KTLN-TV

KTLN-TV
CityPalo Alto, California
Channels
Branding
  • H&I Bay Area
  • MeTV Bay Area (DT2)
Programming
Affiliations
Ownership
Owner
KAXT-CD
History
Founded1990
First air date
July 15, 1998; 26 years ago (1998-07-15) (in Novato, California; license moved to Palo Alto in 2018[2])
Former call signs
KWOK (1990–1999)
Former channel number(s)
  • Analog: 68 (UHF, 1998–2009)
  • Digital: 47 (UHF, 2005–2018)
Total Living Network (1998–2019)
Call sign meaning
"Total Living Network" (former affiliation)
Technical information[3]
Licensing authority
FCC
Facility ID49153
ERP15 kW
HAAT688 m (2,257 ft)
Transmitter coordinates37°29′57″N 121°52′20″W / 37.49917°N 121.87222°W / 37.49917; -121.87222
Links
Public license information
WebsiteKTLN FCC disclosures/schedule page on Heroes & Icons website

KTLN-TV (channel 68) is a television station licensed to Palo Alto, California, United States, serving the San Francisco Bay Area as an owned-and-operated station of the classic television network Heroes & Icons. It is owned by Weigel Broadcasting alongside San Jose–licensed low-power, Class A Catchy Comedy station KAXT-CD (channel 1). The two stations share studios on Pelican Way in San Rafael, and transmitter facilities on Mount Allison.

Even though KTLN-TV is licensed as a full-power station, it shares spectrum with KAXT-CD, whose low-power broadcasting radius does not cover all of the San Francisco Bay Area.[4] Therefore, it relies on cable and satellite carriage to reach the entire market. However, KTLN-TV shares MeTV with independent station KPYX's (channel 44) third subchannel, which has a stronger signal than KTLN.

History

Originally, Christian Communications of Chicagoland (then-owners of WCFC-TV, now Ion Television owned-and-operated station WCPX-TV) owned KTLN outright. It was formerly licensed to the Marin County community of Novato. CCC filed to sell the station to OTA Broadcasting, a company controlled by Michael Dell's MSD Capital, in June 2011.[5] The sale was completed on October 6, 2011; as part of the deal, CCC continued to operate KTLN via a local marketing agreement (LMA).[6]

Weigel Broadcasting agreed to acquire KTLN-TV and KAXT-CD, along with KVOS-TV and KFFV in Seattle, from OTA Broadcasting in a $23.2 million deal on October 18, 2017.[7] The station was temporarily off the air as of June 2018.

The station sale to Weigel was completed on April 15, 2019.[8] At midnight on April 17, KTLN returned on the air carrying high definition signals of Heroes & Icons on 68.1, and MeTV on 68.2.[9]

Technical information

Subchannels

Subchannel of KAXT-CD and KTLN-TV[10][11]
License Channel Res. Aspect Short name Programming
KAXT-CD 1.2 480i 16:9 KAXT-SD Catchy Comedy
KTLN-TV 68.1 720p KTLN-HD Heroes & Icons
68.2 MeTV MeTV
68.3 480i Story Story Television
68.4 MeTV+ MeTV+
68.5 Quest Quest
68.6 TOONS MeTV Toons

Analog-to-digital conversion

KTLN-TV shut down its analog signal, over UHF channel 68, on June 12, 2009, as part of the federally mandated transition from analog to digital television.[12] The station's digital signal remained on its pre-transition UHF channel 47, using virtual channel 68.

References

  1. ^ Modification of a Licensed Facility for DTV Application
  2. ^ KTLN-TV Form 2100 - Community of License
  3. ^ "Facility Technical Data for KTLN-TV". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission.
  4. ^ RabbitEars Contour Map for KAXT-CD
  5. ^ "San Francisco TV station sold". Television Business Report. June 9, 2011. Archived from the original on June 11, 2011. Retrieved July 2, 2011.
  6. ^ Jessell, Harry A. (August 5, 2011). "Billionaire Michael Dell OK'd To Buy SF TV". TVNewsCheck. Retrieved October 29, 2011.
  7. ^ "Application for Consent to Assignment of Broadcast Station Construction Permit or License (KVOS-TV/KFFV)". CDBS Public Access. Federal Communications Commission. October 24, 2017. Retrieved October 25, 2017.
  8. ^ "Consummation Notice", CDBS Public Access, Federal Communications Commission, Retrieved April 18, 2019.
  9. ^ "Where to Watch MeTV in Bay Area", MeTV, Retrieved April 18, 2019.
  10. ^ "RabbitEars TV Query for KAXT". RabbitEars.info.
  11. ^ "Digital Television: DTV - HDTV Channel List". choisser.com.
  12. ^ List of Digital Full-Power Stations Archived August 29, 2013, at the Wayback Machine