Stragglers Still Working on DTV Buildouts

Last week, in a little noticed action, the FCC granted DTV construction deadline extensions to 20 stations, giving them until Feb. 17, 2009 —the last day of analog broadcasting — to complete their full-power DTV facilities.

In asking for an extension, each station made the case that it faced a "unique technical challenge."

TVNewsday contacted several of the stations and found that all are broadcasting a low-power DTV signal. But a range of technical, physical and logistical challenges is making it difficult for them to achieve full-power DTV while their analog channels are still on air.

Hoak Media's KAUZ, a CBS affiliate serving Wichita Falls, Texas, and Fisher's KLEW, a CBS affiliate in Lewiston, Idaho, are dealing with tower loading limits.

KAUZ is broadcasting its analog signal on ch. 6 and its low-power DTV signal on ch. 22.

According to KAUZ Chief Engineer Steve Looney, the station's 45-year-old, 1,031-foot tower is not capable of carrying the load of two full-size TV antennas (one analog and one digital), although it's sturdy enough for the small antenna it's using for the low-power DTV service.

As a result, KAUZ will have to wait until its analog service has gone off air, so that the analog antenna can be removed to make way for its digital replacement.

"We'll begin work as soon as we can after Feb. 17, 2009," Looney says. "I have no idea how long it will take to install our new Dielectric DTV antenna."

At present, KLEW's ch. 3 analog antenna is located at the top of its 300-foot tower, while the station's ch. 32 DTV antenna is halfway up the mast at 150 feet.

"Like many other stations, we have to wait until the analog shutdown before we can move our DTV transmissions to full power," says KLEW Chief Engineer William Dunlap.

Meredith's KPTV Portland, Ore., won its FCC extension because its post-transition digital channel is the same as its current analog assignment, ch. 12. (It is currently offering DTV service on ch. 30.)

The Fox affiliate's plan is to reconfigure its ch. 12 analog transmitter so that it provides a half-power analog signal, "leaving the rest of the unit available to be set up as a full-power DTV transmitter," says Steve Benedict.

"On Feb. 17, 2009, we will simply flip a switch to turn ch. 12 into a digital KPTV feed," he says. "It will be that simple."

When that happens, Meredith's other station in the market, MNT affiliate KPDX, will take over KPTV's vacated ch. 30 transmission facilities. KPDX is currently airing a digital signal on ch. 48.

A similar challenge is facing KVRR Fargo, N.D., one that will require the Fox affiliate to petition the FCC for yet another extension.

On Feb. 17, KVRR was supposed to move its DTV service from ch. 19 to ch. 15, its current analog assignment.

But, according to KVRR Chief Engineer Don Sturzenbecher, the DTV service will stay at low power on ch. 19 beyond the analog cut-off because switching to full power on ch. 15 means moving the DTV antenna array up 100 feet to the top of the tower.

And sending a tower crew aloft to do that work during a North Dakota winter is out of the question, he says.

So it's back to the FCC. "We are asking ... for an STA [special temporary authority] to let us keep running off our low-power DTV setup after Feb. 17, 2009," he says.

Sturzenbecher hopes to get the antenna moved and come into full compliance in May 2009, after the weather has warmed up.

Space limitations on the ground have slowed down the DTV transition at National Communications' Fox affiliate KVHP Lake Charles, La..

KVHP is broadcastpng an analog signal on ch. 29 and a low-power DTV signal on ch. 30.

The problem is that there is just is not enough room inside KVHP's transmitter building to house two full-power transmitters.

To deal with the problem, KVHP plans to install a low-power analog transmitter at the site "sometime in December-January," says KVHP CFO Lester Langley.

Once that is in operation, the old analog transmitter will be removed and the station's full power Axcera DTV transmitter will be installed.

"In this way, we will be operating a full-power digital and low-power analog until the transition on Feb. 17, 2009," Langley says.

In contrast to the other station contacted, New Vision's CBS affiliate in Youngstown, Ohio, WKBN, is actually broadcasting full-power DTV today on ch. 41. It asked for an extension so that it could continue work needed to achieve full market coverage

Space limitations on its 1,441-foot tower forced the station to side-mount its Dielectric DTV antenna at about 1,220 feet, according to station engineer Tom Zocolo.

"At this height, it gives us good coverage, but not as good as it will be when we move it up top," he says.

The move will not happen before Feb. 17, Zocolo says.

"We will have to wait until spring 2009 to make this change, because February and March weather in northeast Ohio is not the best time to be working on a tower."