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Changes in DFW's LPTV market

Re: Movies! TV Network Channel debuting May 27th, 2013

Here's the first day's schedule from the Movies! Website:

http://www.moviestvnetwork.com/schedule.php?date=05/27/2013

All Times Eastern / Pacific
8:00AM / Take a Hard Ride
10:10AM / House of Bamboo
12:20PM / Backlash
2:25PM / Michael Shayne: Private Detective
4:10PM / The Man Who Wouldn't Die
5:45PM / Jumpin' Jack Flash
8:00PM / High Anxiety
10:05PM / Silent Movie
12:00AM / High Anxiety
2:05AM / Silent Movie
 
Good article on the impact of the Spectrum Act (passed last year) on low-power TV stations:
http://broadcastengineering.com/towersantenna/spectrum-repack-may-leave-rural-tv-viewers-dark

The article concentrates on the impact the Spectrum Act will have on rural areas, but it'll likely hit any area with a lot of LPTVs pretty hard as well. I believe DFW has 18 full-power stations and two class A stations (KLEG and KATA) which will be protected, not to mention that 3-channel "hole" in the UHF spectrum for police car radios. That's 23 channels, of which only 2 are currently on VHF. Unless some of the other 21 auction off their UHF slots and move back to VHF, we'll need every UHF channel from 14-34 just for our full-power and class A stations. I doubt any UHF will be left for LPTV.

So it looks like LP stations will be forced en masse down into the VHF spectrum if they want to stay on the air. That's probably why HCCN has three "zombies" in the VHF-Lo band already - they're staking their claim for when channels 18, 24, and 30 inevitably lose their licenses.

To be fair, we could stand to lose a few. There's not much on channels 22, 25, 26, 28, or 34, unless you count Almavision, and I'm sure they could find a slot on one of the HCCN zombies. As for channel 31, my guess is that Mako will try to arrange things with the FCC so KATA (currently channel 50) winds up on channel 31, so they can just use channel 31's existing facilities.
 
I'm sure we'll learn more about how spectrum repacking will affect OTA TV once next year's incentive auctions are done, and we have a better idea how much spectrum the FCC can grab. Right now we don't even know how much we'll lose. (I'm guessing it'll be a bit less than the 20 channels called for by the old NBP, but not much less. Maybe 16-18 channels.) I don't expect many UHF stations will be willing to auction off their slots, but of course I haven't heard a thing.

Last I heard, the plan was to divide the reclaimed spectrum into download and upload bands, with vacant guard bands between the TV band, download band, and upload band (avoiding the mistake they made last time with RF channel 51). The frequency reserved for radio astronomy (currently RF channel 37) may be moved as well.
 
Problems continue at KODF/26, KHPK/28, and KJJM/34: Almavision and QVC have both been off the air for at least a week. 34.3, which was showing QVC, isn't even airing color bars now. (It's still in the PSIP but there's no audio or video.)
 
But "Retro" is back on 31.4! Was off with black video and a low level AC hum for a while, then was their alternate programming, now "Retro" is back. I would think it would be hard to gain a following of repeat viewers with such inconsistency.

A bit OT, but I noticed the Beverly Hillbillies episodes shown on Retro have different instrumental music dubbed in at the intro and end, no Flat and Scruggs with the usual theme. Maybe royalties on the music they didn't want to pay?
 
Yes; my PC recorded 36 minutes of a black screen and AC hum last Saturday when the cartoon He-Man was supposed to be on. A few weeks before, it recorded 31.4's alternate programming at that time. As Forrest Gump might say, channel 31.4 is like a box of chocolates: you never know what you'll get ::) But at least Retro has stayed on 31.4 for a few years, and not just popped up briefly then disappeared after a month or two, like The Cool TV, Punch TV, QVC, etc.

Your theory on the Beverly Hillbillies theme sounds reasonable. I'm guessing TBH's owners have the "themeless" version available for a lower price, and Retro needs to save every penny.

BTW, Almavision was back on KODF/26 and KHPK/28 last night. But QVC was still gone.

No matter how long I wait before posting, as soon as I do post, it comes back on. Maybe if I don't like the channel I should just stay mum.
 
On 6/11, KXDA filed for a license to start broadcasting on RF 5. They got the license on 6/17, then on 6/24 filed for a silent STA due to "transmitter difficulties." You'd think they would've had those ironed out before applying for the license, but this is HCCN we're talking about.

Even if they were on the air, their puny signal only reaches from Weston, McKinney, and Allen down to Plano, Murphy, and Wylie. Maybe Bob Nelson could also get them in Frisco. Maybe ::)
 
Megapsycle said:
A bit OT, but I noticed the Beverly Hillbillies episodes shown on Retro have different instrumental music dubbed in at the intro and end, no Flat and Scruggs with the usual theme. Maybe royalties on the music they didn't want to pay?
Click to expand...

Some early episodes of the "Beverly Hillbillies" were not copyrighted and have fallen into the public domain. Those episodes can be aired without paying any licensing fees. The opening and closing themes, however, are still under copyright and can't be aired without paying for the programs. Consequently, stations airing these public domain episodes have to replace the music.
 
How can KXDA get away with being licensed to Durant, Oklahoma and their coverage area OKed by the FCC as nowhere near Durant?

Plotting their licensed tower location, it's about 500 feet northwest of the intersection of 75 and Stacy Road.
 
TXDXer said:
How can KXDA get away with being licensed to Durant, Oklahoma and their coverage area OKed by the FCC as nowhere near Durant?

Plotting their licensed tower location, it's about 500 feet northwest of the intersection of 75 and Stacy Road.
Click to expand...

There is, strangely enough, no principal community coverage requirement for LPTV stations.
 
TXDXer said:
How can KXDA get away with being licensed to Durant, Oklahoma and their coverage area OKed by the FCC as nowhere near Durant?

Plotting their licensed tower location, it's about 500 feet northwest of the intersection of 75 and Stacy Road.
Click to expand...

More to the point, it is supposedly on top of a shop at Allen Premium Outlets.
Fake and silly. There is no tower there.
 
tested said:
More to the point, it is supposedly on top of a shop at Allen Premium Outlets.
Fake and silly. There is no tower there.
Click to expand...

They did say they were having "transmitter difficulties." I suppose not having a tower would make things pretty difficult for a transmitter :D
 
JHBrandt said:
Problems continue at KODF/26, KHPK/28, and KJJM/34: Almavision and QVC have both been off the air for at least a week. 34.3, which was showing QVC, isn't even airing color bars now. (It's still in the PSIP but there's no audio or video.)
Click to expand...

Looks like QVC has a new home: channel 68.5. There's no audio or video yet, but it's been added to KPXD's PSIP.

Ion generally airs identical programming on all their affiliates, so I expect QVC to pop up on Ion affiliates nationwide soon.

Oddly, KHPK/28.2 and KJJM/34.3 are still labeled QVC even though they haven't had programming for months. Wonder if this will spur them to at least remove the labels.
 
Oh, and there's a network named Soul of the South Television newly airing on KODF/26.2 and KHPK/28.4 tonight. We'll see how long this one lasts.
 
Religious LP station KHFD/51 has been showing a slide on subchannel 51.3 that they'll be making some changes on Sept. 1 and "you may need to rescan." I think they're going to make the move from RF 51 to RF 26, a move I had originally expected them to hold off from making for another year at least because their new signal will cover significantly less of the metroplex.

Not a huge deal for me because I only use them as a test signal, but many of their viewers will have to find another source of religious/inspirational programming. (Of course, in DFW there's plenty of that to choose from.)

OT: I think Ion's relationship with Airbox may be coming to an end. The last time I did a channel scan (with a box that incorrectly adds the encrypted Airbox channels, even though of course it can't play them), all that was left were NFL Network, Starz!, and the main Airbox channel. I suspect that's why their affiliates now have bandwidth to spare for the pay-to-play QVC network.
 
JHBrandt said:
OT: I think Ion's relationship with Airbox may be coming to an end. The last time I did a channel scan (with a box that incorrectly adds the encrypted Airbox channels, even though of course it can't play them), all that was left were NFL Network, Starz!, and the main Airbox channel. I suspect that's why their affiliates now have bandwidth to spare for the pay-to-play QVC network.
Click to expand...

Update: Trip reports that Ion went a different way in Houston, where they have a low-power signal: they still have the full Airbox suite, and put Shop TV & QVC on the LP. So Ion may have agreed to put Shop TV & QVC on the air, but only cut back on the Airbox offerings if that's the only bandwidth available to meet that obligation.
 
Airbox makes no sense to me. The website has said "coming soon!"for months, but with no hint of who to call to get the service. This could be more useful than the old USDTV system that had heavy promotion....but with no info on how to get it, Airbox is D.O.A. to me.
 
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