KYDO

KSIQ-FM

Campo, California
Broadcast area	San Diego, California/Santee, California
Frequency	96.1 (MHz)
Branding	Q96
Programming
Format	Contemporary hit radio
Ownership
Owner	CCR-Brawley IV, LLC
History
First air date	1981 (in Imperial Valley) 3/9/2010 (in the San Diego market)
Call sign meaning	KSIQ (San Diego's Q96)
Technical information
Facility ID	63471
Class	B1
ERP	25,000 watts (main), 700 watts (booster)
HAAT	90 meters
Links
Webcast	none
Website	none

KSIQ (96.1 FM, "Q96") is a move-in FM radio station from Brawley to San Diego, California. The station has a main transmitter site in Campo, California, east of San Diego and West of El Centro, with a booster transmitter on Mount San Miguel. It airs a Contemporary hit radio format.

The booster transmitter has been silent since October 22, 2010. The station has applied for, and been granted, a Special Temporary Authority to operate the booster transmitter from a temporary site.

History

Previously, KSIQ Q96 was a commercial Class B radio station located in Brawley, California, that broadcast to the Imperial Valley, California, area at 50,000 Watts ERP.

In early 1981 it was called "SI-96" (pronounced "SEE-96"), using the middle letters of its call name KSIQ. "SI" stood for the Spanish word meaning "yes." This was meant to attract the large Hispanic audience and to have them interpret the name as "Yes-96." In 1983, this changed to the simpler name "Q-96" which used the last letter of its call letters KSIQ. This name caught on much better. KSIQ was a popular FM station in multiple markets including the Imperial Valley, California, Yuma, Arizona, area and internationally in Mexicali, Baja California Mexico.

As for the reasoning for the move from the Imperial Valley to San Diego The Holtville Tribune Weekly Chronicle writes:

"Expected to move to the area around Campo, California, the main tower’s signal will not reach Imperial County. A booster signal to be placed on Mt. San Miguel, was requested and approved through the FCC, which will help the station reach the El Cajon and Downtown San Diego areas. The move also includes a reduction in power of the main tower from 50,000 watts to 25,000. The move was requested by station owners Cheery Creek Radio Corp in 2005 in an attempt to increase potential revenue. Currently, the station is valued at $5 million but a move to San Diego could boost that to around $25 to $40 million in time. The move was approved in by the FCC 2008, with a construction permit and change of license. The local station, which topped Imperial Valley ratings for many years, played a Contemporary Hit Radio format that was unique to the county as most played country and Mexican music.

Currently the only on-air talents moving with the station are morning DJ Tony Driskill, who is also general manager of the station, and afternoon DJ Stacy Lynn." [1]

Program directors

• Tony Driskill (1987–1993)
• Dan Watson (1993–1996)
• Tony Driskill (1996–2003)
• Vincent "Toby" Salgado (2003–2008)
• Tony Driskill (2008–Present)

Owners

• Kurt Leptich (1981–1984)
• Stodelle Broadcasting (1984–1999)
• Commonwealth Communications, LLC (1999–2003)
• Cherry Creek Radio, LLC (2003–present)

Current

KSIQ still airs a Contemporary hit radio format. Its new moniker, "San Diego's New Q - Q96," references San Diego's legendary KCBQ.

In its new location the main transmitter is located just east of Lake Morena, west of Campo. The booster station is located atop Mount San Miguel along with several other transmitters, including those of television stations KUSI and KNSD.

The main transmitter has 25,000 watts ERP, down from 50,000 ERP watts at its Brawley site, and the booster is licensed for 700 watts ERP. Aside from Campo, the station primarily serves the market south of Interstate 8 and Northern Baja California in the San Diego–Tijuana metropolitan area. A temporary booster was placed near Sweetwater with 5,000 watts. The results did not improve reception. The booster "returned" to Mount San Miguel and began operation in July 2011.

Technical problems

As of early morning October 22, 2010 KSIQ went silent. The station was transmitting a silent carrier, with stereo subcarrier but no audio.

The owners of KSIQ, Cherry Creek Radio, applied to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) for a Silent STA: A "special temporary authority" to retain their license despite not being on the air. The application stated that the T1 link to the booster transmitter failed, that troubleshooting was underway, and that they intended to return to the air as soon as possible.

On Tuesday, November 16, 2010, KSIQ was broadcasting again.

On January 24, 2011 the San Diego Radio blog reported that KSIQ's relay on Mount San Miguel was not operating, and the signal from the main transmitter in Campo was not reaching San Diego.

On March 31, 2011, the station's management requested a Special Temporary Authority (STA) to operate the booster transmitter with temporary facilities from an alternate site. The site proposed is just west of Sweetwater Reservoir, about four miles west of the Mount San Miguel location. The STA request also includes a significant increase in transmitter power, from 700 watts ERP to 5000 watts ERP. This request was granted on April 5. If the tests from the new site are successful, the station will file an application for permanent use of the new site.

The new booster site was not operating as of May 7.

The station was back to broadcasting on June 20, 2011.

External links

• Facility details for Facility ID KSIQ ({{{2}}}) in the FCC Licensing and Management System
• {{{2}}} in Nielsen Audio's FM station database