KCET to break from PBS

[ShawnHill1]

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/sho...et-exits-network-fold-to-go-independent-.html

According to the Los Angeles Times, KCET Channel 28 will disaffiliate from the Public Broadcasting Service, after more than 40 years. They intend to replace its PBS programming with foreign news and documentaries, as well as old feature films. The Times reported this in their Calendar section just a couple of weeks ago, and it'll be official in January.

 

[Carmine5]

If KCET goes, will KLCS and KOCE be far behind? Do these other stations pay the same 7 million to PBS that KCET did?

Of course, in the case of KLCS, L.A. USD owns it and as such they hold no pledge drives. But we all know the financial dire straits that the school districts are in and, if the new CA state budget is an indicator, more cuts to education are due. So will KLCS remain in the PBS fold, go independent--or get sold?

KOCE, as we know, was on the ropes several years ago. However, since leasing one of their channels to some religious group (the same people who wanted to buy the station originally) and picking up some new sponsors they seem to be doing OK.

Perhaps KCET can also lease their sub-channels to other groups and keep PBS. Hey, that means the PBS sub-channel programming goes away as well. Looks like KCET will a lot of time to fill. They still bill themselves as a public television station which may mean that they will stay a non-com. But they've played fast and loose with the FCC's standards for non-coms for so long, they might as well throw in the towel and go commercial. It could even be liberating for them.

 

[Joey1986]

KCSM in San Mateo went the same route.

 

[ercjncpr]

RIDICULOUS! This is NOT San Mateo. I have been a KCET viewer since their beginnings in 1964. Sadly, my prediction is that CH 28 will be changed by the FCC to a commercial allocation and be sold soon after the first of the year.

 

[ercjncpr]

If KCET goes, will KLCS and KOCE be far behind? Do these other stations pay the same 7 million to PBS that KCET did?

Of course, in the case of KLCS, L.A. USD owns it and as such they hold no pledge drives. But we all know the financial dire straits that the school districts are in and, if the new CA state budget is an indicator, more cuts to education are due. So will KLCS remain in the PBS fold, go independent--or get sold?

KOCE, as we know, was on the ropes several years ago. However, since leasing one of their channels to some religious group (the same people who wanted to buy the station originally) and picking up some new sponsors they seem to be doing OK.

Perhaps KCET can also lease their sub-channels to other groups and keep PBS. Hey, that means the PBS sub-channel programming goes away as well. Looks like KCET will a lot of time to fill. They still bill themselves as a public television station which may mean that they will stay a non-com. But they've played fast and loose with the FCC's standards for non-coms for so long, they might as well throw in the towel and go commercial. It could even be liberating for them.

They will probably drop the subchannels--too expensive. OR they could put on lots of stuff that would make the Classic TV section of this forum very happy!

 

[musicman3355]

Pretty sad indeed... what's even worse is that KCET will turn into another foreign station. For crying out loud, the whole KJLA/KVMD/KXLA fiasco has that covered, does anyone in LA even watch these annoying foreign channels (not talking about Spanish-language channels)?

 

[w9wi]

RIDICULOUS! This is NOT San Mateo. I have been a KCET viewer since their beginnings in 1964. Sadly, my prediction is that CH 28 will be changed by the FCC to a commercial allocation and be sold soon after the first of the year.

IMHO it is more likely that the chairman of the Republican National Committee will publicly announce "Obama was right" and tell the American people to vote Democratic.. than that the channel 28 allotment will be changed to commercial. Especially by the end of the year.

The FCC does not allow a net loss of non-commercial allotments in any given city. You can't delete a non-commercial reservation from one channel unless you can add it to some other (currently commercial) channel.

Now, there *is* a perplexing (to me) thing going on in Pittsburgh, where non-commercial channel 16 is being allowed to carry a home-shopping channel. I think there is a mitigating circumstance there: the station in question is co-owned with another PBS station at the same site, and from what I've read the two stations were in such dire financial straits that there was a significant threat of *both* stations having to shut down. But it's still unprecedented.

Allowing KCET to go commercial wouldn't do anything to save non-commercial TV in Los Angeles. I'll never say *never* with the current FCC, but I see nearly zero chance of it happening.

 

[Carmine5]

According to a L.A. Times update, KCET will stay non-com both to comply with its FCC license and to remain eligible for federal funding.

PBS has proposed that KCET, KOCE, KVCR and KLCS form a consortium and obtain PBS programming through collective buying. This makes total sense and I'm surprised it wasn't thought of years ago.

Los Angeles is still market #2 and I'm sure PBS desperately wants to keep a presence here.

 

[Sammi Brie]

The FCC does not allow a net loss of non-commercial allotments in any given city. You can't delete a non-commercial reservation from one channel unless you can add it to some other (currently commercial) channel.

More like in any given market. Back in 2006 KDTP-39 (Daystar, which runs many of its stations as noncoms) and KDRX-CA48 (Telemundo) wished to swap licenses to get KDRX on a full-market signal. Because the FCC is reluctant to remove noncoms (which would be the case with KDTP), KPHZ channel 11 (in Holbrook, a rural town way outside Phoenix but in the market) would be given to Daystar and be made a noncom (I think). The FCC actually ruled in favor of the swap occurring because the loss of a noncom reservation in Phoenix was far outweighed by having two full power Spanish stations in Phoenix (Univisión owns the other, KTVW-33). Today KTAZ-39, as it's now called, is much more competitive signal wise. KDPH-LP48 is still alive and kicking. A few days after the swap, a storm came through, and its satellite program feed displayed merely a DirecTV logo. KPHZ-11 is now operated by Daystar and is a noncom despite there having been a channel 18 allocated to Holbrook for noncom use that would probably NEVER be used.

 

[ercjncpr]

The comments on KCET's own website message board (as of when I post this) are overwhelmingly against the move

 

[K6JHU]

So is this KCET's version of stunting? Next a request for money from the viewers to "Bring Back Big Bird".

 

[chime]

Well, first of all, didn't WNYC-TV 31 switch from Non-Com to commercial Sports
many years ago?
Also, obviously 2 of KCET's sub-channels are PBS offerings,
so I suppose KOCE can add more.
I am actually infavor of this change, considering I am
a news-junky--and-Al says we will have more
news-and-documentaries.
Amonges KOCE-and-2 of KLCS channels, there's already
tons of access to children's programming.

 

[tripinva]

Well, first of all, didn't WNYC-TV 31 switch from Non-Com to commercial Sports
many years ago?

WNYC was on a commercial allotment. KCET is on a non-commercial allotment.

- Trip

 

[nick p]

PBS, seeking a "financially stable service" in the Los Angeles TV market, said it supports the idea of a Southern California consortium of stations and is talking to the other PBS stations — KOCE, KVCR and KLCS — in the area

 

[w9wi]

KOCE actually has better (theoretical) coverage than KCET, and KLCS has a permit to nearly match KOCE's coverage.

In theory, at 50km (30mi.) from Mt. Wilson, KOCE should be more than 8dB stronger. The stations all transmit from essentially the same site. (I believe KCET and KLCS are on the same tower)

This being mountainous Southern California, which station actually *is* stronger at any given site is hard to predict, as is the amount of multipath interference that may make a stronger signal harder to receive... But moving PBS programs to KOCE or KLCS may actually make it *easier* for viewers to see them...

 

[OCradiodude]

KOCE, as we know, was on the ropes several years ago. However, since leasing one of their channels to some religious group (the same people who wanted to buy the station originally) and picking up some new sponsors they seem to be doing OK.

Actually Daystar (the religious group you mentioned above) was awarded the sub-channel by the courts because of the KOCE sales debacle from a couple of years ago.

 

[Neel]

Maybe it's changed but years ago when I lived in the Inland Empire and Ventura County, the only station I couldn't pick up was KOCE. I would think KCET would have the better signal overall.

And now that I live in the San Gabriel Valley, it's the opposite...I can't pick up KVCR and Charter does not carry it.

KOCE actually has better (theoretical) coverage than KCET, and KLCS has a permit to nearly match KOCE's coverage.

In theory, at 50km (30mi.) from Mt. Wilson, KOCE should be more than 8dB stronger. The stations all transmit from essentially the same site. (I believe KCET and KLCS are on the same tower)

This being mountainous Southern California, which station actually *is* stronger at any given site is hard to predict, as is the amount of multipath interference that may make a stronger signal harder to receive... But moving PBS programs to KOCE or KLCS may actually make it *easier* for viewers to see them...

 

[fybush]

Maybe it's changed but years ago when I lived in the Inland Empire and Ventura County, the only station I couldn't pick up was KOCE. I would think KCET would have the better signal overall.

And now that I live in the San Gabriel Valley, it's the opposite...I can't pick up KVCR and Charter does not carry it.

KOCE has moved since you were watching it "years ago." Its analog signal moved up to Mount Wilson a few years back, and its digital signal has always come from Wilson, just like KCET and KLCS.

KVCR's digital signal comes from the old analog channel 24 site and suffers the same reception issues within LA County.

 

[Robnoxious]

KOCE is trapped as it has it's bandwidth tied up with Godstar on 50.3 and leases out the rest to Sezmi. I doubt the KOCE Consortium is going to reject the nice check they get from Sezmi and will ride out that gravy train as long as Sezmi stays afloat (I give it 2 years tops). It seems as all the smaller players in LA enjoy a nice kickback from the start-up content provider on an extremely flimsy premise.

What this means is we lose PBS World unless KOCE dumps the OCN crawler on 50.2. KOCE biggest hurdle will be to serve the Basin that isn't confined in Orange County. You have to give KOCE credit for at the very least putting out original content for it's base namely in news with Real Orange. When was the last time KCET had a locally produced news show about Los Angeles? It's been a long time. Chalk it up to another missed opportunity lost on Channel 28.

That said, I do not believe KOCE can continue to serve the Southland on it's own. KLCS is a jumbled mess by virtue of being hooked in with LA Unified. KCET was the rock that kept KOCE/KLCS/KVCR afloat. KVCR relied on a messenger to drive originally aired KCET kinescopes to 'Berdo to get their shows aired in the past. I do not think KOCE has the funds nor the faculty to be the lead PBS flagship in LA when KCET bails out to it's uncharted waters of failure. KVCR is not an easy catch for much of LA. It can be done, but the ends don't justify the means. KVCR has always been a pseudo relay of KCET.

 

[Robnoxious]

oops double post