Mammoth Lakes CA 2/14/1993

[K.M. Richards]

Thanks for filling in that gap, but it still doesn't get us to 1993.

 

[IM42A]

Thanks for filling in that gap, but it still doesn't get us to 1993.

As luck would have it, I was able to look at the translator section of the 1993 TVFB, and as of then, K11KD was still in operation, relaying KSBY. The owner was King Holdings, with the address (333 Dexter St Seattle) of KING-TV at the time. (Mr Warta retained the KGO translator.)

What would have figured into KING-TV wanting to own a translator in Mammoth Lakes, California is beyond me. I checked and could find no connection between KING-TV and KSBY (I had wondered if it might be an O&O translator by that time, yes, I know, out of market), as there was all that brouhaha with Elizabeth Murdoch at KSBY at the time, and I thought, well, anything's possible, but no.

This whole situation is just bizarre all the way around. Fun fact, I remembered the KING studios from when my wife and I visited Seattle in 1995 and walked right by there, I immediately recognized the building in an old Google Street View (it's since been replaced by a much larger glass building).

 

[IM42A]

K11KD shows up as late as 2002 in the Broadcasting and Cable Yearbook as being owned by King Videocable, though no indication is given as to what station it is repeating.

 

[IM42A]

Here is an old thread where the KSBY situation is discussed:

https://radiodiscussions.com/threads/ksrw-alt-92-5.745669/

 

[K.M. Richards]

K11KD shows up as late as 2002 in the Broadcasting and Cable Yearbook as being owned by King Videocable, though no indication is given as to what station it is repeating.

That may well be the answer. The cable company ended up buying the translator in order to keep the KSBY feed from it on its system. Cheaper in the long run than setting up a microwave relay as a replacement.

And it explains why KSBY was also on cable channel 11 (see thread starter).

 

[IM42A]

That may well be the answer. The cable company ended up buying the translator in order to keep the KSBY feed from it on its system. Cheaper in the long run than setting up a microwave relay as a replacement.

And it explains why KSBY was also on cable channel 11 (see thread starter).

Still hard to understand why, unless the translator was in a particularly good knife-edge sweet spot (and even then), there would be interest in watching, retransmitting, or carrying a station from San Luis Obispo. It's over 175 miles away in a small town that, while very picturesque and of historical interest, has no apparent connection with Mammoth Lakes, other than the latter possibly being a resort spot for people from SLO who want to spend their vacations in the Sierra Nevada, the same way that everyone and their neighbor in many Appalachian towns (who could afford it) have historically gone to Myrtle Beach in the summer, or why French Canadians gravitate to Hollywood, Florida. I wouldn't mind visiting either Mammoth Lakes or SLO.

It would be interesting to be able to talk to someone connected with the industry in Mammoth Lakes, and find out why they carried it. Sadly, anyone involved would likely not be around anymore.

 

[K.M. Richards]

Still hard to understand why, unless the translator was in a particularly good knife-edge sweet spot (and even then), there would be interest in watching, retransmitting, or carrying a station from San Luis Obispo.

1970. Little or no cable presence (and what there was carried a price tag that would make it seem like a "luxury"). The translator brought television to the area, and if you presume that the majority of the viewership was network programming, it really didn't matter where the station was.

Same logic by which CBS channel 2 and NBC channel 4 got into Bishop from Los Angeles back in 1956 via two of the first translators licensed by the FCC. Same logic for the residents of the Fresno area putting up tall towers back in the late 1940s to aim antennas at Mount Wilson in Los Angeles to receive any of the stations there that could break through atmospheric conditions and man-made interference. A somewhat fuzzy Uncle Miltie was better than no Berle at all.

The masses wanted television and this is how they had to get it back then. From an engineering standpoint, however the receiving antenna had to be oriented to pick the signal off the air doesn't matter ... as long as it was receivable.

 

[Y2kTheNewOldies]

Still hard to understand why, unless the translator was in a particularly good knife-edge sweet spot (and even then), there would be interest in watching, retransmitting, or carrying a station from San Luis Obispo. It's over 175 miles away in a small town that, while very picturesque and of historical interest, has no apparent connection with Mammoth Lakes, other than the latter possibly being a resort spot for people from SLO who want to spend their vacations in the Sierra Nevada, the same way that everyone and their neighbor in many Appalachian towns (who could afford it) have historically gone to Myrtle Beach in the summer, or why French Canadians gravitate to Hollywood, Florida. I wouldn't mind visiting either Mammoth Lakes or SLO.

Driving to Mammoth Lakes from Los Angeles | Visit Mammoth

Located in the heart of the breathtaking Sierra Nevada Mountains, scenic Mammoth Lakes is only a drive away from the hustle and bustle of Los Angeles and Southern California.

www.visitmammoth.com

Highway 395 Road trip Must-Stops from LA to Mammoth Lakes

Your ultimate Eastern Sierra California road trip guide: must-stop eats, views, and cheap gas traveling from SoCal to Mammoth Lakes

followtiffsjourney.com

I seen tour guides to Mammoth Lakes but the majority of the visitors as seen here are from Los Angeles. I rarely hear other parts of California talk about this place. It has to be weekend tours in the same way we hear about Bay Area and Sacramento residents visiting Lake Tahoe, Reno, Yosemite on the weekend type stuff here. But then again that can partially explain how KTLA was seen in Mammoth Lakes in the cable systems given that KTLA had a "superstation" status in the 1990's back when they were an independent station.

I also seen one that Hawthorne, NV gets mentioned as the place where some of the Reno TV Stations have their translators at. That can partially explain how Mono County is counted into the Reno TV Market.

 

[IM42A]

Driving to Mammoth Lakes from Los Angeles | Visit Mammoth

Located in the heart of the breathtaking Sierra Nevada Mountains, scenic Mammoth Lakes is only a drive away from the hustle and bustle of Los Angeles and Southern California.

www.visitmammoth.com

Highway 395 Road trip Must-Stops from LA to Mammoth Lakes

Your ultimate Eastern Sierra California road trip guide: must-stop eats, views, and cheap gas traveling from SoCal to Mammoth Lakes

followtiffsjourney.com

I seen tour guides to Mammoth Lakes but the majority of the visitors as seen here are from Los Angeles. I rarely hear other parts of California talk about this place. It has to be weekend tours in the same way we hear about Bay Area and Sacramento residents visiting Lake Tahoe, Reno, Yosemite on the weekend.

I've been looking at Google Street View of Mammoth Lakes. I'd go there and chill out for a few days. Pretty country.

 

[IM42A]

Here's an interesting tidbit I found:

History of Mammoth Interviews : King Video Cable : Free Borrow & Streaming : Internet Archive

Evidently King Videocable (which had cable systems in several states) was the provider for the Mammoth Lakes area at the time. That would also explain why they purchased the KSBY translator.

 

[K.M. Richards]

Evidently King Videocable (which had cable systems in several states) was the provider for the Mammoth Lakes area at the time. That would also explain why they purchased the KSBY translator.

Yes, that was what I was trying to suggest back in post #25.

 

[IM42A]

Here's an interesting article on the mountain area of east-central California:

https://www.sfgate.com/california/a...-lands-could-sell-highest-bidder-20384049.php