Changes in DFW's LPTV market

[fredcantu]

"Classic Arts Showcase" is a non-comm arts channel that makes its programming available for free to whomever will air it. Some local school or government cable channels use it as filler. It's also widely seem in Mexico.

 

[arnoldevns]

Yes. And it all appears to be short-form programming.

 

[JHBrandt]

Re: KXDA continues the trend

The K*FW family of religious broadcasters have spent the last few years migrating into the D/FW area (KVFW is apparently long gone, but KPFW has moved here, with KQFW and KSFW supposedly on the way). But apparently there's also a K*DA family. KWDA already broadcasts from downtown Dallas; but there's a KXDA as well.

KXDA (which is owned by the same Hispanic church as our KPFW/18) started as LP analog 64 south of Durant, OK; but recently (last October) got a CP to move to Howe, TX on RF 5, so it looks like they're following the same trend.

Many of these stations never light up, but it's worth checking: Does anyone with a VHF-Lo antenna pointing toward Howe see a digital signal on RF 5?

All these stations are owned by what I suspect are shell companies of Hispanic Christian Community Network. They have a family of K*HO stations moving into Houston, two from Beaumont, one from Victoria and one from Woodville.

The church that owns KPFW recently sold KXDA to something called the Hispanic Family Christian Network, which does sound suspiciously similar to the Hispanic Christian Community Network that owns KHFW and KSFW.

 

[dhett]

Re: KXDA continues the trend

The church that owns KPFW recently sold KXDA to something called the Hispanic Family Christian Network, which does sound suspiciously similar to the Hispanic Christian Community Network that owns KHFW and KSFW.

Yup - same people. Cesar & Maria Guel own Hispanic Community Christian Network, Hispanic Family Christian Network, and Iglesia Jesucristo Es Mi Refugio, Inc.

The latter entity gave KXDA to HFCN - it was an internal transaction.

 

[JHBrandt]

Re: KXDA continues the trend

The church that owns KPFW recently sold KXDA to something called the Hispanic Family Christian Network, which does sound suspiciously similar to the Hispanic Christian Community Network that owns KHFW and KSFW.

Yup - same people. Cesar & Maria Guel own Hispanic Community Christian Network, Hispanic Family Christian Network, and Iglesia Jesucristo Es Mi Refugio, Inc.

The latter entity gave KXDA to HFCN - it was an internal transaction.

Interesting - do you know if LMO Christian Media (KWDA/KQFW) is also owned by them? Reason I'm suspicious is that JEMIR's KPFW programming is simulcast on KWDA, so they appear to be working together.

 

[dhett]

Re: KXDA continues the trend

The church that owns KPFW recently sold KXDA to something called the Hispanic Family Christian Network, which does sound suspiciously similar to the Hispanic Christian Community Network that owns KHFW and KSFW.

Yup - same people. Cesar & Maria Guel own Hispanic Community Christian Network, Hispanic Family Christian Network, and Iglesia Jesucristo Es Mi Refugio, Inc.

The latter entity gave KXDA to HFCN - it was an internal transaction.

Interesting - do you know if LMO Christian Media (KWDA/KQFW) is also owned by them? Reason I'm suspicious is that JEMIR's KPFW programming is simulcast on KWDA, so they appear to be working together.

That appears to be the case. HCCN is located at 8500 N. Stemmons Fwy., Ste. 5050. LMO Christian Media and Hispanic Family Christian Network are both listed at the same address as well. I misspoke earlier - Iglesia Jesucristo Es Mi Regugio is a separate company, but Antonio Cesar Guel, owner of HCCN, has been the consulting engineer for all of Iglesia's activities, so there is still a close relationship between the companies.

 

[JHBrandt]

Got it. HFCN & LMO appear to be shell companies of HCCN (same address & owner). JEMIR is a church that uses HCCN, etc. as TV broadcasting consultants and occasionally swaps LPTV licenses with them.

What about DFW Broadcasting (current owners of KZFW, formerly owned by JEMIR)? Another HCCN shell or a different outfit?

 

[ropertex]

Surely someone will be carrying the Free-to-air Nashville Network relaunch in Dallas on November 1? Full page ads in the country Weekly magazines "available in most markets" The website watchtnn.com has a signup "Want to become an affiliate" but no LIST of affiliates. The affiliate relations phone number goes to a a mailbox that's full, my local paper's TV news editor tried to contact them - no response. Is this any way to relaunch a major branded network?

 

[dhett]

What about DFW Broadcasting (current owners of KZFW, formerly owned by JEMIR)? Another HCCN shell or a different outfit?

Looks like a different outfit. John Hamid - head of DFW Broadcasting in Plano - is involved in more than 20 other companies, none of which are common with HCCN or related companies.

 

[JHBrandt]

Surely someone will be carrying the Free-to-air Nashville Network relaunch in Dallas on November 1? Full page ads in the country Weekly magazines "available in most markets" The website watchtnn.com has a signup "Want to become an affiliate" but no LIST of affiliates. The affiliate relations phone number goes to a a mailbox that's full, my local paper's TV news editor tried to contact them - no response. Is this any way to relaunch a major branded network?

According to Wikipedia, Luken Communications, which airs RTV, and Jim Owens Entertainment are behind the relaunch of TNN.

Wikipedia doesn't list any proposed affiliates in Texas, but sounds like it'd be a good companion to 31.4. Perhaps they could lease 31.2 (or 31.1, since Sonlife is also shown on 28.1).

BTW, if TNN launches in D/FW we may have a third channel airing Crook & Chase :

 

[dhett]

Wikipedia doesn't list any proposed affiliates in Texas, but sounds like it'd be a good companion to 31.4. Perhaps they could lease 31.2 (or 31.1, since Sonlife is also shown on 28.1).

Don't look for TNN on any of the "dollar a holler" stations - I don't believe Luken is pursuing affiliations with any of them.

 

[JHBrandt]

There's an official list of affiliates up at watchtnn.com now. Nine affiliates are listed, including 4 LP and 2 class A stations. None in Texas yet, though.

 

[JHBrandt]

Supposedly, KJJM's CP to displace to RF 49 expired as of Monday, 10/29. Ultimately sanity prevailed and KJJM chose to remain on RF 34. The FCC's TV query hasn't removed it just yet, but that should happen soon.

That'll make RF 49 available for other LPs seeking a displacement, although there appears to be no need at present: everyone's already found a slot they seem happy with.

Except maybe our HCCN buddies, KHFW & KXDA, both of which are off the air and have CPs to displace to the undesirable VHF-Lo band. Perhaps we should start a pool: who'll be the first to apply for RF 49?

 

[arnoldevns]

I'd love for someone to come along and give the DFW market all the networks we seem to be missing.
The networks I'm thinking of:
The Cool TV
The Country Network
TNN
America One (which is based in Dallas!)
AMG (which recently disappeared from KATA)
My Family TV (but I'm not quite sure what's going on with this network since it was recently bought)
Tuff TV (it's a sports channel of some kind)
PBJ (a kids network)

That's 8 networks. If I had KVFW's dormant station, I'd light it up with 5 of these. Maybe KHPK could take another 3 or so. (I do like Classic Arts Showcase on 28.3 though)
Then I'd find a way to promote the networks and promote "cutting the cord"

 

[fredcantu]

Your LPTV plan reminds of a joke Jim Hightower used to say when he was Ag Commissioner: "It's easy to make a small fortune in farming. First, start with a large fortune." I think the same goes for LPTV. Is anyone really getting rich with it?

 

[TexasTom]

Your LPTV plan reminds of a joke Jim Hightower used to say when he was Ag Commissioner: "It's easy to make a small fortune in farming. First, start with a large fortune." I think the same goes for LPTV. Is anyone really getting rich with it?

Probably not in DFW or other large markets that have ample full power stations to cover all the major networks. In some smaller markets where LPTV stations are affiliated with one of the big four networks, they can do quite well.

 

[arnoldevns]

Never said it was a plan to make a fortune.

Let me try to explain it this way.. I get about 87 subchannels at my home. By my count, 24 of those are channels I might have some use for. There are a tremendous number of duplicate channels or simple color bars displayed on some. Some have niche programming that I'm sure appeals to specific audiences (spanish religious, Vietnamese, etc) and they may very well make money on those.
But aside from that, there's a lot of wasted bandwidth out there. Why not put some of these other networks on there? It's a better plan than color bars or duplicate channels. I know they would serve the viewers better than color bars.

 

[JHBrandt]

This sort of thing has happened before, so it may be merely a technical glitch, but KODF/26 has been off the air since Friday evening.

The only thing they've run for the last several months is a simulcast of Hot TV, so we're not missing anything.

 

[JHBrandt]

This sort of thing has happened before, so it may be merely a technical glitch, but KODF/26 has been off the air since Friday evening.

The only thing they've run for the last several months is a simulcast of Hot TV, so we're not missing anything.

Must've been a technical problem, as expected. KODF was back on the air last night with Hot TV.

 

[dhett]

This sort of thing has happened before, so it may be merely a technical glitch, but KODF/26 has been off the air since Friday evening.

The only thing they've run for the last several months is a simulcast of Hot TV, so we're not missing anything.

Must've been a technical problem, as expected. KODF was back on the air last night with Hot TV.

The problem may have been with the network, and not the station. Vegas just got HOT back today after a long absence on KNBX. I had understood that the network was the issue.