Spectrum Auction Results

[Eat News 4745]

Wouldn't hurt. Broadcasting on a VHF-low feed isn't very desirable, which is why WTVF switched back to a UHF signal a couple of years after the digital switchover happened.

 

Let me tell ya something..

 

I have a straight 20mile shot direct line of site path to 2 VHF-hi's...and it's over water...

I get a 50-50 chance of a picture.

 

Now off the same antenna (omni,vert, 165mhz center freq. dipole.) I have no problem seeing UHF's as far as Santa Barbara (200 miles) away.

 

Analog I could see KEYT-3 most the time...and all the VHF's out of Tijuana and San Diego.

 

VHF digital just plain sucks unless you are in the AAA+++ coverage area.

[TheOneManHerd 553]

Let me tell ya something..

 

I have a straight 20mile shot direct line of site path to 2 VHF-hi's...and it's over water...

I get a 50-50 chance of a picture.

 

Now off the same antenna (omni,vert, 165mhz center freq. dipole.) I have no problem seeing UHF's as far as Santa Barbara (200 miles) away.

 

Analog I could see KEYT-3 most the time...and all the VHF's out of Tijuana and San Diego.

 

VHF digital just plain sucks unless you are in the AAA+++ coverage area.

UHF is king.

[mvcg66b3r 100]

Atlantic City can't catch a break...WMCN will reportedly share with WPHY-CD on channel 22 from an antenna in the Chestnut Hill section of Philly, so its new signal won't go near the shore. A COL change is in order.

http://www.rabbitears.info/market.php?request=station_search&callsign=9739#station

[broadcastfan9751 140]

Atlantic City can't catch a break...WMCN will reportedly share with WPHY-CD on channel 22 from an antenna in the Chestnut Hill section of Philly, so its new signal won't go near the shore. A COL change is in order.

http://www.rabbitears.info/market.php?request=station_search&callsign=9739#station

[ATTACH=full]4260[/ATTACH]

 

According to the FCC application, that new COL will be Cherry Hill, NJ.

[mvcg66b3r 100]

WJAL Hagerstown MD is apparently sharing with WUSA on RF 9, meaning it will finally get the metro coverage it wanted. COL change coming here, too? I wouldn't be surprised if Entravision strikes an LMA with Tegna to produce newscasts for WJAL and WFDC.

http://www.rabbitears.info/market.php?request=station_search&callsign=10259#station

[rkolsen 1684]

I'm curious about how stations will handle legal IDs? Will the station have to list the physical channel that they are on in addition to their virtual channel?

[CircleSeven 1955]

I'm curious about how stations will handle legal IDs? Will the station have to list the physical channel that they are on in addition to their virtual channel?

 

I strongly doubt the FCC would require stations display the physical channels on the ID liners. That would be a nice way to confuse the public.

[broadcastfan9751 140]

I'm curious about how stations will handle legal IDs? Will the station have to list the physical channel that they are on in addition to their virtual channel?

 

Legally, stations only have to include the call sign and community of license in their legal ID. Including the frequency or channel number is optional.

[mvcg66b3r 100]

WJAL Hagerstown MD is apparently sharing with WUSA on RF 9, meaning it will finally get the metro coverage it wanted. COL change coming here, too? I wouldn't be surprised if Entravision strikes an LMA with Tegna to produce newscasts for WJAL and WFDC.

http://www.rabbitears.info/market.php?request=station_search&callsign=10259#station

[ATTACH=full]4277[/ATTACH]

Here's the application; new COL is Silver Spring MD.

https://enterpriseefiling.fcc.gov/dataentry/public/tv/draftCopy.html?displayType=html&appKey=25076f915d7618f8015d7667287b0044&id=25076f915d7618f8015d7667287b0044&goBack=N

Channel Sharing Agreement: https://enterpriseefiling.fcc.gov/dataentry/api/download/attachment/25076f915d7618f8015d87974c7509ad

Amendment to Technical Summary Exhibit:

https://enterpriseefiling.fcc.gov/dataentry/api/download/attachment/25076f915e13ff59015e158a46c00115

[Eat News 4745]

Legally, stations only have to include the call sign and community of license in their legal ID. Including the frequency or channel number is optional.

 

At KOFY TV 20 you also include the Name and Breed...

 

[CircleSeven 1955]

WCWG turned off its RF 19 signal today, and is now channel sharing with WXII 12 on RF 31 (it will move to RF 16 post-repack).

 

But there were a few complaints since the move. Areas south of Asheboro can no longer receive the CW signal like they use to from the former signal, because WXII's transmitter is north of the Winston-Salem area. Here's the two contours (the former and the latter) together for comparision.

 

Others complained after the channel move that they gotten rid of the Laff & Escape diginets, but kept Bounce.

[GoldenShine9 1513]

This ties into the Sinclair-Tribune deal, but does this mean that WCWG is now completely removed from the Triad market and it is essentially part of WXII? If that is indeed true, then there are only 8 full-power stations left. I know Hearst can't acquire WCWG outright as there is no room for a second duopoly regardless.

 

Sinclair would have to divest WGHP to keep the existing duopoly, or they would have to be broken up three ways.

[CircleSeven 1955]

Even though WXII and WCWG now channel share on the same frequency, they still operate as two separate stations by two separate owners, separate callsigns and facility IDs.

[TheRolyPoly 2451]

Even though WXII and WCWG now channel share on the same frequency, they still operate as two separate stations by two separate owners, separate callsigns and facility IDs.

 

Is this the first such instance of a channel share that has taken place as a result of the Spectrum Auction?

[CircleSeven 1955]

Is this the first such instance of a channel share that has taken place as a result of the Spectrum Auction?

 

There are a few stations in the country that are channel-sharing now, like the ones in Northern California (KCNS/KTNC). But this is probably the first that are among the big-5 network affiliate stations, but I could be wrong. But expect more of this in the coming weeks and months.

______________

 

Okay. I mentioned this earlier on the Out and About about Weigel acquiring a Utah station (KCSG) for $1.1M.

 

Weigel is using the licensee name "TV-49, Inc." which is the same licensee as Milwaukee station WMLW-TV, which was sucessfully sold at auction, and will channel share with WDJT.

 

I have a question. Is this similar to a "Like Kind Exchange" or something along those lines?

[Mrtraveler01 738]

Even though WXII and WCWG now channel share on the same frequency, they still operate as two separate stations by two separate owners, separate callsigns and facility IDs.

 

That being said, this is a special case since WCWG's owners (Lockhart) have established an SSA with WXII as a result of this. One example of this is that WXII's newscasts that used to be on their MeTV subchannel are moving to the new CW subchannel.

 

 

As you can imagine, it's confusing viewers in the Triad:

 

http://www.journalnow.com/news/ask_sam/ask-sam-why-is-wxii-carrying-news-on-cw-channel/article_6315a920-ddae-5b74-bcb6-8ef92b5a1c3d.html

[broadcastfan9751 140]

There's a new sharing agreement in Connecticut, and in a first, it's a three-way share.

 

NRJ's WZME (which is technically in the NYC market) sold its spectrum in the auction and will share with Connecticut Public Broadcasting's WEDW. But, Connecticut Public Broadcasting also sold one of its other satellite stations, WEDY in New Haven, and it too will share with WEDW. So three stations on one RF channel.

 

Apparently, there was also going to be an additional station sharing with WEDW, but that station was apparently not successful in the auction and was redacted from the version of the CSA submitted with WZME's sharing application.

[CircleSeven 1955]

Looks like another spectrum-less station is moving to an ABC allotment to "share".

 

In June, it was announced that Univision's WXFT will be sharing with Chicago's WLS.

 

Now, Estrella's flagship station in LA, KRCA will be sharing with KABC on RF 7.

[CircleSeven 1955]

New station shutdown. Bonten's shell Esteem-owned WFXI 8 will shut down at 11am on September 6.

 

The station received over $42M in the spectrum auction. WFXI's satellite WYDO will be the sole Fox station in the Greenville market. Comparing both contours, only the extreme eastern sections (adjacent to the water) will lose Fox OTA.

[CircleSeven 1955]

Two Trib stations have found new spots.

 

Harrisburg's Fox affiliate WPMT will be channel sharing with PBS member station WITF on RF 36.

 

Also Washington's CW affiliate WDCW will be channel sharing with Univision-owned station WFDC on RF 15.

[TheRolyPoly 2451]

That being said, this is a special case since WCWG's owners (Lockhart) have established an SSA with WXII as a result of this. One example of this is that WXII's newscasts that used to be on their MeTV subchannel are moving to the new CW subchannel.

 

 

As you can imagine, it's confusing viewers in the Triad:

 

http://www.journalnow.com/news/ask_sam/ask-sam-why-is-wxii-carrying-news-on-cw-channel/article_6315a920-ddae-5b74-bcb6-8ef92b5a1c3d.html

 

Since then, they have added morning news from 7:00-9:00 a.m. and will soon add hour-long news at 4:00 p.m. The dilemma of WXII and WCWG for Triad residents continue.

[CircleSeven 1955]

The rabbit ears dot com listings show WLWC, the CW affiliate for Rhode Island, channel sharing with WPXQ, ION for RI, starting October 1.

 

Here's the video notice of the shutdown.

 

We should know the new CW allotment from WPRI soon.

[CircleSeven 1955]

We have some channel changes.

 

Nexstar's KSEE 24 was proposed to move from RF 38 to RF 16. They've have filed a modified app to move to RF 20,

 

And Ion's Phoenix station KPPX, which proposed to move from RF 51 ro RF 14, will be moving to RF 31.

 

Also, a new channel sharing agreement.

 

NRJ TV owned WMFP (the station that's carrying NBC Boston on 60.5), the station will be channel sharing with WWDP on VHF signal, RF 10.

[Samantha 2896]

And Ion's Phoenix station KPPX, which proposed to move from RF 51 to RF 14, will be moving to RF 31.

 

This is actually not a move. KPPX has been operating on RF 31 since October 7, 2016. It moved (with T-Mobile support) to RF 31 last year to allow T-Mo to deploy 700 MHz A-block cell service in the Phoenix area.

 

The reason they were not immediately given 31 in repacking (besides the move being a fairly late development) is that Ion is actually allowing itself to take more interference than would otherwise be acceptable from KUAT (RF 30) in Tucson.

[CircleSeven 1955]

So LocusPoint is selling another station. A station that was unable to sell its spectrum in the auction. WMGM.

 

Who are they selling it to? Univision. For $6M.

 

The FCC greenlighted the WMGM deal yesterday. They're awaiting for the greenlight on WBIN.