Hawaii TV Stations Merge

[Stitch]

Be it off the topic of radio, but local for Hawaii nonetheless...

Raycom, owner of KHNL-13 (NBC) and KFVE-5 (My Network TV) is entering into a 'shared services agreement' with HITV owned KGMB-9 (CBS). Reports are that all but a few of KHNL's staff have been retained, and there have been layoffs at KGMB as well.

There is also a virtual channel swap, though it only involves programming and call letters. The KGMB calls and CBS affiliation will be under control of Raycom, while My Network TV programming and the KFVE call signs will go to HITV. In other words, KGMB 'moves' to channel 5, while KFVE 'moves' to channel 9.

That is, if an opposition group sucessfully petitions the FCC to hault the agreement, which looks highly unlikely to happen.

http://honoluluweekly.com/feature/2009/10/television-troubles/

http://www.starbulletin.com/business/20091015_thebuzz.html

http://www.starbulletin.com/business/20091017_station_owner_fights_opposition_to_merger.html

http://www.honoluluadvertiser.com/a...091020/BUSINESS/910200313&source=rss_business

http://www.televisionbroadcast.com/article/89248

 

[e-dawg]

The problem is if Raycom owns both KHNL NBC 8 and KGMB CBS 5. Then it will post a violation of ownership cap. Even if KFVE was to be sold to HITV or shared service agreement. KGMB is #2 in the market and KHNL is #4 in the market. FCC rules outlaws top 4 stations in the market to be owned by the same company. Look what happened with KGMB and KHon when Emmis owns both stations.

 

[Stitch]

Raycom will only have the licenses of channel 13 and channel 5, which they've had for years. HITV will retain the license of channel 9. The kicker is that Raycom and HITV are swapping programming and call letters for channels 5 and 9. Thus, the higher-rated CBS affiliation and historic call signs move to Raycom's channel 5, while HITV 'gains' the lower-rated My Network TV programming and younger KFVE calls.

The FCC would indeed frown upon Raycom buying out channel 9 directly from HITV (and say, selling channel 5 to HITV). By swapping programming, but not the license, Raycom is getting around this.

 

[SML]

This is all interesting enough, without considering that KFVE (Analog 5) is now digital 22. And the analog is listed as Ch 9. Which is no longer operational.

Or at least I think so. Thinking in terms of the old channel allocations is confusing.

 

[w9wi]

This is all interesting enough, without considering that KFVE (Analog 5) is now digital 22. And the analog is listed as Ch 9. Which is no longer operational.

Or at least I think so. Thinking in terms of the old channel allocations is confusing.

Not to the average viewer...

Pre-digital, if you wanted to watch My on a TV with an antenna* you punched in "05". To watch CBS, you punched in "09". To watch NBC you punched in "13".

*from my understanding there were very few viewers in Hawaii watching with antennas. It was far more likely you were using Oceanic Cable in which case you still punched in "05" to watch My, but "07" to watch CBS, and "08" to watch NBC.

Today, if you want to watch My on a TV with an antenna you punch in "05". To watch CBS, you punch in "09". To watch NBC you punch in "13".
(and these numbers haven't changed on cable either)

What would have been confusing is if there was no remapping and OTA viewers had to punch in 22, 23, and 35 to watch these stations.

 

[tvhawaii]

This is all interesting enough, without considering that KFVE (Analog 5) is now digital 22. And the analog is listed as Ch 9. Which is no longer operational.

Or at least I think so. Thinking in terms of the old channel allocations is confusing.

Things are a little different on Maui, of course.
9-1 (RF Ch.24) is MyN and analog 27 is CBS. Big problem is that 27 is low power and doesn't reach Moloka'i (and a lot of Maui), so those folks have lost CBS and are mad.
Does anyone know where 27's antenna is? The Lat/Long given at the FCCs site for K27DW still shows it on the (almost) top of Haleakala.
Thanks,

--Michael