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Showing posts from March, 2009

UK news conference to be carried live tomorrow morning at 8:30 AM CDT

WEHT and WFIE are reporting tonight that they will both carry the press conference introducing John Calipari as the next UK men's basketball coach live tomorrow morning at 8:30 AM CDT: WFIE will air the presser on their digital weather channel (14.2) and on their website . WEHT will webcast it on their website . I've been unable to confirm whether WTVW will cover the presser. In the Bowling Green market, I am also not sure about WBKO 's plans. In the Louisville area: WAVE 3 will have live coverage beginning just before 9:30 EDT; I'm operating on the assumption that they will do as their sister station WFIE plans to do and have it on air and online. WHAS 11 will have live coverage on air and on their website. WLKY 32 's plans were not immediately available. WDRB 41 's plans were not immediately available. Finally, I think it's a foregone conclusion that all of the Lexington stations will cover the story, since it is "Ground Zero" for the even

The April Poll Questions: Severe Weather Season Edition

UPDATE: THE QUESTIONS ARE NOW UP AND READY FOR YOUR VOTE! Since it's severe weather season, I decided that April's poll questions will be severe weather-related. Here you go: Question #1A - EVANSVILLE DMA In case of severe weather, which station do you turn to for coverage? WTVW WFIE WEHT None of the above More than one Question #1B - BOWLING GREEN DMA In case of severe weather, which station do you turn to for coverage? WBKO WNKY None of the above Both Question #1C - LOUISVILLE DMA In case of severe weather, which station do you turn to for coverage? WAVE WHAS WLKY WDRB Question #1D - NASHVILLE DMA In case of severe weather, which station do you turn to for coverage? WKRN WSMV WTVF WZTV Question #2 Do you have a weather radio? Yes No Question #3 If there is a storm siren near where you live, can you hear it? Yes, if I'm outside Yes, even if I'm indoors No There isn't one in my area The questions will go live as soon as I get them entered into the layout , so be w

Following Cal: Is Memphis' Coach Heading to Lexington?

If you're trying to get all the details of the Calipari story, here are some links to get the story from every angle: MEMPHIS TV STATIONS WREG (CBS) WMC (NBC) WHBQ (FOX) WPTY (ABC) LEXINGTON TV STATIONS WLEX (NBC) WKYT (CBS) WTVQ (ABC) WDKY (FOX) Of course, here in the Evansville market, the story is getting a great deal of coverage as well. NEWS25 's Randall Parmley is on the ground in Lexington and will be live during the 6 PM newscast. According to FlightAware.com, a Cessna 560 Citation 5 was scheduled to leave Memphis at 5:16 PM CDT and is set to arrive at Lexington's Blue Grass Airport at 7:14 PM EDT (6:14 PM CDT). The thinking is that this is the aircraft which is bringing Calipari to UK. Another plane may be used, as there is another, smaller plane is also scheduled between MEM and LEX. UPDATE : If there is a press conference at UK tonight, WFIE will carry it live on 14wfie.com and on their digital weather channel, 14.2 . The wait continues.

WEHT and WFIE to take UK fans' questions tonight

WEHT and WFIE 's sports departments are doing a great job covering the wild-n-wooly UK coaching story , and that coverage will continue tonight, when some media outlets are saying the University will announce Memphis coach John Calipari as the new coach of the Wildcats. NEWS25 will have a live webcast at 7:00 PM CDT where Sports Director Lance Wilkerson and Randall Parmley will take questions from fans. To access the NEWS25 webcast, click here . 14 News will do a liveblog at 6:30 PM , and then at 6:45 , Chris Goodman and Bo McFall will take questions online and on the air on the station's weather channel, 14.2 . 14 News' sports page is here . I'm not sure what WTVW is doing. Their website is hard to get around, IMHO, although they do have the story posted there. Big-time kudos to the local guys for covering it from top to bottom. Ain't technology great!?

FOCUS ON: Bowling Green's WKYU

FOCUS ON is a new feature here at JDTVB. I'll take a look at a station or an area of interest to viewers in the Evansville, Bowling Green or Nashville TV markets. First up in the FOCUS ON lens is WKYU, the Bowling Green PBS station. Living in Owensboro, I don't often get to watch WKYU , but I appreciate it that much more when I do. It's kind of nice to have the option of another PBS station that isn't KET or WNIN . And no, I don't have a problem with either of those, it's just that another option never hurt anybody. In Kentucky, WKYU is unique. It's the only PBS affiliate (member station, in PBS parlance) not run by the Kentucky Authority for Educational Television, and it's relatively new, too, having gone on the air in January 1989. WKYU is owned by and used as a teaching tool for Western Kentucky University , and from what I see, they do a fine job with it. They not only show the national PBS schedule, but they have their own public affairs and

No April Fool's Joke Here: I Need Your Help!

I've been spending the past few days running some ideas through my head for the April poll questions. The good news is, I do have a few ideas. The bad news is, I'm not happy with any of them! So I'm going to open it up to you. Give me some good questions! I'll run as many of them as I can. Please keep them TV related. Just post a comment below, tweet me or shoot me an e-mail at jnewkirk77 (at) att (dot) net . In addition, I'd like to thank everyone who has voted in this month's polls. The response has been AMAZING! The March questions will be up until 11:59 PM Tuesday night , so if you haven't yet voted yet, DO IT NOW!!!

News Roundup, March 22-28 - WAZE On The Block Edition

I made an "executive decision" to go ahead and do the NR early this weekend. It is Saturday, so I doubt there'll be much news on the DTV front. WAZE ON THE BLOCK - AN ANALYSIS Getting right to the top story of the week, WAZE is being sold to BGT Communications, LLC , of Maryland Heights, Mo. Virtually nothing is known about BGT, but they're getting a sweetheart deal on a TV station -- the sale price is $50,000 -- or about 5% of what Roberts paid when they bought the station two years ago. Of course, you have to look at what's left of WAZE, and there really isn't much. The station has no offices, no studios, and no employees who aren't shared with any other station. Basically, then, all BGT is getting is the 2.4 acres of Hopkins County land and a tower. Sure, they're getting WAZE's translators, too, but those are basically just licenses. They transmit from towers owned by WAZE's other former owner, South Central Communications Corporation.

AmeriCorps to help with DTV transition

TVNewsday is reporting that the AmeriCorps National Civilian Community Corps (NCCC) will help with the DTV transition, the date for which is now just a mere two and a half months away. According to the article, "The AmeriCorps NCCC members will focus on groups the FCC has targeted for special attention, including low-income individuals, minority communities, non-English speaking consumers, senior citizens, consumers with disabilities and individuals living in rural areas or tribal lands." This is interesting news. The NCCC apparently will focus on the 49 markets where the most people need help. On the list in this area of the country are the cities of Cincinnati, Indianapolis , Louisville and Nashville .

From the JDTVB Department of Redundancy Department

Unless you're living under a rock somewhere in the far reaches of the cosmos, you've by now heard that the University of Kentucky has fired men's basketball coach Billy Gillispie . I'm not sure what WBKO is doing, but in the Evansville market, WFIE and WEHT will carry UK's upcoming press conference live at 3:30 PM CDT on their respective websites. I've got links to those websites (and many others) at the lower left.

BREAKING: WAZE being sold

(UPDATED FRIDAY, MARCH 27, 1:00 AM and again at 3:30 AM and 2:20 PM) JDTVB's Nashville Correspondent, NashDigie, reports that WAZE (19, and its translator stations, WAZE-LP , WIKY-LP and WJPS-LP ) are being sold . Based on my own understanding of what I've read in the FCC filing, it is my belief that this is, in fact, the case. The sale is pending approval by the FCC , and the application for consent to transfer the station's license was accepted for filing today . I've got an e-mail in to WAZE's general manager, Dody Yarborough , seeking comment/confirmation. From all indications, however, this has been in the works for several months. On December 30, 2008, Roberts Broadcasting signed an agreement with BGT Communications, LLC of Maryland Heights, Missouri, transferring all outstanding membership interests in Roberts Broadcasting Company of Evansville (which are owned only by the Roberts brothers, Steven and Michael) to BGT for the sum of $50,000 . If that total

A blast from the past

From YouTube -- and I swear, I didn't know this was on there until recently -- check out News25 Chief Meteorologist Wayne Hart from his days at WLKY in Louisville. Wayne, we hardly knew ye!

Daytime Emmys to air on The CW?

Let's just say you're a TV network which airs no daytime soaps. Yet you see the possibility -- however remote -- of snagging some new viewers for your other programming by giving this year's Daytime Emmy 's a new home. If things go as planned right now, the awards show will be going to just such a network, The CW , at least according to Broadcasting & Cable , and it'll air sometime late this summer. CBS , ABC and SoapNet all passed on the show, citing financial woes. So, if this happens, the really "religious" soap viewers will have to trudge into unfamiliar territory to see their favorite stars grab their statues this year. In this neck of the woods, the following stations would carry the show: WAZE (on cable, and OTA via analog translators 4, 5 and 17 in Evansville) WBKO (13.3, Bowling Green) WNAB (58.1, Nashville)

Coupon expired? Apply again!

I forgot to mention yesterday that the NTIA is accepting applications from those coupon holders whose DTV box coupons expired before they could get their boxes. So, if that's you, go to dtv2009.gov and sign up again.

When Analog Goes Away II - An Update

Just got word from Chris Meisch at Roberts Broadcasting on WAZE-LP. While WAZE-TV (CW, 19) will go off the air June 12, their low-power analog translators in the Evansville area will stay on . For those unfamiliar with those translators, here they are: WJPS-LP (4) WIKY-LP (5) WAZE-LP (17) I thought there was another one in Mt. Vernon, Ind., but the FCC doesn't have a record for it. Maybe I'm hallucinating or something. Seriously, if I did miss one somewhere, please let me know.

It hasn't happened yet, but it's coming soon

Earlier today, I posted that there was a possibility of WBKO 's signal already being boosted to its final post-transition ERP of 22,000 watts. Well, friends, it hasn't happened yet, but it's coming soon. NashDigie , our intrepid correspondent from south of the border -- the Kentucky/Tennessee border, that is! -- got this word from WBKO's engineer this morning: WBKO will be boosting power from 11.6 kw to 22kw the week of April 13. We hope this improves your signal level. Thanks for your interest in our station. We will be off the air on Tue April 14, 7:00am until finished,hopefully by 7:00 pm. So there you go. In addition, as I was reading the engineering statement filed with the FCC this week, I noted some interesting figures. When they were on analog, WBKO served an "interference-free population" of 527,969 people. Digital channel 33 -- their temporary home -- reached 452,599 folks. Once the 22kW signal goes up, they expect to reach 665,144 people. That&

When Analog Goes Away - Dates & Times

I've been examining the Analog Service Termination Notifications that each station had to file last week, and I can now give you the timeframes that each of our local stations will follow when they turn off their analog signals. EVANSVILLE DMA WTVW (7) - June 12, 6:01 - 11:59 PM WNIN (9) - June 12, 12:00 - 6:00 AM WFIE (14) - June 12, 12:00 - 6:00 AM WAZE (19) - June 12, 6:01 AM - 12:00 PM ... will not have full-power digital ready on June 12 as things now stand, but will remain on cable. I'm going to check with them and see if WAZE-LP (17) will remain on. W23BV (23) - Switched, but had to go back to analog due to digital transmitter failure; return to digital not yet known, although June 12 deadline does not apply to LP/CA stations . WEHT (25) - June 12, 12:00 - 6:00 AM WKOH (31) - April 16, 12:00 - 6:00 AM WKMA (35) - April 16, 12:00 - 6:00 AM WEVV (44)- June 12, 12:00 - 6:00 AM BOWLING GREEN DMA WBKO (13) - Already done (December) WKYU (24) - Already done (analog transmit

WBKO's signal up to full strength?

I might have an explanation as to why I've been able to get WBKO the past few days. Our good friend NashDigie latched onto an engineering statement that seems to indicate the station has gotten and installed the equipment that will enable them to up their ERP from 11,600 watts to 22,000 watts. That statement, in PDF format, can be read here . You may remember that they were originally not expecting this equipment until August. Five months early? All I can say is, "Wow!" Nash is checking into the situation with 'BKO's engineer, and when I get a report back on what the latest is, I'll be sure to post it here.

A modification to the homemade antenna

Good afternoon, everybody! I've been doing some more homemade antenna research, and in the past few days, I've tried out a new design modification. The original design found here -- minus the reflector -- works great in my attic, but every one I've built has had better performance in the higher reaches of the UHF band, say on channels 30 and up. So I tried going larger. Instead of 14" long elements (bent in half to create 7" bowties), I went to 20" (bent to create 10"). In addition, I increased the spacing between the elements from 7" to 10". The result? The higher range isn't as good -- but I'm getting more gain from the higher VHF band, where WEHT will soon be and where WNIN is now. As a case in point, even without amplification, the TV connected to this latest test antenna is able to get WBKO, some 60 miles away. The original design doesn't unless the atmosphere is just so. I can only imagine what results I might get if I mo

Another new look for JDTVB, and some kudos

OK, I admit it. I'm addicted to change. To feed this addiction, I've changed the layout of JDTVB once more. Hope you like it. And kudos to WEVV -- our CBS affiliate -- for showing 2 NCAA games at a time on 44.1 and 44.2. Made life a lot easier while I was following the 64 teams down to the Sweet 16. And they'll continue the process this Thursday evening, according to WEVV's GM Tim Black, who put the schedule on his Twitter blog: On 44.1 WEVV: 6:07 PM - Purdue/UConn 8:57 PM - Nova/Duke On 44.2 My44: 6:27 PM - Xavier/Pitt 8:37 PM - Mizzou/Memphis I'm still saying Purdue all the way, just so you know.

WTVW owner takes over management of more stations

TVNewsday is reporting that Nexstar Broadcasting -- owner of Evansville's WTVW -- has agreed to take over the seven stations that make up the Four Points TV Group . Four Points -- owned by Cerberus Capital Management , which owns struggling automaker Chrysler -- was created when Cerberus purchased the stations from CBS in 2008. The stations are: KUTV (CBS) and KUSG (RTN), Salt Lake City, UT WTVX (CW), WTCN-CA (MNT) and WWHB (Azteca), West Palm Beach, FL KEYE (CBS), Austin, TX WLWC (CW), Providence, RI Cerberus will pay Nexstar $2 mil per year to run the show, with bonuses if they increase the stations' cash flow. I think we all can figure out how that might be done ... In addition, if Cerberus sells the stations within three years, Nexstar gets $10 mil and a share in whatever equity profits. Analysts in recent months have questioned Nexstar's moves, given the company's rather substantial debt and poor stock performance. Maybe they're making smart moves, but right

Battery powered TVs and You: After the Transition

Many of us have long had those small, handy 5" black-and-white TVs that we use on camping trips or in emergencies, say, when the power goes out. But they won't work come June 12. So what to do? Well, there are a few options; unfortunately, none are as cheap as those old 5" jobs. However, you don't necessarily have to spend the big coin and get a whole new handheld TV, although that is an option. Here's what I've found so far: A battery pack for your converter box: Winegard sells a battery pack for their converter box, which looks suspiciously like the Venturer box sold at Target. The pack uses six "D" batteries to provide power for your box. It's not an elegant solution, but it does work. And yes, despite what they say, I've found that it DOES work for the Venturer. Cost: as little as $13.95 online. Plug it in, plug it in ... in the car: Some converter boxes -- such as the aforementioned Venturer and Winegard -- can be run off of cig

News Roundup, March 15-21

Good Sunday evening, everybody! Here's this week's look back at what made news here at JDTVB. Let's get right to it: NEW METEOROLOGIST AT NEWS25 WEHT has hired a new meteorologist for News25 Daybreak. Scott Dimmich , who comes to the Tri-State from Lexington, Ky., replaced Stacey May , who gave birth to twins this week. Congratulations to Stacey and her husband Dan! ### FCC RELEASES NEW TRANSITION RULES AND LISTS The FCC this week released new rules for stations to follow; you can read them all here . In addition, the lists of stations which will switch before June 12 and those waiting until that date have also been released. In the Evansville DMA , only WKMA (35) and WKOH (31) -- both KET stations -- will be switching early, on April 16 . Everyone else is riding it out to the last day, June 12 . In Bowling Green , WKGB (53, also a KET station) will go with the other KET stations on April 16; WBKO (13, ABC/FOX/CW) has already transitioned and WNKY (40, NBC/CBS) will

Poll update!

With 10 days to go in this month's polls, here are the current standings: WEHT's News25 Daybreak has taken a narrow lead among the local morning shows, but it's still very close: WEHT (Daybreak) - 6/14 = 42% WFIE (Sunrise) - 5/14 = 35% WTVW (AM Evansville) - 1/14 = 7% None of the above - 2/14 = 14% In the evening news race (any time slot), WFIE still holds a firm lead: WFIE - 7/13 = 53% WEHT - 4/13 = 30% WTVW - 1/13 = 7% None of the above - 1/13 = 7% Thanks to everyone who has already voted, and be sure to tell your friends. Let's see who's the top dog in the Tri-State!

A most unusual day ...

I woke up this morning, as I do every Saturday morning, and turned on my bedroom TV. Because my last rescan took out WNIN -- it was done after 'NIN had gone off for the night -- I decided to rescan this morning as there was something I wanted to watch. Glad I did, too, because I got several unexpected surprises. At 10:45 this morning, I was getting WKRN (2, ABC, Nashville), WBKO (13, ABC/Fox/CW, Bowling Green), WKYU (24, PBS, Bowling Green), WUXP (30, MNTV, Nashville), and WKGB (53, KET, Bowling Green) in addition to my Evansville stations. Usually, when I get all of these, they're gone by 9 AM, and normally much earlier than that. Needless to say, SOMETHING in the atmosphere was very favorable much later in the day than usual. Did anyone else notice this phenomenon?

The latest from WAZE ... wish it was good news, but it ain't

First off, I'd like to thank WAZE 's general manager, Dody Yarborough , and their chief engineer, Chris Meisch , for taking the time to answer my questions this week. It has been a pleasure to deal with the "new folks" running the station, especially in contrast to the complete lack of cooperation I got from the folks who used to run the place when it was headquartered in Evansville. That said, I wish the news I have to share was good, but it isn't. According to Chris, the reason there was no construction going on when RMP drove through the area around the present tower recently is because there is no construction going on . "As it stands at this time we are having issues with site acquisition," he explained. "We are planning on building a new tower for digital signal at a taller height than our current tower to better serve the Evansville market." So, for those of us getting things OTA, digital WAZE isn't happening any time soon. B

It's final -- and a surprise

The FCC released the final lists late yesterday of the stations switching prior to June 12 and those which will wait until June 12. In the Evansville DMA, the only ones switching early -- in this case, on April 16 -- are the Owensboro and Madisonville KET stations ( WKOH 31 and WKMA 35, respectively). Everyone else is going on June 12. In the Bowling Green DMA, WKGB 53 will switch on April 16; WBKO 13 already has, and WNKY 40 will go on June 12. Here 's the list of all stations switching on June 12, and here 's the list of stations going earlier. (Both are in Adobe PDF format.) --- In other news, WAZE 's general manager, Dody Yarborough , replied to my e-mail today. Their director of engineering will answer my questions soon. Hopefully I'll have something concrete to offer in short order!

Speculation, ponderings and other stuff

Here's some stuff I decided to jot down tonight. I've got some free time, so bear with me if this is a little disorganized. This stuff just comes to me. I don't know where it comes from. I'm just the messenger. --- Ion I've made no secret of my desire to get an Ion television affiliate here in the Tri-State, if for no other reason that a digital station carrying that network would also have qubo , and my kids LOVE qubo. That's enough for me. With the (said to be friendly) breakup between ComCorp (owners of WEVV) and the Evansville Low Power Partnership, I think the soon-to-cut-to-digital WTSN-LP would be a perfect place for Ion to land. The projected coverage area would put Ion into view for roughly 250,000 people (by my estimate). Hopefully John Dunn and Ion Networks would see that as a good thing. --- The Cliff Effect Falls Off a Cliff? Until June 12, I can't be sure, but I think that many stations which are now predicted to drop viewers might not a

1/4 of the way through my second hundred -- FINALLY, WBKO shows up!

Welcome to post #125, and now that I'm 1/4 of the way to #200, I have big news: FINALLY , I can report to you that -- at least as I type this at 1:50AM on Wednesday, March 18, 2009 -- I am watching World News Now on WBKO ! I'm not getting a great signal -- 13-18 on a scale of 100 on the Magnavox boxes -- but it is watchable. One wonders what I could get with an outdoor antenna, and just such an antenna (with a rotor and on a nice, tall tower, no less) is on the wish list for next year's budget here at JDTVB HQ. I'd have done it this year, but after my wife's car accident and the attendant repairs our Caravan needed (plus the two tires I have to get for said Caravan later today), you can see why it ain't happenin' right now. I also managed to pull down WKGB (Bowling Green's KET) once again. That wasn't as much of a surprise, as I've normally been able to get that even if I couldn't get WBKO ... even before 'BKO moved from 33 to 13. On

A look at picture quality

I wasn't really sure how to approach this subject, but I figured it would come to me, and I think it has, so here we go. Picture quality on the Evansville TV stations is about as different as the stations themselves are. To my eyes, the best picture comes from KET, then WEVV, then WFIE and WEHT. WNIN's picture isn't bad, but it isn't as good as it was when they had their full HD signal going. Then there's WTVW. As long as the programming is coming from the Fox network, it's fine. But anything that originates on Carpenter Street (be it syndicated or news) is crappy. Really crappy. And Channel 7's sound quality -- again, on things NOT from Fox -- isn't much better. Personally, I think it has to do with Nexstar pinching pennies (kind of along the lines of not having a weather radar), but that's just what I think. What are your thoughts? Shoot from the hip and let 'er rip!

Maybe something IS going on, after all ...

A while ago, I posted that the Evansville Low Power Partnership had switched call letters between its two stations, WTSN-LP and WYYW-LP , and that they'd also applied to flash-cut to digital on what is now WTSN-LP channel 36. At the time, I didn't think much about it, but after reading this post at EvansvilleMedia.com , it turns out there is more to it than just that. ELPP (of which Evansville hospitality mogul John Dunn is the major partner) is taking over full control of both stations from Communications Corporation of America ( ComCorp ), which owns WEVV . It had been an equal partnership between the two companies. And, as we've seen, MyNetwork TV programming is now branded on WEVV-44.2 as "My44," so perhaps there is going to be a change in what is shown over the WTSN/WYYW duo. Could they be leaving MNTV for Ion (as WTSN was once a PAX affiliate, and PAX is now Ion)? Or maybe another network? Or maybe they could go independent? Who knows? Only time wi

More rules!

The FCC has released more rules for the DTV transition , and some of 'em are real whoppers. You can read this article at Broadcasting & Cable for more, but here's the gist: Stations which will, after the transition, lose more than two percent of their viewing audience, must tell their viewers of this fact. (I actually think this one is a good idea.) All stations have to include more information about antennas, and if they are moving from VHF to UHF or vice versa, inform viewers that they might need more or different equipment to receive these stations, and that they should periodically rescan their converter boxes or digital televisions to make sure they're getting all the channels they are supposed to. (OK, I like this one too.) Noncommercial stations (PBS affiliates, etc.) which, for reasons of financial hardship, had asked to switch before April 16, can do so, starting March 27. (Gee, that's generous!) Stations which will shut off their analog signals prio

A new face in the morning at News25

News25 Chief Meteorologist Wayne Hart announced during tonight's 10PM newscast that Scott Dimmich will be the newest member of the First Warning Doppler weather team. Dimmich, who until recently worked at WKYT in Lexington, Ky., will join the Daybreak team tomorrow at 5AM alongside Jon Chrisos and Whitney Ray . Welcome to the area, Scott!

News Roundup, March 8-14

Not much happening this week, but let's get to what we've got: W23BV SWITCHES BACK TO ANALOG (TEMPORARILY) Evansville's 3ABN affiliate, W23BV, suffered a setback last week with their digital transmitter equipment, so for now, at least, they're back on analog. Hopefully they'll get back up and running soon. WAZE'S DIGITAL TOWER NOT UNDER CONSTRUCTION!? According to RMP over at the AVS forum, there was NO construction underway at WAZE's tower site near Hanson, Ky. during a recent excursion through that area. And, since they refuse to answer e-mails, have closed their local office and don't provide updates on their website (if you try to read their FCC filings on their site, the links are dead), I somehow think it's the beginning of the end for WAZE. OK, if not the beginning, maybe we're in the third quarter. Something like that. I've been under the weather this past week, which is the major reason behind the lack of posts of late. I'm

The WAZE emperor has no clothes!

Just got word from RMP over at the AVS forums that he was in the Hopkins County vicinity over the weekend and went past the WAZE tower site. Seems there is NO construction work going on there, which made him -- and me -- ponder some things. For one, Roberts had stated in their most recent FCC filing that they couldn't use the existing tower for full-power digital operation, and they had gone through a bunch of hoops to build a tower elsewhere. They were supposed to go before Kentucky's aviation commission (or whatever it's called) back in November to get their approval, but I've been unable to determine if that approval was granted. Regardless, as stated above, there's NO sign of work anywhere near the tower site, which begs some questions: 1. Will WAZE go full-power from the existing tower after all? 2. Why hasn't Roberts updated the FCC on their latest status? 3. Why won't they tell us, the viewers, what's going on? In all honesty, I don't t

W23BV back on analog temporarily

As I reported last week, Evansville's 3ABN affiliate, W23BV , went digital. Unfortunately, their digital transmitter has broken down, according to the person I spoke to with Bethel Sanitarium , the station's owner. W23BV is back on the air in analog (and, therefore, it is pretty much unwatchable here in Owensboro) while they await the repair of the digital equipment, and my contact said it could be a month or more before that takes place. I'm hopeful that it won't take that long. I was enjoying their programming.

Tornado watch until 4PM CDT - local coverage

With severe weather in the Tri-State (several warnings have been issued by the NWS) -- and with a tornado watch in effect until 4PM CDT -- here's what the local stations are doing: WTVW -- Has their warning/watch map on-screen. Not interrupting the NASCAR race. WFIE -- Wall-to-wall coverage. Interrupted: NHL hockey. WEHT -- Wall-to-wall coverage. Interrupted: paid programming. Now, I'm a NASCAR fan, but I think WTVW is doing its viewers a real disservice by staying with the race. Of course, since they don't have their own radar (which I think is a crime), maybe it's the best they can do.

News Roundup, March 1-7

Well, folks, this week's Roundup is as sparse as the last two were loaded with info, but I enjoy condensing all this stuff into one neat little package, so away we go: WAZE'S ANALOG SIGNAL BACK ON Madisonville's WAZE (19, CW) went back on the air Sunday after being off for a couple of days. No explanation has been found for the outage so far; I don't expect one, either. And, in what by now is absolutely no surprise, there's still no news on when/if they'll go full-power in digital. 3ABN'S EVANSVILLE AFFILIATE NOW DIGITAL Leave it to a Christian broadcaster to be the first to go live with a Spanish-language channel in the Tri-State. Bethel Sanitarium 's W23BV flash-cut from analog to digital on Monday, and while my Magnavox converters originally mapped the station to its normal channel 23 location, now every box that receives the channel here at JDTVB HQ is showing it on channel 73. There are four subchannels: 73.1 -- 3ABN 73.2 -- 3ABN Latino 73.

Spring forward!

Don't forget to turn your clocks ahead one hour tonight before you hit the sack. Daylight Saving Time begins at 2:00 A.M. This public service message has been brought to you by Jake's DTV Blog , Life In The Bluegrass , and Jacob's License Plate Website .

An update on my channel list

With the recent addition of W23BV 's digital signal (which all but my barn and living room TVs can get), my everyday channel list has grown a bit. Here's what I'm getting now: 7.1 WTVW, FOX, Evansville 9.1 WNIN, PBS HD, Evansville 9.2 WNIN, PBS SD, Evansville 9.3 WNIN, audio feed of 88.3 FM, Evansville 14.1 WFIE, NBC, Evansville 14.2 WFIE Weather Now, Evansville 14.3 WFIE, This TV, Evansville 23.1* W23BV, 3ABN, Evansville 23.2* W23BV, 3ABN Latino, Evansville 23.3* W23BV, 3ABN Radio, Evansville 23.4* W23BV, Radio 74, Evansville 25.1 WEHT, ABC, Evansville 25.2 WEHT, RTN, Evansville 31.1 WKOH, KET1, Owensboro 31.2 WKOH, KET2, Owensboro 31.3 WKOH, KET KY/KET HD, Owensboro 31.4 WKOH, KET ED, Owensboro 35.1 WKMA, KET1, Madisonville 35.2 WKMA, KET2, Madisonville 35.3 WKMA, KET KY/KET HD, Owensboro 35.4 WKMA, KET ED, Madisonville 44.1 WEVV, CBS, Evansville 44.2 WEVV, MyNetworkTV, Evansville * W23BV is mapped as channel 23 on my Magnavox converters, b

I'm a Tweep

Well, I've joined the Twitter universe, doing some Tweeting, which apparently makes me a Tweep. You'll find my updates over there -> and you can follow me from here. Have a great day!

3ABN goes digital in Evansville

Bethel Sanitarium's W23BV , an affiliate of West Frankfort, Illinois-based 3ABN ( 3 Angels Broadcast Network ), has gone digital. 3ABN is a Christian network, billed as the second largest such network in the country. The station, which broadcasts on channel 23 (but, oddly enough, maps to channel 73 ) offers four subchannels to choose from: 73.1 - 3ABN English 73.2 - 3ABN Espanol 73.3 - 3ABN Radio (audio only) 73.4 - Radio74 I'm not familiar with the radio programming, but as I'm able to glean more info from 3ABN's website (and perhaps an e-mail or two), I'll post what I find. UPDATE: OK, so only my Venturer converter boxes map these channels to 73 . My kids' Magnavox boxes, which are connected to a single Terk HDTVi antenna in the attic, map all four channels on 23 . Guess it's one of those "things that make you go, hmmm????"

WAZE analog back on the air

I was in Evansville all afternoon, so I don't know when it happened, but WAZE is back on the air in analog tonight.