Many LPTV licenses being canceled in the Leavenworth, Wenatchee area

[Frequency1]

Apple Valley TV Association has filed to cancel:
K11FJ-D Squichuck St. Park
K49KV-D Stemilt
KWVC-LD Malaga
K22JF-D Stemilt
K13CQ-D Rock Island
K51DR-D Wenatchee
K13BI Entiat
K12BE-D Orondo
K10BA-D Orondo

Computer 5, Inc has filed to cancel:
KWCC-LP Wenatchee
K14BF-D Wenatchee
K42IH-D East Wenatchee

Levanworth Non-Profit TV Association has filed to cancel:
K03IN-D Levanworth
K07ZL-D Levanworth
K05MU-D Levanworth
K09ZA-D Levanworth
K13IY-D Levanworth

 

[secondchoice]

Are these construction permits or are all these stations actually on the air? 5 TV signals in Leavenworth would definitely be "non profit".

 

[crainbebo]

All of those Leavenworth channels translate Spokane stations. KWCC-LP I believe is the NCW Life Channel. The others, like Orondo 10, 12, Stemilt 22, I believe are Spokane translators as well.

 

[VrginX]

Wow. I notice something was afoot when I saw a frozen screen on 47.2 yesterday, but didn't know they canceled the licenses til today. What really sucks is that the only TV channel avaliable now is 3ABN, and it barely comes in. And my building has an extremely cheap cable service, which I call "Crappovision" mostly due the 10 cable channels blanking out occasionally, relyed on those Ota signals for broadcast networks. Now, No Spokane stations, no live TV, no nothing...

 

[crainbebo]

Really sorry to hear about this, as so many have dumped Spectrum and DISH for the antenna because of how much it costs. Free digital TV is now a thing of the past in NCW. Now everyone in Wenatchee has to pay up for Spectrum, streaming services, or satellite...
Wenatchee World is saying absolutely nothing about this either. Nor on NCW Life/KWCC, which you'd think would air a story about the cancellation of the only OTA TV in two cities of 45,000 (Wenatchee/East Wenatchee) plus another 2K+ in Leavenworth...

 

[secondchoice]

Wow. I notice something was afoot when I saw a frozen screen on 47.2 yesterday, but didn't know they canceled the licenses til today. What really sucks is that the only TV channel avaliable now is 3ABN, and it barely comes in. And my building has an extremely cheap cable service, which I call "Crappovision" mostly due the 10 cable channels blanking out occasionally, relyed on those Ota signals for broadcast networks. Now, No Spokane stations, no live TV, no nothing...

A lot of TV stations have their own app where they stream their local news for free. The big OTA networks have access to their network programming app (for a fee). Do the math verses cable. I am lucky enough to have OTA signals but I still have Sling for stuff for my Wife. Depending how "smart" your TV is get a RUKU or Firestick. It's a game.

 

[crainbebo]

Wasn't the point of over-the-air TV to bring television programming to those in communities...for free?
What is the cable penetration in that area? I'm guessing pretty high.
I'm also curious whether Spectrum received the Spokane stations (for their cable system) via those translators, or from a fiber link? Could they eventually be going away for good from cable and become an all-Seattle network system? My assumption is KIRO (cable) gets more of an audience vs. KREM (cable/now-defunct translators), and vice versa with other networks.

 

[VrginX]

Wasn't the point of over-the-air TV to bring television programming to those in communities...for free?
What is the cable penetration in that area? I'm guessing pretty high.
I'm also curious whether Spectrum received the Spokane stations (for their cable system) via those translators, or from a fiber link? Could they eventually be going away for good from cable and become an all-Seattle network system? My assumption is KIRO (cable) gets more of an audience vs. KREM (cable/now-defunct translators), and vice versa with other networks.

No, we were only getting the Spokane stations in SD 4:3 letterbox ota (from a Canadian feed) ex. KSPS, which was in HD. Spectrum and LocalTel's cable operations use an HD feed from the stations.

 

[valvashon]

No, we were only getting the Spokane stations in SD 4:3 letterbox ota (from a Canadian feed) ex. KSPS, which was in HD. Spectrum and LocalTel's cable operations use an HD feed from the stations.

Was K14BF-D actually on or were they still silent at the time of this filing? What about the other ones in Wenatchee that were cancelled? RF channels if you know them, thanks.

 

[VrginX]

Was K14BF-D actually on or were they still silent at the time of this filing? What about the other ones in Wenatchee that were cancelled? RF channels if you know them, thanks.

Could never get K14BF (KCPQ) in 9 years that I've used an antenna (mostly for a VCR that didn't have a tuner, and than as a backup since LocalTel dropped KREM and KHQ from the cable lineup in 2019.) The other two were working. Before I got my new DTV converter in November (great timing, right?), I would have to switch between "Crappovision" and the antenna when the broadcast stations were out, and would get 2 of every channel when I rescaned.

 

[crainbebo]

That's the same reason why DT channel 7 never had a decode in Ellensburg. KCPQ stopped operating that translator at Mission Ridge, which allegedly served Ellensburg. That would have been a solid substitution for KCYU, especially with the high-quality morning newscast. In the analog days, KCPQ's Kittitas Valley translator was on channel 54.

I looked up the Broadcasting Yearbook and found out that at one point, Wenatchee was getting *Yakima* stations on cable, specifically KIMA and KNDO (early 1980s). My guess is they relayed the Ellensburg translator signals from a Mission Ridge tower and somehow relayed it to the Wenatchee system.
If I surveyed the general population in Wenatchee, they would probably pick KIRO over KREM 2-to-1 nowadays. And vice versa with KOMO vs. KXLY, KING vs. KHQ. A *LOT* of people over there are former westsiders.

 

[VrginX]

Wenatchee World is saying absolutely nothing about this either. Nor on NCW Life/KWCC, which you'd think would air a story about the cancellation of the only OTA TV in two cities of 45,000 (Wenatchee/East Wenatchee) plus another 2K+ in Leavenworth...

Replay from the Wenatchee World vis Nabur;

 

[Kelly A]

Wasn't the point of over-the-air TV to bring television programming to those in communities...for free?

Sure, but there needs to be advertising/sponsors who will support it. Broadcasting isn't free.

 

[Kelly A]

I looked up the Broadcasting Yearbook and found out that at one point, Wenatchee was getting *Yakima* stations on cable, specifically KIMA and KNDO (early 1980s).

A lot has changed in forty years.

 

[tripinva]

Sure, but there needs to be advertising/sponsors who will support it. Broadcasting isn't free.

Exactly this. A number of translators have gone away over the past few decades as first cable and then satellite TV ended up in use in a lot of these areas. Those that are tax supported, there are often questions about whether or not it's worth funding. If it's supported by donations, then if the donations stop coming, they can't afford the power bill.

- Trip

 

[SomeRadioGuy]

Sure, but there needs to be advertising/sponsors who will support it. Broadcasting isn't free.

There are places like near Elko and Ely, NV and Laramie, WY that have community translator associations that get along on volunteer help and meager donations for their translators relaying big city stations. No advertising

 

[Kelly A]

There are places like near Elko and Ely, NV and Laramie, WY that have community translator associations that get along on volunteer help and meager donations for their translators relaying big city stations. No advertising

That's great, but it seems like people in Eastern Washington State expect OTA TV for free. It's a safe bet that none will be digging out their checkbook to help support a translator. Bitching about it is free I guess.

 

[SomeRadioGuy]

That's great, but it seems like people in Eastern Washington State expect OTA TV for free. It's a safe bet that none will be digging out their checkbook to help support a translator. Bitching about it is free I guess.

Thats the issue alot of non profits face now.. people want, but dont wanna pay for it

 

[Kelly A]

Thats the issue alot of non profits face now.. people want, but dont wanna pay for it

And same with commercial TV and radio. We don't want ads. We want live and local talent to entertain us, and don't care how it gets paid for. We want local TV news reporting on what's going on in the community, but we won't go out of our way to frequent the few advertisers that would pay for expensive TV news. Or more often for radio; we want our favorite uninterrupted music all the time for free.

 

[SomeRadioGuy]

And same with commercial TV and radio. We don't want ads. We want live and local talent to entertain us, and don't care how it gets paid for. We want local TV news reporting on what's going on in the community, but we won't go out of our way to frequent the few advertisers that would pay for expensive TV news. Or more often for radio; we want our favorite uninterrupted music all the time for free.

Yup, listeners complain about ads.. then complain about and wonder why their favorite local station changed formats or got sold.