bottom of the standard FM broadcast band. By moving the facility from channel 61 toward channel 6, the owners could make the audio portion of the television transmission audible on ordinary FM receivers. The arrangement did not make KLOA-LP a conventional FM station: its legal authorization remained low-power television, and it still had to transmit a video carrier. FCC rules nevertheless allowed the audio and video portions to carry different content, which made a radio-oriented business model possible. On January 17, 2005, the station was sold to Roy William Mayhugh. During his ownership, an application was pursued to relocate the station to channel 6, and it operated under the call sign K06OL. On July 30, 2007, Mayhugh sold the facility to Robert D. Adelman, an Antelope Valley broadcaster. Following the transaction, the station moved away from its translator-oriented identity and began operating in practice as a music service. It initially used a Spanish adult contemporary format, reflecting the programming flexibility of the audio carrier. The station later shifted to English-language country music. Its branding included “Kickin' Country 87.7” and “87.7 Country Gold,” names that foregrounded the frequency listeners used to find the service. On April 11, 2012, the call sign became KLOA-LP. The service’s appeal rested on its unusual combination of local radio-style programming, a familiar FM listening experience, and a low-power television license. KLOA-LP’s operating model was ultimately ended by regulation rather than by a reported corporate bankruptcy or scandal. The FCC’s transition away from analog low-power television required stations to cease analog operations. Channel 6 audio services were particularly affected because their radio-like reception depended on the analog television signal. KLOA-LP signed off near the July 13, 2021 deadline. Its website encouraged listeners to follow sister station KGIL on 98.5 FM in Johannesburg, California. KLOA-LP is now defunct and is chiefly notable as an example of a low-power television station that used its channel 6 audio carrier to provide a locally branded radio service.

• 2021

  Analog operation ended

  [1]KLOA-LPen.wikipedia.org

  KLOA-LP signed off near the July 13, 2021 deadline for the shutdown of analog low-power television stations.

• 2012

  KLOA-LP call sign adopted

  [1]KLOA-LPen.wikipedia.org

  The facility received the KLOA-LP call sign and was associated with the English-language country brand “Kickin' Country 87.7.”

• 2007

  Station sold to Robert D. Adelman

  [1]KLOA-LPen.wikipedia.org

  Adelman acquired the station, which soon adopted a radio-oriented Spanish adult contemporary format.

• 2005

  Station sold to Roy William Mayhugh

  [1]KLOA-LPen.wikipedia.org

  The facility changed hands and its owner pursued a move from channel 61 to channel 6 under the K06OL call sign.

• 1975

  Construction permit issued for K61AJ

  [1]KLOA-LPen.wikipedia.org

  A construction permit was issued on February 26, 1975, for a television translator serving Inyokern and Armitage Field.

A locally focused hybrid broadcast service built around the unusual ability of analog television channel 6 audio to be received on the FM band. Its later identity emphasized country music and the 87.7 frequency while its regulatory license remained low-power television.

• Low-power television · 1975

  KLOA-LP television transmission

  The station’s formal service was analog low-power television licensed to Inyokern. It originated as a translator intended to improve reception of KTLA in the Ridgecrest and Indian Wells Valley area. Even after the audio service became the main public-facing proposition, the station remained subject to the technical requirements of a television facility, including transmission of both audio and video carriers.

• Music radio programming

  87.7 Country Gold

  An English-language classic-country presentation associated with KLOA-LP’s later years. The brand emphasized the 87.7 frequency, where listeners could receive the station’s channel 6 audio carrier on compatible FM receivers. It represented the station’s transition from a translator service into a locally marketed radio-like music outlet.

• Music radio programming · 2007

  Spanish adult contemporary format

  The first radio-oriented format adopted after the 2007 ownership change was Spanish adult contemporary programming. The format used the station’s channel 6 audio carrier as an accessible local audio service while the facility continued to operate under a low-power television authorization.

• 2021

  Analog shutdown and service terminationOther

  Background

  Federal requirements ending analog low-power television operations also affected channel 6 facilities whose audio carriers were used as FM-like services.

  Action taken

  KLOA-LP discontinued its analog transmission near the July 13, 2021 deadline and directed listeners to KGIL at 98.5 FM.

  Aftermath

  The KLOA-LP brand became defunct, ending its hybrid television-and-radio operating model.

  Source

• 2007

  Conversion to a radio-oriented formatStrategy

  Background

  Following Robert D. Adelman’s acquisition, the station used its unusual channel 6 audio facility as the basis for a more conventional music-programming proposition.

  Action taken

  The station launched a Spanish adult contemporary format and later moved to English-language country programming.

  Aftermath

  KLOA-LP became known primarily as an 87.7 audio service rather than as a traditional television translator.

  Source

• 2005

  Move toward channel 6 audio-carrier broadcastingStrategy

  Background

  The station had originated as a channel 61 television translator, but channel 6 offered an audio carrier at 87.75 MHz that could be heard on FM receivers.

  Action taken

  After acquiring the station, Roy William Mayhugh pursued a channel change and operated the facility under the K06OL call sign.

  Aftermath

  The change enabled the station to develop a radio-like audio identity while retaining its low-power television status.

  Source

• 2021

  KLOA-LP signed off after the analog low-power television transition[1]KLOA-LPen.wikipedia.org

  Regulation

  The station ended service near the FCC deadline for shutting down analog low-power television operations, including channel 6 services that used their audio carriers as FM-like outlets.

• 2012

  KLOA-LP changed its call sign to KLOA-LP[1]KLOA-LPen.wikipedia.org

  Other

  The station adopted the KLOA-LP call sign while operating an English-language country format associated with the 87.7 MHz audio carrier.

1. 1KLOA-LPen.wikipedia.org
2. 2KLOA-LP websitebetoradio877.com