KFDF-CD

KFDF-CD, virtual channel 44 (UHF digital channel 25), is a low-powered, Class A Estrella TV-affiliated television station licensed to Fort Smith, Arkansas, United States. Owned by Pinnacle Media, it is a sister station to Univision affiliates KWNL-CD and KQRY-LD. KFDF-CD's transmitter is located on Pernot Road in Van Buren, Arkansas.

KFDF-CD
Fort Smith, Arkansas
United States
ChannelsDigital: 25 (UHF)
Virtual: 44 (PSIP)
Programming
AffiliationsEstrella TV (2016–present)
Ownership
OwnerPinnacle Media
(KTV Media, LLC)
KLRA-CD, KMYA-DT, KWNL-CD, KQRY-LD
History
First air date
January 15, 1988 (1988-01-15)
Former call signs
K46BZ (1988–1995)
KPBI-LP (1995–2001)
KFDF-CA (2001–2009)
Former channel number(s)
  • Analog:
  • 46 (UHF, 1988–2001)
  • 10 (VHF, 2001–2009)
  • Digital:
  • 44 (UHF, 2009–2018)
Fox (1988–1995)
UPN (1995–2006)
RTN (2006–2009)
Independent (1988–1995, 2009–2012)
MundoFox/MundoMax (2012–2016)
MeTV (2015–2017)
Technical information
Licensing authority
FCC
Facility ID52418
ClassCD
ERP15 kW
HAAT130.8 m (429 ft)
Transmitter coordinates35°26′51.3″N 94°21′54.8″W
Translator(s)KFFS-CD 36 (UHF) Fayetteville
Links
Public license information
Profile
LMS

KFFS-CD (virtual and UHF digital channel 36) in Fayetteville operates as a translator of KFDF-CD; this station's transmitter is located on South 56th Street in Springdale.

History

The station began as K46BZ when the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) issued an original construction permit to Family Media of Ft. Smith to build a low-power television station on UHF channel 46. In October 1988, Family Media transferred the construction permit to Pharis Broadcasting, who brought the station on the air and obtained its initial license on March 30, 1990.

In the mid-1990s, the FCC began to allow low-power stations to have four-letter callsigns, and in September 1995, the station took the call letters KPBI-LP, for Pharis Broadcasting Inc. Pharis also affiliated the station with the United Paramount Network (UPN). In June 1998, claiming displacement, Pharis Broadcasting requested to move the station to VHF channel 10; the FCC granted the request in October 1998. Before finishing the move, Pharis sold KPBI-LP to Equity Broadcasting in a deal finalized in June 2001, along with several other stations.[1] One of those stations was KFDF-LP, at the time operating on channel 32. In August 2001, KPBI-LP upgraded its license to Class A as KPBI-CA. A month later, Equity requested Special Temporary Authority to move KFDF-LP to channel 46, being vacated by KPBI-LP. In October of that year, Equity switched the two stations' call letters, with the former KPBI moving to channel 10 as KFDF-CA, and the former KFDF moving to channel 46 as KPBI-CA.

Under Equity's ownership, KFDF was controlled remotely via satellite from Equity's headquarters in Little Rock, Arkansas, and was relayed in encrypted form via the satellite Galaxy 18 (Ku-band transponder 21). This was true of most of the company's stations.

KFDF-CA lost its UPN affiliation in September 2006, when the network and The WB closed and merged to form The CW Television Network. Equity Broadcasting originally announced that the station would affiliate with MyNetworkTV, instead of joining The CW, which had no affiliate in Fort Smith until September 2007, when the network and Cox Communications launched a cable channel to carry the network. However, after KPBI-CA lost its Fox affiliation to then-NBC affiliate KFTA-TV (channel 24), Equity announced that KPBI-CA would join MyNetworkTV, and KFDF-CA would instead join Retro Television Network once UPN went off the air; KPBI was scheduled to join it once WB goes off the air but joined MyNetworkTV on September 22, 2006.[2]

On January 4, 2009, a contract conflict between Equity and Luken Communications (who had acquired RTN from Equity in June 2008), interrupted the programming on many RTN affiliates.[3] As a result, Luken restored a national RTN feed from its headquarters in Chattanooga, Tennessee, via SES Americom-owned satellite AMC 9 (83.0°W), with individual feeds to non-Equity-owned affiliates to follow on a piecemeal basis. As a result, KFDF-CA lost its RTN affiliation immediately, though Luken vows to find a new affiliate for RTN in the area.[4]

After failing to find a buyer at a bankruptcy auction,[5] KFDF was 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[6]), with Pinnacle assuming control under a local marketing agreement on August 5.[7]

Digital channels

The station's digital signal is multiplexed:

Channel Video Aspect PSIP Short Name Programming[8]
44.1720p16:9KFDF-DTEstrella TV
44.2480i4:3Cozi TV
44.3HSN
44.4Lifehacks DRTV

Translators

KFDF-CD is rebroadcast in the Fayetteville area on the following stations:

KKAF-LD 30 (UHF 30) in Fayetteville, Arkansas and KEGW-CD 33 (UHF 33) in Siloam Springs, Arkansas previously rebroadcast KFDF-CD as well, but are now carrying KSJF-CD.

References
  2. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2009-05-01. Retrieved 2006-08-27.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  3. What’s Wrong with MyTV? Archived 2009-01-13 at the Wayback Machine
  4. TV Newsday: "Financial Dispute Disrupts RTN Diginet", 1/5/2009.
  5. "Equity stations still on the block". Television Business Report. April 20, 2009. Archived from the original on May 2, 2009. Retrieved April 28, 2009.
  6. "APPLICATION FOR CONSENT TO ASSIGNMENT OF BROADCAST STATION CONSTRUCTION PERMIT OR LICENSE". CDBS Public Access. Federal Communications Commission. June 15, 2009. Retrieved August 25, 2009.
  7. "APPLICATION FOR CONSENT TO ASSIGNMENT OF BROADCAST STATION CONSTRUCTION PERMIT OR LICENSE". CDBS Public Access. Federal Communications Commission. August 14, 2009. Retrieved August 25, 2009.
  8. RabbitEars TV Query for KFDF
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