Rumor: KFAN moving to FM - Gopher Football Broadcast Impact

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bamor5229

bamor5229

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Aren't Gopher football games scheduled to be on KTLK anyhow?
 

Yes, they are to be simulcast, but with the move to FM who knows what they will do.
 

They need to do something, it isn't often that I have a clear signal. They have always been in denial about that. Perhaps someone finally got in the car and drove around to find out what people were complaining about.
 

It'll be interesting to see the KFAN rube chat people post here once the gopher football season starts. different breed of sports fan those folks.
 


bamor5229 said:
Yes, they are to be simulcast, but with the move to FM who knows what they will do.
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isn't KTLK an FM station anyways? so not sure that has any impact. i am sure there are stipulations in the contract KFAN signed with the U that requires they carry the games in certain areas, maintain a specific coverage area, etc, etc. metro, outstate or otherwise. not sure this has a major impact on the radion broadcasts. i could be complete wrong, but just my two cents.
 

If they aren't simulcast on a power AM signal, it probably kicks up the possibility that smaller, outstate stations will buy broadcast rights (provided the cost is reasonable).
 

KTLK is taking 1130AM. Gopher and Vikings games will still be simulcasted on there, as was already planned. So this has no effect on the gophers' broadcast, other than you are technically listening to a different station.
 

While it won't affect the network broadcasts of the games, the other things like pre & post-game, and the Jerry Kill Show will be on FM. Also, the non-network content, like Gopher fanline and other items might have a better reach.
 



Ski U Mah Gopher said:
While it won't affect the network broadcasts of the games, the other things like pre & post-game, and the Jerry Kill Show will be on FM. Also, the non-network content, like Gopher fanline and other items might have a better reach.
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KTLK has strong reach for an FM signal. Like others have said, it won't change the network and the games are going to be simulcast.
 

BMEnGopher said:
KTLK is taking 1130AM. Gopher and Vikings games will still be simulcasted on there, as was already planned. So this has no effect on the gophers' broadcast, other than you are technically listening to a different station.
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KTLK will be keeping it 100.3 and becoming AM. KFAN 1130 will be on FM. no call numbers are switching in the move.
 

gophersfan said:
KTLK will be keeping it 100.3 and becoming AM. KFAN 1130 will be on FM. no call numbers are switching in the move.
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Perhaps I'm confused here, but how does KTLK change to AM and stay at 100.3 MHz? And KFAN change to FM and stay at 1130 KHz? They're completely different bands of radio, not to mention amplitude modulation and frequency modulation are completely different methods of broadcasting.
 

nc2mn said:
Perhaps I'm confused here, but how does KTLK change to AM and stay at 100.3 MHz? And KFAN change to FM and stay at 1130 KHz? They're completely different bands of radio, not to mention amplitude modulation and frequency modulation are completely different methods of broadcasting.
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You are right, i was mess up. My bad.
 



It's official

According to KFAN tweets, 8/15/11 will be the day that 1130AM moves to 100.3FM. It will only be a local move and all outstate affiliates are unaffected.
 

100.3 Coverage Map:
KTLK_FM_LU.gif


1130AM Coverage Maps:
DAYTIME:
KFAN_AM_LD.gif


NIGHT:
KFAN_AM_LN.gif
 

These maps are very helpful, and perfectly illustrate what I have been struggling with for years. I am an avid KFAN listener and I live in the lake Minnetonka area. Like most radio listeners, most of my KFAN time is spent when I am in the car commuting to and from work. During half the year (certainly the winter months)... I can't get KFAN at all for most of my drive home. I would welcome this change for my personal situation and there is already a network of outstate stations in the Gopher Radio network. Looking at the coverage maps, it seems to be a win-win for the majority of listeners. I am really looking forward to listening to KFAN with the clarity and reach of a big FM station as opposed to the very frustrating weak AM signal they have been on for years. For games, I only listen to one (or none) per year. Most away games are on TV and I'm always at the home games.
 

I'd go as far as to say the "fringe" line on the night 1130 map is being very generous. I'd say the red line is more accurate and outside of that, you are SOL after dark.
 

That's my experience as well. I do a lot of driving during fall and winter months and you can't get KFAN much of anywhere west of Delano in the daytime. At night, forget it.

It's not that much different from when I used to groove to WDGY as a kid on a farm about 50 miles south of the Twin Cities.
 

I drive on hwy 5 and I can count on losing KFAN in the winter in downtown Chanhassen and from that point on have 0 chance of getting anything more than a couple choppy seconds of dialog that I can understand, the rest of the way to Mound/Minnetrista.

I was hoping things would get better when they began simulcasting on FM but the FM station they were using was constantly being pummeled by some country western music station in southern MN. I had high hopes, but had to give up on that one after a couple attempts... and constant interruptions by the Oak Ridge Boys. It was just as bad, maybe worse, than trying to listen through the static on AM. And amazingly, this was all taking place within the metro area. I would think this new arrangement would reach a lot more listeners on a frequency that will be much more reliable.
 

I think another positive impact this move could have for the Gophers is the likelihood that this forces the hand of 1500am to move their sports programming to their FM signal, too (I think Hubbard owns 107.1FM which is currently "girl talk" format).

The Twins are wanting to be on an FM for their next deal, so if Hubbard wants to keep the Twins, they likely have to switch the sports to an FM station, especially now that their main competition KFAN (who wants the Twins) did so. If 1500am makes the move that is super good news for Gopher basketball and hockey fans, too. All three major sports on an FM station would be outstanding news, IMHO.
 

wait!what? said:
It'll be interesting to see the KFAN rube chat people post here once the gopher football season starts. different breed of sports fan those folks.
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I can't even post over there anymore. 60% of the users are bits.
 

I live in Hutchinson and typically have no issues picking up a decent signal from 1130 or 100.3. I do generally get a better reception for the FM station though, so it will be better sound quality.
 


Schnauzer said:
After Dark?
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I typically don't listen at night, so I guess I'm not sure on that. When i do listen that time of night it's on my laptop. Could be a problem if I were listening to night games but I would be watching night games. When I'm at the cabin I listen to the local affiliate so it shouldn't matter either way.
 

102.5 is KFAN's FM simulcast station for now. I get that just fine where I live in my car (in my apartment, all stations are choppy at best) until I get closer to Eden Prairie where I work during the mornings. I have to switch the dial to AM on my way down there. Then when I work at Maple Grove during the evenings, the FM station works just fine until I get to my destination and it gets pummeled by the country station another poster was talking about.

I'm 100% ok with this move. I won't have to continue swapping dials, and with any luck I'll get 100.3 better than most other stations just fine in the apartment.

My question is.. What happens with KTLK? Are they moving to 1130AM? Or to a different frequency on the FM side? Going buh-bye?
 

Formo said:
102.5 is KFAN's FM simulcast station for now. I get that just fine where I live in my car (in my apartment, all stations are choppy at best) until I get closer to Eden Prairie where I work during the mornings. I have to switch the dial to AM on my way down there. Then when I work at Maple Grove during the evenings, the FM station works just fine until I get to my destination and it gets pummeled by the country station another poster was talking about.

I'm 100% ok with this move. I won't have to continue swapping dials, and with any luck I'll get 100.3 better than most other stations just fine in the apartment.

My question is.. What happens with KTLK? Are they moving to 1130AM? Or to a different frequency on the FM side? Going buh-bye?
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KTLK is moving to 1130AM, KFAN's old channel.
 

KFAN is currently on 103.5 but moving to 100.3 which reaches more than MInneapolis, I think they said KTLK's programming will go to 1130 AM and a soon to be FM signal at 102.5. Not sure if they said what happens to 103.5
 

Cannot wait for a week from today. Gonna love KFAN on FM now.
 

More Competition

Judd Zulgad will be hosting the 9-12 on 1500ESPN later this month. Stations are amping up for football season. 22 years at the strib and will now write and host for 1500ESPN. PA vs Judd!
 

I suppose this is a function of geography, as to how you feel about the station switch. I live in SW MN, and I can pick up KFAN during the day, especially when driving north toward places like Marshall or New Ulm. I doubt that I'll be able to pick up the FM station, based on their coverage map. If I get close enough to Mankato, there's a station there that picks up most of the KFAN programming on 1230AM.

As far as the actual play-by-play of Gopher FB games, I live within 25 miles of two stations that belong to the gopher radio network, so that's no problem for me. I know the network coverage is more problematic as you go north of the Cities.

Personally, my experience with KFAN has been - if it's not during the PA show, every time I'm able to tune it in, they're never talking about sports. Dan B. in particular gives off this vibe that, "I'm too good to talk about sports all the time, even if this is advertised as a sports station." Where I live, I can't pick up 1500ESPN over the air - except for the 2-3pm hour of Reusse and Mackey which is syndicated before Garage Logic comes on - but 1500 seems to me to be much more of a "real" sports station then KFAN - based on my admittedly limited ability to listen.
 

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