SMDXR 2011 Year In Review: Part One

This morning on New Years Eve, SEARK Media And DX Report (formerly DXing From Lincoln County Arkansas) brings one of its YIR Blogs. This is the silly season where everyone in some sort of media brings a Year End List, yada, etc. As I have mentioned in the past, "Everyone does it, why not us?". Well onto the blog...

The Death Of Liberal Talk Radio...In San Francisco CA

Photo of an Android(tm) phone with Clear Channel I ♥ Radio app installed. Green 960 (KKGN 960 Oakland/San Francisco CA will adopt more conservative talk format beginning January 2, 2012

Progressive (aka Liberal) Talk radio continues to shrink in the US, as the McMedia companies (Clear Channel, Cummulus) continue to homogenize programming. There was the failed attempt at a national liberal talk radio network (Air America Radio) a few years ago, and then the failure of Nova M Radio thereafter. Ironicly although Clear Channel has a reputation for conservative talk (they after all syndicate Rush Limbaugh and Glenn Beck via their syndication arm Premere Radio Networks), one of Clear Channel's stations in the San Francisco Bay area was not typical. KKGN 960KHz Oakland CA, has been a "progressive talk" station since 2007. KKGN branded as "Green960" has offered a lineup of nationally syndicated liberal talkers such as Stephanie Miller, Thom Hartman, Randi Rhodes, and Mike Malloy.

FM News: Format Change For KKSP 93.3 Bryant AR

Two failed attempts at the same style of hard rock, plus CCM fail to bring in listeners. Now KKSP 93.3 tries FM Talk.

There are always a station or two in each radio market with a revolving door of formats. KKSP 93.3 Bryant AR which is heard in Central AR and here in NW Lincoln County with an outdoor antenna is such a station. When KKSP launched in 2003, it originally stunted with oldies right after the demise of "Cool 95" (1989-2003) but instead went with Hard Rock as "The Razor". After a few years, the Razor gave way to Contemporary Christian Music (CCM) but competition from K-Love and American Family Radio returned the station back to its Hard Rock secular roots and new ownership. The second stint of hard rock on KKSP (Big Rock) came and went and on December 27, 2011, the ending of music on 93.3 in Central Arkansas.

A Shrevepest Christmas!

All "Big Four" Shreveport LA network affiliates, plus KPXJ were decoding on the night of Christmas between 9:30pm and 10:00pm. KMSS (shown above in a "clean" screenshot with a special "Merry Christmas" bug besides the usual "FOX 33" bug.

I would have not paid much attention but not for a last check of Facebook (tm) via the smartphone in bed. A post about programming on KATV spurred some unusual responses concerning their signal. I then checked the signal of KATV via the bedroom TV and found it lacking, while other Little Rock stations were fine. My hunch was partly right, possible tropo interference by KETK, (RF 22) the NBC affiliate in East Texas. While I was unable to decode KETK it was causing likely tropo-induced intereference with KATV. A second check of in the hamshack and then rotating the antenna to the SW and....it became A Shrevepest Christmas!

Note, there are two stations that are nearly impossible to receive here in NW Lincoln County from Shreveport during tropo events: KLTS (RF 24) and KSHV (RF 44) due to Little Rock stations KVTN and KARZ residing on those RF (actual, not virtual) channels.

Kansas City Here I Log

Tropo ducting this morning (November 24, 2011) permitted OTA DX reception of two Kansas City MO stations: KMBC (RF 29) and KSMO (RF 47). Shown above is the primary channel (9-1) for KMBC. KMBC broadcasts ABC's The View out of pattern at 11am and The Nate Burkus Show (syndicated) is on during the 10-11am timeslot.

MeTV on KMBC 9-2

Kansas City MyNetwork station KSMO's primary 62-1 channel with Divorce Court in widescreen format.

African-American oriented subchannel Bounce TV is playing on KSMO 62-2. Again, Bounce being a upstart subchannel network can't be real choosy about advertisers. Lots of PI type ads.

Down From The Ozarks: Thanksgiving Eve TV DX

Catch of the night: KODE (RF 43/12-1) Joplin MO de(KODE)s near Star City AR. Sister station KSNF (RF 46/16-1), the Joplin FOX affiliate came close but no decode.

A quiet fall of DX, but last night brought some decent relogs. The usual Ozarkian suspects of KSPR, KAFT, KFSM plus KNWA broadcasting from Whitney Mountain on the west shore of Beaver Lake. Also the biggest waste of TV spectrum in the Springfield MO TV market KWBM (COL: Harrison AR) made an appearence. I did not see Springfield's PBS member station KOZK (RF 23), Eureka Springs' KPBI (RF 34/34-1), nor KOZL (RF 28) the former FOX affiliate for Springfield (MO) decode last night (KOZL did decode this morning though). With the installation (partly) of the Distributed Transmission System for KRBK-TV (RF 49/49-1) the Osage Beach/Springfield MO FOX affiliate, logging KRBK is not some pipedream but will require strong, fierce tropo ducting. Anyway, some screenshots are below.

Guy Fawkes Day College Football Matchups

"Remember, Remember The 5th Of November" may be a line out of a Hollywood Movie or a piece of British history but it will be judgment for several SEC and other BCS conference CFB teams today. Several key games are on the telly today as the Univeristy of South Carolina visits the University of Arkansas for a 6:15pm matchup on ESPN-1, which will get much of the viewing audience on cable/sat in Arkansas. However it is far from the only game on and certainly not the biggest.

CBS wheeled and dealed to get a second primetime regular season game tonight. Its a #1 vs #2 regular season matchup featuring the visiting LSU Tigers (#2) going to #1 ranked Alabama. The 7pm game will be availible in HDTV OTA in Southeast AR on KTHV Little Rock (11-1), WXVT Greenville MS (15-1), and KNOE Monroe LA (8-1) depending upon location. CBS will substitute a Army (West Point) vs Air Force matchup for the 2:30pm CT which is normally a SEC GOTW.

ABC is also doing some regional CFB action tonight with either a Big 12 game or one involving Notre Dame (as a visiting team, since NBC gets their home games). Check local listings in SEARK for either KATV, WABG, or KAQY.

The UCA Bears also return to the airwaves of KARZ (42-1) Little Rock AR today as they visit the Northwestern State (LA) Demons. Kickoff for that game is 3pm, and for those unable to get KARZ HD OTA (its in SDTV only via Dish Network) several cable companies offer the indie/MyNetwork station.

World Series Starts Tonight

Baseball's World Series starts tonight and FOX Broadcasting Network will have all the games. The division series and the NLCS were available only via pay TV on TBS, while this year's ALCS was on FOX. A good regional matchup which will make us in "flyover country" happy will pit the Texas (DFW) Rangers vs St Louis Cardinals. St Louis whom was a "wild card" team, made the playoffs and then upset Philadelphia before knocking off the Milwaukee Brewers in the NLCS. Meanwhile the Rangers took care of business by dispatching the Detroit Tigers in the ALCS.

In Southeastern Arkansas KLRT (30/16-1) Little Rock AR will have the game in HD, while the subchannels of KTVE (27/10-2) El Dorado AR and WABG (32/6-2) Greenwood-Greenville MS will carry the game in SD. DirecTV and Dish Network viewers that have proper equipment and subscriptions will also get the game in HD provided they live in the Little Rock TV market.

KAIT Jonesboro Broadcasts Local News In HDTV On Monday's Mid Day Show (via Twitter, Facebook)

I am of course out of KAIT's (8/8-1) normal broadcast area and was at work. However, thanks to confirmation via social media was able to confirm that KAIT Jonesboro AR the cischanneled ABC affiliate converted their local newscasts to HDTV starting with their mid-day show at 11:30AM on Monday October 17th.

KAIT becomes the 6th TV station in Arkansas to convert newscasts to full HDTV, and was only five weeks behind ABC affiliate KATV Little Rock AR.

Honestly, this was an "October Surprise" of sorts since I expected stations in Northwest Arkansas (such as a KFSM or KHBS/KHOG) to convert before KAIT. Jonesboro is a small market and lacks a full complement of network affiliates (no local CBS or FOX stations). An NBC station on an LPTV channel has been rumored to have started, but Jonesboro's other stations are relays of religious station VTN (KVTH 48/48-1), and statewide public broadcaster AETN (KTEJ 20/19-n).

KAIT is owned by Raycom Media and two of their border stations WMC-TV (5/5-n) Memphis , and KSLA (17/12-n) Shreveport broadcast HD local newscasts from their respective cities.

Jonesboro AR's KAIT To Debut Local HDTV Newscasts

Reports via Twitter today are abuzz about Jonesboro AR ABC affiliate KAIT making the conversion to HDTV for local newscasts next Monday (October 17). KAIT brands its newscasts as "Region 8 News".

A hat tip the the staff and management of KAIT TV and Raycom Media for greenlighting this project. KAIT's sister station in Memphis WMC-TV was the first Memphis station to have local HDTV newscasts.

Three And Out For The Playboy Club

Several sources have reported that NBC canceled the network drama, The Playboy Club after only three episodes. The show was set in the early 1960's and was one of two new network series (the other being ABC's Pan Am) that drew comparisons to the cable series on AMC, Mad Men.

The official reason was the low ratings that continued to decline after the first episode. The final episode of the show aired on October 3.

However, the moral crusaders had it in for the show from the start. The Parents Television Council, a far-right media watchdog group was critical of the show. Also NBC affiliate KSL in Salt Lake City, Utah preempted the program (it was reportedly shown on another station in that market). But unlike another low-rated and controversial program, The Book Of Daniel in 2006, affiliates that preempted the 2006 series did air the TPC, including KARK Little Rock AR, and WTVA in Tupelo MS (ground zero for the American Family Association).

TPC is perhaps the first series I have watched (except for the last part of the first episode OTA) online. Perhaps another night on the NBC schedule would have been better for the series.

DX Has Returned To The Upper HF Bands

The recent rise in the sunspot count has been good for long-suffering amateur radio operators that have settled for seasonal sporadic E's on the 10 meter and 6 meter ham radio bands. The past couple of weeks have been a huge improvement on 10 meters and also 15 and 20 meters.

Subchannel Changes

KARZ's new 42-2 subchannel, Bounce TV which launched nationally on September 26th.

Live Well Network, operated by ABC debuts on KATV 7-3 replacing AccuWeather.

There have been some subchannel changes this week on the local airwaves. The biggest was Nexstar getting in the subchannel business on many of their stations in the South. Traditionally, Nexstar stations have avoided putting digital subchannels on the air, but recent criticism from some circles including the pro-cellular/wireless phone FCC have caused a bit of guilt among some broadcasters.

Big Day For OTA College Football

So much for the "Cord Cutters" missing out on live sports eh?

Three big games including a dormant Arkansas intrastate rivalry are on tap today.

First off is the Arkansas @ Alabama game on CBS at 2:30pm (CT). Stations showing the game in Southeastern AR are KTHV 11.1 Little Rock AR, WXVT 15.1 Greenville MS, and KNOE 8.1 Monroe LA.

Now at 7pm you have decisions to make....

KATV, the ABC affiliate for Little Rock (and much of interior Arkansas) is preempting tonight's LSU @ West Virginia game for the Centennial Shootout at Jonesboro AR where the University of Central Arkansas (Southland Conference, FCS) will face off with Arkansas State (Sun Belt, FBS). Two other stations in Arkansas (KAIT Jonesboro, KNWA Rogers) are also carrying the UCA@ASU game. The game will likely be in SDTV.

Now the good news for LSU fans living outside the range (and cable/sat coverage) of WABG 6.1 and KAQY in Southeast AR. KARZ 42.1 (RF 44 OTA) will carry the ESPN on ABC coverage of the LSU @ WVU game at 7pm. KARZ has picked up several ABC games in recent years including two of the World Cup matches that KATV passed over for infomercials. For OTA viewers and those watching via DirecTV and have HD sets/receivers, the game will be in native 720p HDTV (Dish Network viewers w/o OTA will have to settle for the SDTV feed of KARZ). Besides KARZ, ABC affiliates WABG 6.1 Greenwood-Greenville MS and KAQY 11.1 Columbia-Monroe LA will have LSU @ WVU for those living outside OTA and cable/sat coverage of KARZ.

September 11, 2001---A Date That Will Live In Infamy Part 1

I never forgot September 11, 2001. It was a clear crisp beautiful Tuesday morning. The day's weather would not fortel the horror that lay ahead. It was the last day of work for me before a couple of days off. That day like many Tuesdays at that time, one of my responsibilities were checking in outside vendors for the meat department at the former County Market store in Pine Bluff AR. My thoughts early that morning were that I was looking forward to the next two days off and getting away from work.

Within the next few hours all that would change, and America itself would change. Even I would change.

It was when the JC Potter vendor arrival that I first heard the news. At first I thought the men were repeating a silly radio stunt. Another vendor stated the same thing minutes later. That was the news of the first plane hitting one of the World Trade Center towers. I had no access to a TV or a radio that morning. The news of the terrorism of that day was heard by word of mouth. It was a beautiful, beautiful morning and it yet it became so ugly. News came quickly via customers and other vendors of the second WTC tower being hit.

I became concerned because of Pine Bluff's location near the Pine Bluff Arsenal which at the time housed chemical weapons (now fully disposed) that were under active disposal and destruction. The thoughts of someone hijacking a plane in Little Rock and flying into the PB Arsenal entered my mind. I did not want to be a sitting duck at work.

At 2pm (I think) I completed my shift and drove back to my rented house in Star City at the time. My parents whom have since moved away were living in the house I live in now near Star City. I drove home listening to the FM dial which had continuous news coverage from many music stations. The Clear Channel stations had somehow lashed together a network of sorts with national news coverage. Scanning the radio driving home I recall few stations playing music that day. I had not seen news coverage via TV until arriving home.

At home I first checked the DirecTV channel for WNYW/FOX 5 which I had a "out of market" subscription for at the time. It (and other NYC stations broadcasting from the WTC) were off the air for several hours and a static slide showed "FOX 5" being out of service. WNYW was restored later that evening on DirecTV (and reportedly OTA in NYC area from a leased transmitter in NJ). That was the only NYC station I had access to at the time via DirecTV (this was before the era of local channels from LR AR via DirecTV, Dish Network). Many other cable channels had preempted local programming for continuous coverage upon discovery.

I drove the five or so miles to my parents house at the time in rural Lincoln County and visited with them for several hours. My mother had seen the planes attack on live TV. She was horrified. I learned weeks later that my paternal grandmother living in Berryville AR at the time also saw the events unfold live on TV. I had been seperated from my first wife for nearly a year by that time and had been divorced officially for several months.

For the next two days I watched and listened to coverage of the 9/11 aftermath. It was my generation's Day Of Infamy much like the JFK Assassination was for my parent's generation and Pearl Harbor was for my grandparent's generation. The bullshit that dominated the for-profit media at the time: silly tabliodish stories, et all dissipated from the airwaves.

Change would come to America and myself within the next few weeks and years.

BREAKING NEWS: September 10, 2011---KATV Converts Local Newscasts To High Definition

KATV (ABC affiliate in Central Arkansas) converted its local newscast to high definition. These screenshots were from a SDTV source (WinTVcard/XawTV software and Zenith digital to analog converter box) as observed OTA near Star City AR. I confirmed the actual HD visually with the HD set in the living room. KATV is the 5th station in Little Rock broadcasting local news to convert from 4x3 SDTV to 16x9 HDTV (720p).

The Springfield Screwjob

KSFX-TV (RF 28/PSIP 27-1) Springfield MO received near Star City AR on August 25, 2011 via tropo ducting.

While the first phase of analog TV ends in Canada, another era ends in many areas of the Springfield MO TV market where FOX network programming will no longer be available over the air especially in parts of Northern AR and Southern MO. KSFX's network affiliation with FOX ends on August 31, and the station will change callsigns to KOZL and become an Independent station. FOX programming moves to a low powered and rimshot station KRBK in Osage Beach MO which does not even produce an OTA signal in Springfield Missouri! KRBK will be on some cable systems and is HD via DirecTV but is only SDTV via Dish Network.

For now those without Dish or DirecTV and living in Northwest Arkansas the best bet for FOX is the SDTV subchannel of KNWA TV (51-2) Rogers AR which transmits from Whitney Mountain near Beaver Lake. KNWA's main 51-1 subchannel is NBC in HDTV but the 51-2 feed will be better than nothing for many. And nothing is what many in Southern Missouri will face for the upcoming NFL season, World Series and other popular FOX network programming.

KRBK promises an upgrade, via a Distributed transmitter system, but that will leave many areas out in the cold including Branson MO, Harrison AR, Mountain Home AR and areas unable to receive KNWA-TV 51-2 OTA. The problem is the COL is Osage Beach MO for KRBK and not Springfield MO, and getting the COL changed to Springfield is not an option.

I will have more about this as developments warrant.

Canada's "Mandatory Market" Analog Shutdown Is Tomorrow

Received via Sporadic E's on August 3, 2011 a UNid low-VHF station with CTV's broadcast of the American show So You Think You Can Dance. This is last analog reception of the Summer E's season. Many stations in Canada have already abandoned analog broadcasting in the "mandatory markets" and that deadline is tomorrow night (August 31, 2011).

Canada has already begun their shutdown of analog television, but unlike in the US, it has more exceptions than Arkansas sales-tax exemptions. Already gone 100% digital according to WTFDA members in Canada are such stations as CKVR channel 3 in Barrie ON (a log here this year in analog and in previous years).

Where as the shutdown in the US was on two dates--- February 17, 2009 and June 12, 2009, Canada is requiring analog stations in Mandatory Markets (Provincial capitals and other large cities). Also reportedly is that Canadian stations won't be multicasting---even CBC stations which also operate the French Language network Radio-Canada. That has been an issue in some areas in Quebec where there will be no OTA CBC services in English. However, there is some last minute maneuvering that may keep some of the stations in analog on reduced power.

That said there is similarity in Canada's and the recent US conversion. Canadian stations like here in the US will operate the ATSC standard and converter boxes and recent "digital" TV's made for the US market will work in Canada. Also like in the US, stations will use PSIP remapping to display stations on virtual channels regardless of the actual RF channel.

West Memphis Three (WM3) Released From Prison After "Alfred Plea"

One of the largest media stories to come out of Arkansas in some time was yesterday's court hearing in Jonesboro AR and the release of the West Memphis Three (WM3). The three people were convicted by an Arkansas jury in the 1990's for the murder of three young boys. However, there has been much contraversy about the case from the beginning and concerns that the WM3 perhaps were wrongly convicted.

Due to the fact that the case happened not only in Arkansas but near Memphis TN, the media of three TV markets: Memphis, Little Rock AR, and the town of Jonesboro AR carried coverage of the hearing yesterday. Although I was at work and unable to watch yesterday, KATV reportedly had live coverage of the events including a press-conference following the release of the WM3. On Thursday, Twitter messages from Little Rock and Memphis TV started hinting at a possible release. The WM3, via several sources entered an "Alfred Plea" which convicted the parties involved, but permitted the judge to sentence to time served and the remainder on a suspended sentence while allowing the three to not admit to any involvement.

2011 Summer Sporadic E's Season Winds Down

As July winds down, so is the 2011 Summer sporadic E's season. On July 19th, this DX'er received low VHF analog TV signals via E's from Mexico, Canada, and Cuba. The past day or so has been quiet and this has been reflected in the posts on the WTFDA list.

2011 will go down as a one of the slower E's seasons and one dominated by Mexico. I have been unable to log any Canadians on FM, and TV logs have been limited. Cuba isn't logged often though but the July 19 loggings were outstanding.

There may be an opening or two even today or into early August but the dog days of summer aren't friendly for skip, although there are some good tropo openings with cold fronts and such. There is always the specter of Gulf Coast hurricanes and their influence on tropo reception.

FM News: New Owners, New Format For KHLR 106.7

KHLR 106.7 Benton AR has come under new ownership and a format change. The now former Clear Channel station (their smallest FM transmitter in the market) was sold to Signal Media (owners of KKPT 94.1 and KABZ 103.7) and the old urban gospel format of Hallelujah FM is gone. Back in 2009, KHLR and KHKN swapped callsigns and formats, as 106.7 was the original "Tom FM" in metro Little Rock. Prior to 2008, 106.7 was home to a number of country formatted stations such as "K-Duck", "The Maverick", "Classic Country 106.6", "Kickin' Country", and the original "Wolf" (which moved to 105.1 in 2008)

The callsign of KHLR remains for now but the format is an urban R&B/oldies format and instead of competing with Citadel's KPZK "Praise FM", its now competiting with longtime adult urban/R&B station KOKY 102.1. KHLR 106.7 now called Heartbeat 106.7 is currently running jockless and is basically a jukebox. The songs are very familiar though and lacks the deep playlist of KOKY. The upside is that KHLR's coverage is somewhat better than KOKY and the station can be heard on portable radios in Pine Bluff AR (a town with a large African American population) and Hot Springs AR.

The purchase of KHLR 106.7 brings Signal Media into the IBOC camp and still decodes, however the station's Radio Data System (RDS) text has apparently been turned off

Cuban TV Received Via Sporadic E's July 19, 2011

Host of Mesa Redonda (Round Table in English) on Cubavision, unid channel 3 received evening of July 19, 2011

Telephone interview on Mesa Redonda

Closing credits of another talk show (not Mesa Redonda), seem to be throwback to 1970's AETN programming.

Not all Cuban TV is communist propaganda, this is from an imported telenovella (soap opera)

Cubavision network ID. Cubavision is one of the networks of Cuban State Radio and TV (ICRT)

Female presenter of talkshow with dated closing credits shown above

26 de Julio (26th of July) PSA...leaving no doubt where this is broadcast from.

Yesterday evening, I started receiving several channels of Cuban TV via sporadic E propagation. All TV in Cuba is of course broadcast by the state operated ICRT under several networks, mainly Tele Rebelde and Cubavision. The first sign was on channel 2 where a movie was broadcast without any bugs, followed by several PSAs/propaganda. Switching to channel 3, things were more obvious. A man sitting at desk on set with a Cuban flag and a bug "mesa redonda" in the lower right hand corner. Mesa Redonda (Round Table) is the name of a discussion show presenting pro-Government views.

Also seen later was a talk show with a female presenter, with a set reminencent of 1970's local television. No Facebook or Twitter soundoffs here folks, Cuba is a place where even the Internet is a scarce, restricted media.

Reception of Cuban TV is not complete without a reference to the upcoming July 26th anniversery. The evening's reception ended with a imported telenovella (again with a lack of bugs).

Cuba has no immediate plans to convert to digital OTA TV at this time.

Tommy Smith Sneaks Back On KABZ 103.7 Morning Show

A famaiar voice was heard this morning on the drive to work this morning. Tommy Smith, the longtime KMJX (aka "Magic 105") DJ and recent host of "The Show With No Name" on sports-talk station KABZ 103.7 (aka "103.7 The Buzz") returned to the airwaves. At first I assumed that a best of/clip show was airing since July is an off period for radio and many radio personalities are "in the basement". However, the Arkansas Times Blog confirmed that it was indeed Smith.

Smith was arrested several months ago for DWI in Little Rock and had been off the air pending successful drug rehab treatment.

Liberal Talk Radio In Basement This Week

Its going to be another long week for listeners of Bob Kincaid's online talk show at least until Friday. Kincaid's show at Headon Radio Network will return live on July 15th. Currently, there is a series produced by Headon Radio simulcasting a series of lectures of American History that will air during the day.

Another liberal talker that isn't on terrestrial radio, Mike Signorile is once again on vacation. The Sirius-xm Radio (ch 108) show weekdays from 1-5pm (CDT) will be a best of on Monday, and guest hosts Tuesday-Friday. The Michaelangelo Signorile Show returns live with its host on July 18th.

The dog days of summer continue....

FM Talk Radio Arrives in Mid-Southern Arkansas

For those in Mid Southern Arkansas that can't get KARN-FM Sheridan, KELD=FM Hampton, or want different fare from those two stations, a new FM talker has come out of the piney woods of South Arkansas. KQEW 102.3 Fordyce AR has flipped from their long-time country music format to talk radio.

However if you are looking for Thom Hartman, Mike Malloy, or other progressive/liberal talk KQEW won't cut it. "Regional Radio KQ102", using the same imaging (and even sweepers) held over from the old format is serving up conservative talk. Weekend fare is the usual D-List conservative jobbers with sub-par audio quality, the type of shows that KABZ (then KSYG) did during the mid-late 1990's. I've not had time yet to monitor much of the station's programming but am aware of Dave Ramsey (a financial show with strong religious right ties) being added to an afternoon time slot.

Top of hour news observed at 8AM (CDT) on Sunday July 10 is from IRN-USA radio news.

I'll have an update later in the week about KQEW and programming.

After 30 Plus Years, "KOTN" Returns To The FM Dial

The full time 24/7 relayer of KWAK-FM (105.5 Stuttgart AR) broadcasting from Gould on 102.5 recently changed its callsign from KAFN to KOTN. I'm not making this up. The KOTN calls return to the airwaves on FM after an absence of three decades.

http://transition.fcc.gov/fcc-bin/fmq?list=0&facid=81678

http://licensing.fcc.gov/cgi-bin/ws.exe/prod/cdbs/pubacc/prod/call_hist.pl?Facility_id=81678&Callsign=KOTN

A bit of history is in order....The last station to broadcast KOTN or KOTN-FM on the FM dial is the present day KIPR 92.3 which was a small local Pine Bluff station in 1979. KOTN-FM from 1959-1979 broadcast Easy Listening ("elevator" music) and simulcast the morning show of DJ/station owner Winston J. "Buddy Dean". The final year (1978-1979) saw a change of format from Easy Listening to a CHR/Top 40 format on KOTN-FM before changing calls to KFXE ("Foxy 92") which remained until 1987. During the period 1979-1987, 92.3 Pine Bluff changed formats to Country music (1983), and went live and local then a power upgrade (1984 to the Noble Lake transmitter site), then a move-in to the Little Rock market (moving the transmitter from Noble Lake to the original KATV tower in Jefferson AR which is still in use by KIPR). The last major changes were a format change after Christmas 1987 to its present Urban/hip hop music and and an ownership change to Citadel in 1997.

The new KOTN is NOT to be considered a continuation of the old KOTN (1490 AM) but a tip to the heritage of Arkansas radio. Several old school callsigns have been recycled over the years notably old Little Rock calls KTHS which is now in use in Berryville AR and KLAZ in Hot Springs. KOKY has been the calls of a small-stick urban/R&B station in metro Little Rock since 1997 but that callsign history goes back to 1956 when the original KOKY (on 1440 AM) was the first radio station in Little Rock targeting African-Americans.

A hat tip to Arkansas County Broadcasters to keeping the KOTN calls alive in Arkansas and not stuck on some gospel-huxter station.

VTN Hat Trick

All three transmitters of Little Rock AR based religious broadcaster KVTN/Victory Television Network were logged this morning July 5, 2011. The flagship transmitter KVTN 24 (25-1) Pine Bluff AR is a strong local and can be seen with rabbit ears. The other two transmitters -- KVTH and KVTJ have been logged from time to time but rarely both at the same time. The above screenshot is the text IDs for all three transmitters.

KVTJ 48 (48-1) Jonesboro AR via tropo enhancement

KVTH 26 (26-1) Hot Springs AR. Received off the back lobe of my UHF 8 bay antenna. Tropo enhanced reception.

KVTN 24 (25-1) Pine Bluff AR

KARZ Ends Its 7pm Weeknight Newscasts

Friday July 2nd marked an end of an era for KARZ as the station's last 7pm newscast (KARK 4 News at 7 On The Z) aired. KARZ's 7pm newscast was the first original programming for the station after being acquired from its former owner-operator Equity Broadcasting.

Some Good News About KTVE 10-2

The new improved KTVE 10-2 relay of KARD, now in correct aspect ratio. Observed near Star City AR June 3, 2011.

KTVE (RF 27/PSIP 10-2) has been relaying its sister station KARD West Monroe LA for the past year on subchannel 10-2 . However, I noticed this morning that KTVE 10-2 is running correct aspect ratio for its SDTV subchannel. Since last year, KARD has been relayed via KTVE 10-2 in SDTV with stretched content. That has been a fly in the ointment of KTVE.

Thanfully someone from Nexstar finally paid attention and got this taken care of. I did not watch KTVE last night, but will monitor again this evening to see if the change effects FOX programming.

Why Only One Post In June?

Those of you whom have been reading DXing From Lincoln County Arkansas have noticed a lack of posting here as of late. There are several reasons, mainly due to illness early in June, a busy work schedule much of the month, and also for lack of a better term, writer's block. There has been DX in June, albeit limited with a huge lull (the infamous "June Lull" that DXers often speak of).

I have also seriously considered dropping DFLCA in its entirety since I'm often busy with other items. As most of you know, DFLCA isn't just a DX blog and really in fact didn't start out as a DX blog. DFLCA started as a blog about OTA HDTV in Southeast Arkansas, but I realized there was much more potential in writing about DX and the media in general. Over the past nearly 4 years, I've ruffled a few feathers from readers, some of the PTB in the media but have presented valid and truthful posts. Also many readers to DFLCA are not DXers but have stumbled upon this blog via web searches, etc. One of my most read posts due to Google is one called "KKYK Gets TUFF And Throws THIS Overboard", a post about KKYK-TV 49/-CA 20 dropping THIS for a network then operated by Equity Broadcasting (remember those folks).

After some consideration, I've decided to relaunch DFLCA as SEARK Media And DX Report, a name that more closely fits the content of this blog. SEARK Media And DX Report unlike a well known media blog WILL NOT BE A GOSSIP BLOG! I don't play that game here, and never will. I might speculate about something, but this will not be venue for anon posters to spew out gossip and ad hominen attacks on reporters and anchors. DX reporting will continue here although it may be several days late and in a long form post. My DX reports will get posted first to the Worldwide TV FM DX Association (WTFDA) Mailing List, the WTFDA Forums (something to check out if you have a passing interest in the TV-FM DX hobby), and then here.

Thanks for your patience and support.

Fritze Prentice
Editor, SEARK Media And DX Report

Historic KAAY Transmitter Building On Death Row

Back in August 2009, I took the old road (AR 365) to Wrightsville and photographed the KAAY transmitter site from the street. The photos were posted to DFLCA in September 2009.

Anyhow, the Mighty 1090 Blog has had some sad updates about the KAAY situation.

2011 continues to be a year of decline for AM radio.

De(KODE)ing Fierceness: First TV DX From Joplin MO Since The Tornado

KODE-TV (RF 43/PSIP 12-1) is alive and well in Joplin Missouri. KODE also was and is still decoding in Southeast Arkansas near Star City on May 27, 2011. All the below screenshots are from reception of KODE. Oh, and that is Lady Gaga in the "Viking" horns.

A presser of public officials in Joplin MO

Food chain in SW Missouri

KODE news anchor Shannon Bruffett during a local cut-in between GMA segments.

Weather in Joplin will be good today (May 27, 2011)....They need all the help weather wise to assist with recovery and cleanup efforts.

Fierce....mattress

Fierce shoes ;-)

Please Keep The People Of Joplin Missouri In Your Thoughts And Prayers. Many groups are helping with assistance and are asking for various donations for the relief efforts.

Little Rock's Analog LPTV Holdout

KLRA-LP Little Rock in analog on ch 58 at 8:03PM

KLRA-LP Channel 58 Little Rock AR is perhaps the last remaining analog LPTV station remaining on the air. KLRA-LP has been a Univision affiliate for many years dating to KLRA-LP's ownership by Equity Broadcasting. These days, KLRA-LP mearly relays the programming by sister station KKYK-CD 20 (PSIP "20-1") which its current owners push. Although KLRA-LP has a CP to move to RF channel 16, there is uncertainty in putting that station on the air. The current channel 58 analog assignment is on borrowed time both by requirement to vacate channels 52-69 and a likely shutdown of analog LPTV service (full power analog service was shut down on June 12, 2009 except for certain nightlight stations that stayed on the air 2-4 weeks).

Severe Weather Threat For Arkansas

Please stay alert today, there is a moderate risk for severe weather today in much of Arkansas.

Oprah's Last Show Today

Its already been prerecorded, but stations carrying Oprah will air the last "new" show from the long-time talk show today. Oprah Winfrey is of course ending her syndicated daytime show after 25 years.

Its been a busy week and honestly, Oprah hasn't been on my radar. But today is the last new show for those that may have watched, currently watch, or are interested in TV history. Today is also the final day of the TV ratings period which means that broadcast TV puts a bow on most new programming after tonight until next fall.

Oprah started in the era when analog cable was King and broadcast stations on analog VHF were also. Yes there was the VCR and indie stations (FOX wasn't really a viable network until a few years later). Her show like Phil Donahue's started as a local show, in this case on WLS-TV.

Locally, the entire run of Oprah in syndication has been broadcast via KATV Little Rock. And until last fall, it remained in standard definition long after Oprah converted the show to HDTV (locally the final show is at 4pm).

Like her or not, Oprah made TV history. She will do so again today.

Joplin MO Under A Tornado Warning, KSNF-TV Relaying Wall To Wall Storm Coverage Via The Web

Go to the link at Four States Homepage for the live stream. Also Joplin radio station KZRG is still in live and local mode and webcasting.

UPDATE: 10:50PM CDT-- KSNF-TV left wall to wall coverage and returned to normal programming (Jay Leno via NBC). Streaming continued until local coverage ended. KZRG is still on the web with wall to wall coverage on radio and the web.

Tropo Scatter May 24, 2011 Tuesday Morning

Nothing exotic this morning, but the big signals from NW Arkansas, plus the Springfield pest (not shown) made the trip downstate. KFSM 18 (5-1) was observed this morning.

Underwriting announcement from Chick-Fil-A during the block of PBS Kids programming via AETN (KETS 9 "13-1")

Despite remapping to "49-1" this was not KKYK-TV Camden AR, but KKYK-CD (shown as "KKYK-DT") Little Rock AR. The actual RF channel is shown in the manual tuning menu of the Zenith converter box.

KKYK-CD 20 (20-1) Little Rock AR still using "KKYK-CA" in their PSIP display.

Camping Watch: Harold Camping Sets Yet Another Date

Screenshot of Family Radio main page retrieved at 7:59AM CDT May 24, 2011. The website was down during the weekend following a failed prediction about The Rapture.

California gospel-huxter Harold Camping has come out of hiding so to speak. Several sources including the Washington Post have reported that Camping had took to the airwaves live on Monday night on his Family Radio network (including WYFR shortwave, although I did not personally check and listen).

The now revised "rapture date" according to Camping is October 21. And yes there will be fools that will take that batsqueeze as the gospel, not to mention donation$ that will flow into the Family Radio coffers.

By the way, the website for Family Radio is back up but with some some dated 1990's style design. The FR website was down all weekend and there was no comment on Sunday when Camping's prediction, much like the one in 1994 was yet again wrong.

May 22, 2011 Tropo

Early morning tropo arrived at dawn on the morning of May 22, 2011. The Catch Of The Day for tropo is first time logging KBTX (RF 50, PSIP 3-1, 3-2) from Bryan-College Station TX. I can now say I've logged stations from the hometowns of TU and TAMU. (thats University of Texas and Texas A&M University respectively)

KBTX 3-2 subchannel broadcasting The CW programming when available in HD. This promo is in widescreen mode. The main 3-1 subchannel broadcasts CBS programming on KBTX in HDTV.

Disclaimer, this screenshot of a "AhhBra" infomercial is for purposes of demonstrating low-VHF DTV propagation via tropo and not intended to cause any "Pink Fog". Observed via WMC-TV channel 5 (RF) PSIP 5-1 Memphis.

Bat Masterson is shown on Sunday mornings on the THIS tv network (unavailible in Central Arkansas) via KSLA (RF 17) 12-2 Shreveport LA. (THIS was also observed via WMC-TV 5-3 Memphis).

Another sexy Sunday morning infomercial, via KALB (RF 35) 5-1 Alexandria LA.