To put it mildly, web sites belonging to local digital (and analog) television stations in Northern California are nearly all but useless, when it comes to finding helpful information, especially of a technical nature. With the sole exception of our local DTV PBS affiliate KEET, most local TV stations look as if they haven’t had a major website redesign in years, or have farmed-out web development to some third-party who has no interest in providing the community with any information at all.

Local NBC TV affiliate KIEM, has not made any major changes to their website in years. Last I checked, their only contact e-mail was being directed at the now-defunct local ISP Humboldt Internet. I have attempted to contact them in the past for information via e-mail, but have never received any type of reply. At first glance, it looks as if the station might be moving into the 21st century by offering streaming video of their nightly newscast. However, newscasts available on the site are usually outdated, often not adding any new material for several days at a time. To make matters worse, the station seems to be relying on some trashy third-party called VEOH to provide its streaming services. Why trashy? Just try clicking on the menu to watch any of KIEM’s previous newscasts. You’ll immediately be transported to a page that seems to specialize in streaming soft-core porn clips. As of last night, next to KIEM’s footage on VEOH are clips from the Marilyn Chambers hardcore XXX rated porn movie Behind the Green Door as well as nightly clips from The Naked News. Every single time I have viewed any of KIEM’s news broadcasts on this site, I have been bombarded with thumbnail images of pornography. The only part of KIEM’s website that seems to be updated regularly is Jim Bernard’s weather forecast. I’m guessing that Jim probably has to upload everything himself. There is also a link on the homepage to a video describing how to hook-up a DTV converter box. When you click on it, there are thumbnail previews of video clips titled “Two Girls, One Shower” and “How To Breast Feed“. Other than that, there isn’t much useful or up-to-date information to be found on the DTV switch, or anything else.

KAEF-TV, Channel 29, by contrast, offers nothing. No website. No technical information. Nothing. Their sister station KRCR in Redding has a website, but that is it. This local ABC affiliate is pretty much just a signal pumped-in from out of town, and they seem to have little to no interest in the local community or its viewers. If you want any information on DTV, HDTV or the digital television transition, you’ll need to keep looking.

This brings us to Eureka Television Group, which for some reason the Federal Communications Commission is allowing to own the majority of broadcast television stations in Humboldt County. ETG operates KVIQ (CBS), KBVU (Fox), KUVU (The CW), KEMY (MyNetwork) and KEUV (Univision). As of today, the site’s information page on the digital TV transition was last updated “Wednesday, 18 June 2008″. Yes, it’s been almost a year since they have added any new information. The rest of the site is pretty much useless. Some TV programming listings and what looks to be some syndicated, national news that is automatically added to the site via an RSS feed. No e-mail links or contact info, other than phone numbers. The “about us” page was last updated in 2006, and gives a brief bio of the station’s current owner Chester Smith. The only problem here is, Smith died in August of 2008.

The last stop on this mind-numbing journey through Humboldt County’s DTV broadcasters is local PBS affiliate KEET. Fortunately, KEET seems to be the exception to the rule among local digital TV broadcasters. Besides updated programming listings and offering wealth of information about PBS programming, you will find full contact information, along with updated news on the local DTV transition. Strangely, they even reply to e-mails! Going even further than that, KEET has actually gone out of their way to educate the public on DTV issues and seems to be the only broadcaster in the area that makes an effort to keep viewers and the local media informed as to what they are doing. Seeing as they are reliant upon public donations, one would expect them to want to keep the public tuned-in. It’s sad that they seem to be the only local broadcaster going so far out of their way to keep local residents informed though.

In closing, the Internet provides a fantasic opportunity for local television stations to keep the public informed on the DTV transition, as well as many other subjects. In most TV markets, stations take full-advantage of this fact. Updating a website is certainly much cheaper than providing airtime on their stations. Alas, KIEM is the only DTV station in the area that even bothers doing a local newscast anymore, so it appears that most local stations are not very interested in providing viewers with much more than straight “entertainment” these days.

UPDATE: As of this writing in mid-December of 2009, KIEM-TV’s website seems to be abandoned. The last newscast that was uploaded to the site was on October 12th. That was over two months ago. The contact e-mail address for the news department is now a @hotmail.com address. There are some error messages on pages due to broken scripts. I haven’t watched any of the local TV channels in months now, so I have no idea if they are even still on the air. Nothing surprises me anymore in Humboldt County.

The below list was compiled from the U.S. Department of Commerce (NTIA), and is current as of January 2008. We’ve added an *asterisk in front of stations licensed in Humboldt, Trinity, Del Norte and Southern Mendocino Counties in Northern California. Keep in mind, these stations all transmit using very little power, so picking up any of them is rather tricky. As far as I know, this is the most comprehensive list of translators available for the area, and the only one that lists network affiliations and the names of the stations that operate invividual translators.

One fact that I find particularly interesting is that we have more LPTV stations and translators in rural Northern California than you will find in any major metropolitan area, such as Los Angeles or San Francisco. In fact, San Francisco seems to only have a single LPTV broadcaster. Also, the localities given do not always seem to reflect the actual location of the translators in all cases. Broadcasters are not required to disclose the “exact” location of their transmitting facilities, which can make it extremely difficult to determine which direction to point you antenna in for the best reception. This is especially true at UHF frequencies (channels 14 and up), where you likely won’t see any signal at all if you don’t aim an antenna in precisely the right direction.

Another interesting factoid is the large number of low-power television stations that have been licensed in the Eureka area. Despite having been granted construction permits, none of the channels currently assigned to “MS Communications” have ever broadcast a signal, to the best of our knowledge. Apparently, MS Communications holds the licenses for literally hundreds of LPTV stations across the country, none of which seem to be operational. It is doubtful that there will ever be any television programming on these stations.

We’ve added comments where appropriate, including network affiliations.

Community Served Station Call Letters Channel ALTADENA KTAV-LP 69 ALTURAS K20DE 20 ALTURAS, ETC. K47EH 47 ALTURAS, ETC. K60AR 60 ANDERSON/CENTRL VAL. K38FQ 38 ARROYO GRANDE KSSY-LP 20 ATASCADERO KASC-CA 7 BAKERSFIELD KTFB-CA 4 BAKERSFIELD K08MM 8 BAKERSFIELD KKEY-LP 11 BAKERSFIELD K18HD 18 BAKERSFIELD K21FP 21 BAKERSFIELD K24GS 24 BAKERSFIELD KBTF-CA 31 BAKERSFIELD KVPT-LP 34 BAKERSFIELD KBFK-LP 36 BAKERSFIELD KNXT-LP 38 BAKERSFIELD KZKC-LP 42 BAKERSFIELD K46II 46 BAKERSFIELD KEBK-LP 47 BAKERSFIELD KABE-LP 52 BAKERSFIELD KBFX-CA 58 BARSTOW KCIO-LP 6 BARSTOW K16GE 16 BARSTOW K28IE 28 * BENBOW, ETC. K12JJ 12 (KAEF Translator) BIEBER, ETC. K06GS 6 BIG BEAR LAKE K06MU 6 BIG BEAR LAKE KPCD-LP 40 BIG BEND, ETC. K04EZ 4 * BLUE LAKE K36BT 36 (KAEF Translator) BLYTHE K24FA 24 BLYTHE K26FS 26 BLYTHE K29EC 29 BLYTHE K31FE 31 BLYTHE K33FD 33 BOONVILLE, ETC. K57CT 57 BOONVILLE, ETC. K59CH 59 BOONVILLE, ETC. K61CH 61 BOONVILLE, ETC. K63CE 63 BOONVILLE, ETC. K67CC 67 BOONVILLE, ETC. K69CU 69 BRIDGEPORT, ETC. K02JX 2 BRIDGEPORT, ETC. K07QM 7 BRIDGEPORT, ETC. K11HS 11 BRIDGEPORT, ETC. K13EX 13 BURNEY, ETC. K05DQ 5 * BURNT RANCH, ETC. K12JL 12 (KIEM Translator) CALEXICO K36FO 36 CATHEDRAL CITY KDPX-LP 45 CATHEDRAL CITY-PALM KPSP-LP 58 CEDARVILLE K71AF 71 CHALFANT VALLEY, ETC K64CY 64 CHALFANT VALLEY,ETC. K55FD 55 CHALFANT VALLEY,ETC. K61EJ 61 CHICO K02OA 2 CHICO KEFM-LP 6 CHICO KXVU-LP 17 CHICO K19FY 19 CHICO KZVU-LP 22 CHICO KUCO-LP 27 CHICO KKPM-CA 28 CHICO KKTF-LP 35 CHICO KBIT-LD 51 CHICO KSGO-LP 59 CHINA LAKE, ETC. K14AT 14 CLARKS CROSSING KDAS-LP 48 * CRESCENT CITY K09VQ 9 (KEET Translator) * CRESCENT CITY, ETC. K22DS 22 (KOBI Translator) * CRESCENT CITY, ETC. K39EO 39 (Daystar Television Network) CROWLEY LAKE-LONG VA K15DP 15 CROWLEY LAKE-LONG VA K17DF 17 CROWLEY LAKE-LONG VA K19DI 19 CROWLEY LAKE-LONG VA K25EB 25 CROWLEY LAKE-LONG VA K27DV 27 CROWLEY LAKE-LONG VA K58BN 58 DAGGETT K15BZ 15 DAGGETT K19BS 19 DAGGETT K41CY 41 DAGGETT K48IP 48 DAGGETT K50HV 50 DAGGETT, ETC. KTSK-LP 17 DAGGETT, ETC. K23BP 23 DAGGETT, ETC. K35BQ 35 DAGGETT, ETC. K39DW 39 DAGGETT, ETC. K46HT 46 DUNSMUIR, ETC. K02CN 2 DUNSMUIR, ETC. K05BR 5 EAGLEVILLE K13IU 13 EAST WEED K33DI 33 EL CENTRO-HOLTVILLE K56GC 56 ETNA-FORT JONES K02HC 2 * EUREKA KUVU-LP 9 (CW Network) * EUREKA ** K27FX 27 * EUREKA KEUV-LP 31 (Univision) * EUREKA KEMY-LP 33 (MyNetwork) * EUREKA ** K41FD 41 * EUREKA ** K48GP 48 * EUREKA ** K50EQ 50 * EUREKA ** K52FK 52 * EUREKA ** K57HB 57 * EUREKA ** K59FW 59 * EUREKA ** K63GK 63 * EUREKA **** K67GU 67 (KKTF-LP Translator) * EUREKA ** K69IE 69 FALL RIVER MILLS,ETC K11JM 11 FALL RIVER MILLS-MCA K28DB 28 FORT BIDWELL K04GB 4 FORT DICK K36HM 36 FORT JONES, ETC. K04EQ 4 FORT JONES, ETC. K06KA 6 FORT JONES, ETC. K13HU 13 * FORTUNA K14MN 14 (KBVU/KTVU Translator) * FORTUNA/RIO DELL K20CN 20 (KAEF Translator) * FRESHWATER, ETC. K45DS 45 (KAEF Translator) FRESNO K03HK 3 FRESNO KVHF-LP 4 FRESNO K12OZ 12 FRESNO K15ET 15 FRESNO KHSC-LP 16 FRESNO KZMM-CA 22 FRESNO KJKZ-LP 27 FRESNO KBID-LP 31 FRESNO KJEO-LP 32 FRESNO KSDI-LP 33 FRESNO KMSG-LP 39 FRESNO KTFF-LP 41 FRESNO K56DZ 56 * GARBERVILLE K10HX 10 (KVIQ Translator) * GARBERVILLE, ETC. K04NX 4 (KIEM Translator) GONZALES KOTR-LP 2 GRASS VALLEY K16CX 16 * GREEN POINT, ETC. K05EQ 5 (KRCR Translator) HAPPY CAMP K07IX 7 HAPPY CAMP, ETC. K09PI 9 HAPPY CAMP, ETC. K11GO 11 HAPPY CAMP, ETC. K13GL 13 * HAYFORK K05CR 5 (KIXE Translator) * HOOPA K07GJ 7 (KIEM Translator) * HOOPA K11NE 11 (KVIQ Translator) HOPLAND K06FA 6 HOPLAND K10FZ 10 HOPLAND K11TD 11 HOPLAND K13ID 13 HOPLAND K35DO 35 INDIO KVER-CA 4 INDIO KEVC-CA 5 INDIO K06MB 6 INDIO KVPS-LP 8 INDIO KUNA-LP 15 INDIO K19DH 19 INDIO K25GW 25 INDIO/PALM SPRINGS KDFX-CA 33 INLAND EMPIRE KHTV-LP 48 INYOKERN K19CL 19 INYOKERN, ETC. K47AE 47 JOSHUA TREE K25GK 25 JOSHUA TREE, ETC. K14JT 14 * KLAMATH K25CI 25 (KAEF Translator) LA JOLLA K35DG 35 LA JOLLA K59AL 59 LA JOLLA K67AM 67 LAKE CITY, ETC. K06FF 6 LAKE SHASTINA K27BH 27 LAKEHEAD K02FF 2 LAKEHEAD K14HX 14 LAKEPORT K15FJ 15 LAKEPORT K26GK 26 LAKEPORT K33CH 33 LAKEPORT K46DR 46 LAKEPORT K54CY 54 LAKEPORT K56AW 56 LAKEPORT K58AW 58 LAKEPORT K64AZ 64 LAKEPORT K68AL 68 LAKEPORT, ETC. K52AJ 52 LAKESHORE, ETC. K04FL 4 LANCASTER K26GN 26 LANCASTER KEDD-LP 50 * LEWISTON K06EX 6 (KHSL Translator) * LEWISTON K28CY 28 (KIXE Translator) * LEWISTON, ETC. K03CT 3 (KRCR Translator) LIKELY K05ET 5 LIKELY K11LD 11 LITCHFIELD K13RZ 13 LITCHFIELD K46HL 46 LITCHFIELD K48DI 48 LITCHFIELD K50HJ 50 LOMPOC K10OG 10 LOMPOC KLDF-CA 17 LOMPOC K23CL 23 LONG VALLEY K05FR 5 LONG VALLEY K49EA 49 LONG VALLEY K56BS 56 LONG VALLEY REGION K60BR 60 LOS ANGELES KVTU-LP 3 LOS ANGELES KNET-LP 25 LOS ANGELES KSMV-LP 33 LOS ANGELES KNLA-LP 68 LUCERNE VALLEY K15CA 15 LUCERNE VALLEY K19BT 19 LUCERNE VALLEY K33DK 33 LUCERNE VALLEY K41CB 41 LUCERNE VALLEY K43EE 43 LUCERNE VALLEY K48AD 48 LUCERNE VALLEY K50EW 50 LUCERNE VALLEY K54AD 54 MAMMOTH LAKES, ETC. KSRW-LP 33 MARIPOSA K27GZ 27 MARTINEZ K49HV 49 MINERAL K05JK 5 * MIRANDA K08LD 8 (KVIQ Translator) * MIRANDA K10NU 10 (KIEM Translator) MODESTO KAZV-LP 14 MODESTO KEXT-CA 27 MODESTO K49EO 49 MODESTO KACA-LP 61 MONTEREY KMUV-LP 23 MONTEREY KYMB-LP 27 MONTEREY KMCE-LP 43 MONTEREY, ETC. K29AB 29 MORENO VALLEY KRMV-LP 45 MORONGO VALLEY KHIR-LP 3 MORONGO VALLEY K13WJ 13 MORONGO VALLEY K14AB 14 MORONGO VALLEY K16AA 16 MORONGO VALLEY KJHP-LP 18 MORONGO VALLEY K21GI 21 MORONGO VALLEY K30GU 30 MORONGO VALLEY K32EM 32 MORONGO VALLEY K34EU 34 MORONGO VALLEY K36GO 36 MORONGO VALLEY K40HX 40 MORONGO VALLEY K48EM 48 MORRO BAY K09UF 9 MORRO BAY K22EE 22 MOUNTAIN GATE, ETC. K03FU 3 NATIONAL CITY K61GH 61 NEEDLES K30BQ 30 NEEDLES, ETC. K17BN 17 NEEDLES, ETC. K31HY 31 NEWBERRY SPRINGS K03EK 3 NEWBERRY SPRINGS K06IQ 6 NEWBERRY SPRINGS K08IA 8 NEWBERRY SPRINGS K10IX 10 NEWBERRY SPRINGS K12JI 12 NEWELL, TULELAKE K13IV 13 * ORLEANS K08HJ 8 (KVIQ Translator) * ORLEANS K11IQ 11 (KIEM Translator) OROVILLE K08NH 8 OROVILLE K15CX 15 OROVILLE K42HL 42 OXNARD KSKP-CA 25 PALERMO K04QC 4 PALM DESERT KDUO-LP 43 PALM DESERT, ETC. K09XW 9 PALM SPRINGS KCWQ-LP 2 PALM SPRINGS KYAV-LP 12 PALM SPRINGS KODG-LP 17 PALM SPRINGS K20HZ 20 PALM SPRINGS KVES-LP 28 PALM SPRINGS K40ID 40 PALM SPRINGS KPSE-LP 50 PALM SPRINGS DK77AV 77 PALM SPRINGS/INDIO K21DO 21 PALMDALE KPAL-LP 38 PALMDALE K67AO 67 PARADISE K05EM 5 PARADISE K49CT 49 PASO ROBLES K17GD 17 PASO ROBLES KPAO-CA 22 PASO ROBLES K23ED 23 PASO ROBLES KJCN-LP 36 PASO ROBLES K44DN 44 PORTERVILLE K15CO 15 PORTERVILLE KVVG-LP 54 POTTER VALLEY K06DK 6 POTTER VALLEY K08EE 8 POTTER VALLEY K10EQ 10 POTTER VALLEY K12DV 12 POTTER VALLEY K66DQ 66 POTTER VALLEY K69DI 69 POWAY, ETC. KUAN-LP 48 REDDING KMCA-LP 2 REDDING KVFR-LP 4 REDDING KRDN-LP 5 REDDING KFMD-LP 6 REDDING KRVU-LP 21 REDDING KGEC-LP 26 REDDING KMSX-LP 29 REDDING K33HH 33 REDDING K40HE 40 REDDING K46HI 46 REDDING KRDT-CA 47 REDDING K50GP 50 REDDING KRHT-LP 58 REDLANDS KLAU-LP 66 REEDLEY KCWB-LP 13 RIDGECREST K41GO 41 RIDGECREST K43AG 43 RIDGECREST K45GQ 45 RIDGECREST, ETC. K02HY 2 RIDGECREST, ETC. K04HX 4 RIDGECREST, ETC. K05FO 5 RIDGECREST, ETC. K07NH 7 RIDGECREST, ETC. K09MG 9 RIDGECREST, ETC. K11ML 11 RIDGECREST, ETC. K13NF 13 RIDGECREST, ETC. K49AA 49 RIDGECREST, ETC. K51DD 51 RIDGECREST, ETC. K53AB 53 RIDGECREST, ETC. K55AB 55 RIDGECREST, ETC. K57AK 57 RIDGECREST, ETC. K59AO 59 * RIO DELL K04NY 4 (KIEM Translator) * RIO DELL, SCOTIA K10FS 10 (KVIQ Translator) RIVERSIDE KZSW-LP 27 SACRAMENTO KBTV-CA 8 SACRAMENTO KMMK-LP 14 SACRAMENTO KMUM-CA 15 SACRAMENTO K22FR 22 SACRAMENTO KEZT-CA 23 SACRAMENTO K27EU 27 SACRAMENTO KSTV-LP 32 SACRAMENTO KCSO-LP 33 SACRAMENTO K45HC 45 SACRAMENTO KRJR-LP 47 SACRAMENTO KSAO-LP 49 SALINAS KMMD-CA 3 SALINAS K15CU 15 SALINAS KLFB-LP 21 SALINAS K38JP 38 SALINAS/MONTEREY,ETC KDJT-CA 33 SAN BERNARDINO KSGA-LP 64 SAN DIEGO KBNT-CA 17 SAN DIEGO KDTF-LP 36 SAN DIEGO KZSD-LP 41 SAN DIEGO KBOP-CA 43 SAN DIEGO KTCD-LP 46 SAN DIEGO K63EN 63 SAN FERNANDO VALLEY KSFV-LP 26 SAN FRANCISCO KMMC-LP 40 SAN FRANCISCO, ETC. KFTL-CA 28 SAN LUIS OBISPO K16FC 16 SAN LUIS OBISPO KMMA-CA 18 SAN LUIS OBISPO KKFX-CA 24 SAN LUIS OBISPO K28FK 28 SAN LUIS OBISPO KSBO-CA 42 SAN LUIS OBISPO KFUL-LP 44 SAN LUIS OBISPO K47GD 47 SAN LUIS OBISPO KCCE-LP 50 SAN LUIS OBISPO KPXA-LP 60 SAN LUIS OBISPO,ETC. K57BC 57 SAN MARCOS KSKT-CA 43 SANTA BARBARA KZDF-LP 8 SANTA BARBARA KSBB-LP 17 SANTA BARBARA KWHY-LP 22 SANTA BARBARA K26FT 26 SANTA BARBARA KVMM-CA 41 SANTA BARBARA KTSB-LP 43 SANTA BARBARA KBAB-LP 51 SANTA BARBARA K59CD 59 SANTA BARBARA, ETC. K28GY 28 SANTA CLARA-SAN JOSE KAXT-CA 22 SANTA MARIA K07TA 7 SANTA MARIA KKDJ-LP 8 SANTA MARIA KQMM-CA 14 SANTA MARIA KLFA-LP 25 SANTA MARIA KDFS-CA 30 SANTA MARIA K35ER 35 SANTA MARIA KWSM-LP 40 SANTA MARIA K46GF 46 SANTA MARIA K51GB 51 SANTA ROSA K25HI 25 SANTA ROSA KDTV-CA 28 SANTA ROSA KTVJ-LP 36 SANTA ROSA KQRM-LP 40 SEIAD VALLEY K04NU 4 SEIAD VALLEY K08EQ 8 SEIAD VALLEY K12JD 12 * SHELTER COVE K02OD 2 (KIEM Translator) * SHELTER COVE K10KY 10 KVIQ Translator) * SHELTER COVE K12OV 12 (KEET Translator) * SOUTH EUREKA/LOLETA K51EG 51 (KAEF Translator) SOUTH LAKE TAHOE K12PP 12 SOUTH LAKE TAHOE K33CN 33 SOUTH YREKA K47DV 47 STATELINE, ETC. K43DB 43 STOCKTON KMMW-LP 47 STOCKTON KDTS-LP 52 SUSANVILLE KREN-LP 29 SUSANVILLE, ETC. K36HH 36 SUSANVILLE, ETC. K42GV 42 SUSANVILLE, ETC. K61EN 61 SUSANVILLE, ETC. K63CM 63 SUSANVILLE, ETC. K69FS 69 SUSANVILLE-HERLONG K59ET 59 SWAUGER CREEK K51CP 51 SWAUGER CREEK K54CX 54 TAHOE CITY K23DT 23 TAHOE CITY K56BW 56 TEMECULA K12PO 12 * TRINITY CENTER K39DG 39 (KIXE Translator) TWENTYNINE PALMS K18FH 18 TWENTYNINE PALMS K38EE 38 TWENTYNINE PALMS, ET K51DU 51 TWENTYNINE PALMS,ETC K16FI 16 TWENTYNINE PALMS,ETC K29GK 29 TWENTYNINE PALMS,ETC K47IB 47 TWENTYNINE PALMS,ETC K49DC 49 UKIAH K17CG 17 UKIAH K21CD 21 UKIAH K27EE 27 UKIAH K29DF 29 UKIAH K31GK 31 UKIAH K39AG 39 UKIAH K41AF 41 UKIAH K43AF 43 UKIAH KTJH-LP 44 UKIAH K45AH 45 UKIAH K47AL 47 UKIAH K51AQ 51 UKIAH K55GX 55 UKIAH K69DF 69 VAN NUYS KWJD-LP 25 VAN NUYS KSKJ-CA 38 VAN NUYS K55KD 55 VENTURA KIMG-LP 23 VENTURA K45DU 45 VICTORVILLE K39GY 39 VICTORVILLE K47CC 47 VICTORVILLE, ETC. K21AC 21 VICTORVILLE, ETC. K25AD 25 VICTORVILLE, ETC. K27AE 27 VICTORVILLE, ETC. K31AD 31 VICTORVILLE, ETC. K51AN 51 VICTORVILLE, ETC. K55CW 55 VISALIA KFAZ-CA 8 VISALIA KMCF-LP 35 VISTA K26FA 26 VISTA KHAX-LP 49 * WEAVERVILLE, ETC. K02EE 2 (KIXE Translator) * WEAVERVILLE, ETC. K04DD 4 (KHSL Translator) * WEAVERVILLE, ETC. K05CF 5 (KRCR Translator) WESTWOOD, ETC. K54EE 54 * WILLOW CREEK K08GR 8 (KIEM Translator) * WILLOW CREEK K10EN 10 (KVIQ Translator) * WILLOW CREEK K34BW 34 (KRCR Translator) YREKA K06GP 6 YREKA K41JB 41 YREKA K53DY 53 YREKA, ETC. K04HE 4 YREKA, ETC. K13LO 13 YREKA, ETC. K17BA 17 YREKA, ETC. K35DE 35 YUCCA VALLEY K27DS 27 Source: Stations licensed by the Federal Communications Commission, January 23, 2008
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** Also listed, but unable to confirm:

K13MD Channel 13 Hyampom (KIEM Translator?)

k09PM Channel 9 Covelo (KEET Translator?)

K09MS Channel 9 Hoopa (KEET Translator?)

K04EM Channel 4 Hayfork (KRCR Translator?)

K05FZ Channel 5 Trinity Center (KRCR Translator?)

K05EX Channel 5 Burnt Ranch (KRCR Translator?)

*** Construction permit applied for by MS Communications, Inc. No word on what, if anything, will eventually be on these channels. Channels currently vacant.

**** Supposedly belongs to KKTF-LP, a Spanish language broadcaster in Chico, which plans to offer Telefutura. Currently vacant.

The key feature I am talking about is something called analog pass-through, and it is not available on the majority of DTV converters that initially hit the market this year. Exactly what does this feature do? It allows those who install their DTV converters to continue watching analog broadcasts in addition to DTV signals.

You may have been mistakenly led to believe that all TV stations in the U.S. will go completely digital after February 2009. That isn’t the case. In fact, in many areas of the country a large number of stations will NEVER go digital. These channels are referred to as Low Power Television, or LPTV, stations. In essence, LPTV stations broadcast analog signals at power levels below that of larger “full power” broadcasters. In urban areas, many of these channels are occupied by religious broadcasters, shopping networks and a variety of independent stations. In rural areas such as Humboldt County though, these stations can be network affiliates and others who want to avoid the expense of going digital.

Without the analog pass-through feature on your converter box, you will not only immediately lose reception of local TV stations that are still in analog, but you will permanently lose access to all LPTV stations, unless they decide to go digital themselves one day.

Humboldt County currently has a number of LPTV stations, which are in addition to low-power analog translators that serve the most rural areas. Local LPTV stations currently consist of The Trinity Broadcast Network on UHF channel 47, KUVU (The CW) on channel 35, Univision on channel 31 and KEMY (MyTV network affiliate) on channel 33. Without the analog pass-through feature on your DTV converter, you will lose all access to these channels. The only way to watch them over-the-air would be to use some type of antenna selector switch, install two separate TV antennas or by manually swapping cables each time you want to choose between digital and analog stations.

So, when can we expect these LPTV broadcasters to switch to DTV or even HDTV? I’m tempted to say never, but never is a long time. Perhaps not during my lifetime though, since there is little to no incentive for these broadcasters to do so. As the vast majority of those in Humboldt County tune-in these channels via cable television, it simply is not cost effective at present for them to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars on digital broadcasting equipment to reach a relative handful of additional viewers. In fact, one could make the argument that it would actually be cheaper for those stations to pay for your subscription to cable TV than it would be to buy new transmitters for each station.

The Federal Communications Commission, which is the brainchild behind DTV and HDTV regulation, currently has no plans to force LPTV broadcasters to switch to DTV. Therefore, after February 29th, 2009, almost half of TV stations in Humboldt County will actually continue to broadcast in standard analog with no announced plans to switch to digital at all. In fact, Humboldt County will likely be one of the few communities in the United States with nearly as many local channels broadcasting in analog as digital after 2008.

With the majority of those who watch television in Humboldt County either subscribing to cable or satellite television, it would seem that the transition to DTV will have less of an impact in Humboldt County than possibly any other location in the U.S. When you take into consideration the fact that NO local channels have announced plans to broadcast in HDTV, it would seem that little change will be noticed in our area come February 2009.

Channels listed as “Digital” are transmitted via the cable system using a proprietary, encrypted digital signal format that can only be (theoretically) decoded by one of the company’s authorized cable tuners/converters/descramblers. The channel numbers shown on the display are not necessarily associated with a station’s original broadcast channel or frequency.

SuddenLink uses fiberoptic lines to carry their signals from one utility pole to the next. Once reaching the utility pole nearest your home it converts these pulses of light into a digital radio frequency signal that is directly connected to your cable box via coaxial cable. Internet and telephone service from SuddenLink reaches customers via digital signals that are carried along with TV signals on the same lines.

Channel No. Channel Name Type
2 KBVU-FOX 29 Eureka, CA Basic
3 KIEM-TV (NBC) 3 Eureka, CA Basic
4 Suddenlink Homesource Basic
5 KEMY-LP MNT 33 Eureka, CA Basic
6 KVIQ-CBS 6 Eureka, CA Basic
7 KAEF-ABC 23 Arcata, CA Basic
8 Local Education Basic
9 KUVU-LP CW 17 Eureka, CA Basic
10 California Channel Basic
10 Local Access Basic
11 Community Channel Basic
12 Community Channel Basic
13 KEET-PBS 13 Eureka, CA Basic
14 USA Expanded Basic
15 CNN Expanded Basic
16 CNN Headline News Expanded Basic
17 MSNBC Expanded Basic
18 CNBC Expanded Basic
19 Fox News Channel Expanded Basic
20 ESPN Expanded Basic
21 ESPN 2 Expanded Basic
22 Comcast Sports Net Bay Area Expanded Basic
23 QVC Expanded Basic
24 The History Channel Expanded Basic
25 The Learning Channel Expanded Basic
26 Animal Planet Expanded Basic
27 Lifetime Television Expanded Basic
28 TNT Expanded Basic
29 Home & Garden Television Expanded Basic
30 Discovery Channel Expanded Basic
31 Lifetime Movie Network Expanded Basic
32 VH-1 Expanded Basic
33 MTV Expanded Basic
34 CMT Expanded Basic
35 Arts & Entertainment Expanded Basic
37 Telemundo (satellite) Expanded Basic
38 Spike TV Expanded Basic
39 The Travel Channel Expanded Basic
40 E! Entertainment Expanded Basic
41 Sci-Fi Expanded Basic
42 Bravo Expanded Basic
43 FX Expanded Basic
44 Comedy Central Expanded Basic
45 Disney Expanded Basic
46 Cartoon Network Expanded Basic
47 Nickelodeon Expanded Basic
48 TV Land Expanded Basic
49 ABC Family Expanded Basic
50 Food Network Expanded Basic
51 Trinity Broadcasting Network Expanded Basic
52 Oxygen Expanded Basic
53 Discovery Health Channel Expanded Basic
54 The Weather Channel Expanded Basic
55 truTV Expanded Basic
56 Jewelry Television Expanded Basic
58 Home Shopping Network Expanded Basic
59 ShopNBC Expanded Basic
60 Access Television Network Expanded Basic
61 American Movie Classics Expanded Basic
62 Turner Classic Movies Expanded Basic
63 MTV 2 Expanded Basic
64 VERSUS Expanded Basic
65 Speed Channel Expanded Basic
67 Digital Preview Channel Expanded Basic
70 TV Guide Channel Expanded Basic
71 Wizebuys TV Expanded Basic
72 Humbolt Trading Post Expanded Basic
73 Product Information Network Expanded Basic
74 C-SPAN 2 Expanded Basic
75 Alpha Numeric & Weather Expanded Basic
76 C-SPAN Basic
77 TBS Superstation Basic
78 KEUV – LP 31 Eureka, CA Basic
99 NASA Expanded Basic
100 Discovery Kids Digital Discovery/Variety Tier
101 The Science Channel Digital Discovery/Variety Tier
102 Planet Green Digital Discovery/Variety Tier
103 Investigation Discovery Digital Discovery/Variety Tier
104 The Military Channel Digital Discovery/Variety Tier
120 Noggin Digital Discovery/Variety Tier
199 iN DEMAND Barker Digital Discovery/Variety Tier
201 Independent Film Channel Digital Movie Tier
202 Sundance West Digital Movie Tier
203 Encore West Digital Movie Tier
204 Encore Love West Digital Movie Tier
205 Encore Mystery West Digital Movie Tier
206 Encore Action West Digital Movie Tier
207 Encore Drama West Digital Movie Tier
208 Encore Westerns West Digital Movie Tier
210 LOGO Digital Movie Tier
220 Do-it-Yourself Digital Variety Tier
221 Fine Living Digital Variety Tier
222 Game Show Network Digital Variety Tier
223 Toon Disney Digital Variety Tier
224 Fuse Digital Variety Tier
225 MTV U Digital Variety Tier
227 SoapNet Digital Variety Tier
228 BBC America Digital Variety Tier
229 Hallmark Channel Digital Variety Tier
230 EWTN Digital Variety Tier
231 EWTN Espanol Digital Variety Tier
232 Three Angels Broadcasting Digital Variety Tier
233 MTV Jams Digital Variety Tier
234 Si TV Digital Variety Tier
235 Nick Toons Digital Variety Tier
236 The N Digital Variety Tier
237 MTV Hits Digital Variety Tier
238 VH-1 Classic Rock Digital Variety Tier
239 VH-1 Soul Digital Variety Tier
240 CMT Pure Country Digital Variety Tier
241 TV One Digital Variety Tier
242 CBS College Sports Network Digital Sports & Information
243 ESPN Classic Digital Sports & Information
244 ESPNews Digital Sports & Information
245 The Tennis Channel Digital Sports & Information
246 Fox Soccer Channel Digital Sports & Information
247 The Golf Channel Digital Sports & Information
248 Outdoor Channel Digital Sports & Information
249 ESPN U Digital Sports & Information
252 Bloomberg Digital Sports & Information
254 G4 Digital Sports & Information
255 History Channel International Digital Sports & Information
256 Biography Channel Digital Sports & Information
257 C-SPAN 3 Digital Sports & Information
258 Style Digital Sports & Information
261 National Geographic Digital Sports & Information
262 TVG Digital Sports & Information
300 HBO West Digital Premium
301 HBO2 West Digital Premium
302 HBO Signature West Digital Premium
303 HBO Family West Digital Premium
304 HBO Comedy West Digital Premium
305 HBO Zone West Digital Premium
306 HBO East Digital Premium
307 HBO Family East Digital Premium
308 HBO Latino West Digital Premium
320 Cinemax West Digital Premium
321 More Max West Digital Premium
322 Action Max West Digital Premium
323 Thriller Max West Digital Premium
330 Cinemax East Digital Premium
331 More Max East Digital Premium
340 Showtime West Digital Premium
341 Showtime Too West Digital Premium
342 Showtime Showcase West Digital Premium
343 Showtime Extreme West Digital Premium
344 Showtime Beyond West Digital Premium
350 The Movie Channel West Digital Premium
360 Encore West Digital Premium
361 Starz West Digital Premium
362 Starz Edge West Digital Premium
363 Starz in Black West Digital Premium
364 Starz Kids & Family West Digital Premium
365 Starz Cinema West Digital Premium
401 Toon Disney en Espanol Conexion Unica
402 Cartoon Network Espanol Conexion Unica
403 Discovery en Espanol Conexion Unica
404 MTV Tr3s Conexion Unica
406 CNN en Espanol Conexion Unica
407 Fox Sports en Espanol Conexion Unica
408 Telemundo (satellite) Conexion Unica
409 Telefutura Conexion Unica
410 Galavision Conexion Unica
411 Mun 2 Conexion Unica
412 Nick Toons SAP Conexion Unica
413 Nick Too Conexion Unica
414 Sorpresa Conexion Unica
415 The History Channel en Espanol Conexion Unica
416 ESPN Deportes Conexion Unica
417 TV Chile Conexion Unica
418 CineLatino Conexion Unica
419 EWTN Espanol Conexion Unica
420 Si TV Conexion Unica
421 De Pelicula Conexion Unica
422 De Pelicula Clasico Conexion Unica
423 Telehit Conexion Unica
500 iN DEMAND Barker Digital PPV
501 iN DEMAND 1 Digital PPV
502 iN DEMAND 2 Digital PPV
503 iN DEMAND 3 Digital PPV
504 iN DEMAND 4 Digital PPV
505 iN DEMAND 5 Digital PPV
506 iN DEMAND 6 Digital PPV
507 iN DEMAND 7 Digital PPV
590 Playboy Digital PPV
591 Blue Digital PPV
592 Blox Digital PPV
593 Spice:Xcess Digital PPV
594 Club Jenna Digital PPV
595 Clips Digital PPV
598 Playboy en Espanol Digital PPV
700 TNT HD HD Basic
708 ESPN HD HD Basic
709 ESPN 2 HD HD Basic
710 Arts & Entertainment HD HD Plus Tier
711 National Geographic HD HD Plus Tier *
712 Food Network HD HD Plus Tier
713 Home & Garden Television HD HD Plus Tier
715 HD Theater HD Plus Tier
717 Universal HD HD Plus Tier
718 HDNet HD Plus Tier
719 HDNet Movies HD Plus Tier
720 HBO HD West HD Premium
721 Showtime HD West HD Premium
722 Starz HD West HD Premium
901 MC – Sounds of the Seasons Digital Music
902 MC – Today’s Country Digital Music
903 MC – Classic Country Digital Music
904 MC – Blue Grass Digital Music
905 MC – Hip Hop and R&B Digital Music
906 MC – Classic R & B Digital Music
907 MC – R&B Soul Digital Music
908 MC – R &B Hits Digital Music
909 MC – Rap Digital Music
910 MC – Metal Digital Music
911 MC – Rock Digital Music
912 MC – Arena Rock Digital Music
913 MC – Classic Rock Digital Music
914 MC – Adult Alternative Digital Music
915 MC – Alternative Digital Music
916 MC – Retro-Active Digital Music
917 MC – Electronica Digital Music
918 MC – Dance Digital Music
919 MC – Lite Hits Digital Music
920 MC – Adult Top 40 Digital Music
921 MC – Hit List Digital Music
922 MC – Kids Only! Digital Music
923 MC – Party Favorites Digital Music
924 MC – Showcase Digital Music
925 MC – 90s Digital Music
926 MC – 80′s Digital Music
927 MC – 70′s Digital Music
928 MC – Solid Gold Oldies Digital Music
929 MC – Smooth Jazz Digital Music
930 MC – Jazz Digital Music
931 MC – Blues Digital Music
932 MC – Reggae Digital Music
933 MC – Soundscapes Digital Music
934 MC – Easy Listening Digital Music
935 MC – Big Band and Swing Digital Music
936 MC – Singers and Standards Digital Music
937 MC – Show Tunes Digital Music
938 MC – Contemporary Christian Digital Music
939 MC – Gospel Digital Music
940 MC – Classical Masterpieces Digital Music
941 MC – Light Classical Digital Music
942 MC – Pop Latino Digital Music
943 MC – Musica Urbana Digital Music
944 MC – Salsa y Merengue Digital Music
945 MC – Mexicana Digital Music
946 MC – Rock ‘en Espanol Digital Music

SuddenLink cable television listings for analog, DTV and HDTV channels.

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We are still adding to this list, station by station.Hopefully, the page will be finished within the next couple of weeks. As they say in the TV industry… Stay Tuned!!!

Below is a list of all known television broadcasters in the Eureka, CA and Humboldt County markets. Many of these stations have secondary coverage that spills into Mendocino, Trinity and Del Norte Counties in Northern California as well. Some even spill into Southern Oregon. Also presented is as much pertinent data as we have on each station, including translators, HDTV availability, ownership, etc.

KIEM-TV 3
5060 Broadway
Eureka, CA 95503
(707) 443-3933 phone
(707) 442-1459 fax
e-mail: kiem-tv@humboldt1.com
Website: http://www.kiem-tv.com

Affiliations: NBC – National Broadcasting Company
Other names/slogans: “News Channel 3″, “The Spirit of the North Coast”, “Channel 3″
Current Ownership
Pollack/Belz Broadcasting, LLC
1811 England Dr
Alexandria, LA 71303-4115

Broadcast Availability:
VHF Channel 3 (Analog)
UHF Channel 16 (Digital) Currently a simulcast of analog signal on Channel 3. No plans for HDTV as of yet.

Cable/Satellite Availability:
DirecTV: Not Available
DISH Network: Not Available
C-Band, DBS, FTA: Not Available
SuddenLink Communications: Analog signal available on Channel 3 throughout its Humboldt County franchise area.

Translators (All currently NTSC Analog):
* K02OD Channel 2 Shelter Cove
* K04NX Channel 4 Garberville
* K04NY Channel 4 Rio Dell
* K07GJ Channel 7 Hoopa
* K08GR Channel 8 Willow Creek
* K10NU Channel 10 Miranda
* K11IQ Channel 11 Orleans
* K12JL Channel 12 Burnt Ranch
* K13MD Channel 13 Hyampom
(all cities above are in California)

Main Transmitter Coordinates:
40°43′49.4″N
123°57′11.1″W

Other notes: KIEM’s parent company Pollack/Belz Broadcasting, LLC also runs flagship station KLAX-TV, Channel 31 (UHF-NTSC), in Alexandria, LA, an ABC affiliate. In addition, P/B runs KWCE, a “Retro Television Network (RTN) affiliate in the same city on channel 27 (UHF-NTSC).

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KVIQ (CBS)
KEET (PBS)
KBVU (Fox)
KAEF (ABC)
KUVU-LP (CW)
KEMY-LP (My Network)

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ETG currently owns the vast majority of television stations in the Eureka, California market. These include KVIQ Channel 6 – a CBS affiliate, KBVU FOX-29 – a FOX Television Network affiliate, KUVU – the local CW affiliate and KEMY – a low-power station broadcasting material from the “MYTV” network.

In a nutshell, there are no TV stations in the Eureka, CA, market that are uplinked to, or available from, DirecTV or DISH Network. These are the only two companies legally allowed to offer network satellite television services to consumers in the United States. ETV will NOT grant satellite viewers waivers in order to receive network programming from other stations. So, if you live just about anywhere in Humboldt County where cable television or a broadcast signal is not available, you will likely not be able to view any type of broadcast network programming (legally).

For those of you who happen to live in “wired” areas of Humboldt County, SuddenLink Communications offers all local Over The Air TV channels (albeit in analog, with no plans for HDTV on their basic tier) for approximately $15 per month. SuddenLink is the only major cable television provider in Humboldt County, and covers most areas in and around the cities of Eureka, Arcata, Fortuna, Rio Dell, McKinleyville and a number of smaller, unincorporated areas. The majority of residents in Humboldt County have access to cable, since the majority live in and around the county’s major population centers. However, this is not to say that cable TV is available in most of the area of Humboldt County in a geographic sense. Travel more than 500 feet from any major road or street, and there is a 99% chance that cable television will be completely unavailable to you.

Broadcast availability is another matter altogether. This is largely dependent upon how far you are from the TV station’s broadcast transmitter, terrain and what type of equipment you are using for reception. The vast majority of Humboldt County falls into what the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) describes as a “Grade B Contour Area”. Generally speaking, this is defined as an area where a “watchable” signal should be available using an outdoor TV antenna placed at a height of 30′ above the ground.

Like most TV and FM stations in Humboldt County, ETG’s stations broadcast their signals from a transmitter facility atop Kneeland Mountain, which overlooks Eureka, Arcata and the more populated areas of Northern Humboldt County. The further away you are from Kneeland, the weaker your signal will be, generally speaking. When it comes to UHF and HDTV or digital television signals, you will most likely need line-of-sight in order to actually get a watchable signal. This is even more important when talking about low-power television (LPTV) stations, which 3 of ETG’s stations happen to be.

Having installed antennas in many parts of Humboldt County, I can say from experience that the FCC’s entire “Grade B Contour” requirement is entirely inadequate when it comes to checking for signal availability. These charts are generated by engineers using computers to determine where a signal should be available, but fails to take into account quite a number of variables that are detrimental to receiving a signal. Having a line-of-sight view of the transmitter tower on Kneeland, along with an adequate antenna system, is the only way to assure that you will have a watchable picture.

ETG’s signal coverage maps give at least a rough estimate of whether a TV signal will even be possible to receive in your area, so I highly recommend taking a look at them before spending any money on an antenna system.