WBKI Channel 34 Question

[Bengalsfan]

The thing that really surprised me during all the analog to digital swithover was the fact that WAVE minimized their coverage by a huge amount. Their analog signal delivered a grade-A signal to Lexington and also could be seen quite well in the Cincinnati area. I don't understand why they retreated to their old Floyds Knob site for the digital switch when they had a 1700' stick in LaGrange. WAVE is hardly ever seen here in Lexington anymore.

If they had built that mast even twenty years earlier it would have made a difference. By the time it was erected much of the audience utilized Cable.

The reason for abandoning the tower for DTV was due to the distance from the market. Yes, analog WAVE had a wonderful signal in Lexington. All you had to do was lay the dipoles horizontal and there it was. But there is no money for WAVE in Lexington and the risk of signal issues in the home market outweighed that monster signal. WMTW Portland, Maine abandon Mt Washington for the same reason.

With the digital signal, I've read about the possibility of more than one transmitter broadcasting on the same frequency the same signal. I've heard this utilizing LPTV towers, but would it be possible for the LaGrange tower to be the main tower, and have the Floyds Knob tower act as a secondary tower for Louisville and points west? I think this site might explain it in more detail: http://www.bcs.co.in/whitepapers/Single frequency network overview.pdf

One thing that's a given in digital TV is that any interference results in no lock...even if the tuning meter shows a healthy signal level. I'd think that having two of them on the same frequency would result in huge problems. Speaking of signals on same channels, I wonder when the LPTV in Salem Indiana on channel 17 will be moving? WKPC DT is on the same channel 23 miles away...this amazing short spacing has been in effect for years! I'm nearly 60 miles from the LPTV and it used to have about 20% snow in it here until WKPC DT came on. All traces of the LPTV are gone here. Looks like they've had a CP to move to channel 40 for about 5 years now, but they're still on 17. Amazing...

They were granted an extension in November of '09. In the application, they anticipated the station being built by Feb of '10. What are the odds they don't have it built by then? ;-)