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.