• Get involved.
    We want your input!
    Apply for Membership and join the conversations about everything related to broadcasting.

    After we receive your registration, a moderator will review it. After your registration is approved, you will be permitted to post.
    If you use a disposable or false email address, your registration will be rejected.

    After your membership is approved, please take a minute to tell us a little bit about yourself.
    https://www.radiodiscussions.com/forums/introduce-yourself.1088/

    Thanks in advance and have fun!
    RadioDiscussions Administrators

What is this?

> One of the UHF home shopping channels now has those call
> letters.

Not any more. KVVV was the call for Channel 57 when it ran ValueVision, but that station flipped to KAZH Azteca America several years ago. The KVVV calls then went to the low power Channel 53, which was a repeater for KAZH when 57 was still transmitting from the Alvin area tower. I think 53 has been off the air since 57 moved to their new Missouri City stick in 2003--I've seen nothing on 53 the times I've checked since then.

KVVV Channel 16 was an early failed UHF station, licensed to Galveston, IIRC.

To get to the ad, go to the homepage first (without the / suffix) then click on the "Early Texas UHF Stations" link, and scroll down. Also has ads for the old KNUZ-TV 39.
 
Channel 16 was deleted from the Houston area and was moved to Corpus. Also, KVVV showed Star Trek re-runs when it came on the air.
 
> Channel 16 was deleted from the Houston area and was moved
> to Corpus. Also, KVVV showed Star Trek re-runs when it came
> on the air.

When the old KLYX (now KMJQ) 102.1 upped their power to 100kW
back in the late 60's they went on the Channel 16 tower. It
was on FM528 west of Friendswood, and was a pretty nice facility.
It's a shame the TV station didn't make it, but it was way too early
for UHF in Houston.
 
> It's a shame the TV station didn't make it, but it was way
> too early for UHF in Houston.

I was unaware Channel 16 had been around that late. Anyone know what year it went dark?

The DFW area had quite a few failures and stillborns on UHF as well. Markets with the big three networks on VHF were tough to crack. Austin was a big exception, with its lone full power V, along with several network affiliated U's.
 
Most UHF's from the 1950's failed because TV manufacturers were not required to put UHF tuners in their sets. If a viewer wanted to watch a UHF, they had to buy a special set-top converter box and antenna.

Besides channel 16 in Houston, other early Texas UHF stations included:

Houston - KXYZ channel 29
Houston - KNUZ channel 39
Dallas - KLIF channel 29
Tyler - KETX channel 19
Longview - KTVE channel 32
 
> Most UHF's from the 1950's failed because TV manufacturers
> were not required to put UHF tuners in their sets. If a
> viewer wanted to watch a UHF, they had to buy a special
> set-top converter box and antenna.
>
> Besides channel 16 in Houston, other early Texas UHF
> stations included:
>
> Houston - KXYZ channel 29
> Houston - KNUZ channel 39
> Dallas - KLIF channel 29
> Tyler - KETX channel 19
> Longview - KTVE channel 32
>
And there was a 21 in Beaumont back in the late 50s or early 60s! Tower is still up in Vidor now owned by ATC...one of my ex employers, who was CE at KFDM for many decades, had a commercial multi repeater system on the old 21 feedline...antenna of course was long gone...IIRC, it beat KBMT12 on the air but could not get ABC affiliation.
 
> And there was a 21 in Beaumont back in the late 50s or early
> 60s! Tower is still up in Vidor now owned by ATC...one of my
> ex employers, who was CE at KFDM for many decades, had a
> commercial multi repeater system on the old 21
> feedline...antenna of course was long gone...IIRC, it beat
> KBMT12 on the air but could not get ABC affiliation.

I barely remember hearing about 21 in Beaumont, but I think it
lasted less than a year. Getting KBMT on the air took some doing,
since it's considerably short-spaced to co-channel KSLA Shreveport.
Their pattern is still somewhat directional after all these years: www.fcc.gov/fcc-bin/FMTV-service-area?x=TV45802.html
 
> I barely remember hearing about 21 in Beaumont, but I think
> it lasted less than a year. Getting KBMT on the air took some
> doing, since it's considerably short-spaced to co-channel KSLA
> Shreveport. Their pattern is still somewhat directional after all these
> years: www.fcc.gov/fcc-bin/FMTV-service-area?x=TV45802.html

Yeah, KBMT 1st signed on at Sabine Pass...the 500ft tower is still there owned by ATC now and had to go directional when they moved to Mauriceville...KBMT wants to remain on 12 after DTV conversion..not sure if Shreveport will be as well...

Beaumont also had one of the early FMs in the state on the current band....99.5 KRIC....later it had to move to 97.5 because the 2nd harmonic fell within TV 11...and when KHOU was KGUL, it was the only thing watchable in the BPT area....and 99.5 made that rough...so the FCC swapped 99.5 for 97.5 in LCH in the 50s(and now you know the REST of the story ;)
 
> Beaumont also had one of the early FMs in the state on the
> current band....99.5 KRIC....later it had to move to 97.5
> because the 2nd harmonic fell within TV 11...and when KHOU
> was KGUL, it was the only thing watchable in the BPT
> area....and 99.5 made that rough...so the FCC swapped 99.5
> for 97.5 in LCH in the 50s(and now you know the REST of the
> story ;)

Thanks CW. I remembered KRIC being on 99.5, but I didn't recall
the details of why they moved.
 
> > Beaumont also had one of the early FMs in the state on the
>
> > current band....99.5 KRIC....later it had to move to 97.5
> > because the 2nd harmonic fell within TV 11...and when KHOU
>
> > was KGUL, it was the only thing watchable in the BPT
> > area....and 99.5 made that rough...so the FCC swapped 99.5
>
> > for 97.5 in LCH in the 50s(and now you know the REST of
> the
> > story ;)
>
> Thanks CW. I remembered KRIC being on 99.5, but I didn't
> recall
> the details of why they moved.
>
When I worked at KAYC/KAYD in the 70s, I found a copy of the BMT newspaper that had the story on the front page (and a BIG apology that headlined "ITS NOT OUR FAULT!") while rummaging around the Egr dept one morning...it was interesting reading over coffee ;)
 
Status
This thread has been closed due to inactivity. You can create a new thread to discuss this topic.


Back
Top Bottom