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Arizona TV Station Update - December 2019

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.

I wasn't trying to pick on you guys, and I apologize if it came across that way.

In any case, KYMA is telling viewers to rescan their TVs before January 17th. Their logos have been updated on the website, with all call letters being removed, but both Channels 11 (NBC) and 13 (CBS) remaining as virtual channels. Apparently, 11 is "Where News Comes First," while 13 remains "13 On Your Side."

https://kyma.com/news/2020/01/09/rescan-your-tv-to-keep-valued-programming/
 
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.


Kind of surprising, given 13 was/is still using a 40-year-old transmitting antenna. However, they just replaced the transmitter a couple years ago, and maybe that was the reason why they kept the 13 facilities.
 
Kind of surprising, given 13 was/is still using a 40-year-old transmitting antenna. However, they just replaced the transmitter a couple years ago, and maybe that was the reason why they kept the 13 facilities.

Channel 11 ran 22.3 kW.
Channel 13 runs 50 kW.

I suspect that a new antenna is on a CapEx spreadsheet somewhere in Atlanta given that age!
 
It is unfortunate that either KSWT or KYMA didn't relinquish their major network affiliation
before they got into serious financial trouble. One of the stations could have carried the
two major networks with the expensive to run news departments expenses spread out over
the two networks. The remaining station could have been an independent station carrying
diginets like Me-TV, Decades, Cozi, Comet, Charge, etc, etc. Hard to understand why Yuma
and Imperial counties don't share the expense of bringing PBS to the area. KAET and KPBS
could share bandwith and expenses with OTA viewers as the winners. They do that in
Mohave County, AZ and have for many, many years...... The Yuma market at #159 has
a whole lot more potential English speaking viewers than say Dickenson, ND at #241.
Dickenson, ND has two stations plus PBS
Binghamtion, NY at #160 has 5 stations plus OTA viewers can also receive stations from
Syracuse, NY and Scranton, PA.
 
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It is unfortunate that either KSWT or KYMA didn't relinquish their major network affiliation
before they got into serious financial trouble. One of the stations could have carried the
two major networks with the expensive to run news departments expenses spread out over
the two networks. The remaining station could have been an independent station carrying
diginets like Me-TV, Decades, Cozi, Comet, Charge, etc, etc. Hard to understand why Yuma
and Imperial counties don't share the expense of bringing PBS to the area. KAET and KPBS
could share bandwith and expenses with OTA viewers as the winners. They do that in
Mohave County, AZ and have for many, many years...... The Yuma market at #159 has
a whole lot more potential English speaking viewers than say Dickenson, ND at #241.
Dickenson, ND has two stations plus PBS
Binghamtion, NY at #160 has 5 stations plus OTA viewers can also receive stations from
Syracuse, NY and Scranton, PA.

The problem with El Centro is that it is a very low income area, being abandoned by most of the working and middle class non-Hispanics. And due to the high cost of conducting business in CA, any local companies that could have moved out. The English dominant seniors who would watch the diginets can't afford to live there.
 
It is unfortunate that either KSWT or KYMA didn't relinquish their major network affiliation
before they got into serious financial trouble. One of the stations could have carried the
two major networks with the expensive to run news departments expenses spread out over
the two networks.

Once Blackhawk signed the shared services agreement in 2014 with NPG, the market has only had one English language TV news operation...

And that's after KSWT & KYMA became commonly owned under the failing station waiver.

The stations have their own sales departments, but that's about it.
 
I've noticed that the website's news clips of KYMA news identify the NBC subchannel using channel 11 branding still, but below the branding, reads "KYMA 13.2 Yuma - El Centro". I wonder if they have changed their PSIP in the transport stream?
 
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