KPHE-LD

KPHE-LD (channel 44) is a low-power television station in Phoenix, Arizona, United States, affiliated with the Spanish-language LATV network. Owned by Lotus Communications, it transmits from a tower atop South Mountain.

KPHE-LD
Phoenix, Arizona
United States
ChannelsDigital: 16 (UHF)
Virtual: 44
BrandingKPHE-TV 44
Programming
Affiliations
Ownership
OwnerLotus Communications
(sale to Gray Television pending[1])
(Lotus TV of Phoenix, LLC)
History
FoundedMarch 17, 1992
Former call signs
K19DD
KPHE-LP
Former channel number(s)
Analog:
44 (UHF)
Bloomberg Television
Bohemia Visual Music
Multimedios Television
Esperanza TV/3ABN Latino (DT2)
3ABN/Hope Channel/LLBN (DT3)
Call sign meaning
Phoenix
Technical information
Facility ID168602
ClassLD
ERP15 kW
HAAT487.9 m (1,601 ft)
Transmitter coordinates33°20′1″N 112°3′48″W
Links
Websitewww.kphetv.com

History

On March 17, 1992, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) granted an original construction permit to build low-power television station K19DD on UHF channel 19 to serve Phoenix and the East Valley. The station was owned by Scottsdale publisher Harlan L. Jacobsen, with transmitter location on Usery Mountain in east Mesa. K19DD was granted an initial license on July 13, 1995, as an affiliate of the Bloomberg Television network. In June 1998, Jacobsen was granted a construction permit to operate an experimental broadcast station using the facilities of K19DD to broadcast in digital format.

In September 1999, Jacobsen sold the station to US Interactive LLC, who soon afterward, changed its call letters to KPHE-LP. In December 2000, the station became part of a pilot program to study the feasibility of using low-power UHF television stations to deliver wireless data services to subscribers.[2] The Digital Data Services Act pilot project was effective from December 2000 through June 2002, during which time, KPHE was unavailable as an over-the-air analog broadcast station.[3]

After the pilot project was complete, KPHE programming consisted of a camera focused on a fish tank. Viewers could watch the fish while music played in the background. That changed in October 2003, when Valley residents Jeff Crawford and Jennifer Harris Crawford leased the station from US Interactive and took over its operations. The Crawfords had been operating a music video service called Bohemia AfterDark since 1982, and launched Bohemia Visual Music (BVM), a 24/7 music video channel.[4]

KPHE / Bohemia Visual Music logo used from 2005 through 2006, after the station had moved to channel 44.

In January 2004, Lotus Communications purchased KPHE from US Interactive. The sale was finalized in March, and the station continued to be operated by the Crawfords as Bohemia Visual Music. Lotus had intended to launch family-friendly Spanish-language programming,[5][6] but the station continued to air Bohemia Visual Music. In March 2005, KPHE moved from channel 19 to channel 44, moved broadcast facilities from Usery Mountain to the South Mountain antenna farm, and upgraded its broadcast signal in preparation for future digital broadcasting.

In July 2006, more than a year after announcing its intention to launch a family-focused station, Lotus replaced Bohemia Visual Music programming, first with a mix of music videos, including recorded worship services, and later, with talk shows and other Bible-based instruction. The new programming was branded TV Inspiración. It was lacking in production values, and had an amateur, almost public-access television cable TV-quality presentation. KPHE affiliated with Multimedios in November 2006, while keeping TV Inspiración as secondary programming. In February 2007, KPHE announced that it would carry Spanish-language telecasts of Arizona Diamondbacks Major League Baseball home games, beginning with the 2007 season. Unlike most Spanish-language telecasts, the Diamondbacks games featured a full Spanish-language broadcast, with its own play-by-play, color commentary and on-field announcers. 50 games a season were aired in 2007 and in 2008;[7] original plans called for 75 games in 2009, but the team dropped the deal because KPHE was unable to secure a slot on the local Cox Communications system.[8] In June 2007, the channel started to broadcast half-hour religious programs produced by Zion TV from 11:30 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Monday-Sunday.[9]

Secondary logo used from 2006 to 2012

From March until June 2009, KPHE-LD aired Red ADVenir on 44.2, the Spanish-language broadcast arm of the Seventh-day Adventist Church.

Secondary logo used as a CNN Latino affiliate from 2013 to 2016

In August 2010, KPHE-LD started broadcasting programming from My Family TV on 44.4. In June 2012, LarsaVisión replaced Good News TV in Español on 44.2 as it moved KTVP-LD 22.4. Good News TV then followed moving from 44.3 to 22.1 in July. In April 2013, the station dropped Multimedios programming and became an affiliate of CNN Latino. KPHE also began broadcasting a secondary feed of Telemax and local programming on 44.2 when airing CNN Latino on its main channel.

On March 11, 2022, Gray Television (owner of CBS affiliate KPHO-TV and independent station KTVK) filed an application to acquire KPHE-LD for $1.75 million.[1] Gray did not disclose its future plans for the station.

Technical information

Subchannels

The station's digital signal is multiplexed:

Subchannels of KPHE-LD
Channel Format Aspect Short name Programming
44.1 720p16:9KPHE-LDLATV
44.2 480iTelemaxTelemax
44.3 NewsNetNewsNet
44.4 4:3JTVJewelry Television
44.5 16:9DRTV-2Infomercials
44.6 DRTV

Analog-to-digital conversion

In May 2006, the FCC opened up a brief application period in which low-power television licensees and permittees could apply for a digital companion channel by short form application. KPHE-LP applied for UHF channel 16, to broadcast from the same location as the analog station. In September, the FCC identified the station as a singleton applicant, meaning that there were no competing applications on the same or adjacent channels, and giving the station until October 31 to file a long form application. On October 26, 2006, KPHE-LP formally applied for a digital companion channel on UHF channel 16.[10] The construction permit was granted December 26, 2007.[11]

On March 26, 2009, they turned on their digital signal, KPHE-LD, simulcasting their analog programming through the use of PSIP on channel 44.1.

References
  1. "Assignments". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission. March 11, 2022. Retrieved March 11, 2022.
  2. US Code, Title 47, Section 336. Broadcast spectrum flexibility, accessed March 4, 2007
  3. Implementation of LPTV Digital Data Services Pilot Project, FCC CDBS database, April 19, 2001, accessed March 4, 2007
  4. E. Gately, Tempe, Ariz., TV Station Build Fans with All-Music-Video Format, Mesa Tribune, December 20, 2003, accessed March 4, 2007, (from website — free registration required for full article)
  5. A. Gozales, New Spanish-language TV station headed to Phoenix, The Business Journal of Phoenix, March 9, 2005, accessed March 4, 2007
  6. Cordova, Randy (April 2, 2005). "Spanish TV station to debut". Arizona Republic. Phoenix, Arizona. p. E10. Retrieved March 12, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. Haller, Doug (July 16, 2007). "Hot-hitting Tracy sits out with sore knee". Arizona Republic. Phoenix, Arizona. p. C5. Retrieved March 12, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. Piecoro, Nick (January 23, 2009). "Team cuts ties with Spanish TV broadcast". Arizona Republic. Phoenix, Arizona. p. C8. Retrieved March 12, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. K. Alltucker, D-Backs set to televise 50 games in Spanish, The Arizona Republic, February 28, 2007, accessed March 4, 2007
  10. "Application to construct digital companion channel". Federal Communications Commission. 2006-10-24. Retrieved 2007-03-04.
  11. "Grant of application". Federal Communications Commission. 2007-12-26. Retrieved 2007-12-27.
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