NORTHWEST ARKANSAS — At least one new television channel and changes to cable lineups are coming to Northwest Arkansas viewers.
The Federal Communications Commission approved the sale of KPBI, a failing Eureka Springs television station, to KFSM, the Fort Smith-based CBS broadcast station owned by Local TV Arkansas. KPBI will become KXNW.
“Starting next week we’re launching 7 a.m. news and 9 p.m. news,” said Van Comer, general manager of KFSM and KXNW. “The number one priority was to increase our news coverage of Northwest Arkansas.”
AT A GLANCE
Federal Communications Commission
The Federal Communications Commission was created by Congress in 1934 with commissioners appointed by the president. The FCC has an estimated budget of $354 million and is entirely funded by regulatory fees. It has 1,898 federal employees
Source: FCC
The newscasts will be one hour and anchored from the KFSM studio in Fayetteville, Comer said.
KXNW intends to also provide expanded coverage of local sports and other community events, Local TV told the FCC. KXNW will be a digital channel.
WEB WATCH
What’s On?
A full slate of programming for the new station will be available at www.5newsonline.com, click on “programs” then click on “KXNW.”
“It is licensed to Eureka Springs but it was moved into the Northwest Arkansas designated market area because of the population up there, so the focus is going to be all of Northwest Arkansas,” Comer said. “We’ll be able to program news on KFSM and we’ll program separate news and programming on KXNW.”
Local TV plans to increase staffing for KXNW, including reporters and photographers, Comer said. How many has yet to be determined but an assistant news director, Larry Henry, has been hired and will start work Monday.
“The priority was to get some leadership up there,” Comer said.
The station will be able to provide local weather alerts for the first time, according to documents filed with the FCC.
Local TV told the FCC it would also make long overdue upgrades to the old KPBI’s equipment, installing HD-capable equipment and enabling the station to provide a better, more consistent on-air broadcast picture and signal. The company also told the FCC it would provide the new station with access to KSFM’s production facilities, so KXNW could provide its first locally produced programming.
KXNW will be on Channel 34 over the air, and on Dish and Direct TV about Wednesday.
Cox Communications has announced several line-up changes set for March 27. KNXW will be programmed as MyNetwork TV carried on channel 14 in Berryville and Siloam Springs; channel 20 in Northwest Arkansas; and, channel 8 in Fort Smith.
With the change, channel 661 in Siloam Springs, Northwest Arkansas and Fort Smith will be removed from the network rather than repeat the MyNetwork programming that will now be on both KNXW and KFSM’s secondary digital channel, KFSM-DT-2, channel 661.
KFSM had to get a waiver from the FCC in order to buy KPBI from Riverside Media and assume its license.
The FCC rules prohibit one company from owning two full-power television stations in the same designated market area under most situations. This market is Fort Smith-Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers.
LocalTV requested a waiver of the rules under the FCC’s “failing station” standard.
A “failing station” is defined by the FCC as one struggling for an extended period both in terms of audience share and financial performance. There also has to be a public benefit and no out-of-market buyers available.
KPBI did not have a reportable audience share for the July 2011 sweeps.
Riverside acquired the station through a pro forma assignment from Pinnacle Media, which in turn acquired the station out of bankruptcy from Equity Broadcasting Company in November 2009. The station had persistent negative cash flow prior to its acquisition by Pinnacle. The negative cash flow continued throughout Pinnacle’s ownership and during Riverside’s ownership through the second quarter of 2011. Riverside told the FCC the station lost more than $150,000 during the first seven months of 2011.
Pinnacle and Riverside had tried to sell the station since February 2010. Local TV was the only party willing to enter into good faith negotiation at a reasonable price and the sellers received no serious expressions of interest from any out-of-market buyers, according to the FCC.
“Consistent with the Local Ownership Order, we find that the combined operation of KPBI and KFSM-TV will pose minimal harm to our diversity and competition goals because KPBI’s dire financial situation hampers its ability to be a viable voice in its market,” according to the FCC waiver. “Under these circumstances, allowing KPBI to be operated by a stronger station in the market will result in a definite improvement in facilities and programming, an outcome which clearly benefits the public interest.”