Coastside Cable TV (Half Moon Bay, California) July 1979

[CPLANAS1985]

Coastside Cable TV customers in Half Moon Bay in San Mateo County, California had access to 19 channels in July of 1979...

Requested by: @mpepin

Source: Newspapers.com

CABLE-READY TV CHANNELS:

2. KTVU Oakland 2 (Independent, now a FOX O&O)
3. KCRA Sacramento 3 (then and now, still NBC)
4. KRON San Francisco 4 (NBC, now a CW O&O with MyNetworkTV as a secondary affiliation)
5. KPIX San Francisco 5 (then and now, still CBS, now a network O&O)
6. Home Box Office*
7. KGO San Francisco 7 (then and now, still an ABC O&O)
8. KEMO San Francisco 20* (Independent, now Merit Street Media as KOFY)
9. KQED San Francisco 9 (then and now, still PBS)
10. KXTV Sacramento 10 (CBS, now ABC)
11. KNTV San Jose 11 (ABC, now an NBC O&O)
12. KBHK San Francisco 44 (Independent, now an independent once again as KPYX)
13. KGSC San Jose 36* (then and now, still an independent, now as KICU)

CONVERTER REQUIRED FOR THE FOLLOWING CHANNELS:

14. KDTV San Francisco 14 (SIN, now a Univision O&O)
15. KTEH San Jose 54 (then and now, still PBS, now as KQEH)
16. KTSF San Francisco 26 (then and now, still a multicultural independent)
17. Open (likely for limited, freelance, public and/or future use)
18. KVOF San Francisco 38 (Religious independent, defunct, off-air since 1985)**
19. KCSM San Mateo 60 (then and now, still PBS, now as KPJK)
20. KQEC San Francisco 32 (PBS, defunct, off-air since 1980)***

* These channels were assigned to their corresponding channel positions for technical reasons according to Coastside Cable TV...
** KVOF left the air permanently in December of 1985... KWBB, a new station on a separate license launched only weeks later in January of 1986, that station is now KCNS, carrying Shop LC programming...
*** KQEC left the air permanently sometime in 1980, but was relaunched by current owner, Minority Television Project, in August of 1991, the station now operates as KMTP, an educational independent station...

 

[Gregg.]

Interesting that a cable system in Half Moon Bay would carry those Sacramento channels. Half Moon Bay is about 15 miles south of the city of San Francisco along the Pacific Coast. Someone in downtown SF in an apartment building facing east might be able to get a signal from KCRA or KXTV. But I doubt either station would have a blip on their channels in Half Moon Bay.

However, with two ABC stations in the market, I guess the cable system figured, let's give them a second NBC and a second CBS station. That way, if the SF station doesn't run a network show, cable viewers could see it on an imported channel from Sacramento..

 

[CPLANAS1985]

Interesting that a cable system in Half Moon Bay would carry those Sacramento channels. Half Moon Bay is about 15 miles south of the city of San Francisco along the Pacific Coast. Someone in downtown SF in an apartment building facing east might be able to get a signal from KCRA or KXTV. But I doubt either station would have a blip on their channels in Half Moon Bay.

However, with two ABC stations in the market, I guess the cable system figured, let's give them a second NBC and a second CBS station. That way, if the SF station doesn't run a network show, cable viewers could see it on an imported channel from Sacramento..

My thinking is that they were more liberal with what stations they carried at the time since this predates SyndEx and other telco laws that would come during the 1980s and 1990s...

 

[ftballfan]

My thinking is that they were more liberal with what stations they carried at the time since this predates SyndEx and other telco laws that would come during the 1980s and 1990s...

Two other factors:
1. No cable exclusive channels
2. Many more pre-emptions of network programming (especially daytime)

 

[Michael Rivers Kramer]

Interesting that a cable system in Half Moon Bay would carry those Sacramento channels. Half Moon Bay is about 15 miles south of the city of San Francisco along the Pacific Coast. Someone in downtown SF in an apartment building facing east might be able to get a signal from KCRA or KXTV. But I doubt either station would have a blip on their channels in Half Moon Bay.

However, with two ABC stations in the market, I guess the cable system figured, let's give them a second NBC and a second CBS station. That way, if the SF station doesn't run a network show, cable viewers could see it on an imported channel from Sacramento..

They may have been using the headend in Pacifica on Montara Mountain which has line of site to the Walnut grove transtower due to height. It was set up in 1966 and we had clear pictures from Sacramento in Pacifica via cable.

 

[Y2kTheNewOldies]

Interesting that a cable system in Half Moon Bay would carry those Sacramento channels. Half Moon Bay is about 15 miles south of the city of San Francisco along the Pacific Coast. Someone in downtown SF in an apartment building facing east might be able to get a signal from KCRA or KXTV. But I doubt either station would have a blip on their channels in Half Moon Bay.

However, with two ABC stations in the market, I guess the cable system figured, let's give them a second NBC and a second CBS station. That way, if the SF station doesn't run a network show, cable viewers could see it on an imported channel from Sacramento..

If one is wondering how a Sacramento station ended up being seen as far as Half Moon Bay and Pacifica via ota some of it is that KVIE-TV Sacramento stated they had a translator on Mount Sutro and Mount Diablo while their main transmitter is in Walnut Grove. But it’s interesting to see that Sacramento Stations are on cable in other parts of the Bay Area and beyond their home territory. That was when KTVU had a “Superstation” status back then along with WTBS and WGN before KTVU became a Fox affiliate.

https://radiodiscussions.com/threads/former-superstations.518905/

https://radiodiscussions.com/threads/superstations.550424/

 

[Michael Rivers Kramer]

If one is wondering how a Sacramento station ended up being seen as far as Half Moon Bay and Pacifica via ota some of it is that KVIE-TV Sacramento stated they had a translator on Mount Sutro and Mount Diablo while their main transmitter is in Walnut Grove. But it’s interesting to see that Sacramento Stations are on cable in other parts of the Bay Area and beyond their home territory. That was when KTVU had a “Superstation” status back then along with WTBS and WGN before KTVU became a Fox affiliate.

https://radiodiscussions.com/threads/former-superstations.518905/

https://radiodiscussions.com/threads/superstations.550424/

KVIE never had translators on Sutro or Diablo. Those were microwave links to KQED to exchange programming and simulcast during the weekday mornings when they used to have class room programming.

 

[Y2kTheNewOldies]

KVIE never had translators on Sutro or Diablo. Those were microwave links to KQED to exchange programming and simulcast during the weekday mornings when they used to have class room programming.

Yes I remember back in the 1980's and 1990's KVIE and KQED used to have the "Instructional Television" lineup they shared together. Sometimes KIXE Redding and KVPT would also appear in the Instructional Television lineup back then.

 

[Y2kTheNewOldies]

Channel 8 official explains poor South County reception

Clipping found in Gonzales Tribune published in Gonzales, California on 1/30/1985. Channel 8 official explains poor South County reception

www.newspapers.com

Here's another reason why parts of the bay area got out of market TV stations. One of them is Monterey's NBC affiliate KSBW-TV they even included San Jose in their Station ID's around this time with city of Licence along with Monterey and Salinas. Some of this at the time was that KSBW was in a battle with then San Jose/Monterey ABC affiliate KNTV to get San Jose viewers. Even Monterey's CBS affiliate KMST(Now KION) had a translator in San Jose in the 1970's and 1980's around the time the cable lineup was made.

This had to be the time when San Francisco TV Stations had to include Oakland and San Jose in their station ID's and col's given how much San Jose was the fastest growing city in Northern California at that time.

 

[K.M. Richards]

*** KQEC left the air permanently sometime in 1980, but was relaunched by current owner, Minority Television Project, in August of 1991, the station now operates as KMTP, an educational independent station...

Not completely accurate. I gave myself a headache writing the article on channel 32 for the UHF History site, and I quote from same (since I am the author, I don't have "fair use" issues):

... the Community Coalition for Media Change and the California Public Broadcasting Forum filed petitions to deny channel 32's 1977 license renewal, primarily on the grounds that KQEC had spent more time off the air than on, and had simulcast channel 9 for nearly all the time that they had managed to operate. (This was despite the statement in a 1972 letter from KQED, Inc. to Ben F. Waple, then Secretary of the FCC, that the second station was needed to air programming in the area of adult education, as well as "community programming, originated by and directed to the many ... ethnic minorities in the San Francisco Bay Area.") That renewal, as well as the subsequent 1980 renewal, were ultimately approved, and reaffirmed by a Memorandum Opinion and Order ... by which time KQEC had gone dark for another six months, from November 5, 1979 to May 29, 1980.

MTP challenged the next renewal, in 1983; their challenge was denied. They appealed and the court ordered a hearing not only on KQEC's renewal but of KQED and KQED-FM as well. But the ALJ in the case still decided in KQED/KQEC's favor, and MTP appealed to the FCC review board for reconsideration. But that never took place, because:

... the full Commission voted on February 8, 1990 to deny KQEC's latest license renewal and re-awarded the channel 32 license to MTP, using the KQEC facilities. KQED appealed again, was denied by the FCC a year later, and moved on to the appellate court ... only to withdraw their motion to dismiss the license renewal decision in May 1991, saying "we simply need to move on." They continued to operate KQEC until August 30, 1991 to give MTP time to prepare for commencing operation, then went dark; KMTP-TV went live the next day using the same former KNEW-TV transmitter on Mt. Sutro that KQEC had inherited.

Note that the timeline shows that KQEC was on the air from June 1, 1980 until August 30, 1991. There was no elevem year gap as you stated.

 

[K.M. Richards]

** KVOF left the air permanently in December of 1985... KWBB, a new station on a separate license launched only weeks later in January of 1986, that station is now KCNS, carrying Shop LC programming...

More corrections, as noted in my article at UHF History about parent station KHOF-TV/30:

KVOF-TV's renewal application was denied by ALJ Kuhlmann in March 1983 after Faith Center's failure to answer interrogatories for a competing applicant, failure to produce documents as ordered, and failure to appear for deposition during prehearing procedures. Kuhlmann's decision was upheld in July, and in October he issued an initial decision granting the license for channel 38 to West Coast United Broadcasting Company. The full Commission upheld that decision the following February; Faith Center appealed the decision, which was upheld by the U.S. Court of Appeals July 19, 1985 and KVOF-TV went dark December 30 of that year. Channel 38 signed back on one week later as KWBB, first with an infomercial-heavy schedule, then Chinese and Filipino programming from 1991 to 1998, the Shop At Home and Jewelry Television home shopping networks until 2007, followed by RTV programming until 2012 and four years as an affiliate of Spanish-language network MundoFox/MundoMax; since 2016, it has aired religious programming from the Jimmy Swaggart ministry's SonLife network as KCNS (although after an ownership change in 2020 his programming was relegated to a subchannel in favor of another home shopping network, ShopHQ).

Although I did not go into detail, West Coast United was able to get on the air after only one week dark because they had already filed in 1981 for a new station (first listing under "TV applications" on this page from Broadcasting, March 2, 1981) and had been issued a CP for same in August 1984, but it was held in abeyance pending the outcome of the appeals process. Although I never found any evidence of proof, I presume Faith Center sold them the existing facilities as they prepared to go dark.

 

[CPLANAS1985]

Not completely accurate. I gave myself a headache writing the article on channel 32 for the UHF History site, and I quote from same (since I am the author, I don't have "fair use" issues):

... the Community Coalition for Media Change and the California Public Broadcasting Forum filed petitions to deny channel 32's 1977 license renewal, primarily on the grounds that KQEC had spent more time off the air than on, and had simulcast channel 9 for nearly all the time that they had managed to operate. (This was despite the statement in a 1972 letter from KQED, Inc. to Ben F. Waple, then Secretary of the FCC, that the second station was needed to air programming in the area of adult education, as well as "community programming, originated by and directed to the many ... ethnic minorities in the San Francisco Bay Area.") That renewal, as well as the subsequent 1980 renewal, were ultimately approved, and reaffirmed by a Memorandum Opinion and Order ... by which time KQEC had gone dark for another six months, from November 5, 1979 to May 29, 1980.

MTP challenged the next renewal, in 1983; their challenge was denied. They appealed and the court ordered a hearing not only on KQEC's renewal but of KQED and KQED-FM as well. But the ALJ in the case still decided in KQED/KQEC's favor, and MTP appealed to the FCC review board for reconsideration. But that never took place, because:

... the full Commission voted on February 8, 1990 to deny KQEC's latest license renewal and re-awarded the channel 32 license to MTP, using the KQEC facilities. KQED appealed again, was denied by the FCC a year later, and moved on to the appellate court ... only to withdraw their motion to dismiss the license renewal decision in May 1991, saying "we simply need to move on." They continued to operate KQEC until August 30, 1991 to give MTP time to prepare for commencing operation, then went dark; KMTP-TV went live the next day using the same former KNEW-TV transmitter on Mt. Sutro that KQEC had inherited.

Note that the timeline shows that KQEC was on the air from June 1, 1980 until August 30, 1991. There was no elevem year gap as you stated.

More corrections, as noted in my article at UHF History about parent station KHOF-TV/30:

KVOF-TV's renewal application was denied by ALJ Kuhlmann in March 1983 after Faith Center's failure to answer interrogatories for a competing applicant, failure to produce documents as ordered, and failure to appear for deposition during prehearing procedures. Kuhlmann's decision was upheld in July, and in October he issued an initial decision granting the license for channel 38 to West Coast United Broadcasting Company. The full Commission upheld that decision the following February; Faith Center appealed the decision, which was upheld by the U.S. Court of Appeals July 19, 1985 and KVOF-TV went dark December 30 of that year. Channel 38 signed back on one week later as KWBB, first with an infomercial-heavy schedule, then Chinese and Filipino programming from 1991 to 1998, the Shop At Home and Jewelry Television home shopping networks until 2007, followed by RTV programming until 2012 and four years as an affiliate of Spanish-language network MundoFox/MundoMax; since 2016, it has aired religious programming from the Jimmy Swaggart ministry's SonLife network as KCNS (although after an ownership change in 2020 his programming was relegated to a subchannel in favor of another home shopping network, ShopHQ).

Although I did not go into detail, West Coast United was able to get on the air after only one week dark because they had already filed in 1981 for a new station (first listing under "TV applications" on this page from Broadcasting, March 2, 1981) and had been issued a CP for same in August 1984, but it was held in abeyance pending the outcome of the appeals process. Although I never found any evidence of proof, I presume Faith Center sold them the existing facilities as they prepared to go dark.

@K.M. Richards I was only going by the information I already had… Sometimes I only find out new details after I already posted… Thanks for the added details anyways… 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻