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NEWS RELEASE: RTN CHOOSES AZ-TV IN PHOENIX

NEWS RELEASE
December 19, 2007
For Immediate Release
Contact: Michael Hagerty, AZTV Director of Programming and Promotion, 602-224-2271 or [email protected]

RTN CHOOSES AZ-TV IN PHOENIX

AZ-TV (KAZT, Channel 27/Cable 13) is proud to announce the selection of its soon-to-be launched digital channel 7.2 as the Phoenix affiliate for The Retro Television Network (RTN).

RTN will air on KAZT-DT 7.2 beginning in 2008 (exact date to be announced later), with a lineup of classic television the network brands as “Primetime All The Time”.

"RTN is the ideal choice for our digital future," said Ron Bergamo, general manager of KAZT-TV. "We were impressed with their state-of-the-art operations and their ease of integration with our systems and are thrilled to have the ability to serve an audience with programming that has stood the test of time."

RTN, owned by Little Rock, Ark.-based Equity Media Holdings Corp., is a new television network that provides its affiliates with a customized feed of classic hit shows, news, weather and sports.

“This wonderful network picks up where we left off as AZ-TV rapidly evolved into a contemporary comedy channel”, said Michael Hagerty, KAZT’s Director of Programming and Promotion. “We’ll be able to superserve the audience that first embraced AZ-TV five and a half years ago while still evolving in a more contemporary direction on AZ-TV.”

The exact lineup of programs for RTN 7.2 has yet to be announced, but RTN’s library includes Get Smart, Hogan’s Heroes, Mission: Impossible, The A-Team, Knight Rider and dozens more of the greatest hits of television. KAZT-DT 7.2 is RTN’s 40th affiliate.

AZ-TV is Arizona’s only locally-owned television station, a division of Londen Media Group. Since its launch in April, 2002, AZ-TV has led the way in classic and contemporary comedy(Reno 911!, Chappelle’s Show, George Lopez, According To Jim, My Wife & Kids, Frasier, Married…With Children, Cheers, The Brady Bunch, The Andy Griffith Show, I Love Lucy and in 2009, Everybody Hates Chris), regional sports and local talk and public affairs programs, reaching more than 1.8 million households over the air, on cable and on DIRECTV and Dish Network satellite, as well as a global audience online at www.arizonasown.com. KAZT-DT 7.2 launches in 2008 with programming from RTN-The Retro Programming Network.
 
From what I've heard, is 27 still on track to be converted to digital early 2008, due to interference from KUTP-DT? If so, are there any plans to find/lease another LPTV translator in the market as a stop-gap between the flash-cut and the digital conversion date (given that the conversion date may be pushed back)?

On the other hand, I'm excited to see some of these classic shows again! It's time to petition Cox and Qwest to carry it in the Metro!
 
Eric Stein said:
From what I've heard, is 27 still on track to be converted to digital early 2008, due to interference from KUTP-DT? If so, are there any plans to find/lease another LPTV translator in the market as a stop-gap between the flash-cut and the digital conversion date (given that the conversion date may be pushed back)?

On the other hand, I'm excited to see some of these classic shows again! It's time to petition Cox and Qwest to carry it in the Metro!


Eric: Our plan is to flash-cut to digital in early 2008 (we'll be announcing the exact date shortly). There won't be an AZ-TV analog signal in Phoenix once we do that. Only 15% of the market watches over-the-air analog, and as you note, our analog channel 27 is suffering from interference from digital channel 26. Our consulting engineers believe there are very few viewers actually getting a watchable analog signal at present.

Don't count on an extension of the digital conversion date beyond February 17, 2009. The consumer awareness portion of the switch (including application for and distribution of coupons to discount the price of analog-to-digital converter boxes) begins a week from Tuesday.


---Michael Hagerty
 
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