KPBI-CA
Encyclopedia
KPBI-CA was a Class A
low-power
television station
Fort Smith, Arkansas
, broadcasting on channel 46. It is presently silent
. The station is owned by Equity Media Holdings and, like many of Equity's stations, KPBI-CA was controlled remotely via satellite from Equity's headquarters in Little Rock, Arkansas
and was relayed via the satellite Galaxy 18
(Ku band transponder 21). The station's programming was also available on channel 34 from Eureka Springs
, which shares the KPBI call sign
and was attainable over the air in Fort Smith.
. It was followed by channel 15, which served Springdale, Arkansas and its surrounding areas. KPBI eventually added several other low-power translators that extended the coverage area to Mt. Magazine in the east, Poteau Mountain to the west and south (located in Poteau, Oklahoma
) and Rogers, Arkansas
to the north. This gave an equal coverage area to that of the other local high-power stations. KPBI was originally an independent station, but it became affiliated with the Fox
network shortly after its formation. These actions all took place in the early-to-mid 1990s.
KPBI carried Fox programming at night, and various syndicated offerings during the daytime hours. It also made an inroad in coverage of college sporting events that were not being otherwise made available to the public (i.e. Westark Lions basketball and baseball, Lady Razorbacks basketball, etc.)
KPBI was the operating station for the "Foxstar" satellite truck.
KPBI was known locally as a more "unstructured" station in on-air operations. This was demonstrated by various events such as off-the-path programming, strange video effects (i.e. the "dropping of sheep", which was a Video Toaster
effect that would make sheep fall down into the video signal) and the substantial use of all employees as either on-air talent or as voices for commercials and tags. Also of interest is that KPBI used such devices as the Video Toaster and cable spot insertion equipment as primary switchers, commercial production gear and the like, which was a real world proof that a working television station could be operated without high-dollar equipment.
KPBI was joined in 1995 by a sister network, with the flagship station being KFDF-LP
(channel 32). This secondary network was affiliated with UPN
from the start, and was composed of channel 32 covering Fort Smith and surrounding areas and channel 36, which covered Springdale and its associated area.
KPBI and KFDF operated from the same location in the Ward-Garrison Building, located at the corner of 6th and Garrison Avenue in Fort Smith, Arkansas. This was also the location for the AM
radio stations of KFDF (1580 kHz; now KHGG
) and KPBI (1510 kHz; later became KSSP; now defunct). These two AM stations were originally programmed to carry Southern Gospel
(featuring the on-air talent of Jason Collier, Nancy Rowland a.k.a Tonia Trelaine and Mike Vaughn) and local programming, but around 1994 they were changed to carry Sports Talk Radio
(via a satellite feed) and local programming (i.e. "The Huddle", which featured Marty Houston and John Wilhelm). The AM stations were transitioned to fully automated by the Chief Engineer for the TV and AM stations, Stuart Rowland, using a Packard Bell
PC, a tone detector and a joystick.
One area that brought notice to KPBI was the area of locally produced computer animations for commercials and promotional spots. This area was pioneered in the local market by Earl Green. His productions won awards both locally and nationally.
KPBI led the area in the technical field of digital spot insertion. KPBI was the first station in the DMA to use computer spot playback in the form of the "Virtual Recorder" from ASC Audio Video. Many of the features currently used in the Virtual Recorder (now sold and supported by Leitch) were originated and/or tested by KPBI.
KPBI and KFDF ended operations as standard television stations when they were sold to Equity Broadcasting, at which time they became automated satellite-fed stations.
KPBI-CA remained the Fox affiliate for the market, under the branding of FOX Arkansas, until August 28, 2006. On that date, the station lost the Fox affiliation to KFTA-TV
, even though Equity Broadcasting challenged the sale of KFTA-TV with the FCC
. http://www.arkansasbusiness.com/article.aspx?aID=95170.54928.107293&view=all&link=perm KPBI-CA then joined joined Fox's new sister network, MyNetworkTV
. There is no known website for KPBI-CA. KFDF, the original MNTV affiliate, joined the Retro Television Network
. http://www.arkansasbusiness.com/article.aspx?aID=95111.54928.107234&view=all&link=perm http://swtimes.com/articles/2006/07/24/business/e-business03.txt http://www.ebcorp.net/stations http://www.nwaonline.net/articles/2006/08/26/business/0826foxswitch.txt
KPBI-CA signed off March 28, 2008, after losing its transmitter site. Two of the station's repeaters, KJBW-CA in Springdale
and KRBF-CA in Hindsville
, also lost their sites, and left the air two days earlier.
After failing to find a buyer at a bankruptcy auction, KPBI-CA's repeaters were sold to Pinnacle Media in August 2009 (after having initially been included in Silver Point Finance's acquisition on June 2 of several Equity stations), with Pinnacle assuming control under a local marketing agreement
on August 5. KPBI-CA itself, as well as KJBW and KRBF, were not named in either sale. The licenses for KJBW and KRBF were deleted in 2010; however, the license for KPBI-CA remained active until the FCC canceled the license on October 24, 2011.
Class A television service
The class A television service is a system for regulating some low-power television stations in the United States. Class A stations are denoted by the broadcast callsign suffix "-CA" or "-CD" , although very many analog -CA stations have a digital companion channel that was assigned the -LD...
low-power
Low-power broadcasting
Low-power broadcasting is electronic broadcasting at very low power and low cost, to a small community area.The terms "low-power broadcasting" and "micropower broadcasting" should not be used interchangeably, because the markets are not the same...
television station
Television station
A television station is a business, organisation or other such as an amateur television operator that transmits content over terrestrial television. A television transmission can be by analog television signals or, more recently, by digital television. Broadcast television systems standards are...
Fort Smith, Arkansas
Fort Smith, Arkansas
Fort Smith is the second-largest city in Arkansas and one of the two county seats of Sebastian County. With a population of 86,209 in 2010, it is the principal city of the Fort Smith, Arkansas-Oklahoma Metropolitan Statistical Area, a region of 298,592 residents which encompasses the Arkansas...
, broadcasting on channel 46. It is presently silent
Dark (broadcasting)
In the broadcasting industry, dark is a term used to describe a radio station or television station that has gone off-the-air for an indefinite period of time, or as defined by the U.S. Federal Communications Commission , a "silent" station...
. The station is owned by Equity Media Holdings and, like many of Equity's stations, KPBI-CA was controlled remotely via satellite from Equity's headquarters in Little Rock, Arkansas
Little Rock, Arkansas
Little Rock is the capital and the largest city of the U.S. state of Arkansas. The Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 699,757 people in the 2010 census...
and was relayed via the satellite Galaxy 18
Galaxy 18
Galaxy 18 is a Space Systems/Loral 1300-series hybrid communications satellite owned by Intelsat and located in geosynchronous orbit at 123° W longitude, serving the continental United States, Alaska, Hawaii, Mexico, and Canada with 24 C-band, and 24 Ku band transponders...
(Ku band transponder 21). The station's programming was also available on channel 34 from Eureka Springs
Eureka Springs, Arkansas
Eureka Springs is a city in Carroll County, Arkansas, United States. Along with Berryville, it is one of the two county seats for the county. It is located in the Ozark Mountains of northwest Arkansas. According to 2006 Census Bureau estimates, the population of the town is 2,350...
, which shares the KPBI call sign
Call sign
In broadcasting and radio communications, a call sign is a unique designation for a transmitting station. In North America they are used as names for broadcasting stations...
and was attainable over the air in Fort Smith.
History
KPBI was the flagship station for a network of low-power television stations owned and operated by Bill and Karen Pharis. This station served the Fort Smith area, and its transmitter was located at Mt. Vista in Van Buren, ArkansasVan Buren, Arkansas
Van Buren is the second largest city in the Fort Smith, Arkansas-Oklahoma Metropolitan Statistical Area and the county seat of Crawford County, Arkansas, United States. The city is located directly northeast of Fort Smith at the Interstate 40 - Interstate 540 junction...
. It was followed by channel 15, which served Springdale, Arkansas and its surrounding areas. KPBI eventually added several other low-power translators that extended the coverage area to Mt. Magazine in the east, Poteau Mountain to the west and south (located in Poteau, Oklahoma
Poteau, Oklahoma
Poteau is a city in Le Flore County, Oklahoma, United States. It is part of the Fort Smith, Arkansas-Oklahoma Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 8,520 at the 2010 census, ranking fifth in the Greater Fort Smith Area. It is the county seat of Le Flore County...
) and Rogers, Arkansas
Rogers, Arkansas
Rogers is a suburban city in Benton County, Arkansas, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city has a population of 55,964. The city is located in the Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers Metropolitan Area, in the northwest corner of the state.-History:...
to the north. This gave an equal coverage area to that of the other local high-power stations. KPBI was originally an independent station, but it became affiliated with the Fox
Fox Broadcasting Company
Fox Broadcasting Company, commonly referred to as Fox Network or simply Fox , is an American commercial broadcasting television network owned by Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. Launched on October 9, 1986, Fox was the highest-rated broadcast network in the...
network shortly after its formation. These actions all took place in the early-to-mid 1990s.
KPBI carried Fox programming at night, and various syndicated offerings during the daytime hours. It also made an inroad in coverage of college sporting events that were not being otherwise made available to the public (i.e. Westark Lions basketball and baseball, Lady Razorbacks basketball, etc.)
KPBI was the operating station for the "Foxstar" satellite truck.
KPBI was known locally as a more "unstructured" station in on-air operations. This was demonstrated by various events such as off-the-path programming, strange video effects (i.e. the "dropping of sheep", which was a Video Toaster
Video Toaster
The NewTek Video Toaster is a combination of hardware and software for the editing and production of standard-definition and high-definition video in NTSC, PAL, and resolution independent formats on Commodore Amiga computers and subsequently on computers running the Windows operating system...
effect that would make sheep fall down into the video signal) and the substantial use of all employees as either on-air talent or as voices for commercials and tags. Also of interest is that KPBI used such devices as the Video Toaster and cable spot insertion equipment as primary switchers, commercial production gear and the like, which was a real world proof that a working television station could be operated without high-dollar equipment.
KPBI was joined in 1995 by a sister network, with the flagship station being KFDF-LP
KFDF-CA
KFDF-CA is a Class A low power television station in Fort Smith, Arkansas, broadcasting in analog on VHF channel 10 as an affiliate of This TV. The station is owned by Pinnacle Media, and has an analog translator in Fayetteville, KFFS-CA, on UHF channel 36...
(channel 32). This secondary network was affiliated with UPN
UPN
United Paramount Network was a television network that was broadcast in over 200 markets in the United States from 1995 to 2006. UPN was originally owned by Viacom/Paramount and Chris-Craft Industries, the former of which, through the Paramount Television Group, produced most of the network's...
from the start, and was composed of channel 32 covering Fort Smith and surrounding areas and channel 36, which covered Springdale and its associated area.
KPBI and KFDF operated from the same location in the Ward-Garrison Building, located at the corner of 6th and Garrison Avenue in Fort Smith, Arkansas. This was also the location for the AM
AM broadcasting
AM broadcasting is the process of radio broadcasting using amplitude modulation. AM was the first method of impressing sound on a radio signal and is still widely used today. Commercial and public AM broadcasting is carried out in the medium wave band world wide, and on long wave and short wave...
radio stations of KFDF (1580 kHz; now KHGG
KHGG (AM)
KHGG is a radio station broadcasting a All Sports format. Licensed to Van Buren, Arkansas, USA, it serves the Ft. Smith area. The station is currently owned by Pharis Broadcasting, Inc....
) and KPBI (1510 kHz; later became KSSP; now defunct). These two AM stations were originally programmed to carry Southern Gospel
Southern Gospel
Southern Gospel music—at one time also known as "quartet music"—is music whose lyrics are written to express either personal or a communal faith regarding biblical teachings and Christian life, as well as to give a Christian alternative to mainstream secular music...
(featuring the on-air talent of Jason Collier, Nancy Rowland a.k.a Tonia Trelaine and Mike Vaughn) and local programming, but around 1994 they were changed to carry Sports Talk Radio
Sports radio
Sports radio is a radio format devoted entirely to discussion and broadcasting of sporting events. A popular format with an almost exclusively male demographic in most areas, sports radio is characterized by an often-boisterous on-air style and extensive debate and analysis by both hosts and...
(via a satellite feed) and local programming (i.e. "The Huddle", which featured Marty Houston and John Wilhelm). The AM stations were transitioned to fully automated by the Chief Engineer for the TV and AM stations, Stuart Rowland, using a Packard Bell
Packard Bell
Packard Bell is a Dutch computer manufacturer and a subsidiary of Acer. The name was previously used by Packard Bell, an American radio manufacturer founded in 1926. In 1986, Israeli investors bought the name for a newly formed personal computer manufacturer. Originally the company produced...
PC, a tone detector and a joystick.
One area that brought notice to KPBI was the area of locally produced computer animations for commercials and promotional spots. This area was pioneered in the local market by Earl Green. His productions won awards both locally and nationally.
KPBI led the area in the technical field of digital spot insertion. KPBI was the first station in the DMA to use computer spot playback in the form of the "Virtual Recorder" from ASC Audio Video. Many of the features currently used in the Virtual Recorder (now sold and supported by Leitch) were originated and/or tested by KPBI.
KPBI and KFDF ended operations as standard television stations when they were sold to Equity Broadcasting, at which time they became automated satellite-fed stations.
KPBI-CA remained the Fox affiliate for the market, under the branding of FOX Arkansas, until August 28, 2006. On that date, the station lost the Fox affiliation to KFTA-TV
KFTA-TV
KFTA-TV, virtual channel 24, is the Fox-affiliated television station for the Arkansas River Valley and Northwest Arkansas that is licensed to Fort Smith. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on UHF channel 27 from a transmitter south of Artist Point...
, even though Equity Broadcasting challenged the sale of KFTA-TV with the FCC
Federal Communications Commission
The Federal Communications Commission is an independent agency of the United States government, created, Congressional statute , and with the majority of its commissioners appointed by the current President. The FCC works towards six goals in the areas of broadband, competition, the spectrum, the...
. http://www.arkansasbusiness.com/article.aspx?aID=95170.54928.107293&view=all&link=perm KPBI-CA then joined joined Fox's new sister network, MyNetworkTV
MyNetworkTV
MyNetworkTV is a television broadcast syndication service in the United States, owned by the Fox Entertainment Group, a division of News Corporation...
. There is no known website for KPBI-CA. KFDF, the original MNTV affiliate, joined the Retro Television Network
Retro Television Network
The Retro Television Network is a system of television stations that airs classic television shows as well as more recently produced programs...
. http://www.arkansasbusiness.com/article.aspx?aID=95111.54928.107234&view=all&link=perm http://swtimes.com/articles/2006/07/24/business/e-business03.txt http://www.ebcorp.net/stations http://www.nwaonline.net/articles/2006/08/26/business/0826foxswitch.txt
KPBI-CA signed off March 28, 2008, after losing its transmitter site. Two of the station's repeaters, KJBW-CA in Springdale
Springdale, Arkansas
As of the census of 2010, there were 69,797 people, 22,805 households, and 16,640 families residing in the city. The racial makeup of the city was 64.7% White, 0.82% Black or African American, 1.8% Native American, 1.4% Asian, 5.7% Pacific Islander, 22% from other races, and 2.9% from two or more...
and KRBF-CA in Hindsville
Hindsville, Arkansas
Hindsville is a town in Madison County, Arkansas, United States. The population was 75 at the 2000 census. Fayetteville–Springdale–Rogers, AR-MO Metropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:Hindsville is located at ....
, also lost their sites, and left the air two days earlier.
After failing to find a buyer at a bankruptcy auction, KPBI-CA's repeaters were sold to Pinnacle Media in August 2009 (after having initially been included in Silver Point Finance's acquisition on June 2 of several Equity stations), with Pinnacle assuming control under a local marketing agreement
Local marketing agreement
In U.S. and Canadian broadcasting, a local marketing agreement is an agreement in which one company agrees to operate a radio or television station owned by another licensee...
on August 5. KPBI-CA itself, as well as KJBW and KRBF, were not named in either sale. The licenses for KJBW and KRBF were deleted in 2010; however, the license for KPBI-CA remained active until the FCC canceled the license on October 24, 2011.
Repeaters
- KEGW-LP channel 64 FayettevilleFayetteville, ArkansasFayetteville is the county seat of Washington County, and the third largest city in Arkansas. The city is centrally located within the county and is home to the University of Arkansas. Fayetteville is also deep in the Boston Mountains, a subset of The Ozarks...
- KHMF-CA channel 14 BentonvilleBentonville, ArkansasBentonville, Arkansas is a city in Northwest Bahamas, and county seat of Benton County, Arkansas, United States The population was 35,301 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Fayetteville–Springdale–Rogers, AR-MO Metropolitan Statistical Area...
- KJBW-CA channel 4 SpringdaleSpringdale, ArkansasAs of the census of 2010, there were 69,797 people, 22,805 households, and 16,640 families residing in the city. The racial makeup of the city was 64.7% White, 0.82% Black or African American, 1.8% Native American, 1.4% Asian, 5.7% Pacific Islander, 22% from other races, and 2.9% from two or more...
- KKAF-CA channel 33 Siloam SpringsSiloam Springs, ArkansasSiloam Springs is a city in Benton County, Arkansas, United States. According to 2005 Census Bureau estimates, the population of the city was 13,990...
- KRAH-CA channel 60 ParisParis, ArkansasParis is a city in Logan County, Arkansas, United States, and serves as the county seat for the northern district of Logan County; its southern district counterpart is Booneville. The population was 3,707 at the 2000 census.-Geography:...
- KRBF-CA channel 59 HindsvilleHindsville, ArkansasHindsville is a town in Madison County, Arkansas, United States. The population was 75 at the 2000 census. Fayetteville–Springdale–Rogers, AR-MO Metropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:Hindsville is located at ....
- KSJF-CA channel 50 Poteau, OklahomaPoteau, OklahomaPoteau is a city in Le Flore County, Oklahoma, United States. It is part of the Fort Smith, Arkansas-Oklahoma Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 8,520 at the 2010 census, ranking fifth in the Greater Fort Smith Area. It is the county seat of Le Flore County...