KRAL is an AM radio station licensed to Rawlins, Wyoming and broadcasting at 1240 kHz. The station simulcasted sister station KIQZ's programming, which is primarily a Top 40 format. It was developed in the 1950s[1] under the supervision of William D. "Bill" McCraken, a Wyoming radio and television pioneer.[2] The station, as of July 2010, was silent, while its sister FM counterpart remains on air. Rawlins is no longer served by an AM station, besides a travelers information station on 1610.[3] The station did apply for and was granted a renewal of its license in 2005, however citing technical reasons in July 2010, the station remains silent.[4] The period in which KRAL has, until it fixes its "technical" problems and restores broadcasting expires July 19, 2011. It is unknown if the station would be sufficiently able to return to air due to fines and equipment problems. If the station does not return to air by that date and notifies the FCC, the license will be returned to the FCC. Rawlins would be left with only KIQZ as its only true local radio station.[5][6]
[edit] Signal
KRAL's 1,000 watt signal covered western Carbon County and was very weak in Sweetwater County directly to the west. The station was barely audible to the north and east of Rawlins without a good radio or car stereo. KRAL's transmitter is located next to Interstate 80 on the western side of Rawlins.
[edit] FCC fines and penalties
Since the station's change of ownership from "Elk Mountain Broadcasting" to current owner "Mount Rushmore Broadcasting", KRAL and its sister station, KIQZ (FM 92.7) have been fined by the FCC many times.[7] Most recent penalties include a $20,000 fine for "failing to maintain the operational readiness of the EAS (Emergency Readiness System) equipment (see FCC Rules/11.35(a)), as well as other equipment issues and violations and failure to maintain a complete public records file."[8]
Sources connected to the FCC say that more and significantly higher fines/penalties are forthcoming. They continue by stating that any station owned or operated by Mt. Rushmore Broadcasting will "not likely" have their licenses renewed once they expire, due to the history of "past violations and cavalier attitude(s) towards following and maintaining" rules and regulations, and that this and other Mt. Rushmore stations could have their broadcasting rights taken away "at almost any moment."[9]
[edit] References
[edit] External links
|
|
|
| Stations |
|
|
See also: adult contemporary, classic hits, college, country, news/talk, NPR, oldies, religious, rock, sports, top 40, urban, and other radio stations in Wyoming
|
|
