Samantha

The Jazz are not in their circulation area. The Rockies are, but with Altitude still blanked out from Comcast after several years... I don't think a team would want to enter that scenario.

I am far from a Standard General defender, but Team Telecom reviewed the deal on the foreign investment/ownership issue and found no national security risks. It's become routine at the FCC for details involving Caribbean foreign capital (and from other countries with which the US has good trade relationship) to receive approval. Some large radio companies had to ask for declaratory rulings on foreign ownership because of actions outside its control (e.g. iHeartMedia when US-based OppenheimerFunds was acquired by Bermuda-organized Invesco in 2019).

Apparently they began broadcasting in HD today, but Cox is not carrying the service in HD. Gray is probably gonna want that to change...

Sorry about not seeing this until now. On March 1, Gray launched the Arizona Family Sports and Entertainment Network on KPHE-LD here in Phoenix. It airs almost all of the KTVK/KPHO newscasts as well as sports programming from Gray's library and the rights to Phoenix Rising FC (USL) soccer and Arizona Interscholastic Association high school championships (PRFC was announced alongside the launch of the channel). KPHE-LD had spent most of the last 15 years as a Spanish-language station. It was the last TV station owned by Lotus—which is primarily a radio operator in the West and has clusters in Las Vegas and Tucson, but not Phoenix. They had intended to sell to Phil Falcone's Sovryn Holdings, but the deal fell through. Gray then spent $1.75 million. Gray also secured a low cable position (13) for it, though it is still broadcast in SD. When Gray filed paperwork in re: what's now KAZF, they went out of their way to note that the station has no contour overlap with KTVK or KPHO—in other words, that it can be programmed separately. I expected them to illuminate at least Flagstaff with this new service, and Yuma is very possible now that I see the content on it. Also worth noting they added a subchannel to KPHE-LD containing Fido TV, which is a niche cable channel about dogs. This must be their first OTA exposure. They also still have two subchannels of infomercials. LATV has disappeared.

I think those call signs explain the intended programming in Flagstaff and Yuma... And I think at this point with the WPGA-TV swap (which will likely give them WPGA-LD too, as that was hived off in the same "Marquee Broadcasting West" subsidiary for the purposes of the trade), we have to start thinking about what a Georgia Sports and Entertainment Network may look like...

It's interesting to see the website URL evolution. Pre-MyFox, KSAZ was fox10.com and still owns that domain. I was baffled when they decided to become fox10phoenix.com post-MyFox. It then occurred to me that it was probably an SEO move.

Yeah, I should have thought of that. WJXX was full force at news launch, but the caveat was that the newscasts launched 10 months after the station. Allbritton had its launch priorities all the wrong way with that station (having had to get it on the air much sooner than anticipated at ABC's behest).

Having recently done extensive research into the histories of a number of the biggest post-New World station builds, they mostly were staggered over a period of months. KSHB had an existing 9pm news which moved to 10 at the time of switch. A 5 was added in October 1994, a 6 in March 1995, but mornings had to wait until the summer of 1996. WDJT added two newscasts at the same time in its March 1996 news debut and then a third shortly thereafter. Weekend news was added the next year. Took them until 2001 to compete in mornings. KNXV started news at 10 on August 1, 1994. They added a 6 in about October, 5 in December, and mornings and middays in January 1995 when the remainder of the ABC programming moved over. WFTS aired its first news on December 12, 1994, but only at 6 and 11. The remaining newscasts showed up in the first four months of 1995. WGNX was not like many of the others. They were not producing a full line of newscasts until the new millennium: just noon, 6, and 11. It was not until Meredith took over that they added morning and 5 p.m. newscasts. WPTY went in all at once in evenings. When they debuted, they had 5, 6, 9 (WLMT) and 10. It took them at LEAST a decade to start a morning newscast! WWJ started with 6 and 11 (not including streaming hours) and has added a newscast in each of the two following weeks. Mornings do seem like they will take a little longer, and I'd expect that because of the time slot. Evening news additions tend to be more incremental, while mornings require a whole other team of on- and off-camera personnel.

Then-WBTI's Dayton translator was more about increasing the coverage area of their subscription TV service. WXIX never had one, as far as I know.

KTAS in San Luis Obispo, California, is being sold by the Palazuelos family to International Communications Network, Inc. for $4 million. ICN owns KSDY-LD in San Diego. Worth noting: the Telemundo affiliation agreement is excluded from the sale! There is a message on their site stating Telemundo Costa Central is moving to KCOY 12.1 + KKFX-CD 24.2 on February 1. These channels carry Dabl. Some years ago KCOY (VistaWest Media) was replaced with a KEYT-CBS subchannel.

Back in October, Produ (a Spanish-language TV news site) announced that Azteca América would close at year's end. And indeed, it has happened. Some stations have announced replacement programming. Others have become blank subchannels. None of the ones we know of are the HC2 transmitters which had become the primary carriers. El Paso KVIA-TV 7.4 — blank screen, infomercials Fresno KMSG-LD 43.2 — LATV (as of December 20) Monterey KMCE-LD 43.1 — Telemax Phoenix KEJR-LD 40.1 — MeTV+ (// 40.2) RGV KRGV-TV 5.2 — "Noticias RGV". This channel will retain its live newscasts at 7am, 12pm, 4pm and 9pm. Caught them running Novelísima (I think that's its name) on their web stream. Sacramento KSAO-LD 49.1 — something called Visión Latina, apparently, and it's religious. Tijuana/San Diego XHAS-TV 33.1 — LATV Tucson KUDF-LD 14.1 — Estrella TV, as of January 2. This station also has some substantial local programming. Yakima KYPK-LD 32.1 — TeleXitos, as of December 26

The length of time this deal has taken to be considered would be a factor. Should this deal fall apart or face federal (DOJ/FCC) opposition, the investment climate is a lot colder than it was when Tegna was soliciting buyers. Higher interest rates, less froth, lower stock prices, etc.

If I went to a focus group and played them the Enforcer theme, I bet only one person at most would recognize that as "the theme for my local newscast" or know that it (in most of the country) has anything to do with CBS. I said in Discord on March 8, 2021, "honestly? I bet Average Joe Viewer couldn't make the connection between Enforcer, CBS Local and...CBS." I later called it "some ditty that most people don't even realize is associated with CBS local news for reasons far from them in time and space". And I stand by those words. Shelly Palmer and later Frank Gari sold that theme mostly to CBS affiliates because of the use of the theme at the CBS O&Os. (Of course, non-CBS affiliates have used the mnemonic—including WVIT and KRIV, O&Os of other networks—and even in some cases had their own versions made, like WHTM's Sheldon Elias-done remix.) The whole point of a brand mnemonic is to provide that familiarity across platforms and expressions. It's really fitting for the News and Stations structure of CBS. This is the same network where the background of the CBS Evening News lists bureaus in Rome, Johannesburg, London...Sacramento and Baltimore. By doing this overhaul in the way they have, CBS has Built on one of its few strengths in the area of local news, the streaming channels. Recognized (at least here with San Francisco) that the newscasts have been titled to be replayable in a loop on CBS News. Executed a brand hierarchy that is forward-thinking and geared to the content-flowing-like-water mantra of Adrienne Roark etc. At the same time, the call letters are being used to reassure viewers in certain markets with especially entrenched or viewed CBS local news brands that this is the same newscast they're used to watching. Brought the local stations news in line with the network news and the network as a whole. If the goal is to improve the reputation of the local product based on CBS News, this will help. Provided a much-needed visual rejuvenation to the local news product. Created an up-to-date look that should help the stations to at least some extent in ratings combined with other improvements to the news product. Broken with the look and feel that stagnated around the CBS stations chain in the Dunn–Friend era.

It looks like Gray's L3s with Arthouse Owned type for the Telemundo newscasts. (Arthouse Owned incidentally was based on Barlow) Also worth noting: the open lists W33EU-D Athens, which was licensed to cover in August. RabbitEars lacks full info. Unsure if they're broadcasting the WKTB mux or the WANF–WPCH mux.

This was the image that was used when the call sign change happened in 1986. Looks like the whole thing was being phased in...the channel has a bump that's from May 16 (not 26) with this slogan and the KMOX-TV calls!