• Get involved.
    We want your input!
    Apply for Membership and join the conversations about everything related to broadcasting.

    After we receive your registration, a moderator will review it. After your registration is approved, you will be permitted to post.
    If you use a disposable or false email address, your registration will be rejected.

    After your membership is approved, please take a minute to tell us a little bit about yourself.
    https://www.radiodiscussions.com/forums/introduce-yourself.1088/

    Thanks in advance and have fun!
    RadioDiscussions Administrators

KTRE 9 Lufkin moved to channel 24, finds another station already occupies it, files STA to move back

txchipk

txchipk

KTRE moved from channel 9 to channel 24 and discovered that KIBN-LD 24 is on the air on channel 24. So, they've filed a STA to move back to channel 9 to work that out. I'm not an engineer but it seems like this might have been obvious testing the new facility out that another station is there?


From the letter attached to the filing...
Gray Television Licensee, LLC (Gray), licensee of KTRE, Lufkin, TX (FID 68541)(KTRE),
requests authority to operate on a temporary basis using the technical parameters of its
previous Channel 9 facility (File No. BLCDT-20110613ABY). Gray received authority to
change KTRE’s channel from VHF channel 9 to UHF channel 24 (File No. 0000176843). On
April 6, 2026, Gray began operating on Channel 24 and filed a license to cover (File No.
0000295032). The station has been inundated with calls complaining that the Channel 24
signal cannot be received by many viewers.

Gray believes the interference is largely the result of a low power station, KIBN-LD, Lufkin,
TX that also operates on Channel 24. Gray has contacted Edge Spectrum, Inc., the licensee
of KIBN, asking that they cease operating. Edge agreed to cooperate.

In order to minimize disruption to its viewers, Gray respectfully requests authority to
operate from its previously licensed Channel 9 parameters while it works to resolve the
interference issues on Channel 24.
Click to expand...
 
I thought non-Class A LPTVs were not protected from a full-power station. If I remember correctly (and lately that has been in doubt, as @fybush will attest) couldn't Gray force the other channel 24 to move on a displacement?
 
K.M. Richards said:
I thought non-Class A LPTVs were not protected from a full-power station. If I remember correctly (and lately that has been in doubt, as @fybush will attest) couldn't Gray force the other channel 24 to move on a displacement?
Click to expand...
They can and they will. The STA is just to have some sort of valid authority to light up again on RF 9 until the LPTV on 24 shuts down.
 
There are a few weird things about this channel clash.

You would think that KTRE would have been previously aware of the presence of KIBN-LD on RF24.

You would also think KIBN-LP would have been made aware that KTRE was moving to RF24 and that KIBN-LP would be displaced.

So why didn’t KTRE ascertain that KIBN-LP was no longer operating on RF24 before lighting up on that channel?

And why wasn’t there any action by KIBN-LP to find a new RF channel?

Of interest: According to Rabbitears.info, KIBN-LP uses physical channels 24.1 and 24.2, while KTRE was to use physical channels 23.3, 24.4 and 24.5. Did someone think that would prevent a clash?😱😖

Rabbitears.info also lists K24MO in Tyler on RF24, but does not show any channel info (possibly not on the air?) Is that another potential issue?
 
Mediafrog+ said:
There are a few weird things about this channel clash.

You would think that KTRE would have been previously aware of the presence of KIBN-LD on RF24.

You would also think KIBN-LP would have been made aware that KTRE was moving to RF24 and that KIBN-LP would be displaced.

So why didn’t KTRE ascertain that KIBN-LP was no longer operating on RF24 before lighting up on that channel?

And why wasn’t there any action by KIBN-LP to find a new RF channel?
Click to expand...

In light of my correctly (for a change) remembering the basic underlying rules and regulations, and Scott taking it from there as to the "why the STA" was filed for, I am going to hazard a guess.

KTRE certainly knew KIBN was there. They almost certainly also knew about the displacement requirement. KIBN had to know KTRE was coming, since the issuance of the CP for the channel move from RF9 to RF24 is a publicly documented FCC action. KTRE was under no obligation to wait for KIBN to cease operation because under the rules it's the LPTV which has the obligation to get out of the way. My best guess, therefore is that KIBN was either (1) stubborn and took a "make us move" position ... very stupid, IMHO; (2) was totally clueless about the displacement rules for non-Class A LPTVs, which are pretty much the same as for translators; or (3) was under the delusion that if they didn't move, KTRE would go back to RF9 and stay there.

As it is, KTRE now has the foundation to force KIBN off RF24, whether Edge likes it or not. They moved from RF9 under a valid FCC CP, encountered interference from the non-protected LPTV, filed for a STA to operate on their original channel as a temporary measure, and no doubt will be making legal filings any day now.

What I think would be the easiest solution would be for KIBN to file for a move to RF9 and have both stations swap channels simultaneously. But, given how mildly messy this has been so far, I doubt Edge will be very receptive.
 
K.M. Richards said:
KTRE was under no obligation to wait for KIBN to cease operation because under the rules it's the LPTV which has the obligation to get out of the way.
Click to expand...
Absolutely true, but the situation is similar to a new tenant trying to move into a house before the old tenant has left. Even though the new tenant is in the right, there will be problems. Could a C&D order been obtained before viewers rescanned?
K.M. Richards said:
What I think would be the easiest solution would be for KIBN to file for a move to RF9 and have both stations swap channels simultaneously. But, given how mildly messy this has been so far, I doubt Edge will be very receptive.
Click to expand...
Edge Spectrum might want to play nice and keep its nose clean, given the large number of LPTV applications it has filed in recent days. The FCC may take a dim view of a troublemaker.
 
I think there's a lot of overthinking going on here. KTRE will end up on 24 in the end, and probably pretty quickly. All that this STA does is to give KTRE authority to stay lit up on 9 until it gets the LPTV out of the way and can light up 24 permanently.
 
Did I read correctly in the FCC filings that the FCC approved KTRE’s move to 24 back in 2023? Surely someone at Edge should have seem this coming.

(I worked at KTRE back in the 80s. That transmitter was really loud in master control.)
 


Back
Top Bottom