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Arizona TV Station Update - November 2019

As always, questions, additions, comments and corrections welcome.

New Licenses

  • KDOS-LD 19.x Globe (KTVW License Partnership GP) has requested a license to cover its displacement construction permit. Technical specifications: Ch 19; TL 33° 17' 21" N, 110° 49' 47" W (Pinal Peak); ERP 12 kW directional (2° electrical beam tilt, 1° mechanical); HAAT 1000 m.
  • K19LV-D 9.x St. George UT (Utah State Board of Regents) has requested a license to cover its construction permit to increase power and to change its antenna, adding electrical beam tilt. Technical specifications: Ch 19; TL 37° 3' 50" N, 113° 34' 23" W (Webb Hill); ERP 0.7 kW (1.75° electrical beam tilt); HAAT 82 m.
  • K44JI-D 7.x Washington UT (University of Utah) has requested a license to cover its displacement construction permit. Its new call sign will be K30OL-D. Technical specifications: Ch 30; TL 37° 9' 19" N, 113° 52' 52" W (West Mountain Peak); ERP 0.2 kW directional (1.75° electrical beam tilt); HAAT 1086 m.

Programming Changes

  • KYMA-DT 11.x Yuma (Blackhawk Broadcasting LLC) has added Ion to its lineup, on channel 11.2. The changes were observed last March but never reported.
  • KTTU 18.x (19) Tucson (KTTU-TV Inc.) has replaced Estrella TV on channel 18.2 with ThisTV.
  • KWBA-TV 58.x (21) Sierra Vista (Scripps Broadcasting Holdings LLC) has dropped ThisTV from channel 58.3.
  • KPDF-CA 41.x (22) Phoenix (HC2 Station Group Inc.) has restored QVC programming to channel 41.4.
  • KDOS-LD 19.x Globe (KTVW License Partnership GP) has begun broadcasting on its displacement channel, having moved from channel 29. The station is a translator of KTVW-DT 33.x Phoenix.
  • KEJR-LD 40.x (32) Phoenix (HC2 Station Group Inc.) has added ESNE on channel 40.2, duplicating the ESNE feed on co-owned KPDF channel 41.3.
  • KPHE-LD 44.x (16) Phoenix (Lotus TV of Phoenix LLC) has replaced OnTV4U infomercials on channel 44.6 with FliMackieTV, billed as a cryptocurrency livestream.
  • KFPB-LD 50.x (25) Globe (Globe LPTV LLC) has dropped ThisTV from channel 50.4, replacing it with a blue screen.
  • K14RK-D 38.x Phoenix (Spanish Independent Broadcast Network) has dropped Lit Life TV from channel 38.2, replacing it with a blank screen, and has replaced PAWS on channel 38.5, first with CarCredit TV, then with infomercials.
  • K18JL-D 22.x Phoenix (HC2 Station Group Inc.) has dropped Liquidation Channel from channel 22.4 and Majestad from channel 22.6. Channel 22.4 is now a blank screen and 22.6 is color bars.
  • K16FB-D Globe (Unimas Partnership of Phoenix) is silent. Its parent station, KFPH-CD, is being used as an ATSC 3.0 lighthouse, and cannot provide programming to K16FB. K16FB was being used as a translator KTVW-DT 33.x Phoenix while KDOS-LD, KTVW's usual translator, was awaiting permission to move to channel 19.
  • KAJB 54.x (36) Calipatria CA (Calipatria Broadcasting Company LLC) has added TBD and Stadium to its lineup, on channels 54.3 and 54.4, respectively. The changes were observed last March but never reported.
  • KHDF-CD 19.x Las Vegas NV (HC2 Station Group Inc.) has replaced the For Lease graphic on channel 19.4 with 3ABN programming, duplicating what already airs on channel 43.1.
  • KGNG-LD 26.x Las Vegas NV (King Kong Broadcasting LLC) has notified Station Update contributor rdvegas that they should be adding a 12th subchannel as early as the weekend of Dec. 7 and possibly a 13th in January. No word on what the content might be.

Branding Changes

  • KASW 61.x (27) Phoenix (Scripps Broadcasting Holdings LLC) has changed its branding from CW 6 to CW 61, reflecting its broadcast and satellite channel, rather than its cable TV channel, perhaps an acknowledgement of the cord cutter movement.

Transactions

  • The FCC has approved the assignment of the licenses of KYMA-DT 11.x Yuma and KSWT 13.x Yuma from Blackhawk Broadcasting LLC, a subsidiary of NBI Holdings LLC, to Terrier Media Buyer Inc., as amended. The amendment, signed in late October, requires Terrier to only acquire one of the stations from Blackhawk. The programming of the unacquired station will move to the acquired station, and the license of the unacquired station will be surrendered to the FCC within 30 days of consummation. In short, one of the two stations will cease to exist.
  • KVPA-LD 42.x (34) Phoenix (KRCA License LLC) has been included in a licensee reorganization by parent Liberman Broadcasting Inc.

Expired, Expiring, Canceled or Dismissed

  • KGNG-LP 47 Las Vegas NV (King Kong Broadcasting LLC) has canceled its analog license. The digital station on channel 26 remains.

NextGen TV

  • KTVK 3.x Phoenix (KPHO Broadcasting Corporation) has requested to reinstate 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, set to end April 2, 2020. KPHO Broadcasting Corporation allowed the previous Experimental STA to lapse.
  • KPHO-TV 5.x Phoenix (KPHO Broadcasting Corporation) has requested to reinstate 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, set to end April 2, 2020. KPHO Broadcasting Corporation allowed the previous Experimental STA to lapse.
  • KAET 8.x Phoenix (Arizona Board of Regents for ASU) 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, set to end April 2, 2020.
  • KSAZ-TV 10.x Phoenix (NW Communications of Phoenix LLC) 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 for six months, ending May 14, 2020.
  • KPNX 12.x Mesa (Multimedia Holdings Corporation) has amended its request for an extension of its Experimental STA to provide content to KFPH-CD for broadcast in ATSC 3.0 format. The station has stated that it will not seek any additional extensions of its experimental authority after this one.
  • KNXV-TV 15.x Phoenix (Scripps Broadcasting Holdings LLC) 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 for six months, ending May 13, 2020.
  • KSNV 3.x (22) Las Vegas NV (KUPN Licensee LLC) has requested an Experimental STA to demonstrate ATSC 3.0 services during the Consumer Electronics Show in early January. KSNV is requesting to broadcast a 42 kW small cell signal on RF channel 33 to minimize interference with other broadcasts. It is predicted to cause interference to approximately 75% of the audience of LPTV station K33MJ-D Pahrump NV, but that station is owned by Sinclair, as is KSNV, so the interference will be accepted.

Comments

1. On Friday, December 6 2019, 00:30 by dhett

Correction: ThisTV was on KFPB channel 50.3, not 50.4, in Phoenix.

2. On Saturday, December 7 2019, 11:22 by dhett

Additional items missed in the last two updates:

- K16FB-D Globe (Unimas Partnership of Phoenix) has filed a notice of suspension of operations, indicating that it went silent on November 21. It is intended that the station will be silent until the RF channel 18 antenna is installed and operational, and is expected to return to service by December 20. If Unimas Partnership determines that the station cannot return to service by then, they will file a Silence STA. The parent station, KFPH-CD 35.x Phoenix, is currently being used for ATSC 3.0 testing until April 2, 2020, and its subchannels are distributed among KPNX 12.x Mesa, KNXV 15.x Phoenix and KTVW 33.x Phoenix, so two of its three subchannels are still available in Globe (KNXV has no translator there). If K16FB does return to service prior to April 2 (as K18NN), it is unknown if it will broadcast just Unimas programming, or all three subchannels that KFPH broadcast. Its license is for a low power station, rather than a translator, so it is allowed to originate programming.

- K41IO-D Las Vegas NV (Enlace Christian Television Inc.) has filed a notice of resumption of operations. According to my Las Vegas source, the station is now operating on RF channel 30, its displacement channel, with Enlace TV on channel 41.1 and EJTV on channel 41.2, just as before. The station's Resumption of Operations filing states that it is broadcasting at reduced parameters from what is stated in its construction permit and will file an STA to continue to operate at the reduced parameters.

- K17JQ St. George UT (Edge Spectrum Inc.) filed a notice of resumption of operations on November 4. The station had been silent since December 2018, when it went silent due to technical reasons just nine days after resuming operations from new transmitter facilities. The station is broadcasting an analog signal; programming is unknown.

- K40KZ St. George UT (Edge Spectrum Inc.) filed a notice of resumption of operations on November 4, four days after being granted an STA to begin reduced power operations on its digital companion channel on channel 15. Operations are per the granted STA, which specifies 10% of the power allowed in the digital companion channel construction permit. Programming is unknown.

3. On Friday, December 20 2019, 09:36 by RDvegas

Be In Sports Extra has surfaced on Las Vegas OTA screens via KHDF 19.3 this week. The first day was marred by pixelation possibly caused by the wind and some rain at the transmitter. The network is an English language sports network, seemingly airing only soccer.

4. On Saturday, December 21 2019, 13:00 by LeeAz383

Tucson MeTV was advertising a new channel coming to air on KOLD. It's called The Circle, and is supposed to be a 100% Country Music channel, similar to what TNN was back a long time ago. My guess that it will sit on the now vacant 13.3 that was vacated when GRIT was moved to KVOA. They are advertising a start date of 1/1/20.

5. On Sunday, December 22 2019, 00:12 by dhett

You are correct; The Circle Network is slated to go on KOLD-TV channel 13.3. The diginet is a joint venture between KOLD's owner, Gray Television, and Ryman Hospitality (formerly Gaylord Entertainment), owners of The Grand Ol' Opry.

"The Circle" refers to a six-foot circle of wood that was removed from the stage at Ryman Auditorium and installed in the new Grand Ol' Opry House in 1974, literally bringing a piece of Opry history from the old venue to the new. It has become almost a sacred spot in country music.

At this time, network distribution is limited to Gray Television stations and select CBS O&O stations, covering about 50% of the nation, but it is expected that contracts will be signed with other ownership groups in the future.

6. On Wednesday, January 1 2020, 11:00 by rdvegas

NYE saw the launch of the KPVM-25 Parhrump, NV, transmitter from the peaks above Henderson. That tranny allows the station to add well over one million Las Vegas viewers to their coverage. Five video sub-channels, and two audio only subs are now airing. Two subs air a duplicate of previously revived programming in Vegas. That's THIS TV and QVC. New are Prime, Family Net, Neustra, KPKK-FM, and Ace Radio. The new transmitter allows the addition of Vegas viewers while keeping their previous Pahrump service.