Arizona TV Station Update - October 2019
By dhett on Saturday, November 2 2019, 14:54 - Arizona Station Update - Permalink
As always, questions, additions, comments and corrections welcome.
Programming Changes
- KOLD-TV 13.x (32/13) Tucson (Gray Television Licensee LLC) has been announced as a charter affiliate of the new Circle TV diginet, set to launch in January. Circle TV is a joint venture between Opryland Entertainment Group and Gray Television, and plans to offer both linear television and an OTT (over-the-top) streaming service. The diginet will most likely appear on channel 13.3, which is currently vacant.
- K14RK-D 38.x Phoenix (Spanish Independent Broadcast Network LLC) has dropped Car Credit TV from its lineup and brought Rev'n back. Channel 38.5 is now PAWS, AKA the squirrel channel, and channel 38.7 is once again Rev'n.
- KPDF-CA 41.x (22) Phoenix (HC2 Station Group Inc.) has dropped QVC from channel 41.4; it is now a blank screen.
- KGNG-LD 26.x Las Vegas NV (King Kong Broadcasting Inc.) reported that it was working on an all-request music channel to air on channel 26.11. Prior to Halloween, the station sent out spooky sounds on the 26.11 subchannel to take advantage of the season, and is now airing a service called Talk RW on that subchannel.
- K36NE-D 43.x Las Vegas NV (HC2 Station Group Inc.) has added Liquidation Channel to its lineup on channel 43.4.
Transactions
- The transfer of KTTU 18.x (19) Tucson (Tucker Operating Company DBA KTTU Television) to Tegna has been consummated. The new licensee is KTTU-TV Inc.
- The FCC has approved the assignment of KVPA-LD 42.x (34) Phoenix (KRCA License LLC Debtor-In-Possession) to KRCA License LLC following Liberman Broadcasting Inc's emergence from bankruptcy. The transaction has been consummated.
Construction Permits and Special Temporary Authorizations (STAs) Granted
- KDOS-LD 29.x Globe (KTVW License Partnership GP) has been granted its requested minor modification of its license, seeking to change channels due to displacement by KTAZ. Technical specifications: Ch 19; TL 33° 17' 21" N, 110° 49' 47" W (Pinal Mountain); ERP 12 kW directional (2° electrical/1° mechanical beam tilt); HAAT 1000 m.
- KGRQ-LD 29.x (21) Gila River Indian Community (Gila River Telecommunications Inc. (GRTI)) requested and has been granted an extension of its STA to broadcast at 4.5 kW, rather than at the 15 kW authorized in its license. The tower is only strong enough to hold three UHF panel antennas and needs to be reinforced in order to support the additional nine antennas that will bring power up to 15 kW. GRTI has been having trouble locating a tower crew, likely due to the repack.
- KFPH-CD 35.x Phoenix (Unimas Partnership of Phoenix) has been granted an extension of its Experimental STA to serve as a test ATSC 3.0 station.
- K38CX Shonto (Digital Networks Southwest) requested and has been granted a Silence STA due to corporate restructuring and system upgrades.
- K47OC-D Las Vegas NV (Digital Networks Southwest LLC) requested and has been granted a Silence STA due to corporate restructuring and system upgrades.
- K40KZ St. George UT (Edge Spectrum Inc.) requested and has been granted an STA to build a digital station at 10% of the power specified in its digital companion channel construction permit, claiming that it has the equipment on hand to build the STA facility immediately. Technical specifications: Ch 15; TL 37° 3' 49" N, 113° 34' 25" W (Webb Hill); ERP 0.1 kW directional; HAAT 59 m.
Expired, Expiring, Canceled or Dismissed
- The FCC has dismissed an August 2009 application from Amy Meredith to build a new LPTV station at Lake Havasu City, but licensed to Parker. The antenna height that Meredith had provided in her application did not agree with the antenna height found in the FCC database for the antenna structure registration that she had provided in her application. In February 2019, she was notified that she had 30 days to correct the discrepancy, but failed to do so, so her application was dismissed.
Spectrum Repack
- Those of us in the Phoenix East Valley with a clear shot to Tucson's Mt. Bigelow are getting hammered by co-channel interference, thanks to the repack. KTVP-LD 23.x, KFPB-LD 50.x (25), KEJR-LD 40.x (32) and KVPA-LD 42.x (34) are typically no-shows, thanks to co-channel interference from KVOA 4.x (23), KMSB 11.x (25), KOLD 13.x (32) and KUVE-DT 46.x (34), respectively. Meanwhile, KUAT 6.x (30) and KTTU 18.x (19) are frequently received, which will spell doom for K19JT-D and K30MM-D, both of which are constructing stations to broadcast from South Mtn.
NextGen TV
- KPNX 12.x Mesa (Multimedia Holdings Corporation) has requested an extension of its Experimental STA to provide content to KFPH-CD for broadcast in ATSC 3.0 format. The STA is requested to be coterminous with KFPH's Experimental STA to host ATSC 3.0 broadcasts.
Comments
TalkRW didn't last long on KGNG 26.11 Las Vegas. Sunday morning the sub-channel was renamed GMVegas, possibly for Good Music Las Vegas. As fast as KGNG seems to change some of their sub-channels GMVegas could be history soon.
KGNG 26.11 Las Vegas is playing with our minds. No sooner had the sub-channel been proving background music, the PSIP was changed to "airport" I'm still waiting for audio.
Additional Programming Changes
A quick trip to Tucson reveals the following programming changes:
- KVOA 4.x (23) Tucson (KVOA License LLC) is confirmed to have added Dabl on channel 4.4 and Grit on channel 4.5. The changes are also seen on K04QP-D Casas Adobes and assumed on K28OY-D 4.x Sierra Vista.
- KOLD-TV 13.x (32, 13) Tucson (Gray Television Licensee LLC) is confirmed to have added Grit on channel 13.3 and Ion on channel 13.4.
- KHRR 40.x (16) Tucson (NBC Telemundo License LLC) is confirmed to have dropped Ion programming from channel 40.3, replacing the programming with a graphic telling viewers that Ion was no longer being carried.
- K35OU-D 21.x Tucson (Ventana Television Inc.) is confirmed to have added five subchannels, bringing theiir total to six. Channel 21.1 remains HSN, QVC goes on channel 21.2, HSN2 on channel 21.3, QVC2 on channel 21.4, QVC3 on channel 21.5 and Dabl channel 21.6. As of 11/5, HSN, QVC3 and Dabl are on air and channel 21.3 shows a test pattern. Channels 21.2 and 21.4 still have no programming.
KPAZ-TV 21.x (20) Phoenix (Trinity Broadcasting of Arizona Inc.) went off the air yesterday (11/6). The reason is unknown at this point.
I spoke to someone at TBN this morning. He informed me that they were having satellite and transmitter issues. He said that engineers were working on it but couldn't give me an estimate of when they'd be back on air.
LitLife TV seems to now be missing from channel 38.2. Not certain if it's permanent or temporary
This past weekend, KGNG 26.11 aired the Airport PSIP named sub-channel, but only for a few hours. It quickly reverted to TalkRW. 26.12 is still in the works, I'm told, that will provide music videos requested by viewers calling a number as seen on a list on another sub-channel, probably as a split screen on 26.11. Shades of the old Jukebox Network, where we were told to 'Pick up the phone. What are you waiting for.'
Problem is fixed; channel 21 is back on the air.
I really wish KAET and KPNX would do what KSAZ did and put a UHF simulcast on the air. I am in Scottsdale, AZ in an apartment building and I cannot pick up KAET or KPNX at all due to them being on VHF. I even tried a VHF antenna, nothing. I am glad Fox 10 changed their 10.2 simulcast to 720p HD because I can finally watch FOX 10 on UHF in HD.
I get every other channel just fine. Just can't get KPNX or KAET at all. No matter where I put my antenna, including in a window that faces southwest, I cannot get 8 or 12.
Last night, I rescanned in an attempt to pick up KAET 8. I am still unable to get KAET in Scottsdale. But, the irony is that I am able to get KUAT 6 out of Tucson.
How ironic.
For Las Vegas viewers, and a scant few in Arizona, KHDF 19.4 lit up today with 3ABN Kids network service.
In Tucson, on KTTU 18x, 18.2 has changed from Estrella to THIS.
Is ThisTV still on KWBA 58.3?
I am not sure on 58, but I think so. THIS has really spiffed up its image. They now advertise "Powered by MGM" and have a pretty strong collection of movies and TV shows. I can't get 58 anymore and I don't miss it. Court TV is BORING, LATV is a shopping channel at night and the CW has nothing but judge shows and some reruns from 9 and only 2 hours of programming, so no loss.