KVUI

KVUI, virtual and UHF digital channel 31, is an Ion Television-affiliated station licensed to Pocatello, Idaho, United States and also serving Idaho Falls. The station is owned by Ventura Broadcasting, as part of a duopoly with MeTV affiliate KPIF (channel 15, also licensed to Pocatello). The two stations share transmitter facilities on Howard Mountain near Pocatello. On cable, KVUI is available on Sparklight channel 9.

KVUI
Pocatello–Idaho Falls, Idaho
United States
CityPocatello, Idaho
ChannelsDigital: 31 (UHF)
Virtual: 31 (PSIP)
BrandingKVUI 31
Programming
Affiliations
Ownership
OwnerVentura Broadcasting
(Ventura Media Communications, LLC)
KPIF
History
First air date
July 16, 1998 (1998-07-16)
Former call signs
KBDL (1998)
KFXP (1998–2015)
Former channel number(s)
Analog:
31 (UHF, 1998–2008)
Primary:
Fox (1998–2012)
This TV (2012–2013)
Dark (2013–2015)
MeTV (2015–2017)
Secondary:
UPN (1998–2000)
Technical information
Licensing authority
FCC
Facility ID78910
ERP68.5 kW
HAAT447 m (1,467 ft)
Transmitter coordinates42°55′15″N 112°20′47″W
Links
Public license information
Profile
LMS

History

Channel 31 signed on the air as KFXP, the Fox affiliate for the Pocatello–Idaho Falls market, on July 16, 1998.[1] Prior to the station's launch, Fox programming had been seen on area cable systems via Foxnet;[1] the network also maintained a secondary affiliation with CBS affiliate KIDK (channel 3).[2] KFXP was originally owned by a partnership of three companies—Redwood Broadcasting, Winstar Communications, and Compass Communications—that had competed for the license;[2] through a time brokerage agreement, the station was operated by Sunbelt Communications (later known as Intermountain West Communications Company), owner of NBC outlet KPVI (channel 6), and the two stations shared studios in Pocatello.[1] By 1999, Compass Communications had acquired Redwood and Winstar's interests in KFXP.[3][4] In its early years, channel 31 had a secondary affiliation with UPN;[5] however, this had ended by 2000.[6]

KFXP discontinued its Fox affiliation on July 1, 2012 following a dispute with the network over retransmission consent; several other stations lost their Fox affiliations a year earlier for similar reasons. The station subsequently affiliated with This TV (previously shown on KPVI-DT3) effective on that date with the network airing during the morning and overnight hours, though it retained general entertainment programming during daytime and primetime hours. Twin Falls sister station KXTF also lost its affiliation and switched to This TV on the same date, with Fox programming moving to MyNetworkTV affiliate KTWT-LD as a primary affiliation.[7][8] MyNetworkTV affiliate KXPI-LD (channel 34, which is repeated on KIDK-DT2) assumed the Fox affiliation and retained MyNetworkTV as a secondary affiliation.[8]

KFXP went dark on July 1, 2013[9] following the end of its lease on its transmission tower; a new lease on the tower cannot be negotiated until the completion of an ownership change for the tower.[10] The time brokerage agreement with KPVI-DT was also terminated as of the preceding day; it had been slated to expire on July 16.[11] KFXP had begun showing a still announcing the shutdown on June 24, 2013. On January 31, 2014, Compass Communications reached a deal to sell KFXP, along with two commonly-owned low-power stations in Beaumont, Texas, to Abraham Telecasting Company,[12] however, the sale fell through. On June 12, 2015, Compass agreed to sell KFXP to Buckalew Media for $450,000.[13] The sale was completed on October 30;[14] on November 9, Buckalew changed the station's call letters to KVUI.[15] Buckalew then announced that it would relaunch KVUI by December 1 as a MeTV affiliate; the station also intends to air some local programming.[16]

Buckalew Media agreed to sell KVUI, along with the construction permit for KVUT-LD in Twin Falls, to Ventura TV Video Appliance Center for $575,000 on January 20, 2017.[17]

Digital television

Digital channels

The station's digital signal is multiplexed:

Channel Video Aspect PSIP Short Name Programming[18]
31.1480i16:9IONIon Television
31.2StartTVStart TV
31.3LightLight TV
31.4CoziCozi TV
31.5GetGetTV
31.6EscapeCourt TV Mystery
31.7QuestQuest
31.8LAFFLaff
31.9HSNHSN
31.10BuzzrBuzzr

Analog-to-digital conversion

KVUI (as KFXP) shut down its analog signal, over UHF channel 31, on November 17, 2008. The station "flash-cut" its digital signal into operation UHF channel 31.[19][20] Because it was granted an original construction permit after the FCC finalized the DTV allotment plan on April 21, 1997, the station did not receive a companion channel for a digital television station.

Newscasts

Shortly after sign-on, KFXP partnered with KPVI to provide a 9 p.m. newscast on Monday through Friday nights. The program was cancelled after a few years and entertainment programming returned to the timeslot. KFXP partnered with KPVI once again in 2006 to produce a late evening newscast at 9 p.m. that debuted on October 30, 2006, entitled KPVI on Fox News at 9; this newscast was also broadcast on Twin Falls sister station KXTF. In preparation for the discontinuance of its Fox affiliation and the switch to This TV, the station cancelled the 9 p.m. newscast for a second time,[21] with its last broadcast airing on June 29, 2012; it was replaced with a new weeknight 5:30 p.m. newscast produced by KPVI, that debuted in September 2012.[8] The 5:30 p.m. program was titled KPVI More, an interview and features program that aired simultaneously on KXTF. It contained no weather or sports segments.

References
  1. Menser, Paul (July 16, 1998). "Fox makes it to rooftops; WB preview on its way". Post Register. Retrieved November 12, 2015.
  2. Menser, Paul (April 28, 1998). "Fox network gets local affiliate". Post Register. Retrieved November 12, 2015.
  3. "Application Search Details (1)". CDBS Public Access. Federal Communications Commission. Retrieved November 12, 2015.
  4. "Application Search Details (2)". CDBS Public Access. Federal Communications Commission. Retrieved November 12, 2015.
  5. "Listing of channel lineups in TV Guide Idaho Edition". matthewsittel.com. Retrieved November 12, 2015.
  6. Ginter, Barry (November 15, 2000). "'Voyager' will arrive late on new channel". Post Register. Retrieved November 12, 2015.
  7. "Eastern Idaho to Lose Fox Network Affiliate". KPVI News 6. May 17, 2012. Retrieved May 21, 2012.
  8. Fisher's KXPI Grabs Fox Affiliation in Idaho Falls, Broadcasting & Cable, June 15, 2012.
  9. Monroy, Barbara (July 1, 2013). "FCC 398 Children's Television Programming Report". Federal Communications Commission. Retrieved July 11, 2013.
  10. Proctor, Gerald R (July 10, 2013). "Notification of Suspension of Operations / Request for Silent STA". CDBS Public Access. Federal Communications Commission. Retrieved July 11, 2013.
  11. "Oregon Trail Broadcasting Company Character Issues [Amendment]". KPVI-DT sale application. Federal Communications Commission. November 26, 2013. Retrieved January 4, 2014.
  12. "Application for Consent to Assignment of Broadcast Station Construction Permit or License". CDBS Public Access. Federal Communications Commission. January 31, 2014. Retrieved February 3, 2014.
  13. "Application For Consent To Assignment Of Broadcast Station Construction Permit Or License". CDBS Public Access. Federal Communications Commission. June 29, 2015. Retrieved July 14, 2015.
  14. Consummation Notice CDBS Public Access, Federal Communications Commission, Retrieved 2 November 2015.
  15. "Call Sign History". CDBS Public Access. Federal Communications Commission. Retrieved November 12, 2015.
  16. McFarland, Cydney (November 19, 2015). "Family-friendly TV channel returns to Pocatello with new name". Idaho State Journal. Retrieved November 24, 2015.
  17. "Application for Consent to Assignment of Broadcast Station Construction Permit or License". CDBS Public Access. Federal Communications Commission. January 23, 2017. Retrieved January 24, 2017.
  18. RabbitEars TV Query for KVUI
  19. "DTV Tentative Channel Designations for the First and the Second Rounds" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2013-08-29. Retrieved 2012-03-24.
  20. http://www.transmitter.com/FCC97115/chanplan.html
  21. Malone, Michael (May 22, 2012). "KTXF Staffers Moving on After Fox Split". Broadcasting & Cable. Retrieved May 22, 2012.
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