KPCW, PARK CITY, UTAH, GAINS A FREE SALT LAKE CITY FM FREQUENCY

KPCW and commercial broadcaster Broadway Media announced this week that Broadway is donating free-of-charge its 107.9 FM signal to KPCW. The donation is part of a complex plan by Broadway to improve the coverage of their station located at 92.3.

Larry Warren

As part of the deal, KPCW will change its Park City frequency from 91.9 to 91.7, allowing the 92.3 upgrade. According to Larry Warren, President and GM of KPCW, Broadway will cover all the costs of KPCW’s frequency change to 91.7, including the construction of new transmission facilities at a higher power level. Broadway will gain full market coverage with 92.3.  Broadway currently owns and operates seven stations in Salt Lake City.

Bob Richer, Chairman of the Board of Trustees for Community Wireless, Inc., which owns KPCW, said it is the largest donation in KPCW’s 35-year station history. According to Richer there are no strings attached: “We are free to either program it ourselves or sell it to a third party to raise money for an endowment. We now have the costs of our signal upgrade covered by Broadway, eliminating our need to launch a capital campaign.”

The transaction, which requires FCC approval, will be completed in late winter 2016.

 

COVERAGE MAP FOR 107.9 FM

KPCW currently does not put a strong signal into the SLC metro.  If KPCW decides to keep 107.9 FM, it could simulcast KPCW’s programming into SLC. The market has plenty of noncoms already including KUER (NPR News), KBYU (Classical), KRCL (Triple A), KCPW (News, but not NPR), and KKLV (“K-Love” CCM).