ION applying to enter into time share

[CAwasinNJ]

Per notice release by the FCC today:

"NOTICE is hereby given that, on November 18, 2008, assignee Urban Television LLC (“Urban”) and subsidiaries of ION Media Networks, Inc. (“ION”), filed FCC Form 314 applications, pursuant to Sections 73.1715 and 73.3540 of the Commission’s rules, and associated FCC Form 301 applications. Urban, a new entrant into the broadcasting industry, seeks consent to acquire share-time licenses that would authorize it to broadcast on a shared-time basis on channels currently licensed to the subsidiaries of ION listed below."

KUPX (TV16/DT29) is included in the list.

This doesn't make a lot of sense to me. Why bother going through a shared license agreement when it would be much easier to just rent time on the station? I must be missing something here. It's also unclear what times would belong to ION and what would belong to Urban. I wonder if ION is in really serious financial trouble. They have laid out a lot of money to upgrade their program schedule this fall.

Full text here: hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DA-08-2621A1.pdf

[dxstuboy]

They should put some of that money into upgrading the signal. I know its because they are on Lake Mountain, but they need to increase the wattage a little so they can get into the market better.

Anything on Lake Mountain leaves gaps all along the Wasatch.

[CAwasinNJ]

They're 1 step ahead of you my friend. KUPX analog 16 is indeed on Lake Mountain. KUPX-DT 29 is already on Farnsworth and has been since I believe 2002. From my listening post near Ogden it comes in with comparable strength to all of the other major stations. The analog gets knocked off in
2 1/2 months anyway, so that becomes a moo point{1}.


{1} Moo point: Like a cow's opinion. It doesn't really matter.

[CAwasinNJ]

A little more information on the proposed joint venture.

www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/television/news/e3i262fde538e888068e61b6fd4bb31c0fe

Now I'm even more confused. Why would this not work just being a subchannel on the existing station again? And if ION was only going to be on-air part of the time, what happens to the qubo, ION Life and Worship networks that are on the subchannels now?

I really don't get this.