KBCB
KBCB, virtual channel 24 (UHF digital channel 19), is a Sonlife-afiliated television station licensed to Bellingham, Washington, United States. The station is owned by Venture Technologies Group. KBCB's studios are located on Meridian Street in Bellingham, and its transmitter is located near Mount Constitution on Orcas Island.
| Bellingham, Washington United States | |
|---|---|
| Channels | Digital: 19 (UHF) Virtual: 24 (PSIP) |
| Programming | |
| Affiliations | 24.1: Sonlife 24.2: ShopHQ 24.3: QVC 24.4: Jewelry TV |
| Ownership | |
| Owner | Venture Technologies Group, LLC (World Television of Washington, LLC) |
| History | |
| Founded | February 10, 1989 |
Former call signs | KEGA (February–October 1989) |
Former channel number(s) | Analog: 24 (UHF, 1989–2009) |
| Analog/DT1: ACN (1989–2004) ImaginAsian (2004–2006) ShopNBC/ShopHQ (2006–2015) DT2: Estrella TV (2011–2014) | |
Call sign meaning | K British Columbia Bellingham |
| Technical information | |
Licensing authority | FCC |
| Facility ID | 53586 |
| ERP | 165 kW 208 kW (application) |
| HAAT | 757 m (2,484 ft) |
| Transmitter coordinates | 48°40′45″N 122°50′36″W |
| Links | |
Public license information | Profile LMS |
| Website | www |
History
The station signed on as KEGA on February 10, 1989. It gained its current call-sign on October 2, 1989.
From its sign-on until 2006, KBCB aired a mix of Independent/ImaginAsian programming targeted towards the Vancouver area and southwestern British Columbia, Canada, in addition to news from European international broadcasters until the early 2000s decade, bearing the name World Television to reflect the international mix of programming carried on the station. In 2006, the station converted to an affiliation with ShopNBC. The network became ShopHQ in 2013. The station's only current local program is a weekly Monday morning brokered programming show highlighting events and businesses in downtown Bellingham's Depot Market Square, with episodes of The Cartoon Factory airing throughout the week to comply with Federal Communications Commission (FCC) E/I requirements.
KBCB added the Estrella TV network as a multicast channel on August 1, 2011. KBCB's affiliation with Estrella ended on April 24, 2014.[1]
Abandoned sale to Fox Television Stations
On September 19, 2014, Venture Technologies reached an agreement to sell the station to Fox Television Stations for $10 million;[2] the purchase was submitted for FCC approval on October 3.[3] The purchase came amid speculation that Fox was interested in having an owned-and-operated station in the home market of the Seattle Seahawks football team, whose games primarily air on Fox as members of the National Football Conference. Fox had reportedly threatened to not renew KCPQ's affiliation when its affiliation agreement ended in January 2015,[4] while the broadcaster had made similar transactions in other NFC markets, such as purchasing the network affiliate serving the San Francisco Bay Area, where the 49ers play, as well as a station in Charlotte, North Carolina, home to the Carolina Panthers.[5]
On October 17, 2014, Fox announced that it had reached a deal to maintain its affiliation with KCPQ through July 2018—agreeing to a reverse compensation arrangement.[6] Following this development, Fox's application to acquire KBCB was dismissed by the FCC on November 20, 2014.[7] On March 3, 2020, Fox completed its purchase of KCPQ and sister station KZJO after coming to terms with the stations' new owner, Nexstar Media Group, which had acquired KCPQ via its purchase of Tribune Media.
On January 1, 2015, KBCB replaced its affiliation of ShopHQ with that of the Sonlife Broadcasting Network. In March, the SD simulcast on 24.2 was replaced by Jewelry TV. Home shopping channel QVC was added on subchannel 24.3 in July 2017. February 2018 saw home shopping retailer Evine (the legal successor to ShopNBC/ShopHQ) added to channel 24.2 and Jewelry TV moved to channel 24.4. Evine returned to its previous name, ShopHQ, on August 21, 2019.[8]
Digital television
Digital channels
The station's digital signal is multiplexed:
| Channel | Video | Aspect | PSIP Short Name | Programming[9] |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 24.1 | 1080i | 16:9 | KBCB-DT | Sonlife Broadcasting Network |
| 24.2 | 480i | KBCB-D2 | ShopHQ | |
| 24.3 | KBCB-D3 | QVC | ||
| 24.4 | 4:3 | KBCB-D3 | Jewelry TV |
Analog-to-digital conversion
KBCB shut down its analog signal, over UHF channel 24, on February 17, 2009, as part of the federally mandated transition from analog to digital television (which Congress had moved the previous month to June 12).[10][11] The station's digital signal remained on its pre-transition UHF channel 19, using PSIP to display KBCB's virtual channel as 24 on digital television receivers.
References
- FCC Form 398 2nd Quarter 2014|url=http://data.fcc.gov/mediabureau/v01/tv/application/KidVid_155607.html
- "ASSET PURCHASE AGREEMENT dated as of September 19, 2014 by and among WORLD TELEVISION OF WASHINGTON, LLC, FOX TELEVISION STATIONS, INC. and VENTURE TECHNOLOGIES GROUP, LLC". Federal Communications Commission. Retrieved 6 October 2014.
- "APPLICATION FOR CONSENT TO ASSIGNMENT OF BROADCAST STATION CONSTRUCTION PERMIT OR LICENSE". Federal Communications Commission. 3 October 2014. Retrieved 6 October 2014.
- Malone, Michael (September 23, 2014). "Fox Gives Tribune Termination Notice For Seattle Affiliate". Broadcasting & Cable. Retrieved September 23, 2014.
- "Fox targets Tribune's Fox affiliation in Seattle over NFL revenues". New York Post. 22 September 2014. Retrieved 23 September 2014.
- "Tribune To Keep KCPQ And Fox Affiliation". TVNewsCheck. 17 October 2014. Retrieved 17 October 2014.
- "Application Search Details". CDBS Public Access. Federal Communications Commission. Retrieved December 6, 2014.
- iMedia Brands, Inc. (2019-08-21). "Evine Shopping Network Becomes ShopHQ: Celebrates with Three-Day On-Air Event & Launch of New Loyalty Program". GlobeNewswire. Retrieved 2019-08-26.
- RabbitEars TV Query for KBCB
- NBC News
- List of Digital Full-Power Stations Archived 2013-08-29 at the Wayback Machine