The license protections afforded Class A television stations over other low power facilities comes with the requirement that the station be on the air at least 18 hours daily. The FCC has been asking stations who have missed that benchmark in the form of going completely dark to show cause why they should not be downgraded to LPTV status, and now two more are on the list.
One of the license companies involved in the two most recent announcements is Una Vez Mas, regarding its KTJA-CA Victoria TX. According to the FCC, the station has been off-air more often than not going back to 11/2/07.
The licensee cited technical difficulties, but the FCC determined that the company’s business decisions are responsible for the fact that the station has been “on the air for less than three of the last 30 months…”
Una Vez Mas recently had the licenses of five Class A television stations located in various California communities questioned. It must show cause why KTJA and its other Class As should not be knocked down to the LPTV level.
The other licensee is CASA of Corpus Christi, which is being asked to defend the status of its KXCC-CA in Corpus Christi TX. Its travails date back to 11/12/07, when it said it went dark while working on a strategic plan to make optimal use of the station’s resources. The FCC said that at the end of the day it’s managed to be on air for only about 12 of the last 52 months, and noted the station’s explanation that it had none of the required children’s programming due to financial hardship.
CASA is also being asked to explain why the station should not be devalued to LPTV status.
