Arizona TV Station Update - December 2019

[dhett]

Wishing all a blessed and prosperous 2020!

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

New Licenses

• K16FB-D Globe (Unimas Partnership of Phoenix) has requested a license to cover its displacement construction permit. Technical specifications: Ch 18; TL 33° ' " N, 110° ' " W (); ERP kW directional (); HAAT m.
• K30GL 6.x Many Farms (Nexstar Broadcasting Inc.) has requested a license to cover its construction permit to flash cut to digital. Technical specifications: Ch 30; TL 36° 27' 37" N, 109° 5' 36" W (Roof Butte); ERP 5.11 kW directional; HAAT 734 m.
• KNTL-LP 15.x (35) Laughlin NV (Entravision Holdings LLC) has requested a license to cover its displacement facilities and transition to digital. Technical specifications: Ch 35; TL 35° 14' 58" N; 114° 44' 37" W (Little Peak); ERP 15 kW non-directional (0.25° electrical beam tilt); HAAT 711 m.
• K41IO-D Las Vegas NV (Enlace Christian Television Inc.) has been granted a license to cover its post-transition displacement facilities. Technical specifications: Ch 30; TL 36° 0' 29" N; 115° 0' 23" W (Black Mtn.); ERP 15 kW directional (0.5° electrical beam tilt); HAAT 344 m.
• K33QD-D 5.x Zuni Pueblo NM (Regents of UNM & BoE of Albq) requested and has been granted a license to cover its application for a new television station, as amended. Technical specifications: Ch 33; TL 35° 6' 50" N; 108° 44' 14" W (IR 50, approx. 3 mi. NE of Zuni, NM); ERP 1.05 kW directional; HAAT 112 m.

Programming Changes

• KOLD 13.x (32/13) Tucson (Gray Television Licensee LLC) has added new diginet Circle TV on channel 13.3.
• KPVM-LD 46.x (25) Pahrump NV (KPVM Television Inc.) has begun service from Arden Peak in Henderson NV with five video and two audio subchannels
  • 46.1 Prime TV
  • 46.2 This TV
  • 46.3 The Family Channel
  • 46.4 Nuestra Visión
  • 46.5 QVC
  • 46.6 //KPKK 101.1 Amargosa Valley NV
  • 46.7 Ace Country Radio

Call Sign Changes

• K41IO-D has changed its call sign to K30PL-D following licensing of its post-transition displacement facilities

Transactions

• Terrier Media Buyer Inc. has consummated the purchase of Blackhawk Broadcasting LLC, including stations KYMA-DT 11.x Yuma and KSWT13.x Yuma, effective December 17. Terrier has until January 16 to move all programming to the station that it chooses to keep and to shut down, and turn in the license for, the other station.

Construction Permits and Special Temporary Authorizations (STAs) Granted

• K28MO-D Phoenix (Gila River Telecommunications Inc.) has been granted a construction permit, as amended, to relocate from the Komatke site on the Gila River Reservation to the South Mountain antenna farm. Technical specifications: Ch 28; TL 33° 19' 57" N, 112° 4' 0" W (South Mtn.); ERP 15 kW directional (0.5° electrical beam tilt); HAAT 480 m.
• K36AE-D 10.x Cottonwood (NW Communications of Phoenix Inc.) requested and has been granted a minor modification of its license to correct its coordinates and height above average terrain (HAAT). Technical specifications: Ch 36; TL 34° 41' 13" N, 112° 7' 2" W (Mingus Mtn.); ERP 15 kW directional (1° electrical beam tilt); HAAT 777 m.

Construction Permits and Special Temporary Authorizations (STAs) Requested

• KESE-LP 35 Yuma (NPG of Yuma-El Centro LLC) has requested an extension of its STA to operate at 55% of nominal power, due to equipment failure. Technical specifications: Ch 35; TL 32° 38' 31" N, 114° 33' 37" W (Ave. 4E & Co. 13th St.); ERP 4.4 kW directional; HAAT 81 m.
• K16BP-D 45.x Cottonwood (Fox Television Stations LLC) has requested a minor modification of its license to co-locate with co-owned station K36AE-D, using a combined antenna system. Technical specifications: Ch 16; TL 34° 41' 13" N, 112° 7' 2" W (Mingus Mtn.); ERP 15 kW directional (1° electrical beam tilt); HAAT 777 m.
• KPVM-LD 46.x (25) Pahrump NV (KPVM Television Inc.) has requested an STA to operate at lower power than authorized in its construction permit so that it can begin providing service to the Las Vegas area while awaiting its full power antenna. Technical specifications: Ch 25; TL 35° 56' 46" N, 115° 2' 37" W (Arden Peak); ERP 3 kW directional (0.75° electrical beam tilt); HAAT 568 m.

Notices

• KTTU 18.x (19) Tucson (KTTU-TV Inc.) filed a notice of reduced power operations as of November 22 due to equipment failure and a notice of resumption of operations as of December 5. The station filed another notice of reduced power operations on January 3. It is operating at 1 kW ERP instead of its licensed 480 kW.
• KDPH-LD 48.x (46) Phoenix (Community Television Educators Inc.) filed a notice of resumption of operations, effective December 22. The station is broadcasting an occasional signal on RF channel 46 with subchannels 48.1, 48.2 and 58.1, just as before, however, there has been no transmissions during the daylight hours and programming, if any, is unknown.
• KNTL-LP 15.x (35) Laughlin NV (Entravision Holdings LLC) filed a notice of resumption of operations as of December 11. The station is now broadcasting in digital.

NextGen TV

• KTVK 3.x Phoenix (KPHO Broadcasting Corporation) was granted a new Experimental STA to provide content to KFPH-CD for broadcast in ATSC 3.0 format. The STA expires April 2, 2020.
• KPHO-TV 5.x Phoenix (KPHO Broadcasting Corporation) was granted a new Experimental STA to provide content to KFPH-CD for broadcast in ATSC 3.0 format. The STA expires April 2, 2020.
• KAET 8.x Phoenix (Arizona Board of Regents for ASU) was granted an extension of its Experimental STA to provide content to KFPH-CD for broadcast in ATSC 3.0 format. The STA expires April 2, 2020.
• KSAZ-TV 10.x Phoenix (NW Communications of Phoenix LLC) was granted an extension of its Experimental STA to provide content to KFPH-CD for broadcast in ATSC 3.0 format. The STA expires April 2, 2020.
• KPNX 12.x Mesa (Multimedia Holdings Corporation) was granted an extension of its Experimental STA to provide content to KFPH-CD for broadcast in ATSC 3.0 format. The STA expires June 9, 2020.
• KNXV-TV 15.x Phoenix (Scripps Broadcasting Holdings LLC) was granted an extension of its Experimental STA to provide content to KFPH-CD for broadcast in ATSC 3.0 format. The STA expires April 2, 2020.
• KSNV 3.x (22) Las Vegas NV (KUPN Licensee LLC) was granted an Experimental STA for a 42 kW small cell operation to demonstrate ATSC 3.0 services during the Consumer Electronics Show in early January. The STA expires January 20, 2020.
• KPVM-LD 46.x (25) Pahrump NV (KPVM Television Inc.) has requested an Experimental STA to transition from ATSC 1.0 service to ATSC 3.0 service upon acquisition of the necessary hardware and software.

 

[dhett]

Good grief. New license information for K16FB-D should have read as follows:

• K16FB-D Globe (Unimas Partnership of Phoenix) has requested a license to cover its displacement construction permit. Technical specifications: Ch 18; TL 33° 17' 21" N, 110° 49' 47" W (Signal Peak); ERP 10 kW directional (2° electrical 1° mechanical beam tilt); HAAT 1001 m.

 

[Prescott Joe]

A while back there was an F.C.C application for a station serving the Flagstaff
area on Rf 3. The station applied to move to Mingus Mtn to serve more people.
Cannot find anything about this.... Any new information would be appreciated.

 

[Sammi Brie]

This hit the FCC today so it won't be in here, but KASW has officially filed for its conversion to a DTS from South Mountain and three additional transmitters. It turns out the "Riviera" site is the KZON tower at Ocotillo and Schnepf in what nominally is now San Tan Valley. The other towers are Shaw Butte and Gila Bend.

 

[KeithE4]

A while back there was an F.C.C application for a station serving the Flagstaff area on Rf 3. The station applied to move to Mingus Mtn to serve more people. Cannot find anything about this.... Any new information would be appreciated.

The only thing I see on CDBS is K03ID-D, which was last updated in 2010.

http://licensing.fcc.gov/cgi-bin/ws.exe/prod/cdbs/pubacc/prod/sta_det.pl?Facility_id=182941

 

[dhett]

A while back there was an F.C.C application for a station serving the Flagstaff
area on Rf 3. The station applied to move to Mingus Mtn to serve more people.
Cannot find anything about this.... Any new information would be appreciated.

I have a direct contact with the applicant, Keith Leitch. I've sent out a request to him to see if he's willing to provide any answers. If I hear back, I'll keep everyone posted.

 

[dhett]

This hit the FCC today so it won't be in here, but KASW has officially filed for its conversion to a DTS from South Mountain and three additional transmitters. It turns out the "Riviera" site is the KZON tower at Ocotillo and Schnepf in what nominally is now San Tan Valley. The other towers are Shaw Butte and Gila Bend.

Ya beat me to it.

 

[Prescott Joe]

In Northern Arizona, KFPH is broadcasting on 13.1 in S.D., 13.2 in H.D.
No audio or video on 13.3 and 13.4 but programming info continues
for Get TV and Escape, respectively. Escape is carried by KNXV and
shows up as 35.4 but no one seems to carry Get TV. Is anyone in
the valley carrying Get TV????

 

[dhett]

KPNX carries Get TV as channel 35.3. Unfortunately, Flagstaff/Prescott don't get KPNX; they get KNAZ, which is just the single NBC program stream, so no Get TV.

 

[KeithE4]

KPNX carries Get TV as channel 35.3. Unfortunately, Flagstaff/Prescott don't get KPNX...

Neither does east Mesa, at least not without an outside antenna.

 

[dhett]

With the stick-and-stucco construction common in the Valley, I wouldn't count on an indoor antenna anywhere. Even at my palatial west Chandler estate, located a mere six miles from the South Mountain antenna farm, I use an antenna in the attic, located near a window that faces South Mountain, because an indoor antenna won't cut it. The chicken wire used to hold the stucco in place acts as a Faraday cage, attenuating any signal one might get.

 

[KeithE4]

With the stick-and-stucco construction common in the Valley, I wouldn't count on an indoor antenna anywhere. Even at my palatial west Chandler estate, located a mere six miles from the South Mountain antenna farm, I use an antenna in the attic, located near a window that faces South Mountain, because an indoor antenna won't cut it. The chicken wire used to hold the stucco in place acts as a Faraday cage, attenuating any signal one might get.

That is exactly what the problem is. Pretty much everyone who lives in a house built in roughly 1985 or later has to deal with this.

I've taken some rough measurements (i.e. not with an FCC-grade field strength meter), and found that the attenuation inside my house varies from about 20 dB on the Ancient Modulation band to 40 dB on VHF TV/FM, back down to about 30 dB on UHF. The trees in my back yard in the signal path make matters even worse. I have one outside antenna, but it's only connected to the outside TV right now. That'll change once I'm rid of DirecTV later this week, and I can use its wiring for an antenna.

 

[dhett]

We have resolution in Yuma.

To recap, KYMA 11 had the call sign branding, identifying with Yuma, while KSWT branded as channel 13, and had a stronger signal - 50 kW vs. 28 kW for KYMA.

Northwest will be keeping channel 13, however, effective today, 1/13/20, the two stations have swapped call signs, so channel 13 is now KYMA and channel 11 is now KSWT. KSWT channel 11 will be shut down and KYMA channel 13 will be the surviving station.

 

[KeithE4]

We have resolution in Yuma.

To recap, KYMA 11 had the call sign branding, identifying with Yuma, while KSWT branded as channel 13, and had a stronger signal - 50 kW vs. 28 kW for KYMA.

Northwest will be keeping channel 13, however, effective today, 1/13/20, the two stations have swapped call signs, so channel 13 is now KYMA and channel 11 is now KSWT. KSWT channel 11 will be shut down and KYMA channel 13 will be the surviving station.

Just checked their 6 PM news via their station website's livestream, and it still says KYMA-DT 11.1 Yuma at the lower-right corner of the screen. Or are the broadcast feeds combined on 13 and they're still using 11.1 as the PSIP for the NBC feed? That would make sense, BTW, if they can do it.

EDIT: The callsign switch is in the CDBS database now.

 

[dhett]

I'm guessing that the surviving station will continue to use the existing virtual channels: NBC on 11.1, Ion on 11.2, CBS on 13.1 and Estrella on 13.2. I hope to be in the Yuma area this weekend so I'll be able to verify.

 

[KeithE4]

I'm guessing that the surviving station will continue to use the existing virtual channels: NBC on 11.1, Ion on 11.2, CBS on 13.1 and Estrella on 13.2. I hope to be in the Yuma area this weekend so I'll be able to verify.

Since they're supposed to turn in the license before the 18th, wouldn't that void their use of PSIP 11.x, as well as the KSWT call letters?

 

[dhett]

Since they're supposed to turn in the license before the 18th, wouldn't that void their use of PSIP 11.x, as well as the KSWT call letters?

They would no longer use the KSWT call letters, which is not a problem for them, as they branded as channel 13 before, not as KSWT. I don't believe that the FCC would have a problem with them using virtual channel 11.x, as long as there is not another channel 11 in the market.

Here in Phoenix, KUTP uses VC 10.2 for its Fox 10 simulcast and VC 45.x for everything else, KPNX uses VC 35.3 for its Get TV programming and VC 12.x for everything else, KNXV uses VC 35.4 for its Court TV Mystery programming and VC 15.x for everything else, KTVW uses VC 35.1 for its Unimás programming and VC 33.x for everything else, and KDPH uses VC 48.x for Daystar and VC 58.x for JTV.

I could be wrong about KYMA, however. I'll find out this weekend.

 

[KeithE4]

They would no longer use the KSWT call letters, which is not a problem for them, as they branded as channel 13 before, not as KSWT. I don't believe that the FCC would have a problem with them using virtual channel 11.x, as long as there is not another channel 11 in the market.

That was my main concern. Maybe somebody down the road might decide to make a small fortune (out of a large fortune :-D ) by giving Channel 11 another shot. Wouldn't that new owner have first "dibs" at VC 11.x?

Also, the Wikipedia article shows CBS as on 13.1, NBC on 13.2, and EstrellaTV as 13.3. I won't name names, but the latest updaters are regulars on this board. If they have inside info, or are in Yuma, please enlighten us.

 

[landtuna]

That is exactly what the problem is. Pretty much everyone who lives in a house built in roughly 1985 or later has to deal with this.

The Casa del Blister was built in 1980 but is the chicken wire and stucco variety. I seem to have better luck with those bow-tie indoor antennas than you do but that is probably due to the greatly reduced distance from my house to the towers - 8 vs 25 miles.

 

[Sammi Brie]

That was my main concern. Maybe somebody down the road might decide to make a small fortune (out of a large fortune :-D ) by giving Channel 11 another shot. Wouldn't that new owner have first "dibs" at VC 11.x?

Also, the Wikipedia article shows CBS as on 13.1, NBC on 13.2, and EstrellaTV as 13.3. I won't name names, but the latest updaters are regulars on this board. If they have inside info, or are in Yuma, please enlighten us.

TitanTV is showing 13.1–13.4 (13.2 NBC and 13.4 Ion), FWIW — when I updated it, I explicitly put an "update" tag since I'm hoping Dave or someone else will go down there and get us actual info. I think Mvcg jumped the gun a bit.