Abandoned in Texas

[Rusty Muck]

Given the building was a mid-60s build, there's likely asbestos abatement issues at hand, too (let alone what other toxic materials exist). So it probably can't be cheap to demo it.

 

[Smittian]

Somewhat surprising the station wasn’t sold to new owners. This was about the time religious television was beginning its growth phase and stations were being launched or acquired. Perhaps 1969 was a little too early to make that happen.

The KVVV studio equipment, transmitter and tower were moved to Corpus Christi in order to launch KEDT/16 in 1972, so in a way KVVV lived on.

Ironic that both occupied Channel 16. Had KVVV not gone under, South Texas Public Broadcasting would have had to pursue another spot on the dial

 

[Mediafrog+]

KVVV was challenged with a poor signal and a relatively short (1,100") tower on the south side of the market.

Back in the 1950s and 60s it was apparently thought that the bulk of future Houston metro population growth would be in the southeast quadrant of the market, namely Brazoria, Galveston and Chambers counties, and not so much to the north and west. The KVVV tower would have been in the middle of that, but the sprawl trended elsewhere.

Plus, the re-born Channel 39 beat them to the air in January 1967, with a more central signal. That probably helped doom KVVV's fate, since in those days it was difficult for more than one UHF to survive, even in a market like Houston.

And in 1967 any TV older than three years probably lacked UHF capability. Wonder how well 39 did in its first few years? By the time 26 signed on in 1971 there were far more sets with UHF tuners.

 

[K.M. Richards]

Ironic that both occupied Channel 16. Had KVVV not gone under, South Texas Public Broadcasting would have had to pursue another spot on the dial

Yes to your conclusion ... and no to the irony. Channel 16 appeared in the FCC Table of Allocations as an educational allotment for Corpus Christi in 1965, three years before KVVV signed on but the allocation was moved to Galveston the following year and replaced in Corpus Christi by channel 38.

Back then, a potential applicant did not "pursue" a channel number. They had to apply for whatever unused allocations were available in the Table for the area they wanted to serve. Had KVVV survived, KEDT would have been on 38.

The Table of Allocations still exists, but it now merely reflects the actual licensed stations.

 

[Mediafrog+]

No. Channel 16 appeared in the FCC Table of Allocations as an educational allotment for Corpus Christi in 1965, three years before KVVV signed on.

I seem to recall that the group behind KEDT originally was going for non-comm channel 38 in CC but lobbied to get 16 allocated as “educational” when the KVVV transmitter became available, thus avoiding a costly retune of the unit. I think that is also when 16 was deleted as a Galveston allocation, replaced with 22. I don’t think 16 would have been allocated to Galveston and CC at the same time, too close…?

 

[K.M. Richards]

I seem to recall that the group behind KEDT originally was going for non-comm channel 38 in CC but lobbied to get 16 allocated as “educational” when the KVVV transmitter became available, thus avoiding a costly retune of the unit. I think that is also when 16 was deleted as a Galveston allocation, replaced with 22. I don’t think 16 would have been allocated to Galveston and CC at the same time, too close…?

You're likely right. Since the channel 16 allocation was originally in Corpus Christi, there would have been a logical argument to have it moved back there after KVVV went dark.

The 1965 Table had channels 18 and *28 allocated to Galveston. I suspect that the then-future licensee of KVVV petitioned for the replacement on the grounds of being too close to the channel 20 allocation in Houston. (Or it may have been the competing applicant; a quick review in Broadcasting shows that there was a comparative hearing held before the license grant.) The *22 allocation replaced *28 at the same time ... before KVVV, not after.

The original application for what became KVVV -- filed January 10, 1966 -- specified channel 18, so the allocation table change happened sometime between then and the hearings commencing in July.

And I think there's a far better than average chance that the availability of the KVVV transmitter and antenna was used as an argument in favor of moving the channel 16 allocation back to Corpus Christi.

 

[Negin]

A couple of young men found a long abandoned studio building here in Texas. As you will see, time has not been kind to this old girl.

The video on YT is actually the KVVV station.

 

[Huff]

I seem to recall that the group behind KEDT originally was going for non-comm channel 38 in CC but lobbied to get 16 allocated as “educational” when the KVVV transmitter became available, thus avoiding a costly retune of the unit. I think that is also when 16 was deleted as a Galveston allocation, replaced with 22. I don’t think 16 would have been allocated to Galveston and CC at the same time, too close…?

The first app for Ch. 38 showed up in 1968 for Christopher College, which shut down later that year.

 

[K.M. Richards]

The video on YT is actually the KVVV station.

Didn't I say that back in post #3? If I didn't, I meant to.

 

[Negin]

Didn't I say that back in post #3? If I didn't, I meant to.

Think you did, but meant the YTubers said it was a radio station when it was the TV studio.

 

[K.M. Richards]

Think you did, but meant the YTubers said it was a radio station when it was the TV studio.

I just looked at the YT page for that video and someone has pointed that out to them.

 

[houston tv info autism]

as for ch 51 katy @Mediafrog+

 

[houston tv info autism]

if kvvv ch 16 was still on air how will the status be