Changes in DFW's LPTV market

[JHBrandt]

KLEG/44 seems to be off the air again. I have no knowledge of whether this is a technical or a financial issue.

KLEG/44 is back after being off the air for three days, so probably was a technical issue.

[JHBrandt]

KQFW proposes to broadcast from Garland, while their sister station KWDA broadcasts from downtown Dallas. Perhaps they've decided they need a translator in that area for viewers lacking outdoor antennas.

That's still the best theory I have. KQFW has, for the second time, applied to displace to RF 24. They are actually licensed on RF 56 but AFAIK they're not broadcasting. Why else would they want to broadcast from Garland when KWDA has one subchannel with color bars, one with a static page soliciting programming, and one with nothing more than an animated logo?

Their previous RF 24 application was rejected by the FCC, citing excessive interference with K25FW. But I didn't see any changes in this application. The interference report they filed looked exactly the same. It appears to meet FCC regulations, showing interference with only 0.4% of K25FW's potential viewers. But the FCC did their own analysis and came to a different conclusion last time.

BTW, a bit of trivia: D/FW now has 7 consecutive virtual channel numbers: 25 (K25FW), 26 (KODF), 27 (KDFI), 28 (KHPK), 29 (KMPX), 30 (KWDA), and 31 (K31GL). If this goes through, it will add 23 (KUVN) and presumably 24 (KQFW) for a total of 9 in a row. And then if KNAV goes online, that'd add 20 (KBOP), 21 (KTXA), and 22 (KNAV) for a total of 12 in a row! I wonder what the national record is?

[JHBrandt]

KHFD actually applied to boost to 15 kW using a full service mask filter.  The claim is that even with the power boost, adding the mask filter drops out of band emissions by more than 10 dB.

- Trip

The FCC's Web master finally got the service contour maps working on all these new applications. Looks like KHFD's new application not only boosts the power but also moves to a non-directional antenna. So if this is approved some folks will see even more than a 5 dB increase, particularly toward the south.

Also, KSFW/2 would reach from Ft. Worth all the way to Garland where I live. Nevertheless, chances are I'll never see them - I filter VHF-Lo out so I can use RF 3 and 4 for in-home signal distribution. I'll reconsider the day VHF-Lo has something worth watching.

[tripinva]

KHFD has not applied for an omni; if you're seeing it like that, then the map was just generated wrong.  I complained to Dale Bickel about that bug several months ago and he asked that any maps generated incorrectly like that be reported to him.

I now generate my own contour maps for RabbitEars, usually within 24 hours of the application appearing in the FCC database.  Here's KHFD at 15 kW:  http://www.rabbitears.info/contour.php?appid=1446630

- Trip

[DToTheJ]

I noticed something called GBC World News on 34.2 & 50.4 the other day... I found the website gbctv.us says it's an independent news channel based in Houston. It has a decent production value, but is heavily focused on world news.   

One word: BBC.

One more word: lawsuit. 

[tested]

I noticed something called GBC World News on 34.2 & 50.4 the other day... I found the website gbctv.us says it's an independent news channel based in Houston. It has a decent production value, but is heavily focused on world news.   

One word: BBC.

One more word: lawsuit. 

I don't get your post.  It's not the BBC and it's not trying to look like the BBC.  As far as I can it hasn't been sued by the BBC either.  What is your point?

[JHBrandt]

I noticed something called GBC World News on 34.2 & 50.4 the other day... I found the website gbctv.us says it's an independent news channel based in Houston. It has a decent production value, but is heavily focused on world news.   

One word: BBC.

One more word: lawsuit. 

I'm no lawyer but I don't see any trademark or other infringement here. Trademarking "BBC World News" doesn't outlaw "GBC World News" any more than it'd outlaw "ABC World News."

Murdoch's News Corp. owns The Times of London and regularly goes after other papers that call themselves The Times. But even Murdoch knows you can't go after The New York Times, The St. Petersburg Times, El Tiempo, etc.

Now if GBC World News has been stealing BBC's material and airing it as their own, then you have a lawsuit! But just because they have similar names and are competing in the same business? I don't think so.

(That said, there does seem to be some vagueness in trademark law. Remember waay back in the 80's, when IBM released their successor to the PC, the "PS/2," which ran "OS/2?" Afterwards IBM successfully threatened just about anyone selling hardware or software with a name ending in "/2" into changing the name, claiming the "/2" would mislead buyers into believing the product was made by IBM. I don't know if any of those threats ever resulted in a lawsuit - who wants to take on IBM, even if you're pretty sure you're right? But by trademarking two similar names, IBM did seem to effectively trademark the common suffix.)

[TheRover]

After doing a channel scan the other day, I found the most sub-channel slots I have seen anywhere, on CH 21.2- 21.9.

I don't know who is broadcasting 21.2 - 21.9. There is not channel name or ID that comes up in my Digital TV directory.

[Bob E. Nelson]

After doing a channel scan the other day, I found the most sub-channel slots I have seen anywhere, on CH 21.2- 21.9.

I don't know who is broadcasting 21.2 - 21.9. There is not channel name or ID that comes up in my Digital TV directory.

It's KWDA. The correct virtual channel is 30 but some devices get the mapping wrong.

[Bob E. Nelson]

KHFD actually applied to boost to 15 kW using a full service mask filter.  The claim is that even with the power boost, adding the mask filter drops out of band emissions by more than 10 dB.

KHFD's CP has been granted and they have until 12/29/2014 to fire up the new facility (going from the current 15 kW to the newly-approved power of 15 kW).