Say Goodbye to KWBU-TV/Waco, Texas!

[only1moore]

Yes folks, it looks like Baylor University has decided that it won't save the PBS outlet. Their last day will be May 31st, 2010.

http://www.kwbu.org/news.php?action=story&story=73373

http://www.wacotrib.com/news/KWBU-t...ontinue-with-radio-due-to-financial-woes.html

 

[1069_KIFR]

"Goodbye KWBU-TV/Waco, Texas!"

 

[Bengalsfan]

Can they not sell the station?

 

[FreddyE1977]

I know it is not popular on these boards, but there is a widely held point of view out there
that it is not the proper role of Government to fund broadcasting stations.

You will probably see more of this sort of thing, and that whole philosophical debate heating up again,
as a result of the massive deficits being run by the Federal and State Governments.

 

[Gregg]

You'd think there'd be a way to keep the station on the air, if only a repeater of KERA-TV, the Dallas PBS station, or KLRU-TV, the Austin PBS station. Maybe local programming and origination will have to cease, but do they actually have to turn off the transmitter?


Gregg
[email protected]

 

[KTN Corp]

You'd think there'd be a way to keep the station on the air, if only a repeater of KERA-TV, the Dallas PBS station, or KLRU-TV, the Austin PBS station. Maybe local programming and origination will have to cease, but do they actually have to turn off the transmitter?


Gregg
[email protected]

How about as KNCT-TV's translator/booster for the northern parts of the Waco market?

 

[easttxtv]

You'd think there'd be a way to keep the station on the air, if only a repeater of KERA-TV, the Dallas PBS station, or KLRU-TV, the Austin PBS station. Maybe local programming and origination will have to cease, but do they actually have to turn off the transmitter?

This would be a good idea for KERA, if the timing weren't so short. Ch.13 already has a translator in Wichita Falls and is applying to the FCC for one in Tyler. It would probably be a while before KERA could come up with the extra $$ for the Waco facility and conversion process.

 

[e-dawg]

Could KAMU (Texas A&M University) purchase KWBU-TV? Since College Station TX is in the same market as Waco TX.

 

[dave73]

That's sad to lose a PBS station. We don't know what the population is around Waco, but looking at estimated signal coverage, and it doesn't look like it covers much of the market. I do hope that someone might be able to get the station back on the air to continue PBS programming. Something similar happened in my area back in 1983. WCAE channel 50, licensed to Gary Indiana & operated by the Lake Central School Corporation (at Lake Central High School) operated the station from 1967 to 1983, when they couldn't afford to keep the station on the air. They sold the license to Newsweb Corporation to move WPWR to, but Newsweb had to get the license changed to commercial since channel 50 was non-commercial at the time. Channel 56 (now WYIN), licensed to Gary Indiana was originally allocated as commercial, but couldn't locate in Chicago due to channel 55 (licensed to Kenosha Wisconsin) at that time transmitting from the Kenosha area of Wisconsin (but supposedly because of their existing station, channel 60 already transmitting from Chicago), is now a non-commercial channel. Channel 50 was able to transmit from Chicago. Since 56 was never built, the current owners of WYIN worked to get a station focused on NW Indiana back on the air, and channel 56 signed on November 15th, 1987 at 2:30pm for the first time. They've managed to stay on the air, but like KWBU, WYIN has struggled to stay on the air. They've gone as far as holding more pledge drives than most PBS stations do. The grants they received helped them convert to digital, or they would have gone off the air before June 12th. They spend big bucks airing college & high school sports along with a local news show focused on NW Indiana. But unlike Waco, those who live in most of WYIN's broadcast area are still served by PBS stations WYCC & WTTW from Chicago.

 

[avtosalon]

WCAE channel 50, licensed to Gary Indiana & operated by the Lake Central School Corporation (at Lake Central High School) operated the station from 1967 to 1983, when they couldn't afford to keep the station on the air.

The city of license of Channel 50 WCAE was St. John, Indiana.

I'm not sure how Newsweb managed to change the COL to Gary, Indiana when Channel 50 became WPWR-TV.

 

[DToTheJ]

Channel 56 (now WYIN), licensed to Gary Indiana ... has struggled to stay on the air. They've gone as far as holding more pledge drives than most PBS stations do. The grants they received helped them convert to digital, or they would have gone off the air before June 12th. They spend big bucks airing college & high school sports along with a local news show focused on NW Indiana...

Doesn't the Jackson family (the late Michael, Tito, et al.) hail from Gary, Indiana? It would be a generous gesture on their part if they made a grant to WYIN to keep their hometown public broadcasting station on the air.

 

[KeithE4]

WCAE channel 50, licensed to Gary Indiana & operated by the Lake Central School Corporation (at Lake Central High School) operated the station from 1967 to 1983, when they couldn't afford to keep the station on the air.

The city of license of Channel 50 WCAE was St. John, Indiana.

I'm not sure how Newsweb managed to change the COL to Gary, Indiana when Channel 50 became WPWR-TV.

Gary was allocated Channels 50 and 56. I believe a station's COL could be within a few miles of the allocated city under the rules in effect at the time (might still be true). St. John is about 15 miles SSW of Gary.

 

[dave73]

WCAE channel 50, licensed to Gary Indiana & operated by the Lake Central School Corporation (at Lake Central High School) operated the station from 1967 to 1983, when they couldn't afford to keep the station on the air.

The city of license of Channel 50 WCAE was St. John, Indiana.

I'm not sure how Newsweb managed to change the COL to Gary, Indiana when Channel 50 became WPWR-TV.

Gary was allocated Channels 50 and 56. I believe a station's COL could be within a few miles of the allocated city under the rules in effect at the time (might still be true). St. John is about 15 miles SSW of Gary.

I was looking at a site that has old books on channel allocations, and channels 50 & 56 were always allocated to Gary, but the old channel 50 never operated their station within the city of Gary, but in St John. Same thing with WYIN running 56. WYIN has their station in Merrillville & their transmitter outside of Cedar Lake in unincorporated Lake County. At that time, 56 was commercial while 50 was non-commercial. When WPWR-TV acquired the channel 50 license, they had to get the FCC to swap the licenses around so 50 became commercial & 56 would be non-commercial. The channel spacing at the time allowed 50 to go up on a Chicago skyscraper while 56 couldn't at the time (that changed when channel 55 Kenosha moved their transmitter to Franksville, WI). I only wish I remember where I downloaded old Broadcasting & Cable books from the 60's to 1981. It listed every TV station on the air at the time, along with where their stations' addresses & phone numbers were. Too bad it didn't always list transmitter sites.

As for the Jackson family, I doubt the famous family would help that much with giving a big contribution to WYIN. Deniece Williams is also from Gary.

But on the actual topic of KWBU-TV, I only hope someone will be able to acquire the station & get it back on the air. I believe if any station is off the air too long, then doesn't that end up with the call letters deleted? What about if a station like KWBU-TV were to never go back on the air; could another market end up taking this station away from Waco and have it allocated to another city? I don't know how that works in markets where only 1 station is licesed to a specific city.

 

[w9wi]

Gary was allocated Channels 50 and 56. I believe a station's COL could be within a few miles of the allocated city under the rules in effect at the time (might still be true). St. John is about 15 miles SSW of Gary.

True. As of September 1965, 73.607 (b) said in part:
"A channel assigned in a community listed in the Table of Assignments is available upon application in any unlisted community which is located within 15 miles of the listed community."

So channel 56 could be used in St. John without amending the table. It could not be used in Michigan City (more than 15 miles from Gary) nor in Hammond. (because Hammond was a listed community -- channel 62 was allocated there.)

I believe that provision was repealed in 1986.

I was looking at a site that has old books on channel allocations, and channels 50 & 56 were always allocated to Gary, but the old channel 50 never operated their station within the city of Gary, but in St John. Same thing with WYIN running 56. WYIN has their station in Merrillville & their transmitter outside of Cedar Lake in unincorporated Lake County.

Back then it was only necessary that the main studio be located within the city-of-license. (and it was possible to get a waiver) Today the regulations are even more lax. Essentially, all that's necessary is that your transmitter deliver a "principal community grade" signal across the city-of-license.

At that time, 56 was commercial while 50 was non-commercial. When WPWR-TV acquired the channel 50 license, they had to get the FCC to swap the licenses around so 50 became commercial & 56 would be non-commercial. The channel spacing at the time allowed 50 to go up on a Chicago skyscraper while 56 couldn't at the time (that changed when channel 55 Kenosha moved their transmitter to Franksville, WI). I only wish I remember where I downloaded old Broadcasting & Cable books from the 60's to 1981. It listed every TV station on the air at the time, along with where their stations' addresses & phone numbers were. Too bad it didn't always list transmitter sites.

(probably David Gleason's site http://www.davidgleason.com/.)

In the analog world (at least almost until the end of analog) full-power analog UHF stations at the same site had to be six channels apart. 20, 26, 32, 38, 44. 50. 60 fit in Aurora as the FCC figured the transmitter would actually be in Kane County. But since nobody had built Gary 56, when the Aurora station applied to locate its transmitter in the Loop, it was approved. Joliet 66 happened about the same time. With Aurora 60 transmitting from the Loop, 56 had to stay in Indiana. (this is also why WJYS channel 62 located its analog transmitter in Tinley Park.) (digital full-power UHF stations can be only two channels apart, in some cases even on directly adjacent channels.)

I suppose Kenosha 55 could have been involved but I doubt it. In any case to my knowledge Kenosha 55 never transmitted from anywhere besides where it ended up at the end of analog.

I believe if any station is off the air too long, then doesn't that end up with the call letters deleted? What about if a station like KWBU-TV were to never go back on the air; could another market end up taking this station away from Waco and have it allocated to another city? I don't know how that works in markets where only 1 station is licesed to a specific city.

Yes. An Act of Congress requires the FCC to cancel the license of any broadcast station that remains off the air for over a year.

Where only one station is licensed to a specific city, it is nearly impossible to get that channel reallocated somewhere else. The FCC is VERY reluctant to remove a community's only station. The only case I can think of where that has happened was when the licensee proved no site existed which the FAA would approve and which would provide a principal-community signal across the original city-of-license.

However, Waco is not such a city; channels 10#, 25, and 44 are also licensed there.

I suppose it would be possible to reallocate KWBU's channel to another community. Right now, the FCC has frozen petitions to change the Table of Assignments, so it won't happen quickly. If it *does* happen, it would still take years to assign the new channel to a specific applicant.

#I'm referring to the old analog channels, don't remember the new digital assignments for these three stations.

 

[dave73]

(probably David Gleason's site http://www.davidgleason.com/.)

In the analog world (at least almost until the end of analog) full-power analog UHF stations at the same site had to be six channels apart. 20, 26, 32, 38, 44. 50. 60 fit in Aurora as the FCC figured the transmitter would actually be in Kane County. But since nobody had built Gary 56, when the Aurora station applied to locate its transmitter in the Loop, it was approved. Joliet 66 happened about the same time. With Aurora 60 transmitting from the Loop, 56 had to stay in Indiana. (this is also why WJYS channel 62 located its analog transmitter in Tinley Park.) (digital full-power UHF stations can be only two channels apart, in some cases even on directly adjacent channels.)

I suppose Kenosha 55 could have been involved but I doubt it. In any case to my knowledge Kenosha 55 never transmitted from anywhere besides where it ended up at the end of analog.

LeSea Broadcasting was the owner that put channel 55 on the air, and at that time, they were transmitting from Pleasant Prairie. At that time, the signal covered the northern suburbs of Chicago a lot more than when the signal was moved to Racine County. So at that time, 56 wouldn't have been able to transmit from Chicago (1st adjacent). The original tower is still there. It's being used for WWDV Zion (WDRV simulcast). When Pax bought the station, they moved the transmitter to Franksville Wisconsin in order to get coverage over Milwaukee. For digital, they were able to locate at the tower farm in Milwaukee. But once 55 moved further north & advances in analog transmission allowing closer spacing, WYIN could have located on the Sears Tower with a null toward Kenosha. Money was a factor in why they're still at their current site, & not because of WTTW & WYCC. They didn't even want WYIN transmitting from Chicago with a COL of Gary, because they supposedly get a discount on programming, due to their COL, while WTTW & WYCC must pay full price, but also they feared that they would have lost pledge money as well.

 

[arnoldevns]

Let me give you a little background on this station (as I recall and understand it)
It was originally a low power translator of KNCT out of Belton. (KNCT didn't make it in to Waco very well) About 20 years ago it became a full power station with the call letters KCTF. A few years later it was spun off from KNCT to become "Waco's" PBS station. A few years after that, Baylor took over the foundation that owned it and changed the calls to KWBU. (matching the calls of the FM station Baylor runs)

So here's what you need to consider about this station: It is one of 3 PBS stations in the Waco/Temple/Killeen/Bryan/College Station market. (which is really 2 markets)
KNCT is still in Belton and KAMU is still in College Station. On top of that, lots of people still find a way to get KERA out of Dallas and KLRU out of Austin.

KWBU just got lost in the shuffle. There was just no way 3 non-commercial TV stations were going to survive in this market through an economic downturn.

The only way it could have worked is if all 3 were co-owned by the same foundation. And really, what
should have happened was a shut down of KWBU while moving KNCT's transmitter to the antenna farm with
KXXV, KWTX, and KWKT to make it serve the whole Waco/Temple/Killeen area. (KAMU does have a monopoly
on PBS in the Bryan/College Station area.)

I hope that after KWBU goes away, KNCT will consider such a move to serve the Waco area better.
If that doesn't happen, I would not be surprised to see KERA put a translator down in Waco - perhaps on
the same frequency that KWBU operated on.

 

[tripinva]

KNCT likely cannot move closer to Dallas due to spacing problems with KTAQ. Their best bet would be to inherit the KWBU channel (20) and gear.

- Trip

 

[eskipper411]

KWBU was my first DX station! :'(

 

[arnoldevns]

KNCT likely cannot move closer to Dallas due to spacing problems with KTAQ. Their best bet would be to inherit the KWBU channel (20) and gear.

- Trip

That would work. They could keep their virtual channel number the same too.

 

[Markxxx]

What's the cable/dish penetration in Waco?