KATV to Join the Rest on the Mountain
Arkansas Business.com reports KATV will erect a new 1269 foot tower atop Shinall Mountain. KATV's 2000 foot tower in Redfield collapsed in early January.
posted by ATN @ 8:50 PM
57 comments
57 Comments:
Chenal Mtn. maybe?
Nope... Shinall Mtn.
Does that mean they'll move their radar and satellite dishes as well?
shinall is the correct name of the mountain
"Chenal" is the fancy-schmancy spelling the developers of the subdivision came up with.
Never knew that was not the correct spelling.
Chee-nal is the name of the road and area where the golf course is and the semi-fancy homes.
Shinall is the name of the mountain where KARK and KTHV's tower (they share the same tower with KTHV on top) have been since the early 1950's.
Don't know why they are pronounced the same.
It's the same word, spelled two different ways. Shinall is the name of the mountain. Chenal is the name of the development, because the developers thought it looked more sophisticated than the original spelling.
Where is KATV's city of license? I thought it was Pine Bluff. Has something changed?
Apparently something has. Great location for OTA viewers. Now, if only KASN and KETS will join in.
mickey goodwin would hold the tower up with her mighty strength and ozark mountains.
Yeah, KATV is the last to have a tower there, just like they're the last to go to non-linear editing, if they ever make the change at all. Lol.
They'll go non-linear just after their next fire. Dale is scared to ask for money from the Allbritton Mothership. So he just hopes for another fire to replace the gear they got after the last fire. It took an inept tower crew to get them a new transmitter.
I am not suggestiong they started the last fire or caused the tower to fall. I'm just saying insurance settlements are the main way they get new gear.
In all the media stories I have seen regarding the change from analog to digital TV, no one has mentioned the real reason for the change. The F.C.C. will have very valuable frequencies that they will auction off for billions of dollars. Meanwhile, broadcasters and viewers have had to invest billions in digital technology. Come on news people do some reporting beyond the government handouts and PSAs.
"The F.C.C. will have very valuable frequencies that they will auction off for billions of dollars. Meanwhile, broadcasters and viewers have had to invest billions in digital technology."
Umm, that and the picture quality is much better. And multicasting is possible. And analog modulation is quickly becoming a thing of the past in all areas. Digital RF is better, period. If you're going to have a nut-job conspiracy theory, at least make it one that is controversial. This isn't.
"Umm, that and the picture quality is much better. And multicasting is possible. And analog modulation is quickly becoming a thing of the past in all areas. Digital RF is better, period. If you're going to have a nut-job conspiracy theory, at least make it one that is controversial. This isn't."
1.) Picture quality is much better IF you are in the UHF band. Two stations in the LR market are still in the noisy high VHF band. Those would be KTHV and KETS.
2.)Multicasting takes up bandwidth, as in KTHV and KTHV 2 on channel 12-1 and 12-2, resulting in Loss of resolution.
3.) In television broadcasting, the video (picture) is amplitude modulated while the audio (sound) portion of that transmission is Frequency modulated.
The difference between analog and digital is that the signal, transmitted on the carriers, both visual and aural, is digital information instead of analog.
Is KATV still running off Beta?
All I know is KTHV is going to have to get a much stronger signal, when the word gets out that Meredith Mitchell is the hottest/best tv personality in the U.S., everyone in the world will stop what they are doing just to watch her sexy weathercast!
KTHV gets out better than the UHF channels because they are VHF you dork! Why else would a UHF channel need a zillion watts? Come on! It is said in one word......REACH. That is something the other stations dont have, but wish they did. Ask the nice folks at KLRT, they know better than anyone about coverage.
And, go another step and quit multicasting on their sub channel (VHF 12.2) to restore maximum video resolution.
Do you think stockholders would ever approve investing the millions in technology to make the switch to digital if there wasn't either an incentive to do so or a penalty not to do so? The alternative was to pay for the use of the airwaves. Switching to digital paled in comparison to actually paying for use of the public airwaves that TV has enjoyed very profitably for years. The TV lobbyists were all geared up to fight the airwaves pay battle when the digital compromise was advanced. Yes, the investment in new technology is huge, but they won't have to pay for using our airwaves to make millions. And the government, read FCC, get to re-sell all the frequencies abandoned by the newly transitioned digital broadcasters.
So who gets hosed in the deal? Who do you think?
Believe me the stockholders, or license holders, were not jumping to invest in digital. The F.C.C. mandated it and will harvest Billions in the auctioning of the old analog channels.Broadcasters did not have a choice. They could not have bid on the channel and continued broadcasting in analog. Why don't you reporters tell the public what is happening and why. This is no nut case conspiracy. It is happening before your eyes. I guess we should be thankful that the F.C.C. didn't just take all the TV channels and force local broadcasters to cable and sat. Everybody should have to pay for TV reception right?
"KTHV gets out better than the UHF channels because they are VHF you dork!"
"Gets out better." Now there is a truly non-technical term
I certainly hope that you know more about whatever line of work you are in than you do about rf transmission and frequencies. You sound like a frustrated citizen bander that would not know an ohm from a mho.
Oooh, now there's a stinging comeback! There's nothing nastier than a bunch of riled up engineering geeks!
"There's nothing nastier than a bunch of riled up engineering geeks!"
Yeah, who keep you and your station on-the-air. Damn engineers....
At first stockholders and investors were not excited. But they're eager now. With a little investemnt they will see big returns. They're going to have extra bandwidth for multiple channels and beyond. Just wait. The ROI will be great.
There are some companies that aren't investing in the new technology as quickly. My guess is the gropus are looking to keep costs down until they can sell the properties. Ownership is a hot topic for the FCC now. Look for big changes soon and a wave of station sales. (KATV/Allbritton I'm looking in your direction) Major groups will be looking to expand their footprint and small gropus will be expensive but attractive because the ROI will be excellent down the road because of the digital spectrum.
Good for KATV, I hope it happens soon so I can get my freaking HD picture back. The NBA Playoffs just don't look the same in SD. Still, I can imagine erecting a tower of that height will take a while.
And I don't know why anybody is criticizing KTHV's digital picture, it looks better to me than all the rest of the stations in this market. They're also the first ones to use HD weather bugs and crawls to run over programming. The other stations all have to put up the SD picture to do it.
Meredith Mitchell looks even better in HD!!!!
After the mandated date for the switch to digital passes, I'm going to initiate a referendum to require the TV stations to pay for the use of the "public" airwaves. This is a great source of untapped revenue that could be shared by the states with the cash-starved counties and school districts. The best part is that this is a "tax" that won't come out of the working man's pocket. It will be coming from the robber baron broadcasters who have made billions using the public airwaves paid nothing for the privilege other than the same taxes any business pays.
Stay tuned. This could get interesting.
Above poster needs a little history lesson. The original premise was that the airwaves were public property. The F.C.C. was established to control the frequencies and issue licenses to boradcasters "in the public interest". Then the F.C.C. under congressional pressure started charging for the license, trajsfers and the renewals. Broadcasters were always required to prove they were broadcasting in the public interest. The F.C.C. requires their rules be followed or they will revoke said license. Then the F.C.C got congressional approval to auction cell phone and other desired frequencies. Remember these frequencies according to the original premise belong to the public. Now the F.C.C.'s main interest seems to be in making money and acting like they care when someone cusses on TV.
"Meredith Mitchell looks even better in HD!!!!"
Meridith has never been seen in HD on any LR station.
She is so striking it only seems like she is broadcast in HD!
"Oooh, now there's a stinging comeback! There's nothing nastier than a bunch of riled up engineering geeks!"
Who happen to make twice what you camera jockies make. Oooh, to have some knowledge (and not have to guess) about how the picture and sound get to my house.
"Oooh, now there's a stinging comeback! There's nothing nastier than a bunch of riled up engineering geeks!"
And nothing more pitiful than a person that doesn't quite know how the picture and sound get their house and won't take the time to learn. Most sales people don't care as long as it gets there. Only wannabe engineers are affected by this.
Is there a blog for newspaper reporters? It seems you guys won't address the issue of the F.C.C. auctioning off public airwaves for Billions. This is not a discussion of digital being better than analog or even broadcast owners or the public costs in the conversion. I guess you guys are affraid of the F.C.C. Maybe there is still freedom in the press media.
"Good for KATV, I hope it happens soon so I can get my freaking HD picture back. The NBA Playoffs just don't look the same in SD. Still, I can imagine erecting a tower of that height will take a while."
Why don't you learn how to receive KATV OTA so you can watch your games in HD?
"Good for KATV, I hope it happens soon so I can get my freaking HD picture back. The NBA Playoffs just don't look the same in SD. Still, I can imagine erecting a tower of that height will take a while."
Why don't you learn how to receive KATV OTA so you can watch your games in HD?
"Why don't you learn how to receive KATV OTA so you can watch your games in HD?"
Well, it's not that easy, now that they are using a subchannel of KWBF-DT. I could get them fine before, but not as well anymore. I am also looking forward to a RELIABLE digital signal from KATV-DT again.
"Is there a blog for newspaper reporters? It seems you guys won't address the issue of the F.C.C. auctioning off public airwaves for Billions. This is not a discussion of digital being better than analog or even broadcast owners or the public costs in the conversion. I guess you guys are affraid of the F.C.C. Maybe there is still freedom in the press media."
Maybe everyone else just realizes that this ISN'T THAT BIG A DEAL?! Seriously, you're the only person who cares.
To the poster above..."it's no big deal".
I guess you work for Deathstar where $19.5 Billion is no big deal.
You are right no one cares because no one in the news media reported the auction or the results.
The auction is over. By doing some research of my own I learned this: The U.S. Federal Commmunications Commission (FCC) auction of wireless airwaves, finished Tuesday, raised a record $19.59 billion and offered interesting possibilities for new competitors like Google,
When Google takes over Television maybe then it will be important to you.
You're to be commended for doing all this research on your own. But...have you ever kissed a girl?
Yes, and for your information, I am a girl. Like that?
That's even sadder.
"Well, it's not that easy, now that they are using a subchannel of KWBF-DT. I could get them fine before, but not as well anymore. I am also looking forward to a RELIABLE digital signal from KATV-DT again."
I know it's not that easy. Sorry for the abrupt answer to your post. Maybe you should try and install a CM 4221 or Yagi in your attic. Depends on how much room you have there. A lot of folks will be glad when KATV gets back to full power. I am fortunate to have an OTA antenna and only could not receive them the first couple of weeks they were down.
"I know it's not that easy. Sorry for the abrupt answer to your post. Maybe you should try and install a CM 4221 or Yagi in your attic. Depends on how much room you have there. A lot of folks will be glad when KATV gets back to full power. I am fortunate to have an OTA antenna and only could not receive them the first couple of weeks they were down."
10:24 AM, April 26, 2008
I've got an exterior Yagi, and get almost all the digital OTA stations fine, I just have problems with channel 42 and it's subchannels. In addition to the weaker signal, ABC-HD material is also a little degraded due to the multicasting, especially when there is also HD content on 42.1 Right now, I've got a decent lock on the channel, but the NBA game looks noticably softer than hockey on NBC, Golf on CBS or NASCAR on Fox.
I believe KWBF is on reduced power at this time.
Anytime a station multicasts it takes away from their resolution on all channels. KTHV's will always be degraded as long as they use 12.2 (They call it THV2) Channel 42 just added to their problems with resolution by allowing KATV to use 42.3. KLRT-DT and KARK-DT are noticebly better by not multicasting. As I said before, things will look better when all stations, including 39 (KASN-DT) are located on Shinall and are at full power. That way, everyone can point their OTA antenna in one direction and have decent OTA reception.
99.9% of viewers will never notice that multi-casting "degrades" the 11-1 signal. Good try on trying to brain wash folks to convince them it it really matters! However 99.9% of viewers do like being able to get 11-2 when they want a quick weather update. You need to figure out a way to get past this...everyone else has!
Excuse my ignorance, but is the KATV OTA signal still broadcasting on 7-1, or should I try another channel? I haven't seen ABC HD in a while, so if it's out there and I'm missing it, I would appreciate the heads-up.
KATV-DT is currently broadcasting in HD on a subchannel of KWBF-DT, 42-3, but it will remap on your receiver to 7-1. As it's been noted here, though, KWBF-DT is harder to receive than most of the other local channels, apparently they are at reduced power. I can get them in Benton, but they are weaker than everyone else, so I do have frequent dropouts.
(BTW, this is Rocky.)
"However 99.9% of viewers do like being able to get 11-2 when they want a quick weather update. You need to figure out a way to get past this...everyone else has!"
There is nothing "quick" about the weather update on 11.2 and using a sub channel is, in the opinion of most broadcasters, a waste of time and bandwidth, especially when KTHV-DT, Channel 12 transmitts the same program on 12.1 and 12.2 as they have done several times.
The 12.2 is just another gimmick to sell time (and space) to advertisers as it is chock full of commercials and what's with that double bar crawl. I still think they will be the first station in this market to do a weather warning in Spanish.
You can say that it does not degrade the signal but all you have to do is check the resolution of KLRT-DT Channel 30, and KARK-DT Channel 32. I won't get into KTHV's flat lighting because some (sales and talent) don't like to talk about things they don't understand. You can bet that when KATV-DT Channel 22 returns on their assigned channel and running full power that they will look just a good as those that don't use subs. As I understand it, they don't plan to waste any bandwidth for their digital stream. A little more pedestal please. Oops, did I lose you?
"You can bet that when KATV-DT Channel 22 returns on their assigned channel and running full power that they will look just a good as those that don't use subs. As I understand it, they don't plan to waste any bandwidth for their digital stream."
Where do you hear that? Not that I don't believe you, but they were doing multicasting before the tower collapse with 7 News Now. Of course, ABC does 720p instead of 1080i, so they have a little extra room, and a low bandwidth signal like 7 News Now doesn't downgrade the signal as bad.
"There is nothing "quick" about the weather update on 11.2 and using a sub channel is, in the opinion of most broadcasters, a waste of time and bandwidth, especially when KTHV-DT, Channel 12 transmitts the same program on 12.1 and 12.2 as they have done several times.
The 12.2 is just another gimmick to sell time (and space) to advertisers as it is chock full of commercials and what's with that double bar crawl. I still think they will be the first station in this market to do a weather warning in Spanish."
You are just a stick in the mud old geezer that probably listens to KARN and sport talk shows so you can enjoy the crying and moaning like you seem to always do. Keep on thinking like you do and you will go far.
"You can say that it does not degrade the signal but all you have to do is check the resolution of KLRT-DT Channel 30, and KARK-DT Channel 32. I won't get into KTHV's flat lighting because some (sales and talent) don't like to talk about things they don't understand. You can bet that when KATV-DT Channel 22 returns on their assigned channel and running full power that they will look just a good as those that don't use subs. As I understand it, they don't plan to waste any bandwidth for their digital stream. A little more pedestal please. Oops, did I lose you?"
Nah, you didn't loose anyone on this blog. Who cares? Blah, blah, blah...just remember one thing smart boy. Who is number one?
The latest AP said that KLRT was numero uno (number one).
"a low bandwidth signal like 7 News Now doesn't downgrade the signal as bad."
Depends on how much they devote to it. Any at all will degrade some. Trust me, this will make a difference in the station's popularity when the viewers become more digital savvy
Baloney!
Would you prefer mustard or mayo with your baloney? Stick around.
Comment and question:
With only 19.4Mbs to make tv serious compression has to be used because it takes something less than 2000Mbs to make true 1080i. The method used with 8vsb is MPEG2. 8vsb is the digital format all US broadcastors are being forced to use.
So in your infinite wisdom tell me how many Mbs does it take to make 1080i? How many Mbs does it take to make the viewer believe they are seeing true Hi Definition TV?
And if the standard were changed to use MPEG4 as the input to the 8vsb modulator then wouldn't true hi def 1080i be achieved with only about 14Mbs? Loose anyone. Thought so. And yes the US citizens have been deceived and misled to believe this new digital crap is for the viewer's benefit. Bull, It is about money. They squeeze a broadcastor into a quarter of the bandwidth used now, then they can sell the other three quarters of the bandwidth to the highest bidder. Billions have been made. But have you seen the losses Sprint and Nextel are experiencing. They may run out of money before the conversion to all digital eng. Remember they bought that part of the bandwidth long ago now. Talk among yourselves.
Actually, 1080p )Progressive)is preferred to 1080i (Interlaced).
Nice job with your Google search on Digital Television Transmission. I see that you took my advice. Now, keep at it and learn as much as you can, or care to.
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