KENV (Elko, NV) Losing Affiliation, Shuttering News Dept.

[effseesee 101]

 

I think it's worth noting that IWCC had an unusually long-term affiliation agreement with NBC — 17 years. The affiliation agreement that ends on New Year's Eve came into force on January 1, 2001. This affiliation agreement covered all of IWCC's NBC affiliates, including its semi- and full satellites. (KENV and KBGF-LD are the last of these stations to be operating, but at least KBGF had its own DMA.)

 

In that time, not only was IWCC broken up (and its principal died), but so too NBC was sold. (Not to mention all sorts of technological change.) There were two amendments to this affiliation agreement, which consisted of a 28% reduction in affiliation fee in 2012, and the removal of the stations that IWCC shed in 2013.

 

It was the length of the agreement — when will you ever see a network sign a 17-year affiliation contract with anyone again (Entravision had a 25-year deal with Univision but that is just not comparable)— that permitted KENV to be stable. By comparison, KSL's current agreement started on January 1, 2012.

 

Jim Rogers and Bob Wright were good friends. When it was time to renegotiate the affiliation agreement, he gave up his network compensation (which NBC was slowly eliminating) in return for the longest term possible,

[Eat News 4738]

Jim Rogers and Bob Wright were good friends. When it was time to renegotiate the affiliation agreement, he gave up his network compensation (which NBC was slowly eliminating) in return for the longest term possible,

 

Well I learn something new here every day...interesting tidbit.

[Samantha 2876]

Well, here's the final webcast.

[Eat News 4738]

Well, here's the final webcast.

 

And I was just starting to really like Lori Gilbert...now I already miss her.

She was doing 3 minute packages.,..and she was even a volunteer firefighter in Elko.

[Samantha 2876]

Here is the final actual newscast...

 

http://kenvtv.com/news/videos/friday-december-22-news-10-newscast-1

 

http://kenvtv.com/news/videos/friday-december-22-news-10-newscast-2

 

The technical-minded of us will appreciate this detail from a newly left Facebook comment by Bob Monger:

 

Well, it was a hell of a run, wasn't it Lori? I started with KENV as a temp. construction laborer pulling wires through a brand new building way, way, way back when. As each new piece of equipment was put in place it fell to me to read the service manual and run it through its paces. From there I went to Master Control (we used 4 SVHS tape machines and a hand operated switcher). From there to cameras, lighting and sound tech. (my forte'!), technical producer, IT editor, voice over "talent"-along with a bit of plumbing, carpentry, and cement work-you name it. I don't know how many times I "got" to drive to the top of Grindstone Peak in bad weather to babysit that balky transmitter--sometimes just to throw a switch and put us back on the air. We even had to write our own service manuals for the station's operation because no one had ever done what we were attempting to do. Ah, good times!

 

S-VHS tape machines! Wow!

[caliwxdude 252]

For all we know Sinclair could have pushed NBC to pull the affiliation. I imagine if they turned it into a satellite station or semi satellite with local ads they would be okay with it. Maybe they could have the majority of the newscasts originate from Reno but say have a local half hour newscast.

 

Unlikely. As others have said, this was an NBC decision driven by Nielsen classifying Elko in the Salt Lake City DMA. Given that, KRNV wouldn't have been able to establish KENV as a satellite anyway—in the best-case scenario, Sinclair sells the station to Bonneville which turns it into a KSL satellite.

 

That being said, it really sucks to see another small town news operation go away...even if it was as incredibly small as what KENV was doing. (Aside, I'd have to think they'd get more eyeballs on a newscast at the traditional evening times vs. a 6:00am show, but I guess they had the numbers to back it up.) Shaw/Global in Canada seems to have the small-market stuff mostly figured out...have to wonder if their centralized content/production/master control model might help some of these smaller stations stick around.

[JCB4TV 330]

Unlikely. As others have said, this was an NBC decision driven by Nielsen classifying Elko in the Salt Lake City DMA. Given that, KRNV wouldn't have been able to establish KENV as a satellite anyway—in the best-case scenario, Sinclair sells the station to Bonneville which turns it into a KSL satellite.

 

That being said, it really sucks to see another small town news operation go away...even if it was as incredibly small as what KENV was doing. (Aside, I'd have to think they'd get more eyeballs on a newscast at the traditional evening times vs. a 6:00am show, but I guess they had the numbers to back it up.) Shaw/Global in Canada seems to have the small-market stuff mostly figured out...have to wonder if their centralized content/production/master control model might help some of these smaller stations stick around.

It's my belief that NBC has made the decision that the people of Elko, NV receive their programming from KSL-TV and not KRNV, KTVB, or even an Elko based station. Just ask those in Atlantic City and Hagerstown who are now watching NBC on O&Os WCAU & WRC.

[Eat News 4738]

It's my belief that NBC has made the decision that the people of Elko, NV receive their programming from KSL-TV and not KRNV, KTVB, or even an Elko based station. Just ask those in Atlantic City and Hagerstown who are now watching NBC on O&Os WCAU & WRC.

 

I'm going to take a wild guess that the LDS (Mormon) church may have some factoring influence in this situation. Elko is a Mormon stake. It's about 16-18% LDS.

 

 

Just my wild hunch now that I look into this a bit more closely.

[T.L. Hughes 746]

Unlikely. As others have said, this was an NBC decision driven by Nielsen classifying Elko in the Salt Lake City DMA. Given that, KRNV wouldn't have been able to establish KENV as a satellite anyway—in the best-case scenario, Sinclair sells the station to Bonneville which turns it into a KSL satellite.

 

That being said, it really sucks to see another small town news operation go away...even if it was as incredibly small as what KENV was doing. (Aside, I'd have to think they'd get more eyeballs on a newscast at the traditional evening times vs. a 6:00am show, but I guess they had the numbers to back it up.) Shaw/Global in Canada seems to have the small-market stuff mostly figured out...have to wonder if their centralized content/production/master control model might help some of these smaller stations stick around.

I've been mulling over this ever since I saw this thread. Why is Sinclair choosing to turn KENV into a Comet affiliate, and not switch it to another major network... you know, one that's in the same market, and which is affiliated with a station in said market that Sinclair already owns... or does KUTV's signal penetrate so far enough into the Elko area that making it a semi-satellite or a full satellite isn't palpable?

[Eat News 4738]

Here is the final actual newscast...

 

http://kenvtv.com/news/videos/friday-december-22-news-10-newscast-1

 

http://kenvtv.com/news/videos/friday-december-22-news-10-newscast-2

 

The technical-minded of us will appreciate this detail from a newly left Facebook comment by Bob Monger:

 

 

 

S-VHS tape machines! Wow!

 

Well you can you still get 3 VHS T-120's for a buck, at the Elko "Dollar General"?

I bet KENV owned a few "VHS re-winders" so they could get a few more years of life out of the VHS decks.

 

Did the mics use those olde tyme 1/4inch "phono" jacks?

[mvcg66b3r 97]

Well you can still get 3 VHS T-120's for a buck, at the Elko "Dollar General".

I bet KENV owned a few "VHS re-winders" so they could get a few more years off the tape decks.

 

Did the mics use those olde tyme 1/4inch "phono" jacks?

 

Last I checked, there are no Dollar Generals in Elko, but there are two Family Dollar stores.

https://www.google.com/search?q=Dollar+General+Elko+NV&oq=Dollar+General+Elko+NV&aqs=chrome..69i57.4943j0j4&sourceid=chrome&{google:instantExtendedEnabledParameter}ie=UTF-8

[Samantha 2876]

I've been mulling over this ever since I saw this thread. Why is Sinclair choosing to turn KENV into a Comet affiliate, and not switch it to another major network... you know, one that's in the same market, and which is affiliated with a station in said market that Sinclair already owns... or does KUTV's signal penetrate so far enough into the Elko area that making it a semi-satellite or a full satellite isn't palpable?

 

Elko viewers already get KTVN. CBS may not have wanted or saw the need to let Sinclair relay KUTV to Elko. Also, I don't know if KUTV has ever been viewed in Elko.

 

Honestly, SBG could have worked with the translator district to put KJZZ on the KENV transmitter, making it a full satellite and freeing up one of the translator district's channels to relay KRNV.

[mvcg66b3r 97]

Honestly, SBG could have worked with the translator district to put KJZZ or KMYU on the KENV transmitter, making it a full satellite and freeing up one of the translator district's channels to relay KRNV.

 

Fixed.

[Eat News 4738]

Last I checked, there are no Dollar Generals in Elko, but there are two Family Dollar stores.

https://www.google.com/search?q=Dollar+General+Elko+NV&oq=Dollar+General+Elko+NV&aqs=chrome..69i57.4943j0j4&sourceid=chrome&{google:instantExtendedEnabledParameter}ie=UTF-8

 

Lol...

So when was the "first time" you looked for that Elko Dollar General store?

I thought it was a hard fast rule that all desert towns had a Dollar General...in a metal building...next to the self serve car wash.

 

I guess you guys finally exposed me.

I hang my head in shame.

EDIT: Lookie I changed original (Dollar General) statement into a question...so now I don't look so stupid after you fact checked me.....lol

Pretty slick of me ehhh?

 

Merry Christmas James...

And please give my best to the lovley Ms. Verta Jane Holland....and the rest of your family.

[Samantha 2876]

Fixed.

 

KMYU is not on the translator district. KJZZ is. I suspect this is a historical legacy of Jazz games being on broadcast TV because channel 14 has been seen in Elko since the late 90s at least.

[JCB4TV 330]

KMYU is not on the translator district. KJZZ is. I suspect this is a historical legacy of Jazz games being on broadcast TV because channel 14 has been seen in Elko since the late 90s at least.

KUTV & KMYU are currently stacked on the same signal in both Salt Lake City & St. George, with that, I wonder whether it would be possible whether those KJZZ translators can be converted to KUTV translators, who, in turn, would show BOTH KUTV and KMYU. I also have to point out that Utah Jazz games are now being broadcast in Nevada on AT&T SportsNet Rocky Mountain West alongside the Golden Knights.

[Samantha 2876]

KUTV & KMYU are currently stacked on the same signal in both Salt Lake City & St. George, with that, I wonder whether it would be possible whether those KJZZ translators can be converted to KUTV translators, who, in turn, would show BOTH KUTV and KMYU. I also have to point out that Utah Jazz games are now being broadcast in Nevada on AT&T SportsNet Rocky Mountain West alongside the Golden Knights.

 

Yup, the Jazz bolted from broadcast about a decade ago.

 

The TV district would have the capacity to retransmit another SLC station, that's not an issue, but would it be a service people would watch? It's clear that there is a preference for the Nevada stations for the most part, with KTVX and KUCW probably forcing the issue with the TV district. (Also the Entravision-operated CW affiliate has no dependent translators except through KREN, which has just three.)

 

KJZZ's on there really for inertia reasons. Removing it would not make much of a difference. (Also, irony: Comet is provided via KJZZ and KAME, so adding it to KENV exacerbates a duplication problem.)

[compubit 670]

Since no one mentioned it, you can't forget the Waco/Temple/Bryan market: 2 full power CBS (KWTX & KBTX), 2 NBC (1 full power, 1 low power), 2 ABC (1 full power, 1 low power), and just 1 Fox (was 2 full power, but one station became the My station with Fox on a subchannel). KCEN/KAGS (satellite except separate news) & KXXV/KRHD (satellite without the KXXV news) are run out of the primary station, KBTX and KWTX are completely separate operations with different programming schedules and separate news departments.

 

Also, East Texas has the KLTV and KTRE combo (ABC).

 

Granted in each of these cases, the same owner owns both stations.

 

J

[effseesee 101]

And I was just starting to really like Lori Gilbert...now I already miss her.

She was doing 3 minute packages.,..and she was even a volunteer firefighter in Elko.

 

She’s also Chairperson for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting board of directors.

 

https://www.cpb.org/aboutcpb/leadership/board/gilbert

[AJClementeFan69 477]

Since no one mentioned it, you can't forget the Waco/Temple/Bryan market: 2 full power CBS (KWTX & KBTX), 2 NBC (1 full power, 1 low power), 2 ABC (1 full power, 1 low power), and just 1 Fox (was 2 full power, but one station became the My station with Fox on a subchannel). KCEN/KAGS (satellite except separate news) & KXXV/KRHD (satellite without the KXXV news) are run out of the primary station, KBTX and KWTX are completely separate operations with different programming schedules and separate news departments.

 

Also, East Texas has the KLTV and KTRE combo (ABC).

 

Granted in each of these cases, the same owner owns both stations.

 

J

 

Yeah, I don't really count these and WMUR, since the co-ownership essentially renders them semi-satellite stations versus a competing affiliate a la WWSB, WOTV, NTV, KLEW, the former WHAG/WMGM, etc.

 

There's going to be no pressure from anyone to get rid of KBTX, WMUR, etc.

[Samantha 2876]

We do have an update on this saga, and it looks like the Elko Television District is not going to get its way.

 

In a letter dated December 21, NBC instructed the Elko Television District to carry KSL saying that “Station KSL-TV will be the only NBC affiliate in Elko County authorized to carry the NBC programming and brand.”. (Since when does NBC send letters to TV translator districts?) And getting KSL's signal to northeastern Nevada could take time; engineers from three Nevada counties are working with KSL to come up with a solution. Another problem: it's winter, and any work of this type requires going up snowy mountains to set up relays, reorient antennas, and the like.

 

At their January 11 meeting, the Elko Television District will apparently ask for congressional action to designate Elko and Lander counties as "dual DMA" between Reno and Salt Lake City. [A bit of a mistake here: Lander County has always been Reno; Eureka County is now Reno but was SLC until 1989; White Pine is also Nevada but in SLC.] While they would really need to petition Nielsen, they could conceivably ask for the major Reno TV stations to be allowed carriage on satellite, much like what was approved back in March for La Plata County (Durango), Colorado. If you live in Durango and have satellite, you now can receive both the Denver and Albuquerque TV stations.

 

I'm also going to say that Sinclair is a little complicit. To them, Elko is little more than a hassle that had to be shut down when that lengthy affiliation agreement came to the end. Sure, Elko's local programming would have been lost no matter what.

 

But KRXI is broadcast into Elko. Sinclair owns KRXI. What would be the cost, primarily in lost syndicated revenue, of airing the KRNV newscasts on KRXI as well? This is already the case with the noon newscast.

 

KRXI currently airs the 6:30 half hour of KRNV's two-hour morning news and a two-hour morning show supplement. For attribution reasons (ownership complexities), the KRNV noon newscast is already on KRXI. KRNV's 4pm and 5pm half-hours and 6pm hour — which would displace Millionaire, Family Feud and Modern Family — would be less likely simulcast candidates, but they could be done. The 11pm show would displace DailyMail.TV.

 

KRXI, by the way, still does not have its own 10pm newscast — they are still simulcasting KTVU, even though SBG once declared its intention to cut the cord with Oakland. There is no local 10pm news in Reno in 2017, which is kind of amazing.

[JCB4TV 330]

We do have an update on this saga, and it looks like the Elko Television District is not going to get its way.

 

In a letter dated December 21, NBC instructed the Elko Television District to carry KSL saying that “Station KSL-TV will be the only NBC affiliate in Elko County authorized to carry the NBC programming and brand.”. (Since when does NBC send letters to TV translator districts?) And getting KSL's signal to northeastern Nevada could take time; engineers from three Nevada counties are working with KSL to come up with a solution. Another problem: it's winter, and any work of this type requires going up snowy mountains to set up relays, reorient antennas, and the like.

 

At their January 11 meeting, the Elko Television District will apparently ask for congressional action to designate Elko and Lander counties as "dual DMA" between Reno and Salt Lake City. While they would really need to petition Nielsen, they could conceivably ask for the major Reno TV stations to be allowed carriage on satellite, much like what was approved back in March for La Plata County (Durango), Colorado. If you live in Durango and have satellite, you now can receive both the Denver and Albuquerque TV stations.

 

I'm also going to say that Sinclair is a little complicit. To them, Elko is little more than a hassle that had to be shut down when that lengthy affiliation agreement came to the end. Sure, Elko's local programming would have been lost no matter what.

 

But KRXI is broadcast into Elko. Sinclair owns KRXI. What would be the cost, primarily in lost syndicated revenue, of airing the KRNV newscasts on KRXI as well? This is already the case with the noon newscast.

 

KRXI currently airs the 6:30 half hour of KRNV's two-hour morning news and a two-hour morning show supplement. For attribution reasons (ownership complexities), the KRNV noon newscast is already on KRXI. KRNV's 4pm and 5pm half-hours and 6pm hour — which would displace Millionaire, Family Feud and Modern Family — would be less likely simulcast candidates, but they could be done. The 11pm show would displace DailyMail.TV.

 

KRXI, by the way, still does not have its own 10pm newscast — they are still simulcasting KTVU, even though SBG once declared its intention to cut the cord with Oakland. There is no local 10pm news in Reno in 2017, which is kind of amazing.

The link to the article shows a map of the Salt Lake City DMA, which includes ALL of Utah, 4 counties in SW Wyoming, 3 in SE Idaho, and the 2 in Nevada, Elko and White Pine. I believe that the best solution would be to re-designate Elko County to the Reno DMA while White Pine County goes to the Las Vegas DMA, therefore, viewers in these counties can view local news, weather, and sports with network programming airing on Pacific time and not originating from Mountain time. I also wonder is this would mean that the Elko translators would have to be realigned, for example:

 

The KTVN translators would need to switch to KUTV, which would still map to PSIP 2 for CBS

Elko already has translators for KTVX for ABC, which maps to PSIP 4

Elko already has PSIP 5 for Nevada Public Broadcasting

Would Elko need to change the translators of KOLO, PSIP 8, to KSL?

KENV also has 2 translators themselves, K12MS & K12PT, could those be converted to KSL? I believe that any conversions may not happen until spring. Also, would it be a benefit for Sinclair/Cunningham to sell KENV's intellectual unit to Bonneville to use as a satellite for KSL? Moreover, Elko could convert the KJZZ translators as Utah Jazz games are now exclusive to AT&T SportsNet Rocky Mountain West.

Would FOX now mandate that the translators for KRXI be converted into KSTU?

There's a translator for KAME that can also be converted as KMYU is currently stacked onto KUTV's signal.

Finally, Elko has translators for KUCW for CW on PSIP 30.

Source: RabbitEars.info

Don't get me on the other affected television districts.

[Samantha 2876]

What's weird here is that I cannot recall a case of the network insisting on this. There'd probably be *hundreds* of TV translators that would need to change their input facilities, at great cost, if the networks insisted on this. (To get a sense of the scale of some of these television retransmission endeavors, go to the KTVN retransmitter map or the Mohave County TV relay system map earlier in this thread.) Then there's the gray area of some of the Utah/Arizona state line transmitters I've discussed before, where the COL and transmitter are in different states and thus media markets.

 

The fact that the NBC Television Network saw fit to write the television district is something I've never seen before. I think I want to start with the question "if I own a TV translator, what do I need to rebroadcast another station?" We get that answer in 47 CFR 74.784:

 

(b) The licensee of a low power TV or TV translator station shall not rebroadcast the programs of any other TV broadcast station or other station authorized under the provisions of this Subpart without obtaining prior consent of the station whose signals or programs are proposed to be retransmitted. The FCC, Attention: Video Division, Media Bureau, shall be notified of the call letters of each station rebroadcast, and the licensee of the low power TV or TV broadcast translator station shall certify it has obtained written consent from the licensee of the station whose programs are being retransmitted.

 

What word do I not see there? Network!

 

The TV district would need prior permission from the television station it wants to retransmit.

 

The network affiliation agreement for KMTR — a Sinclair-operated station being used as a proxy for more recent NBC affiliation agreements, and which we can assume will apply to KRNV come 2018 — might provide NBC's legal grounding here.

 

"Station shall not authorize, cause, or permit, without NBC's consent, any NBC Program or other material furnished to Station hereunder to be recorded, duplicated, rebroadcast or otherwise transmitted or used for any purpose other than broadcasting on Station as provided herein." While the rest of the section is about retrans consent, NBC might be able to argue that it must consent to every television translator setup. Obviously, NBC would not consent to KRNV granting permission to the Elko TV District.

 

———

 

As to the idea of a market modification petition, that would take time to cook, but I think they'd get it. The Elko County Board of Commissioners, if the public comments are any indication, would support such a move, and their representative would probably agree.

[Weeters 1805]

It's me again, I've just come up with what could happen if we were living in an alternate universe with the events in Elko having a ripple effect on what happens with the Sinclair/Tribune merger as Salt Lake City is one of the conflict markets. Here's one of my alternate universe scenarios:

 

SBG sells KUTV and takes KSTU

NBCU purchases KUTV, which'll undo the 1995 swap with KSL - KUTV to NBC with KSL to CBS, KMYU stacks with KSTU as KUTV will stack with KEJT-CD, a Telemundo station already owned by NBCU.

 

SBG keeps KUTV and sells KSTU

NBCU purchases KSTU, which becomes NBC and stacks with KEJT-CD, FOX goes to Nexstar's KTVX with ABC going to KSL, I do not believe that KSL would clear Family Guy, not in a million years.

 

As for Salt Lake City being too small for an NO&O, they're currently DMA 30 with Connecticut being in DMA 32, this I believe that it could be possible.

 

Remember, this is in alternate universe and not speculation.

 

Do they also get Inter-Dimentional Cable in the alternate universe?

 

Nice try, but no. Don't pull that again.

[Mrtraveler01 737]

We do have an update on this saga, and it looks like the Elko Television District is not going to get its way.

 

In a letter dated December 21, NBC instructed the Elko Television District to carry KSL saying that “Station KSL-TV will be the only NBC affiliate in Elko County authorized to carry the NBC programming and brand.”. (Since when does NBC send letters to TV translator districts?) And getting KSL's signal to northeastern Nevada could take time; engineers from three Nevada counties are working with KSL to come up with a solution. Another problem: it's winter, and any work of this type requires going up snowy mountains to set up relays, reorient antennas, and the like.

 

At their January 11 meeting, the Elko Television District will apparently ask for congressional action to designate Elko and Lander counties as "dual DMA" between Reno and Salt Lake City. [A bit of a mistake here: Lander County has always been Reno; Eureka County is now Reno but was SLC until 1989; White Pine is also Nevada but in SLC.] While they would really need to petition Nielsen, they could conceivably ask for the major Reno TV stations to be allowed carriage on satellite, much like what was approved back in March for La Plata County (Durango), Colorado. If you live in Durango and have satellite, you now can receive both the Denver and Albuquerque TV stations.

 

I'm also going to say that Sinclair is a little complicit. To them, Elko is little more than a hassle that had to be shut down when that lengthy affiliation agreement came to the end. Sure, Elko's local programming would have been lost no matter what.

 

But KRXI is broadcast into Elko. Sinclair owns KRXI. What would be the cost, primarily in lost syndicated revenue, of airing the KRNV newscasts on KRXI as well? This is already the case with the noon newscast.

 

KRXI currently airs the 6:30 half hour of KRNV's two-hour morning news and a two-hour morning show supplement. For attribution reasons (ownership complexities), the KRNV noon newscast is already on KRXI. KRNV's 4pm and 5pm half-hours and 6pm hour — which would displace Millionaire, Family Feud and Modern Family — would be less likely simulcast candidates, but they could be done. The 11pm show would displace DailyMail.TV.

 

KRXI, by the way, still does not have its own 10pm newscast — they are still simulcasting KTVU, even though SBG once declared its intention to cut the cord with Oakland. There is no local 10pm news in Reno in 2017, which is kind of amazing.

 

Way to go NBC on reinforcing the stereotype that people on the coast have no clue about the interior of the US. Usually it's the stations themselves that are trying to force this but it sounds like that KSL was caught off guard just like everyone else is and at least they are trying to make an effort to fix things.

 

The only reason I can think of as to why Elko County, NV is part of the SLC DMA is because there is a town on the border with Utah that consists of casinos and resorts that cater to people from Utah (West Wendover), so because that town does so much business with Utah (to the point that it decided to become a part of the Mountain Time Zone rather than the Pacific Time Zone like the rest of the state) it does make since that it would get it's TV from SLC. Elko on the other hand is the county seat and is 110 miles from West Wendover and clearly doesn't do as much business with Utah.

 

This just shows how different one side of a county can be compared to the other side, especially when they are such as large as they tend to be out West.