KNTV San Jose (City of License)

[e-dawg]

Can KNTV easily change their City of License to San Francisco from San Jose?

Since San Jose is already serving KICU, KSTS, KKPX, and KTEH.

 

[tripinva]

Why would they waste the time and money doing so?

- Trip

 

[w9wi]

Can KNTV easily change their City of License to San Francisco from San Jose?

Since San Jose is already serving KICU, KSTS, KKPX, and KTEH.

I don't see any FCC reason why not... (for exactly the reason you cite: there are already four other TV stations licensed to San Jose)

I suspect they don't see much reason to make the change though. The San Jose COL isn't preventing them from co-siting their transmitter with the competition. There would be some costs in legal bills and FCC filing fees, I don't think they're willing to pay those if there are no benefits forthcoming.

 

[e-dawg]

If the COL change to San Francisco, will they be able to move their transmitter to Mt. Sutro from San Bruno mountain? Since there are lots area in San Francisco cannot receive KNTV very well especially the Richmond, Sunset, Ingleside, West of Twin Peaks etc.

 

[w9wi]

If the COL change to San Francisco, will they be able to move their transmitter to Mt. Sutro from San Bruno mountain? Since there are lots area in San Francisco cannot receive KNTV very well especially the Richmond, Sunset, Ingleside, West of Twin Peaks etc.

Haven't done the math but I don't *think* the COL is why they aren't on Sutro.

 

[tripinva]

Do those areas also have trouble receiving KTSF 26-1 or KKPX 65-1? If not, their problem is not tower location, it's antenna type.

I sincerely doubt NBC has any interest in locating on Mount Sutro. I'm not sure what the rent is on Mount Sutro, but I can't imagine it being cheap compared to Mount San Bruno.

- Trip

 

[LKellerIII]

Do those areas also have trouble receiving KTSF 26-1 or KKPX 65-1? If not, their problem is not tower location, it's antenna type.

I sincerely doubt NBC has any interest in locating on Mount Sutro. I'm not sure what the rent is on Mount Sutro, but I can't imagine it being cheap compared to Mount San Bruno.

- Trip

I don't know the technical reasons KNTV chose Mt. San Bruno over Sutro, but I believe their current location works well for them. City of license has nothing to do with transmitter location. If it did, KGO radio would be "KGO, Menlo Park."

In terms of status, COL probably never mattered for most viewers, just for radio and TV geeks. It has even less status for TV stations these days since they're no longer required to announce it (verbally). It's a tiny graphic at the bottom of the screen once an hour for about 2 seconds. And now they add other cities after the legal COL. So its:

"KPIX - San Francisco, Oakland, San Jose."

"KTVU - Oakland, San Francisco, San Jose."

"KNTV - San Jose, San Francisco, Oakland."


Nobody cares.

 

[e-dawg]

But, do you have to put the transmitter within the distance of City of License?

 

[tripinva]

You have to provide a certain amount of signal to the city of license. KNTV could operate from Mount Sutro now while still putting that necessary amount of signal over San Jose, if my maps are right.

- Trip

 

[w9wi]

You have to provide a certain amount of signal to the city of license. KNTV could operate from Mount Sutro now while still putting that necessary amount of signal over San Jose, if my maps are right.

- Trip

They had to get a waiver to put their *analog* transmitter on San Bruno -- they didn't quite provide city-grade across all of San Jose. But the definition of "city-grade" for *digital* is significantly looser. They were close enough to making it for analog that I'd be REALLY surprised if they didn't safely make it for digital.