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Showing posts from September, 2009

A little more on the KET channel switcheroo

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On Monday, I reported that KET is changing their channel lineup effective tomorrow (Oct. 1). Now, thanks to loyal JDTVB reader teacherjake , we can give you a little more background info on the changes. You can read what KET's spokesman, Tim Bischoff, told Louisville NPR radio station WFPL, by clicking here . I find it interesting that he said the network wanted to make the change in April when they shut off their analog transmitters, but didn't yet have the equipment in place to do so. In other news, my converter boxes and HDTV are already showing what used to be KET1 is now KET, KET2 remains the same, and the former "KETKYHD" is now just KET KY. KET ED has, as we mentioned, gone away, just earlier than we originally thought.

Kentucky Lottery drawings move to different stations in Louisville and Evansville

The Kentucky Lottery announced today that it has picked new affiliates ior its nightly drawings in the Evansville and Louisville markets. The change takes effect tomorrow night. In Louisville, WBKI will carry the brief program, while in Evansville, you'll find the broadcast on WAZE (if, of course, you're able to pick up WAZE, that is). Bowling Green viewers will continue to see the drawings on WBKO . The drawings air just before 11PM Eastern/10PM Central.

IN MY OPINION: When you report on a tsunami, why focus on a reality show?

Does anyone really care that production of the latest season of CBS' Survivor was affected by the earthquake and resulting tsunami that hit Samoa and American Samoa yesterday? And, when a number of people died as a result of said tsunami, should Survivor 's fate really be a news story? I think not. But the AP did it anyway. (If you really want to read it, you can click here .) Now, I'm sure I'll have some folks bash me for any number of reasons. Yes, I know that Survivor is a big ol' cash cow for the Tiffany Network, and yes, I know that there are a good many people are involved in its production, but couldn't this have waited a few more days until the true toll of the storm on the people who actually live there is known? Maybe that'd be too much to ask ...

MyNetworkTV in need of a name change?

Variety is reporting today that MyNetworkTV will no longer be in the arena duking it out in the nightly ratings race. The article goes on to explain that MNT is no longer a network, but rather a "programming service." Which is not entirely different from a network, if you get my drift. So ... maybe it's time for a name change? Hmmm ... MyProgrammingServiceTV doesn't really have the same melodic ring that MyNetworkTV has, does it?

Insight viewers in Evansville: WNIN Local coming to your dial

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If you're an Insight customer in Evansville and the surrounding area, I have some good news and some bad news for you. The good news: I've heard through the grapevine that WNIN Local (OTA channel 9.2) will be added sometime in October. The bad news: It'll be available only with a digital package. Of course, if you want, you can see WNIN Local for free ... with an antenna.

In case you missed it ... the latest from around the TV world

** BEGIN RANT ** I finally got Mobile Command's state-mandated fire inspection done. We really need more RV businesses around here that can do this. I've had to wait more than a month, and that's just wrong. It should have already been titled and registered, but that couldn't happen until the inspection was completed. Grrrr ... ** END RANT ** Anyway, I have been following a few things today around the country, so let's get to 'em: THE COURT WOULD "RATHER" DISMISS THE SUIT, DAN: A New York appellate court threw out Dan Rather's $70 million lawsuit against CBS today. For their part, the folks at CBS are said to be nothing less than ecstatic. Rather, who now works for Mark Cuban's HDNet, plans to appeal the ruling. We are not shocked. [LA Times] DR. OZ IS THE WIZARD: Oprah's doc's new show did the best first-week ratings since Rachael Ray's show debuted in '06. I can't imagine that anyone would be surprised by t

REVISITING THE DIGITAL LPTV LAND RUSH III: I missed one!

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In my haste yesterday to get the word out on the new digital LPTV applications for the Bowling Green market, NashDigie let me know last night that I missed the one with what I feel may have the best chance of getting approved. Richard & Lisa Goetz , the owners of WKRP-LP/WRTN-LD in Alexandria, Tenn., have also filed an application for a new digital LPTV station on channel 29 . This station, if approved, would be licensed to Glasgow. The Goetzes plan to build a transmitter between Park City and Cave City with an ERP of 15 kW, which would give the station a coverage area stretching from Sonora in the north to Scottsville in the south, and from Bowling Green in the west to Greensburg in the east. In other digital LPTV news, Nash also pointed out that the application for the proposed station in Elberfeld, Ind. would have an ERP too high to be considered low power, which I didn't catch when I was writing yesterday. I'm not sure what's up with that, but if there's an e

This should be interesting: WKYU-PBS to air "Mammoth Cave: A Way to Wonder" next Sunday night

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When you mention PBS to most folks in Kentucky, those folks tend to immediately think of KET. But there is one non-KET PBS station in the Bluegrass State, and it's Bowling Green's WKYU . Next Sunday night, the folks at WKYU are going to do something that hasn't been done before. They're going to take viewers into Mammoth Cave National Park . Way into the park. The documentary, entitled Mammoth Cave: A Way to Wonder , will air at 8PM CT. The filmmakers spent a lot of time over the span of a year filming inside the park, compiling some 60 hours of footage that was distilled into a one-hour program which will air in high definition. I think it'll be a neat follow-up to Ken Burns' The National Parks: America's Best Idea , which is airing on PBS stations every night this week. Now ... hopefully I'll be able to watch it! For more information on Mammoth Cave: A Way to Wonder , the Bowling Green Daily News has an excellent article on it. PHOTO CREDIT: hows

UPDATED: KET channel lineup changing Thursday

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UPDATE: Trip Ericson of RabbitEars.info says KET ED (the .4 subchannel) will be eliminated effective Thursday morning at or around 9AM ET. Beginning this Thursday, October 1, KET's channel lineup will change a little bit. For nearly two years, high definition programming has been aired only between the hours of 7PM and 11PM Central time on KET's ".3" subchannel (here in Owensboro, it's 31.3). But starting Thursday, all HD programming will be merged with KET1 and broadcast whenever it is available, and the Kentucky Channel (on the aforementioned channels) will become a 24/7 operation. The newly-merged KET HD and KET1 will be known simply as "KET," just as it was before the network went digital several years ago.

REVISITING THE DIGITAL LPTV LAND RUSH II: More from Evansville

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Since I posted the Bowling Green-area applicants for low-power DTV stations, I went back and looked again, and would you believe it? I managed to dig up a couple of additional ones in the Evansville area. In Mount Vernon, the Indiana Community Radio Corporation has applied for a station on channel 48 . This station would broadcast from a tower located just west of Mount Vernon on Highway 62. With an ERP of 10 kW, the station is expected to reach as far north as Grayville, Ill., as far west as Norris City, Ill., east to near U.S. 41 in Evansville, and south to near Sturgis, Ky. Meanwhile in Elberfeld, the Hispanic Community Education Consortium , based in Nashville, has applied for channel 12 . This 10 kW station would send forth its signal from a tower along Interstate 64 about halfway between Elberfeld and Lynnville. From there, it would reach north to Petersburg, west to Poseyville, east to Dale and south into the northeastern part of Henderson County, Ky. Again, it should be n

REVISITING THE DIGITAL LPTV LAND RUSH: Bowling Green getting in on the action

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Lately, I've found myself neglecting the good folks down in Bowling Green again, and for that I apologize. If any of you have any news of the TV kind to share with us, by golly, send it on! With that said, as I mentioned recently, the FCC opened the "window" for prospective broadcasters in smaller markets to apply for low-power DTV licenses, and as in Evansville, there have been quite a few applicants in Bowling Green, too. Here's a list of those who've applied and which channels they want: Madison Avenue Ventures has applied for channels 14 and 35 . If approved, either of these channels would broadcast from a tower located northwest of Brownsville, Ky. Channel 14's signal would be directional, focused to the southwest. Channel 35's signal would be nondirectional and would cover a larger areas, reaching as far north as Leitchfield, west to Morgantown, east to Cave City and south to Bowling Green. King Forward, Inc. has applied for channels 29 and 3

Sometimes you gotta step in ...

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Word around the Twitterverse is that WEHT NEWS25 chief meteorologist Wayne Hart had to make an unexpected trip to the ER last night prior to the 10PM newscast. Wayne had been filling in yesterday for David Heckard , who was off this weekend and out of town. Ordinarily, that wouldn't have been a major problem for the station, but in this case, the station's third meteorologist, Scott Dimmich , was also not available. In their absence, NEWS25 anchor Scott Adkins stepped up to the plate and, from all accounts, did a fine job. We hope that Wayne is doing better today.

*UPDATED* ... WNIN-FM audio problem on 9.3 explained

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UPDATE: As of 10:45 AM this morning, WNIN-FM is back on TV. Good to hear! You may have noticed recently that the audio feed on WNIN channel 9.3 which simulcasts WNIN-FM 88.3 isn't working. The reason behind this, I've heard, is simple: Lightning damaged some of the station's equipment during a recent thunderstorm, and the station is waiting for replacements. Once that's taken care of, things should be back to normal. Of course, some of us would like to see Create on 9.3 (it is available to cable customers of WOW and Insight in the Evansville area), but ... not yet.

The WIRE for the week of September 20-26

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Well, folks ... I had intended to have this up before 2PM today, but that bed looked mighty inviting after church and lunch, so I ended up taking a nice, long nap. But now I'm wide awake and ready to give you the rundown this past week's news, so here we go: MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 21 The experience of a professional: Uebelhor speaks out on antennas and digital The Music City Report: B&C focuses on how Nashville stations are faring in the recession Well, duh! Insomnia in High Definition: ABC News' World News Now goes HD TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 22 The Music City Report: WKRP-LD becomes WRTN-LD? Some tidbits for you WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 23 The Music City Report: NashDigie updates the WKRP/WRTN situation A SNEAK PEEK: Check out the new 14WFIE.com Interactive Center! The very latest on the WKRP/WRTN thing ... again! THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 24 Getting an engineer's perspective on the VHF issue FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 25 This week's C&P column October Poll Questions The vi

Heading to church, then back here to get The Wire online

Good Sunday morning, everyone! I hope all of you are having a great weekend. I just wanted to let you all know that The Wire will be posted later today after I get home from church.

"The Beautiful Life" is first fall season casualty

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It had to happen. The CW's new Ashton Kutcher-produced drama "The Beautiful Life" has become the first casualty of the new fall season. Wednesday night's episode -- only the show's second -- drew a pathetic 1 million viewers and a 0.5 rating. Ouch. Roughly translated, that means only 0.033% of the 304 million people in the country actually tuned in. And I'm being nice: I rounded up! Of course, the show had a rocky start, what with star Mischa Barton's "personal problems" and delays in production. So I'm not terribly surprised that the folks at CW pulled the plug so quickly. For more on the cancellation and what will take its place on CW, you can read this story .

JDTVB goes pink too

As I posted earlier this month, Evansville's CBS affiliate, WEVV, has "gone pink" in support of the Race for the Cure in Evansville and for October, which is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month . Now JDTVB has joined in as well, and I've changed the banner at the top of the page to reflect it. Breast cancer can affect both women and men, and it is of great importance to know the risk factors, get screened regularly, and live a healthy lifestyle. By doing these things, you can greatly reduce your risk of developing breast cancer. FOR MORE INFORMATION: If you are seeking more info on breast cancer, prevention, treatment, and how you can help fight this disease, go to komen.org .

"The National Parks: America's Best Idea" premieres tomorrow night on PBS

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Ken Burns ' latest public television miniseries will debut tomorrow night on PBS (WNIN, KET1, WKYU and WNPT) at 8PM ET/7PM CT. Entitled The National Parks: America's Best Idea , the six-part series will take viewers back to the 1850s, the very genesis of America's movement to create the great parks we now treasure, and follow their development right up to the present day. Based on what I've seen so far, I've no doubt it will be as interesting and well-done as Burns' other series, The Civil War (1990) and Baseball (1994). As with all PBS series, there is an excellent website which goes right along with The National Parks ; you owe it to yourself to check it out. Of course, because of this special six-night event on PBS, some regular programming may air at different times, perhaps even on different subchannels; you will want to check your PBS station's website and program schedule for more information.

14Xtra on early?

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It would appear that the folks at WFIE got the new 14Xtra (channel 14.2) out of the gate a couple of days early, as I am now watching the weather loop and the new weather crawl at the bottom of the screen ... with the new 14Xtra logo right there in the lower right-hand corner.

The viewers' verdict: Improved

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Last week, I let you know that the new antenna for WEHT [25.1 ABC, 25.2 RTV] was up and running. And, evidently, it has done much to improve the station's signal for many of you. I've been getting quite a few e-mails from folks who find that the formerly difficult-to-get station now comes through as clearly and crisply as the rest of the locals. That is a great sign, and I appreciate getting all the feedback. Please note, however, that if you're still having trouble getting NEWS25 and RTV25, I want to know (you can comment on this post or e-mail me ) so I can pass the word along.

October Poll Questions

Since we are hurtling toward the end of September, I've decided to go ahead and post the new poll questions for October, which will be found later this afternoon on the left side of your screen. Without further delay, let's get to them: QUESTION #1: How do you receive television in your home? Over the air (antenna) Cable Satellite More than one QUESTION #2: If you use an antenna, where is it located? Indoor Outdoor (rooftop or otherwise) Attic QUESTION #3: If you are a cable or satellite subscriber, what package do you have? Basic Expanded (more than basic, but not the top-of-the-line) Everything I'm interested to see what kind of response these questions generate over the coming month. You'll have until Halloween to get your vote in, so be sure to tell your friends to come and vote, too!

This week's C&P column

I'm not sure why it's not posted online, but this week's column ran as scheduled in yesterday's Courier & Press print edition. I'll check with the folks in Evansville and find out what's going on.

Getting an engineer's perspective on the VHF issue

If you've been reading JDTVB for any length of time at all, you know of the problems many stations (including WEHT, WBKO and especially WTVF) had when they moved from UHF to VHF upon the completion of the digital transition. I've made a point of trying to help folks understand what's been going on and what the problems are, even though, in many cases, I'm not always 100% sure that I understand it! That's why I'm grateful to TVNewsCheck 's publisher, Harry Jessell . He's done a fine job of taking the complicated and making it understandable. Today, he's done it again, this time by interviewing Richard Mertz of Cavell, Mertz & Associates , consulting engineers for the broadcast industry. Even if your understanding of the technical side of TV is limited -- and I am unashamed to admit that I fit into that category -- this interview will clear up many questions you might have.

The very latest on the WKRP/WRTN thing ... again!

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All right, readers, w e think we've got it all (mostly?) figured out now, and NashDigie is right in the thick of the action, for which I am personally thankful. Nash e-mailed the station, and Rick Goetz, one of the owners, replied: "Nashville will become WRTN for the Retro TV Network and the WKRP call sign will move to our station in Cincinnati. The other streams should be on line in Mid Oct. We are loading up the hard drives with programming as I write this. Cookeville and Bowling Green will be similar to Nashville (OK, Alexandria. I use the term Nashville merely to put it in a location in TN. My goal is to cover TN & KY). What would you like to see? " Nash then explains the reference to Cookeville and Bowling Green and a little more of what Rick said in his e-mail: What he means by Cookeville and Bowling Green is that he has applied for two additional low powered digital channels in each city. Cookeville, TN's channel is 39 while Bowling Green's is 29

A SNEAK PEEK: Check out the new 14WFIE.com Interactive Center!

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I just got word of a sneak peek video which gives us a tour of the new 14WFIE.com Interactive Center , which will officially premiere during the new 7AM hour of 14 NEWS Sunrise and the new 9PM newscast on 14Xtra (channel 14.2) , both of which start on Monday. I think you're gonna like this! (By the way, you can also click the title of this post and go straight to the video on Facebook. If it doesn't work, please let me know.)

The Music City Report: NashDigie updates the WKRP/WRTN situation

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Evidently I was not the only one thrown off by yesterday's post about WKRP-LD [6.1 through 6.6] becoming WRTN-LD . Our good friend and Nashville Correspondent NashDigie had no idea what was going on. But, after some quick leg work on his part, here's what he found out: I didn't know anything about this until I read your blog. I checked it out on FCC, and yes, it is that way. The funny thing is though, and I hope I don't get you anymore confused, but it is a bit confusing to me. The analog channel 6 is still WKRP-LP, but the digital channel 7 has changed to WRTN-LD. I thought when a station changes call letters, it changes the call letters of both the analog and digital channels, but in this case, it didn't happen that way. Also, when I looked up the call letters of WKRP, it not only listed analog channel 6 here in TN, but also a low powered analog channel 42 in Key West, FL. I REALLY don't understand that. I am going to be e-mailing them to ask them

Some tidbits for you

I've not found a whole lot of new and exciting stuff today, but I have been following a few things, so here you go: FROM THE "YOU READ IT HERE FIRST" FILE: TVNewsCheck has a link to the story on Luken Communications' (parent company of RTV) plans to add more networks. Gee, that story's only two weeks old ... [A Little Behind The Times] THEY'D "RATHER" NOT, BUT THE JUDGE INSISTS: CBS Corp. tried to convince a New York judge to throw out Dan Rather's $70 million lawsuit -- but the judge thought differently, so the case moves on. Viacom's chairman, octogenarian Sumner Redstone, might even have to testify, as Viacom formerly owned CBS. This is going to get much uglier. [ Reuters ] VIVENDI, ROUGHLY TRANSLATED, MEANS "WE WANT OUT": The French company that owns 20% of NBC Universal will decide, possibly next month, whether or not it'll sell or keep its share of the entertainment giant. I predict GE (which holds the other

(UPDATED) The Music City Report: WKRP-LD becomes WRTN-LD?

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As I am a subscriber to Trip Ericson's wonderful RabbitEars.info website, I get updates on any changes that happen to stations in this neck o' the woods. I got such an update early this morning, one with the call letters WRTN-LD . Now, I'll admit I said, "What the hell?" I mean, what is this? Well, it turns out it's the station we've known as WKRP-LD [6], the Alexandria, Tenn. station that now carries the following programming: 6.1 ... Daystar 6.2 ... RTV 6.3 ... (UPDATED: Music Videos ... I think I remember this being Country) 6.4 ... Tuff TV 6.5 ... Classic Shows 6.6 ... Movies The FCC says the new call letters took effect on April 27. APRIL 27!? What!? Hopefully NashDigie will be able to nail down a little more information on this, because I'm dazed and confused now.

Insomnia in High Definition: ABC News' World News Now goes HD

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If, like yours truly, you suffer from chronic insomnia, you find yourself watching many things at night. One of those things, at least in my case, is World News Now on ABC. And, beginning tonight (actually, very early in the morning), WNN will be broadcast in HD . I must admit that I'm looking forward to seeing it.

Well, duh!

The Associated Press has a story out today about the digital transition not yet being "over." I think most of us knew that already. Some folks are still having trouble getting channels that ought to be a "gimme." Others can get stations they never had before. And still others get nothing at all. No, AP, this ain't over, and I've a sneaking suspicion it won't be for quite some time.

The Music City Report: B&C focuses on how Nashville stations are faring in the recession

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The current recession has been hard on everyone in every industry, and revenues at station groups across the country have been hit especially hard, to the point that a number of groups have gone into bankruptcy. But, down in Nashville, there is a glimmer of hope, according to this article in Broadcasting & Cable today. Nashville hasn't been as devastated by massive layoffs as many cities have been. But the stations there have seen some troubles: Landmark Communications , which owns WTVF (NewsChannel 5), tried to sell the station last year, but the implosion of Lehman Brothers put the kibosh on that. The station also had to come up with $750,000 to build a low-power UHF translator when their VHF signal couldn't be received by many Nashville over-the-air viewers. Young Broadcasting , owner of WKRN (2), went bankrupt. Now Gray Television (which owns Bowling Green, Ky. ABC/Fox/CW station WBKO ) will manage the station and six of Young's other former properties. WSMV 4

The experience of a professional: Uebelhor speaks out on antennas and digital

BY SCOTT UEBELHOR Co-Owner, Uebelhor TV, Ferdinand, IN So, 25 and 9 are broadcast in the VHF band. The rest are UHF, which brings up an interesting point, more so for those of us living on the fringe of the signal. The receiving antenna MUST be able to receive VHF channels as well as UHF. We are about 45-50 miles or more from the transmitter locations. Tricky reception area, lots of hills and trees. I have experimented with a number of different antennas. There are some interesting antennas on the market but Channel Master and Winegard still offer the widest variety of quality antenna and preamplifiers. We have settled on a couple models that we use with success. Channel Master 4228 is an 8 bay UHF antenna that has a "40 mile" VHF rating. It is a very forgiving antenna that gathers the signal from a wider angle and seems to work well in wooded areas. It has a fairly wide beam width. The other antennas we use are the Winegard HD7697 and 7698. The 7698 is really front-heavy so

The WIRE for the week of September 14-20

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We've reached the culmination of yet another great week here at JDTVB HQ. There have been some big announcements, questions and recommendations from you, and much more. So let's get on with the weekly look back at what happened: MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 14 It's up! Leno debuts tonight; will you watch? Q&A: You want to know, I'm gonna tell you! Coming attractions TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 15 The low-power "land rush" in Evansville UPDATED: WFIE 9PM newscast, expanded Sunrise , new programming RATING THE PREMIERES: Leno, Oprah strong; Dr. Oz needs resuscitation WFIE 9PM news to premiere Sept. 28 Goodnow to be inducted into Indiana Broadcast Pioneers Hall of Fame WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 16 NEW TONIGHT: A time change, and I think it's on! PROGRAM CHANGE: "Wipeout" will not be seen tonight on WEHT GETTING YOU CLOSER: WFIE releases 14Xtra schedule; new 14.2 programming to debut Sept. 28 In Your View: Have you watched Jay's show? The Music City Report :

Coming up this week ...

I'm working on The Wire , but taking a brief break for the moment to give you a rundown of what I'm looking at for the week ahead: Scott Uebelhor, part-owner of Uebelhor TV in Ferdinand, Indiana, has some antenna recommendations and some insight into DTV. I'll have that for you tomorrow morning. We'll talk more about your experiences with DTV, good and bad. I have a few more messages from readers to post. And, finally, I'll post the October poll questions. They'll be of interest to you, so watch for those this week. Enjoy this ... rainy ... cruddy ... yucky afternoon. Seems like a pretty good time to finish up what I'm doing, so, until later, stay dry and have a great day!

*** UPDATED WITH PICTURES *** It's an interactive world we live in ...

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... and WFIE is extending its entry into the action. When the new 9PM newscast debuts on the new 14Xtra ten days from now, among the new things that will be immediately noticeable are a couple of new sets, according to WFIE's Marketing Director, Adam Frary . Frary tells me that one set will be the new Interactive Center (first picture, above left), which, he explains, "will act as the on and off-air site for all things web." In other words, every internet-based tool the station has in its arsenal, including Twitter, Facebook, 14NewsTube.com, live blogs, text, e-mail ... you name it, it's going to be based out of the Center. "We will use this during newscasts to showcase news on 14WFIE.com, but more importantly to enhance the two-way conversation with our viewers and users," he added. "The idea is to be more seamless across all the different screens our viewers use to get info from us." This total integration of cross-platform media is a first

WFIE doing something new with Touchdown Live starting tonight

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WFIE is doing something new tonight during Touchdown Live . Viewers will be able to chat live via the internet with Joe Danneman and Bo McFall by going to the show's website . This isn't the only thing the 14 News folks are doing with the internet that's new. There are some other new things coming down the pike in a few days that I think most of you will find exciting. But I'll have more to say about that later. Stay with us ...

Technical upgrades cause glitches for KET

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If, like loyal JDTVB reader TeacherJake , you were flipping channels yesterday afternoon and noticed the same program on all four of KET 's subchannels, you're not imagining things. I got word this morning from Misty Adams at KET that they are doing some technical upgrades at the network's HQ in Lexington. Adams apologized for the inconvenience, and said they hope to be done with all of the work soon.

The roundup from around the country

Here are a few news stories from around the country that I'm following today: END OF AN ERA: Today marks the end for Guiding Light , CBS' 72-year-old soap opera. The final episode will air this afternoon. It's expected that the network will fill the timeslot with a Wayne Brady-hosted revival of Let's Make a Deal . NO PUN INTENDED, BUT I BET IT CAME AS A SHOCK: Lightning hit a transmission tower atop Salt Lake City's Farnsworth Peak on Sunday night, knocking eight of that city's full-power TV stations off the air for as long as four hours. As of this writing, everyone is back on the air. ERNIE, WE HARDLY KNEW YE: New York Fox station WNYW has some quick 'splainin to do after anchorman Ernie Anastos dropped the F-bomb (specifically, "Keep f*****g that chicken,") in response to a comment by the station's meteorologist during Wednesday night's newscast. Others have been suspended -- or worse, fired -- for the same offense, but Anastos

Antenna recommendations from readers

If you've read my column in today's Courier & Press , you've seen my personal recommendation for television happiness, the build-it-yourself antenna that has proven so successful in my own home. But you might not be in the mood to do that, and I understand completely. You can shop for days and find all kinds of antennas -- indoor, outdoor, you name it, they're out there. Some of my readers have offered up the type of antennas that they use, and I thank you all for your help. Check these out: Steve uses a Channel Master 2001 with a Winegard FM trap. He tells me that this works well for all of the local channels, even when he has it aimed away from most of them. The only time he has to rotate it is when conditions are bad (I'm going to guess that's during bad weather.) Craig uses several different models: the Antennas Direct DB2, a smaller, 2-bay store-bought version of the coat hanger antenna, the Philips SDV2510/27, which in his view is a good amplified

UPDATE: It is up and running

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I now have (semi-) official word that WEHT's new antenna is, as I was told by a source yesterday, up and running. Mark Glover, the station's news director, said so in a tweet: " The new stick is up, it's now HOT, humming at new, increased power." I was told there would be a press release when the project was completed, but as yet, I've heard and seen nothing other than this. Stay tuned.

If Jesse Ventura can be elected Governor of Minnesota ...

... then why can't the CEO of World Wrestling Entertainment be the next Senator from Connecticut? Apparently this must be the question that Linda McMahon -- wife of Vince -- asked herself, because she's now running for the Republican nomination. Mrs. McMahon hopes to unseat the current Democratic Senator, Chris Dodd. Vince McMahon, who is the flamboyant chairman of the well-known '"rasslin" concern, will handle his wife's corporate duties while she is campaigning. Joe Flint of the Los Angeles Times says "With deep pockets and a fairly established presence in the state, McMahon could be a force in the race." We'll see. WWE programming is seen on MyNetworkTV stations, including WEVV 44.2, WMYO 58.1 and WUXP 30.1, and also on cable.

The Derby City Digest: Following the latest from Louisville

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I apologize for the lack of coverage of the TV happenings in the Derby City lately. I've had a lot on my plate, but that's no excuse. With that out of the way, let's take a look at what's been going on: WHAS' U of L FOOTBALL COVERAGE PANNED: Tom Stosberg, who is evidently a major Cards fan, calls the university's football coverage on WHAS-11 "Amateur Hour." The team didn't give fans much reason to cheer against Indiana State (!), but the "equally dismal and depressing telecast" evidently got under Stosberg's skin. No word yet on if there will be any changes made. [ CardGame ] WBKI MOVING: Louisville's CW affiliate, which was recently sold to Davenport, Iowa-based Fusion Communications, is vacating its Blankenbaker Parkway-area base of operations for new digs in the distinctive Kaden Tower, which is located on Dutchmans Lane near the junction of I-64 and the Watterson Expressway. The move is set to take place on Septembe

R.I.P.: Henry Gibson, 1935-2009

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Younger viewers may have known him best as Judge Clark Brown on the former ABC series Boston Legal , but Henry Gibson 's contributions to Americans' television enjoyment go back much farther. The actor and songwriter died Monday at 73 after a short struggle with cancer. While he had been in showbiz since childhood, Gibson gained his greatest fame as an original cast member of the 1968-1973 NBC comedy sketch series, Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In . He is perhaps best remembered for his role as "The Poet," a character who walked on stage, bowed stiffly, recited a short poem (written by Gibson himself), bowed again, and then walked offstage. One of my favorite Gibson lines, however, came from the Catholic priest character he also portrayed on Laugh-In : "My congregation supports all denominations," he said, "but our favorites are twenties and fifties." In addition to his television career, he also portrayed a variety of characters in such movies

NEW TONIGHT: A time change, and I think it's on!

I've been fairly busy all day today, so here are a couple of tidbits that I wasn't able to wiggle in with the day's other news: RETIMING THE NEWS: WFIE News Director C.J. Hoyt tells me that 14 News at 5 now starts at 4:59:30PM because some folks were missing the headlines at the top of the newscast. Good move. IS IT ON? WE THINK SO: A source at WEHT tweeted me earlier and said he thinks they've turned on the new antenna. I can't tell if there's been an improvement in the strength of the signal (because that part wasn't a big problem here in Owensboro), but the signal seems to be steadier, without the "dropouts" I'd experienced since June 12. I'll of course continue to follow the WEHT antenna story and will let you know what I find out when I get the info.

PROGRAM CHANGE: "Wipeout" will not be seen tonight on WEHT

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Wipeout will not be seen on WEHT [25.1] tonight. The station is airing "Speaking Man to Man: Prostate Cancer," an hour-long special that is intended to educate men about this insidious disease. If, however, you would prefer to watch Wipeout , and you live on the fringe of the Evansville market, you may be able to find the show on one of the following nearby ABC stations: WSIL [3.1], Harrisburg WHAS [11.1], Louisville WBKO [13.1], Bowling Green

GETTING YOU CLOSER: WFIE releases 14Xtra schedule; new 14.2 programming to debut Sept. 28

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I've been talking about WFIE's upcoming new "Xtra" subchannel [14.2] for quite a while now, but I now have the official program lineup and information to share with you. (I even have the new channel's logo ... pictured at left!) WFIE News Director C.J. Hoyt says the new channel will be "the first locally programmed multi-cast channel with original local news in the Tri-State." This is true, because WFIE will have total control over what's on 14Xtra, as opposed to ThisTV 14.3 and WEHT's RTV 25.2, which are programmed by vendors. Hoyt also pointed out that, while the new channel will no longer feature weather coverage 24 hours a day, seven days a week, there will be a continuous weather crawl on-screen regardless of what's on. During the week, weather coverage will be on the channel between the hours of 10:30PM and 7AM (the overnight hours) and again from 9:30AM to 7PM. WEEKDAY HIGHLIGHTS: For those of you who might not get up in time to

In Your View ... Have you watched Jay's show?

I'm going to open this up to your thoughts: Have you watched Jay Leno's new show? If so, what do you think of it? Leave me a comment.

The Music City Report: Is WKRN testing the HD waters?

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Is WKRN [2.1 ABC, 2.2 weather] transitioning from SD to HD for their local-origination commercials and news programming? We're not yet sure, but NashDigie seems to think it's possible: "I just read someone's post on the AVS Forum about watching News 2 at 10 tonight saying that the PQ (picture quality) was better than it has been, and that they had a local Bart Durham (attorney) commercial in HD . So, could this mean that they are heading towards having News 2 in HD? I don't know. Time will tell." Of course, if anything develops, you'll find out here.

The low-power "land rush" in Evansville

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When the FCC opened the window for low-power DTV stations outside the top 100 markets recently, a virtual "land rush" began in the Evansville area among small broadcasters looking to get in on the action. Most of the ones that have filed as of today are religious entities, such as Kingdom of God, Inc. and CrossTalk International . Kingdom of God, Inc. is based in Indianapolis, while CrossTalk is a Texas organization. Alma Corp., which I've learned is based in Maryland, also applied for several channels recently. Blaine Thompson's Indiana RadioWatch has done a great job and covered all of this in detail , but I learned from a reader late this afternoon that yet another company, DTV America 1, LLC , based in Sunrise, Fla., has applied for channels 14, 15, 24, 25, 26, 27, 31, 32 and 33. Overkill? Possibly, but perhaps the feeling is that they know they won't get all of the channels, but they might have a better shot at getting one. Of course, I'll keep an

UPDATED: WFIE 9PM newscast, expanded Sunrise, new programming

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As I reported earlier today, the new 9PM newscast from WFIE will debut on September 28 - just 13 days from today - on what is now the station's Weather Now channel, 14.2. In addition, a new hour of 14 News Sunrise will also debut that morning from 7 to 8AM on 14.2. While I've not yet gotten the official word, I am going to go out on a limb and predict that will also be the day that the channel gets its new name, which, as I reported some weeks ago, will be 14Xtra . There will be a lot of new programming on 14Xtra, and I'm waiting for the official lineup, but the existing weather programming will continue for at least part of the day. I've been given that assurance. Stay tuned ... there's more on this to come, and I'll have it for you soon!

WFIE 9PM news to premiere September 28

There's much more to this story, and it'll be told in more detail shortly, but to answer a question that I was asked earlier today: WFIE will debut their new 9PM newscast on September 28. As I said, there's more, and I'll post that in a little while. Right now, however, I have to get my kids from the school bus!

Goodnow to be inducted into Indiana Broadcast Pioneers Hall of Fame

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Former CNN Headline News anchor David Goodnow - who anchored the news and was an investigative reporter for Evansville's WTVW from 1969 to 1974 - has been named to the Indiana Broadcast Pioneers Hall of Fame by the members of the Indiana Broadcasters Asssociation. Goodnow, a native of Vincennes, Indiana, was one of the original anchor-editors on Headline News. it was a post he held for eighteen years, from 1982 to 2000. David's distinguished career spanned both radio and television, beginning at Lawrenceville, Illinois radio station WAKO in 1959. From there, he came back to Vincennes and joined WAOV radio in 1961. In 1966, he moved to television at the Vincennes University-owned station, WVUT-TV. Then it was on to Evansville and WTVW. By the mid-'70s, he was anchor and reporter at WTHI, where he got the attention of CNN, and in 1982, Goodnow headed south to join the fledgling 24-hour news network. Goodnow's induction ceremony will be held October 1. He'll sha

It's up!

If you are a Twitter follower of WEHT (NEWS 25) lead anchor Brad Byrd , you know by now that he's been keeping us updated on the progress of the station's new antenna as it was raised up the tower on Marywood Drive in Henderson -- right next to the station. Well, at last report, the antenna has reached its final destination and the crew is working to secure it to its new mount. It certainly looks like we're getting closer to completion.