DTV News

KFMB-DT May Ask for Sign-on Waiver

By Gary Stigall
KFMB-TV Engineer
SBE Chapter 36 Chairman

KFMB-TV appears to be facing the same kind of bureaucratic bind many TV stations are facing as they race to go digital. On one hand, the FCC is requiring the major network affiliates here to have DTV facilities ready to air by November 1 of this year. On the other hand, obtaining building permits from local agencies, especially where coastal zones and new tower structures are involved, is proving to be a process so slow as to squeeze construction time to none. In fact, Chief Engineer Rich Lochmann now says that the station will likely have to ask the FCC for a waiver of the November sign-on date for its new channel 55 facility on Mt. Soledad.

KFMB wants to construct a new building that for its UHF transmitter that lies in the path of a Jeep trail reserved by the U.S. Navy in 1944 for access to their nearby radio site on Soledad. Despite paved access on Via Casa Alta, the easement stands on title documents today, and must be erased or moved before the city issues a building permit for the desired site. Additionally, the station must clear a telephone utility easement with Pacific Bell. If the easement changes fail, it must move the proposed site a few feet, and by doing so it must further obtain plan approval from the California Coastal Commission.

Lochmann has contacted the involved agencies without any real progress yet. Business managers for the station and parent Midwest Television are apparently not concerned much. With no audience and no income stream in sight, the prospect of keeping a megawatt ERP station on the air hasn't exactly had them wringing their hands in anticipation of sign-on anyway.

For now, the antenna and feed line are in place on the tower. Studio infrastructure so far is on schedule. Buying and installing new hardware after the NAB Convention will keep everyone busy until the Navy calls back.

How are other stations faring? "At this time KNSD is not anticipating any major obstacles to achieving the November 1st deadline," says Chief Engineer Oscar Medina. "If the manufacturers deliver their products on schedule, we should be able to meet the deadline. Being an NBC O&O has made purchasing decisions fairly simple. All of the O&Os are buying the same brands and almost identical models of equipment. We have purchased Comark transmitters and a channel 40 Dielectric antenna."

Marge Baldwin at KGTV says, "I'm on track for our November 1st date, but with so much going on, you never know what might cause future delays. My biggest concern is the timely delivery of our two antennas. Otherwise, we should be OK."

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Web site contents ©1999 Society of Broadcast Engineers Chapter 36 San Diego. For more information, to become a member or a sponsor, or to make suggestions or comments, e-mail sbe36@broadcast.net. Write to P.O. Box 710702, San Diego, California 92171-0702.  

Edited by Gary Stigall. Posted 31-Mar-99.