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Fairbanks Low Power TV Channel 13

Markxxx

Markxxx

Was wondering why K13XD is low power. The city needed a CBS and I can't see another Channel 13 that would interfere with it. Anyone know why it is low power?

Seems like the FCC coud allocated Channel 13 as a regular channel in Fairbanks without too much issue.

Or did I miss something?<P ID="signature">______________
Once I figured out the meaning of life....Then I forgot to write it down.</P>
 
> Was wondering why K13XD is low power. The city needed a CBS
> and I can't see another Channel 13 that would interfere with
> it. Anyone know why it is low power?
>
> Seems like the FCC coud allocated Channel 13 as a regular
> channel in Fairbanks without too much issue.
>
> Or did I miss something?
>

Allocating a full power television station takes a lot of work and a lot more time.<P ID="signature">______________
<a target="_blank" href=http://www.stationindex.com/>TV Station List</a></P>
 
> > Was wondering why K13XD is low power. The city needed a
> CBS
> > and I can't see another Channel 13 that would interfere
> with
> > it. Anyone know why it is low power?
> >
> > Seems like the FCC coud allocated Channel 13 as a regular
> > channel in Fairbanks without too much issue.
> >
> > Or did I miss something?
> >
>
> Allocating a full power television station takes a lot of
> work and a lot more time.
>
I agree with markxxx. Anchorage has full-power 2, 11, and
13; Fairbanks has full-power 2 and 11. So where would a
signal problem exist on 13 between Anchorage and Fairbanks?
 
> Was wondering why K13XD is low power. The city needed a CBS
> and I can't see another Channel 13 that would interfere with
> it. Anyone know why it is low power?
>
> Seems like the FCC coud allocated Channel 13 as a regular
> channel in Fairbanks without too much issue.
>
> Or did I miss something?

Both channels 7 and 13 are owned by Tanana Valley Television, and both were LPTV licenses when they were granted back around 1991. A few years later, they upgraded K07UU to full power as KFXF. Full-power duopolies were not permitted then, I believe.

Now, however, I believe the allocation process for a full-power station on 13 has been held up by several mutually exclusive applications from 1996. I presume TVTV was not given the right to upgrade from LPTV to full-power automatically, and that's why all these apps are still out there.

I was dumbfounded to hear that CBS had jumped from KTVF -- since channel 11 was the dominant station, the CBS programming had always had a huge lead over anything on channel 2 -- but I presume the switch was made because NBC programming was more popular circa 1995. I visited the channel 7 facility back when it was doing signal tests, and the owner was unsure whether he would be able to gain either NBC or FOX affiliation, due to the then low-power status. Fairbanks is a unique market though. Look at all the low-power UHF stations used as "wireless cable" for example.
 
> Now, however, I believe the allocation process for a
> full-power station on 13 has been held up by several
> mutually exclusive applications from 1996. I presume TVTV
> was not given the right to upgrade from LPTV to full-power
> automatically, and that's why all these apps are still out
> there.

You are correct.

LPTV and full-power television are considered separate services, with different licensing requirements and rules. There is no "upgrade path" for an LPTV to convert its license to full-power status, since allowing this would basically just create a back door path to circumvent the FCC's licensing procedures for obtaining a full-power license.
 
> I agree with markxxx. Anchorage has full-power 2, 11, and
> 13; Fairbanks has full-power 2 and 11. So where would a
> signal problem exist on 13 between Anchorage and Fairbanks?

Indeed, channel 13 was allotted to Fairbanks so the FCC certainly considered it possible to have a full-power channel 13 there without interference.

According to this site before June 2003 a full-power TV duopoly was only permitted if there were at least nine full-power TV stations in the market. Of course, that condition isn't met in Fairbanks! Even under the new 2003 rules, a duopoly cannot include two of the four highest-rated stations. Fairbanks has only five full-power stations, and I think one can probably reasonably assume K13XD (or whatever their calls would have been as a full-power station) gets better ratings than KUAC and KJNP...

In any case, by the time the new 2003 rules were adopted, the FCC had frozen applications for new full-power stations, in anticipation of the DTV conversion.

It is an interesting & valid question as to why no other company applied for a full-power station on channel 13. Another full-power applicant could have bumped K13XD from the channel. I suppose nobody felt the market was big enough.

Today, it's too late. The freeze on new-station applications will probably continue for at least five more years until the DTV situation gets straightened out.

K13XD isn't at as much of a disadvantage as they'd be in a Lower 48 market. There's plenty of space, so they're not going to lose their channel to someone's DTV; and their "full-power" competition isn't running anywhere near the maximum permissible power. (their 3kw is only about 10dB below co-owned & sited KFXF-7. I'd bet their coverage radius is actually *better* than that of full-power KTVF and KATN, whose antennas are *really* low. Though I do get the impression Fairbanks is a market where terrain does weird things to signals...)
 
Re: Fairbanks TV

I can remember being stationed at Eielson AFB, near Fairbanks in 1972. There weren't any satellite broadcasts then. The network news shows and major sporting events like Super Bowl, World Series were flown up from the lower 48 and were aired the next day. The regular network shows were about month late as those shows were apparently mailed to the stations.

Interestingly, radio network feeds came in on a phone line and were live. So you could hear the network newscasts, the SuperBowl, etc live on radio.

I realize this is off topic about the lowpower station in Fairbanks, but thought those of you interested in Fairbanks TV would find this anadote of interest.
 
> Indeed, channel 13 was allotted to Fairbanks so the FCC
> certainly considered it possible to have a full-power
> channel 13 there without interference.

Likewise with channel 5, right? There are only TX applications for channel 5, but assuming Fairbanks could copy the Anchorage VHF plan, it would be possible. After all, the only signals surrounding Fairbanks are translators.

> According to this site before June 2003 a full-power TV
> duopoly was only permitted if there were at least nine
> full-power TV stations in the market. Of course, that
> condition isn't met in Fairbanks! Even under the new 2003
> rules, a duopoly cannot include two of the four
> highest-rated stations. Fairbanks has only five full-power
> stations, and I think one can probably reasonably assume
> K13XD (or whatever their calls would have been as a
> full-power station) gets better ratings than KUAC and
> KJNP...

If any market deserves an exception, this would be it, I think. Though the owner of KYES (very innovative guy) also applied for channel 13.

The owner of the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner paper is looking to buy KTVF, but that is still being blocked by the FCC under cross-ownership rules. The News-Miner's owner already owns KTVA in Anchorage, which was the longtime sister station of KTVF under local Alaskan ownership. The News-Miner had/has an option on KTVF, which carried over when the station was transferred from Ackerley to Clear Channel.

> It is an interesting & valid question as to why no other
> company applied for a full-power station on channel 13.
> Another full-power applicant could have bumped K13XD from
> the channel. I suppose nobody felt the market was big
> enough.

TVTV and four other companies applied, so it looks like it's tied up with the mutually exclusive applications.

> K13XD isn't at as much of a disadvantage as they'd be in a
> Lower 48 market. There's plenty of space, so they're not
> going to lose their channel to someone's DTV; and their
> "full-power" competition isn't running anywhere near the
> maximum permissible power. (their 3kw is only about 10dB
> below co-owned & sited KFXF-7. I'd bet their coverage
> radius is actually *better* than that of full-power KTVF and
> KATN, whose antennas are *really* low. Though I do get the
> impression Fairbanks is a market where terrain does weird
> things to signals...)

One big issue is that Fairbanks is also a large geographic market, and outside of the incorporated areas, cable availability is very low. But most of the inhabited areas are in the valley, so KTVF's signal goes a long way.

My earliest memories of TV in the early 80s were without cable getting these stations on lousy rabbit ears. KUAC and KTVF have far better signals in North Pole (about 15 miles away) than either KATN or KJNP (on a far-away mountain). When channel 7 was low power, it wasn't really watchable in North Pole, and even the CATV feed had snow in it. I moved away shortly before the power increase, so I can't comment on the current situation.
 
Re: Fairbanks TV

> I can remember being stationed at Eielson AFB, near
> Fairbanks in 1972. There weren't any satellite broadcasts
> then. The network news shows and major sporting events like
> Super Bowl, World Series were flown up from the lower 48 and
> were aired the next day. The regular network shows were
> about month late as those shows were apparently mailed to
> the stations.
>
> Interestingly, radio network feeds came in on a phone line
> and were live. So you could hear the network newscasts, the
> SuperBowl, etc live on radio.
>
> I realize this is off topic about the lowpower station in
> Fairbanks, but thought those of you interested in Fairbanks
> TV would find this anadote of interest.
>
Kind of off topic too, but does Alaska get satellite TV. I imagine the dishes would have to point like to the ground to get the right angle?

<P ID="signature">______________
Once I figured out the meaning of life....Then I forgot to write it down.</P>
 
Re: Fairbanks TV

> Kind of off topic too, but does Alaska get satellite TV. I
> imagine the dishes would have to point like to the ground to
> get the right angle?
>

Yes, sort of. the western satellites provide network programming to Alaska and Hawaii, and DirecTV and Dish Network both have coverage in, at least, southern and central Alaska (though a bigger dish is required).

The look angles are probably not too bad (again, in the south and central parts, at least), if the western satellites are viewed.
 
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