UHF first to air in mixed VHF-UHF markets

[Mario500]

in mobile alabama dumont station wkab tv channel 48 when on air dec 29 1952 later wala tv came on jan 14 1953 an nbc station nearly everone in mobile could pick up uhf wkab tv went off the air aug 1 1954 it was not in dire trouble alot of uhf stations in mixed markets went off the air also in pensacola florida wpfa tv cbs ch 15 went on the air oc 1953 wear tv ch 3 came on jan 1954 wpfa tv was cbs wear tv abc

Based on my readings, WKAB-TV in Mobile was an independent station.

 

[TexasTom]

I've read that Tyler/Longview had a UHF or 2 (or so) prior to the debuts of KLTV/7 (in 1954) and it's later sister, KTRE/9 (1955) in Lufkin. KTVE/32 began in 1951 at a spot between Longview and Kilgore, according to http://www.chalkhillmedia.org/museum/ktve.htm , but by 1955 it left the air due to the new popularity of KLTV.

KTVE didn't make it on the air in 1951, as the FCC didn't thaw the TV application freeze until 1952 -- which means that the first UHF station didn't come on the air until 1952. That station, the very first commercial UHF station anywhere in the country, was KPTV, channel 27, in Portland, OR -- mentioned by Scott Fybush in previous post in this thread.

 

[easttxtv]

I've read that Tyler/Longview had a UHF or 2 (or so) prior to the debuts of KLTV/7 (in 1954) and it's later sister, KTRE/9 (1955) in Lufkin. KTVE/32 began in 1951 at a spot between Longview and Kilgore, according to http://www.chalkhillmedia.org/museum/ktve.htm , but by 1955 it left the air due to the new popularity of KLTV.

KTVE didn't make it on the air in 1951, as the FCC didn't thaw the TV application freeze until 1952 -- which means that the first UHF station didn't come on the air until 1952. That station, the very first commercial UHF station anywhere in the country, was KPTV, channel 27, in Portland, OR -- mentioned by Scott Fybush in previous post in this thread.

OK, thanx for the update.

 

[rwells2265]

What I'm really curious about is: were there any of these situations in which someone applied for, received a CP, and put a UHF on the air, while all the time there was a vacant VHF allocation that they could (in theory) have applied for? I know there are probably a few, and I still can't imagine WHY, given the problems of UHF reception in the era, someone would have passed up the chance to grab a VHF channel.

Yes, as fortmill mentioned, this happened in Montgomery, Ala. In 1953, WCOV-TV applied for the VHF, and RCA said they didn't have a Channel 12 transmitter available .... but they had a UHF in the chute they could send right out. So WCOV took channel 20 instead. WSFA-TV 12 would sign on Christmas 1954. This story, from all accounts (I used to live in the area) is on the level.

Montgomery is one of the few markets where the pioneering UHF survived over the years, i.e. didn't go dark like so many, or 'upgrade' to V.

--Russell

 

[oburn]

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