Iowa public radio station KCCK-FM is moving its broadcasting translator from the old Kirkwood Iowa City Campus to a new tower in partnership with KZIA-FM. KCCK GM Dennis Green hopes the signal will be up again by the end of the year, but said it could be sooner depending on how fast the translator can be moved and installed, according to the Daily Iowan.
KCCK is owned by Kirkwood Community College in Cedar Rapids. KCCK is a relatively low wattage station operating at 10,000 watts. This means that KCCK has a smaller footprint for broadcasting. The station uses a translator to boost its signal from the Cedar Rapids 88.3 MHz frequency to Iowa City on the 106.9 frequency.
The old Kirkwood Iowa City campus housed KCCK’s translator until it was sold last spring. The new property owner didn’t want to keep the tower. That meant the translator had to move to maintain complete coverage over Iowa City.
Green said the 88.3 MHz signal has improved over the years and now covers a majority of northern Iowa City. The south area had historically spottier coverage which the translator helped cover.
KCCK was able to find a solution by working with KZIA, Green said. KZIA has two translators in Iowa City located on North Dodge Street. Green said by using a combiner, they can combine the KZIA and KCCK translators to broadcast from the same tower. Green said this was a great solution because it means they don’t have to add another antenna and results in lower costs in terms of rental prices and installation costs, notes the Daily Iowan.
The signal may also increase coverage by an increase in power from the tower. The original 106.9 MHz transmitter operated at about 100 watts. The new location will allow the translator to broadcast around 200-250 watts. “We’ll probably go from covering a portion of the southern part of Iowa City into Johnson County to being able to blanket most of Iowa City and Coralville,” Green said.
Radio broadcast engineer Jim Davies worked to develop a solution for the translator and said the solution benefits both stations. “The tower owner is happy because it doesn’t load up the tower as much, and in this case, allowed KZIA just a little bit more power,” Davies said. “My guess is where the tower is at compared to where it was people will see a little better coverage or improvement.”
KZIA CEO Julie Hein said the company is happy to see the solution work out with KCCK. “On the engineering front, everybody’s friends. With a public broadcaster like Kirkwood, we’re all friends and just the impact that Kirkwood has on the counties they’re in is amazing,” Hein said.
By Leslie Stimson, Inside Towers Washington Bureau Chief
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