Gila River Broadcasting Corporation
The Gila River Broadcasting Corporation (GRBC) is a television network serving the Gila River Indian Community in south-central Arizona, United States. It is owned by the Community through tribal enterprise Gila River Telecommunications.
Gila River Indian Community, Arizona United States | |
---|---|
Channels | Digital: KGRQ-LD 21 (UHF) Stotonic Village KGRF-LD 19 (UHF) Maricopa Village Virtual: 19 (PSIP) (all stations) |
Ownership | |
Owner | Gila River Indian Community (Gila River Telecommunications, Inc.) |
History | |
Founded | December 2014 |
First air date | April 6, 2015 |
Call sign meaning | Gila River |
Technical information | |
ERP | 15 kW |
Transmitter coordinates | 33°09′38.5″N 111°48′41″W |
Links | |
Website | grbc.tv |
GRBC broadcasts on two low-power UHF stations near the Community's major population centers: KGRQ-LD (channel 21, previously channel 29) at Stotonic Village and KGRF-LD (channel 19) at Maricopa Village. All stations use PSIP to display as channel 19.
History
GRBC launched in December 2014, 2½ years after the GRIC filed for the new television stations with the FCC. However, when Gila River Telecommunications was founded in 1989, a television station was planned but found to be cost-prohibitive.[1] Its official launch occurred on April 6, 2015.
Programming includes public service announcements and tribal content. Local programming, including news and children's shows, is planned.[2]
Master control for GRBC is located at the Gila River Telecommunications facility on the northern edge of the Community, with a Chandler postal address.
On November 30, 2018, GRBC took a third transmitter, KGRY-LD at Blackwater, silent, as its channel was needed to repack KGRQ. Gila River Telecommunications requested cancellation of KGRY's license on June 5, 2019. It then assigned the call letters KGRY-LD to K28MO-D, a construction permit for a transmitter on South Mountain, and KGRX-LD to the former K19JT-D, a construction permit also at that site.
References
External links
- Official website
- KGRQ in the FCC's TV station database
- KGRY in the FCC's TV station database
- KGRF in the FCC's TV station database