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Update: KWBU Not Dead Yet

DToTheJ

DToTheJ

Contrary to a previous report that KWBU-TV would shut down on June 1 due to lack of funding, the station is still on the air, albeit without local programming as well as select PBS programs. KWBU's contract with PBS is scheduled to expire on June 30, so they are likely to sign off at that point.

But they may not necessarily go dark. It is being reported that their broadcast channel will air programming "for another month", but it is unclear what that programming will consist of.

Full story:
http://www.wacotrib.com/news/Some-KWBU-TV-programming-will-disappear-Tuesday.html
 
This sounds to me like a contractural thing. They've got some commitments they have to keep and the only way to do it is to stay on the air a little longer. It is also possible they're trying to find a buyer for the station, but at this point I find that highly doubtful.

Funny thing; I picked them up last night here in Plano. All those storms to our south created just the right atmospheric conditions to pick up some of the Waco stations.
 
I'd be interested in finding out what programming it will air starting July 1. Will it be similar to the programming that runs on WYBE/Philadelphia?
 
DToTheJ said:
I'd be interested in finding out what programming it will air starting July 1. Will it be similar to the programming that runs on WYBE/Philadelphia?
Click to expand...

This post makes no sense. Why would a station in Waco air similar programming to a station across the country? Please explain.
 
tested said:
DToTheJ said:
I'd be interested in finding out what programming it will air starting July 1. Will it be similar to the programming that runs on WYBE/Philadelphia?
Click to expand...

This post makes no sense. Why would a station in Waco air similar programming to a station across the country? Please explain.
Click to expand...

I think what the original poster meant that KWBU would strike out on its own by being an independent public station without the support of PBS, not necessarily carrying the same programming, or type of programming, as WYBE.

Of course, according to the article, it seems that KWBU will be dark completely come August -- the article stated that its contract with PBS will end at the end of June, and they plan to remain on the air for at least one more month after that. The staff has already gone (other than whoever's running the transmitters), and the station plan on selling off its equipment.

As for why Baylor is keeping KWBU on life support instead of shutting down entirely right now is unknown, other than maybe keeping it on in order to attact a potential buyer.

Of course, KNCT will be taking over KWBU's cable slot on Time Warner in July, after KWBU's PBS programming completely ends.
 
According to the KWBU website, they will run alternative PBS networks until July 31.

KWBU will cease airing PBS programming on June 30th, but we will continue broadcasting until July 31st. Below is the line-up:

34.1 – Create
34.2 – Create
34.4 – V-me
KWBU will be completely off the cable systems and DirecTV as of July 1st. Time Warner, Grande and DirecTV will replace KWBU with KNCT.
 
Not sure why I thought of this just now, but I recall that KWBU (and it's low power PBS version) wasn't the first station on Channel 34 in Waco.

KANG-TV Channel 34 signed on the air in Waco on November 1, 1953. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_television_stations_in_Texas) This was about a year and a half before KWTX. The important factor in KANG's favor was that it was owned by Lyndon B. Johnson's broadcasting company. They also owned KTBC in Austin. For some reason (hint hint) LBJ's TV stations managed to get affiliations with all the networks at the time, even if there were competitors in town. So, from the time it signed on in 1953 to the time it signed off on December 13, 1955, KANG was affiliated with NBC, ABC, CBS and Dumont. KWTX started out as an independent in April of 1955 with almost exclusively local programming. It could not get a network to affiliate with it. However, despite the fact KANG had all the networks, it suffered in the ratings because few people could get UHF on their TV sets. Ultimately, a merger was worked out between the two stations. KWTX got the network programming and KANG went dark.

Now, for a second time.. channel 34 will soon go dark.
 
tested said:
For some reason (hint hint) LBJ's TV stations managed to get affiliations with all the networks at the time, even if there were competitors in town.
Click to expand...

The reason may have been money. Please recall in that day all network delivery was terrestrial, by phone company microwave or land lines, a pretty expensive proposition. KANG may have had all the networks because it was using the same network path that was feeding KTBC in Austin. KWTX may have had the money to get on the air but not the money for the network feed.
 
Fred, that's a nice thought.. but not true. KWTX was basically owned by a bunch of bankers in Waco. They had the money to hook in to any network that would have them. LBJ didn't want them to, so they weren't allowed to. What LBJ couldn't overcome was the fact that few people could see his station and everyone with a TV could see KWTX.
 
Yes, at the time though they didn't treat Waco/Temple/Killeen as one market. KCEN was by itself in the Temple area. You'll recall that for quite a while Dallas and Fort Worth were treated as separate TV markets too. That allowed channels 5 and 8 to have some of the same network affiliations for several years.
 
You're right. It wasn't unusual for early FM and TV stations to put out a few hundred watts. We could consider them LPFMs and LPTVs today.
 
You are absolutely right. Antenna farms were not the norm for areas like this until later.

That's one reason why the situation with KWBU has been so odd to me. (getting back on topic a bit) It is now located at the antenna farm for the Waco/Temple/Killeen market and serves all 3 cities quite well. I am surprised that KNCT hasn't done something to buy the transmission facilities of KWBU and move there. KNCT's transmitter is down south and does not cover the whole market nearly as well. I would assume the FCC would allow them to map to 46.x numbers even if they moved to KWBU's digital assignment of channel 20.
 
fredcantu said:
According to the KWBU website, they will run alternative PBS networks until July 31.

KWBU will cease airing PBS programming on June 30th, but we will continue broadcasting until July 31st. Below is the line-up:

34.1 – Create
34.2 – Create
34.4 – V-me
KWBU will be completely off the cable systems and DirecTV as of July 1st. Time Warner, Grande and DirecTV will replace KWBU with KNCT.
Click to expand...

Any more news now that July 31 has passed? Are they off the air now?
 
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