SANTA BARBARA, CALIF. — While Phoenix and Dallas are making headlines, along with WRAL-5 in Raleigh, for taking the lead on the development and rollout of the Next Gen broadcast TV standard known as ATSC 3.0, a family-owned media company is making the investment to bring a ATSC 3.0 broadcast TV signal to the nation’s 124th-largest market.
When fully implemented, News-Press & Gazette Company (NPG) will be offering an ATSC 3.0 signal to California’s Central Coast by way of KSBB-CD 17, a low-power TV station that has been serving as a simulcast partner of the company’s CBS affiliate for the region, KCOY-12 in Santa Maria, Calif.
The use of KSBB for ATSC 3.0 broadcasts is being done with the assistance of the NAB and the Pearl Alliance.
“While most people wouldn’t expect cutting-edge technology in a relatively small market, the fact is that ATSC 3.0 is expected to be a substantial benefit to urban and rural viewers in markets large and small,” said NPG co-owner Eric Bradley. “NPG is proud to hoist the flag for next-gen TV here in southern California.”
NPG is choosing to launch ATSC 3.0 service in Santa Barbara for an array of reasons, one being the multiple natural disasters that have taken place over the last two years. “This new standard will allow us to deliver highly localized news and emergency information to an even wider variety of devices,” Bradley said. “That means faster alerts when there is potential danger.”
The Pearl business alliance of eight of the largest broadcast companies in America is already on-the-air with its first station in Phoenix. The NAB has worked to insure that the FCC allows transmission of ATSC 3.0 broadcasts on a voluntary basis.
This week the FCC granted requests from five commercial and public TV broadcasters for permission to test next-gen TV broadcasts from the transmission facilities of Univision‘s KFPH-CD in Phoenix, which began ATSC 3.0 broadcasts last March.
The E.W. Scripps Co.s ABC affiliate KNXV, TEGNA’s NBC affiliate KPNX, Meredith-owned unaffiliated KTVK and co-owned CBS affiliate KPHO and PBS station KAET will utilize the KFPH-CD transmission facilities in collaborative testing.
NAB EVP/Communications Dennis Wharton said local TV broadcasters are working diligently to bring the new standard to market with broadcasts ongoing in Cleveland; Portland, Ore.; Baltimore; East Lansing, Mich.; and Chicago; in addition to Phoenix and Dallas. “This new broadcast standard will unlock pro-consumer, innovative services such as better quality broadcasts, diverse programming streams, greater interactivity and mobile viewing,” he said. “Experimental efforts are an important step in this process and NAB will work alongside NPG to ensure the success of this important trial.”
NPG operates local broadcast stations in a number of small markets including California, Oregon, Idaho, Colorado, Texas and Missouri. It purchased KSBB-CD and KEYT-TV in 2012.
Meanwhile, KSBY-6 in San Luis Obispo, Calif., is still in play. In August local station management told The Tribune that Cordillera Communications was selling the NBC affiliate, which also serves Santa Barbara, Calif. As of today there is no update on the expected sale of KSBY.
