And we now have info on the KTXH ATSC 3.0 plans: The KTXH RF19 3.0 facility will have the primary programming from KTXH, KRIV, KXLN, KFTH, and KTRK. In turn, the .2, .3 and .4 subchannels of the current KTXH 1.0 (as well as a "weather" channel planned for a 2022 launch) will move to the 1.0 facilities of KXLN, KRIV, KTRK, and KFTH.
Looks like December 2, 2021 is the big day for all the 3.0 changes and rescanning.
Here is a cut and paste of the KTXH FCC filing:
Fox Television Stations, LLC (“FTS”), licensee of KTXH, Houston, Texas (Facility ID 51569)
(“Station”) hereby requests special temporary authority in connection with the deployment of the
Station as a NextGen TV broadcast facility in the Houston market, which is scheduled to launch
on December 2, 2021.
Specifically, FTS requests special temporary authority to air the Station’s non-primary multicast
streams using the ATSC 1.0 standards, with no ATSC 3.0 simulcast, on (1) KRIV, Houston,
Texas (Facility ID 22204); (2) KXLN-DT (Facility ID 53847), Rosenberg, Texas, licensed to
KXLN License Partnership, L.P., KFTH-DT (Facility ID 60537), Alvin, Texas, licensed to
Unimas Houston LLC (subsidiaries of Univision) (herein “Univision Stations”); and (3) KTRK-
TV (Facility ID 35675 ), Houston, Texas, licensed to KTRK Television, Inc. (a subsidiary of
ABC) (“ABC Station”), for purposes of confirming and clarifying that:
(1) The broadcast ownership rules do not apply to the extent this arrangement would
otherwise be in potential violation of those rules; and
(2) The Station is the licensee originating the non-primary multicast streams and considered
the responsible party for compliance with obligations under the Communications Act of
1934, as amended, and the Commission rules and regulations in the same matter as an
ATSC 1.0 primary simulcast stream is treated under the Commission’s ATSC 3.0 rules
and regulations.
As indicated in the Station’s NextGen TV license application, which FTS is simultaneously
filing herewith, FTS plans to operate the Station’s facility using the ATSC 3.0 standard and, as
required under the Commission’s ATSC 3.0 rules, to simulcast the Station’s primary
programming stream in the ATSC 1.0 standard as a guest on KRIV (Facility ID 22204).1
In addition to its primary programming stream, the Station broadcasts three non-primary
multicast streams: TheGrio-TV, Movies! and Buzzr, and is planning on launching an additional
multicast stream (“Weather”) in early 2022. In order to avoid the loss of the Station’s over-the-
air non-primary multicast streams to its ATSC 1.0 viewers, KRIV will host TheGrio-TV and
FTS is entering into written hosting agreements with the Univision Stations and the ABC Station
to broadcast those streams using the ATSC 1.0 facilities of the Univision Stations and the ABC
Station respectively.
KTXH’s 1.0 multicast streams will be relocated to the following stations as describe below:
Multicast Stream Multicast Host Station Facility ID Licensee/Affiliate Virtual Channel Position
Movies! KXLN-DT 53847 Univision 20.2
The Grio TV KRIV 22204 FTS/Fox 20.3
Buzzr KTRK-TV 35675 ABC 20.4
Weather (2022) KFTH-DT 60537 Univision/Unimas 20.5
As part of that same arrangement, FTS will provide the Univision Stations and the ABC Station
capacity as ATSC 3.0 guest stations on the Station’s ATSC 3.0 facility.
Due to ATSC 1.0 capacity constraints, the Station is not able to air it’s nonprimary multicast
streams on the same host station (KTXH) as its primary ATSC 1.0 programming stream.
Furthermore, due to ATSC 3.0 capacity and other constraints attendant with the multi-station and
multi-market coordination needed for a successful ATSC 3.0 deployment across the country, it is
not feasible for the Station’s ATSC 3.0 facility to simulcast the Station’s non-primary multicast
streams in the ATSC 3.0 standard without unduly minimizing, if not largely eliminating, the
benefits to the public and the participating stations transitioning to ATSC 3.0. The Station’s
ATSC 3.0 facility is hosting five NextGen TV stations – the Station, KRIV, the Univision
Stations and the ABC Station. Simulcasting the Station’s non-primary multicast streams in
ATSC 3.0 would reduce capacity available for the NextGen TV stations to offer consumers the
improved services that ATSC 3.0 enables. The types of services and improvements that would
be precluded would be enhanced video featuring High Dynamic Range, Wide Color Gamut and
High Frame Rate, immersive and multiple audio channels using Dolby AC-4, Advanced
Emergency Alerting and Information functions as part of a broadcast receiver application, and
non-real time interactive data delivery. Each of these require a portion of the ATSC 3.0 capacity
that would be unavailable were the Station’s ATSC 3.0 facility to simulcast the Station’s non-
primary multicast streams in ATSC 3.0. Even setting aside these impediments, significant
additional engineering work and more equipment would be required to simulcast the Station’s
non-primary multicast streams using ATSC 3.0 and ATSC 1.0 standards. Obtaining, installing,
and testing that equipment would delay and distract from the testing and deployment of
improved services that ATSC 3.0 enables.
The ATSC 1.0 non-primary multicast hosting arrangements with KRIV, the Univision Stations
and the ABC Station will enable FTS to continue providing these streams in the Houston market.
As shown in the composite coverage maps attached below, more than 99% percent of the
viewers that currently receive the Station’s non-primary multicast streams over-the-air from the
Station’s ATSC 1.0 current facility will retain access to the Station’s multicast streams from
KRIV, more than 99% percent of the viewers that currently receive the Station’s non-primary
multicast streams over-the-air will retain access to the Station’s multicast streams from the
Univision Stations’ ATSC 1.0 facilities, and more than 99% percent of the Station’s ATSC 1.0
viewers will retain access to the Station’s multicast stream from the ABC Station’s ATSC 1.0
facilities, which, in each case, will also continue to serve the Station’s community of license.
Absent this arrangement, and without the clarity that a grant of the instant request for special
temporary authority would provide, FTS may not be able to continue to provide the Station’s
non-primary multicast streams over-the-air, which would request in a complete loss of service to
all of the over-the-air viewers of these streams.
FTS has provided notice to the relevant MVPDs, of its plan to relocate its ATSC 1.0 non-primary
multicast streams to other stations in the market when it provided the requisite notices regarding
the relocation of the Station’s ATSC 1.0 primary programming stream.2 FTS will coordinate
with potentially affected MVPDs as applicable to ensure they continue to receive a good quality
signal of the non-primary multicast streams over-the-air or via alternative delivery methods.
FTS does not expect there to be any adverse impact on MVPD viewers.
The Station will also air the requisite consumer notices regarding the Station’s transition to the
ATSC 3.0 standard and the need for over-the-air viewers to rescan their television sets in order to
continue to receive the Station’s ATSC 1.0 programming streams. In order to alleviate any
viewer confusion, the PSIP (virtual) channels for each of the Station’s program streams will
remain unchanged and are identified as being associated with the Station.
FTS’s request herein to clarify that the broadcast ownership rules do not apply to this
arrangement is consistent with the Commission’s decision and underlying basis to “not apply the
broadcast ownership rules in any situation where an ATSC 3.0 signal or an ATSC 1.0 simulcast
on a temporary host station’s facility would result in a potential violation of those rules.”3
FTS’s request herein to clarify that the Station is the licensee originating the non-primary
multicast streams and considered the responsible party for compliance with any obligations
under the Communications Act of 1934, as amended, and the Commission rules and regulations,
is consistent with the arrangements between FTS and each of the Cox Stations and the Graham
Station, in connection with which FTS will indemnify the Cox Stations and the Graham Station
from all liabilities or claims resulting from the airing of the Station’s non-primary streams over
their ATSC 1.0 facilities.
FTS understands that grant of the instant request will make clear that FTS is the sole party
responsible for ensuring compliance with all statutory and regulatory requirements with regards
to the Station’s non-primary multicast streams, including the Commission’s rules regarding
political broadcasting, children’s programming, equal employment opportunities, public
inspection file, indecency, sponsorship identification, station identification, contests, the CALM
Act, and the Emergency Alert System. With respect to children’s programming, the Station
schedules one hour per week of regularly scheduled children’s core programming and at least 52
hours per year of nonregularly scheduled core programming on its primary programming stream,
and thus intends to rely on its non-primary multicast streams for its second hour per week of
regularly scheduled core programming in order to comply with the Commission’s television
programming requirements.4
Grant of this STA request will serve the public interest as it will advance the Commission’s
ATSC 3.0 policy goals, facilitate the deployment of ATSC 3.0 in light of the evolving nature of
NextGen deployment, and promote the continued over-the-air transmission of the Station’s non-
primary multicast streams in the ATSC 1.0 standard.
