(Posted here because there's no Colorado TV board or other appropriate place)
Western Colorado is without its CBS, My TV and Fox over the air signals.
53-year old KREX-TV, 5, KGJT-LP, 27, and LMA'd KFQX, 4, Grand Junction were knocked off the air by a major blaze Sunday morning, a fire that was still smoldering at 5:30p.m and had reignited late in the day, according to another television station's website.
Four of the five Grand Junction fire trucks were still on the scene then.
At 9 p.m. Mountain time, the fire was still smoldering, according to the Grand Junction Sentinel website. Firefighters said the basement and concealed spaces made extinguishing the blaze difficult.
The blaze began in an upper level of the building, a fire department spokesman said.
All five people in the building were in a lower level and got out safely. Some lost whatever they'd left behind.
The fire was first seen by neighbors about 8:45, Sunday morning. They banged on doors to alert employees, who fled as firetrucks arrived.
The fire's intensity and building's age forced firefighters to abandon operations inside the building, and attack from outside, limiting their ability to control the fire and damage.
Despite the blaze, the stations' signals remained on-air until about 10:30 a.m, KREX-TV general manager Ron Tillery told reporters.
The disaster happened just as the AFC and NFC championships were to air this afternoon on CBS and Fox.
Over the air broadcasts were not possible according to the local newspaper's blog http://www.gjsentinel.com/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/communities/breaking/index.html and the KREX website (http://www.krextv.com).
Alternative methods of downlinking the CBS network national feed were arranged in time for the local cable system to put them up before the end of the pregame show.
The Fox national feed was expected to be put up on a different cable channel in time for the NFC championship.
DISH network subscribers reportedly got the same feeds in place of the stations' normal signals.
No word on whether the My Network programming carried by KGJT-LP's analog and KREX-DT's .2 channel was to be similarly established.
KREX-TV was four months and two days shy of its 54th sign-on birthday. Any film and videotape archives spanning that period may have been destroyed.
Damage was estimated at $6 million by fire officials: More than $5 million for the contents of the building and $750,000 for the building itself.
The 1931 Art Deco style building is a total loss, according to GM Tillery, and demolition is likely.
It was built to house Rex Howell's KFXJ radio station (later called KREX) and had been extensively remodeled over the years to include the television and an FM station. The radio stations are under other ownership and do not have facilities there.
The 800 watt KREX-DT transmitter was believed lost in the fire. It fed an antenna on the station's tower at the studio. The tower was used by the KREX-TV analog transmitter until 2002.
KREX-TV analog transmissions moved to the Black Ridge site in the Colorado National Monument just west of town. That's also where KFQX has its analog and digital transmitters.
Believed to be affected are KREX-TV's satellite stations KREG, Glenwood Springs and KREY, Montrose, 60 translators that carry the KREX-TV signal, and the KFQX translator and LPTV system.
KGJT-LP transmits a 720 watt signal from a site east of Grand Junction.
Satellite dishes outside the studio appeared to be undamaged in video viewed on news websites. The condition of the tower at the studio site was not known.
If microwave antennas and feedlines were undamaged, it might be possible to restore the path to the Black Ridge transmitters fairly fast.
Additional transmitter control, switching, record/playback and production equipment could allow the three stations to resume over-the-air transmission from temporary facilities at the studio.
At least one Grand Junction competitor has offered any help it can provide. The fire was cause for NBC affiliate KKCO, 11 general manager to extend the help. KKCO broke into afternoon programming several times with updates about the blaze. ABC affiliate KJCT, 8, also extended condolences to KREX-TV and its employees.
Compiled by TedL from these and other related sources:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_television_stations_in_Colorado_(by_channel_number)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/KREX-TV
http://www.gjsentinel.com/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/communities/breaking/index.html
http://www.gjsentinel.com/ap/mediahub/media/slideshow/index.jsp?tId=71746
http://www.kjct8.com/Global/story.asp?S=7747852
http://www.nbc11news.com/
http://www.nbc11news.com/11today/headlines/13933592.html
Western Colorado is without its CBS, My TV and Fox over the air signals.
53-year old KREX-TV, 5, KGJT-LP, 27, and LMA'd KFQX, 4, Grand Junction were knocked off the air by a major blaze Sunday morning, a fire that was still smoldering at 5:30p.m and had reignited late in the day, according to another television station's website.
Four of the five Grand Junction fire trucks were still on the scene then.
At 9 p.m. Mountain time, the fire was still smoldering, according to the Grand Junction Sentinel website. Firefighters said the basement and concealed spaces made extinguishing the blaze difficult.
The blaze began in an upper level of the building, a fire department spokesman said.
All five people in the building were in a lower level and got out safely. Some lost whatever they'd left behind.
The fire was first seen by neighbors about 8:45, Sunday morning. They banged on doors to alert employees, who fled as firetrucks arrived.
The fire's intensity and building's age forced firefighters to abandon operations inside the building, and attack from outside, limiting their ability to control the fire and damage.
Despite the blaze, the stations' signals remained on-air until about 10:30 a.m, KREX-TV general manager Ron Tillery told reporters.
The disaster happened just as the AFC and NFC championships were to air this afternoon on CBS and Fox.
Over the air broadcasts were not possible according to the local newspaper's blog http://www.gjsentinel.com/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/communities/breaking/index.html and the KREX website (http://www.krextv.com).
Alternative methods of downlinking the CBS network national feed were arranged in time for the local cable system to put them up before the end of the pregame show.
The Fox national feed was expected to be put up on a different cable channel in time for the NFC championship.
DISH network subscribers reportedly got the same feeds in place of the stations' normal signals.
No word on whether the My Network programming carried by KGJT-LP's analog and KREX-DT's .2 channel was to be similarly established.
KREX-TV was four months and two days shy of its 54th sign-on birthday. Any film and videotape archives spanning that period may have been destroyed.
Damage was estimated at $6 million by fire officials: More than $5 million for the contents of the building and $750,000 for the building itself.
The 1931 Art Deco style building is a total loss, according to GM Tillery, and demolition is likely.
It was built to house Rex Howell's KFXJ radio station (later called KREX) and had been extensively remodeled over the years to include the television and an FM station. The radio stations are under other ownership and do not have facilities there.
The 800 watt KREX-DT transmitter was believed lost in the fire. It fed an antenna on the station's tower at the studio. The tower was used by the KREX-TV analog transmitter until 2002.
KREX-TV analog transmissions moved to the Black Ridge site in the Colorado National Monument just west of town. That's also where KFQX has its analog and digital transmitters.
Believed to be affected are KREX-TV's satellite stations KREG, Glenwood Springs and KREY, Montrose, 60 translators that carry the KREX-TV signal, and the KFQX translator and LPTV system.
KGJT-LP transmits a 720 watt signal from a site east of Grand Junction.
Satellite dishes outside the studio appeared to be undamaged in video viewed on news websites. The condition of the tower at the studio site was not known.
If microwave antennas and feedlines were undamaged, it might be possible to restore the path to the Black Ridge transmitters fairly fast.
Additional transmitter control, switching, record/playback and production equipment could allow the three stations to resume over-the-air transmission from temporary facilities at the studio.
At least one Grand Junction competitor has offered any help it can provide. The fire was cause for NBC affiliate KKCO, 11 general manager to extend the help. KKCO broke into afternoon programming several times with updates about the blaze. ABC affiliate KJCT, 8, also extended condolences to KREX-TV and its employees.
Compiled by TedL from these and other related sources:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_television_stations_in_Colorado_(by_channel_number)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/KREX-TV
http://www.gjsentinel.com/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/communities/breaking/index.html
http://www.gjsentinel.com/ap/mediahub/media/slideshow/index.jsp?tId=71746
http://www.kjct8.com/Global/story.asp?S=7747852
http://www.nbc11news.com/
http://www.nbc11news.com/11today/headlines/13933592.html