KFDF-CD

KFDF-CD
Fort Smith, Arkansas; United States;
Channels	Digital: 25 (UHF); Virtual: 44;
Programming
Affiliations	44.1: Estrella TV (2017–present); 44.2: Dabl; 44.3: HSN; 44.4: Jewelry TV
Ownership
Owner	Pinnacle Media; (KTV Media, LLC);
Sister stations	KLRA-CD, KMYA-DT, KWNL-CD, KQRY-LD
History
First air date	March 30, 1990 (34 years ago)
Former call signs	DKFDF-LP:; K46BZ (1988–1995); KPBI-LP (1995–2001); KFDF-CA (2001–2013); KFDF-CD:; KFDF-LD (2006–2012)
Former channel number(s)	Analog:; 46 (UHF, 1988–2001); 10 (VHF, 2001–2009); Digital:; 44 (UHF, 2009–2018);
Former affiliations	Analog/CD1:; Fox (1990−2001); UPN (2001–2006); RTN (2006–2009); Independent (2009–2012); MundoFox/MundoMax (2012–2016); MeTV (2016−2017); CD2:; MeTV (2015–2016); Cozi TV (2017−2021); CD4:; Lifehacks DrTV (2017−c. 2019)
Technical information
Licensing authority	FCC
Facility ID	DKFDF-LP: 52418; KFDF-CD: 168154
Class	CD
ERP	15 kW
HAAT	130.8 m (429 ft)
Transmitter coordinates	35°26′51.3″N 94°21′54.8″W / 35.447583°N 94.365222°W
Translator(s)	KPBI-CD 31 (UHF) Winslow
Links
Public license information	Public file; DKFDF-LP: 52418; KFDF-CD: 168154 LMS;

KFDF-CD (channel 44) is a low-power, Class A television station in Fort Smith, Arkansas, United States, affiliated with the Spanish-language Estrella TV network. It is owned by Pinnacle Media alongside Univision affiliates KWNL-CD and KXUN-LD. KFDF-CD's transmitter is located on Pernot Road in Van Buren, Arkansas.

KPBI-CD (channel 31) in Winslow operates as a translator of KFDF-CD; this station's transmitter is located on South 56th Street in Springdale.

History

The station began as K46BZ when the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) issued an original construction permit to Family Media of Ft. Smith to build a low-power television station on UHF channel 46. In October 1988, Family Media transferred the construction permit to Pharis Broadcasting, who brought the station on the air as a Fox affiliate and obtained its initial license on March 30, 1990.

In the mid-1990s, the FCC began to allow low-power stations to have four-letter callsigns, and in September 1995, the station took the call letters KPBI-LP, for Pharis Broadcasting Inc. In June 1998, claiming displacement, Pharis Broadcasting requested to move the station to VHF channel 10; the FCC granted the request in October 1998. Before finishing the move, Pharis sold KPBI-LP to Equity Broadcasting in a deal finalized in June 2001, along with several other stations.^[1] One of those stations was KFDF-LP, at the time operating on channel 32. In September 2001, Equity requested Special Temporary Authority to move KFDF-LP to channel 46, being vacated by KPBI-LP. A month later, Equity switched the two stations' call letters, with the former KPBI moving to channel 10 as UPN affiliate KFDF-CA, and the former KFDF moving to channel 46 as Fox affiliate KPBI-CA.

Under Equity's ownership, KFDF was controlled remotely via satellite from Equity's headquarters in Little Rock, Arkansas, and was relayed in encrypted^{[citation needed]} form via the satellite Galaxy 18 (Ku-band transponder 21). This was true of most of the company's stations.

KFDF-CA lost its UPN affiliation in September 2006, when the network and The WB closed and merged to form The CW Television Network. Equity Broadcasting originally announced that the station would affiliate with MyNetworkTV, instead of joining The CW, which had no over-the-air affiliate in Fort Smith until April 2008, when ABC affiliate KHBS (channel 40) launched a new CW-affiliated second subchannel. However, after KPBI-CA lost its Fox affiliation to then-NBC affiliate KFTA-TV (channel 24), Equity announced that KPBI-CA would join MyNetworkTV, and KFDF-CA would instead join Retro Television Network once UPN went off the air; KPBI was scheduled to join it once WB goes off the air but joined MyNetworkTV on September 22, 2006.^[2]

On January 4, 2009, a contract conflict between Equity and Luken Communications (who had acquired RTN from Equity in June 2008), interrupted the programming on many RTN affiliates.^[3] As a result, Luken restored a national RTN feed from its headquarters in Chattanooga, Tennessee, via SES Americom-owned satellite AMC 9 (83.0°W), with individual feeds to non-Equity-owned affiliates to follow on a piecemeal basis. As a result, KFDF-CA lost its RTN affiliation immediately, though Luken vows to find a new affiliate for RTN in the area.^[4]

After failing to find a buyer at a bankruptcy auction,^[5] KFDF was sold to Pinnacle Media in August 2009 (after having initially been included in Silver Point Finance's acquisition on June 2 of several Equity stations^[6]), with Pinnacle assuming control under a local marketing agreement on August 5.^[7]

Technical information

Subchannels

The station's digital signal is multiplexed:

Channel	Video	Aspect	Short name	Programming^[8]
44.1	720p	16:9	KFDF	Main KFDF-CD programming / Estrella TV
44.2	480i	16:9		Dabl
44.3		4:3		HSN
44.4		4:3		Jewelry TV

Analog-to-digital conversion

As a low-powered station, it is not impacted by the 2009 digital television transition. On September 25, 2013, the station turned off its analog signal.

Former translators

KKAF-LD 30 (UHF 30) in Fayetteville and KEGW-CD 33 (UHF 33) in Siloam Springs previously rebroadcast KFDF-CD as well, but are now carrying KSJF-CD.

References

^ http://svartifoss2.fcc.gov/cgi-bin/ws.exe/prod/cdbs/forms/prod/cdbsmenu.hts?context=25&appn=100560130&formid=314&fac_num=52426^{[dead link]}
^ "The Morning News: Business : Fox Switch Planned Monday". Archived from the original on 2009-05-01. Retrieved 2006-08-27.
^ What’s Wrong with MyTV? Archived 2009-01-13 at the Wayback Machine
^ TV Newsday: "Financial Dispute Disrupts RTN Diginet", 1/5/2009.
^ "Equity stations still on the block". Television Business Report. April 20, 2009. Archived from the original on May 2, 2009. Retrieved April 28, 2009.
^ "APPLICATION FOR CONSENT TO ASSIGNMENT OF BROADCAST STATION CONSTRUCTION PERMIT OR LICENSE". CDBS Public Access. Federal Communications Commission. June 15, 2009. Retrieved August 25, 2009.
^ "APPLICATION FOR CONSENT TO ASSIGNMENT OF BROADCAST STATION CONSTRUCTION PERMIT OR LICENSE". CDBS Public Access. Federal Communications Commission. August 14, 2009. Retrieved August 25, 2009.
^ RabbitEars TV Query for KFDF

External links

[1] ttp://svartifoss2.fcc.gov/cgi-bin/ws.exe/prod/cdbs/forms/prod/cdbsmenu.hts?context=25&appn=100560130&formid=314&fac_num=52426^{[dead link]}

[2] "The Morning News: Business : Fox Switch Planned Monday". Archived from the original on 2009-05-01. Retrieved 2006-08-27.

[3] What’s Wrong with MyTV? Archived 2009-01-13 at the Wayback Machine

[4] TV Newsday: "Financial Dispute Disrupts RTN Diginet", 1/5/2009.

[tvbr-forsale-5] "Equity stations still on the block". Television Business Report. April 20, 2009. Archived from the original on May 2, 2009. Retrieved April 28, 2009.

[fcc-saletosp-6] "APPLICATION FOR CONSENT TO ASSIGNMENT OF BROADCAST STATION CONSTRUCTION PERMIT OR LICENSE". CDBS Public Access. Federal Communications Commission. June 15, 2009. Retrieved August 25, 2009.

[fcc-kpbirepeaterssale-7] "APPLICATION FOR CONSENT TO ASSIGNMENT OF BROADCAST STATION CONSTRUCTION PERMIT OR LICENSE". CDBS Public Access. Federal Communications Commission. August 14, 2009. Retrieved August 25, 2009.

[8] RabbitEars TV Query for KFDF

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v t e Broadcast television in Northwest Arkansas, the Arkansas River Valley, and eastern Oklahoma, including Fort Smith, Van Buren, Fayetteville, Springdale and Rogers
Reception may vary by location and some stations may only be viewable with cable television
Fayetteville / Springdale / Rogers / Tahlequah	KFSM-TV (5.1 CBS, 5.2 Crime, 5.3 ANT, 5.4 Twist, 5.5 Quest, 5.6 LC) KAFT (13.1 PBS/AR PBS, 13.2 Create/AR PBS Create, 13.3 PBS Kids/AR PBS Kids, 13.4 World/AR PBS World) KWNL-CD (14.1 UNI, 14.2 TBD) KAJL-LD (16.1 LC, 16.2 SBN, 16.3 GetTV, 16.4 Buzzr, 16.5 [Blank], 16.6 Novelisima, 16.7 Movies!) K22HS-D (22.1 GCN) KHOG-TV (29.1 ABC, 29.2 CW+, 29.3 MeTV, 29.4 Defy, 29.5 HSN) KKAF-CD (30.1 Cozi, 30.2 LC, 30.3 Ads, 30.4 Retro, 30.5 NTD, 31.2 Court) KPBI-CD (31.1 Estrella, 31.2 Dabl, 31.3 HSN, 31.4 JTV) KEGW-LD (33.1 TMD, 33.2 Spanish Rel., 33.3 Rel. Ind., 33.4 Spirit) KXNW (34.1 MNTV, 34.2 Rewind) KFFS-CD (36.1 Court, 36.2 QVC, 36.3 QVC2, 36.4 Spirit) KNWA-TV (51.1 NBC, 51.2 Fox, 51.3 Laff, 51.4 Grit) KWOG (57.1 Daystar)
Fort Smith / Van Buren / Sallisaw / Mena	KOET (3.1 PBS/OETA, 3.2 World, 3.3 Create, 3.4 PBS Kids) KFSM-TV (5.1 CBS, 5.2 Crime, 5.3 ANT, 5.4 Twist, 5.5 Quest, 5.6 LC) KAFT (13.1 PBS/AR PBS, 13.2 Create/AR PBS Create, 13.3 PBS Kids, 13.4 World/AR PBS World) KFLU-LD (20.1 Ion, 20.2 Court, 20.3 Decades, 20.5 Newsy, 20.6 H&I, 20.7 TrueReal) KFTA-TV (24.1 Fox, 24.2 NBC, 24.3 Mystery, 24.4 Bounce, 34.1 MNTV) KWFT-LD (30.1 Cozi, 30.2 LC, 30.3 Ads, 30.4 Retro, 30.5 NTD, 31.2 Court) KSJF-CD 34/KRAH-CD 35 (xx.1 TMD, xx.2 Spanish Rel., xx.3 Rel. Ind., xx.4 Spirit) KQRY-LD (36.1 Court, 36.2 QVC, 36.3 QVC2, 36.4 Spirit) KHBS (40.1 ABC, 40.2 CW+, 40.3 MeTV, 40.4 Defy, 40.5 HSN) KFDF-CD (44.1 Estrella, 44.2 Dabl, 44.3 HSN, 44.4 JTV) KXUN-LD (48.1 UNI, 48.2 TBD)
Defunct stations	K04RA-D (32.1 YTA) KPBI 46 (Fox/MNTV) K67EO 67 (CBS via KFSM, Bentonville)
See also Joplin TV Little Rock TV Springfield TV Tulsa TV