KHBS/KHOG Is First with HDTV Broadcast

Northwest Arkansas

by Talk Business & Politics ([email protected]) April 15, 2002 12:00 am 208 views 

At 4:01 PM on March 22, KHBS/KHOG, Channels 40/29, became the first television station in Arkansas to broadcast a high-definition television signal.

The broadcast lasted for an hour and a half and was monitored on an HDTV-compatible TV set at Monty’s TV Sales & Service in Fort Smith.

In a press release, KHBS said the broadcast represented a “full-power test” of KHBS’ HDTV transmitter.

The Federal Communications Commission has ordered commercial stations to broadcast digitally by May 1, but 572 stations nationwide have applied for a six-month extension, including KFSM, Channel 5, and NBC 24/51, KPOM/KFAA. As of March 6, 1,462 stations had been granted FCC permits to construct a digital television facility, and 272 stations already were broadcasting HDTV.

On May 1, KHBS/KHOG will begin broadcasting digitally from 4 p.m. to midnight seven days a week, said John Livingston, creative services director for the station, which is based in Fort Smith and Fayetteville and owned by Hearst-Argyle Television Inc. The broadcast will be received via airwaves on two channels: KHBS-DT, Channel 21, and KHOG-DT, Channel 15. A $500 tuner or HDTV television set is required to receive any HDTV signal. KHBS/KHOG will continue to broadcast its analog signal for years to come as the public switches to HDTV.

The FCC is allowing stations to ease into the digital age by providing a digital signal part of the time until April 1, 2005, when broadcasting must be 100 percent digital.

HDTV, which reportedly provides a much sharper image than regular television, generated a considerable amount of interest in the late 1990s. But programming has been limited because of the cost. Also, consumers have been reluctant to pay for HDTV television sets, which start at about $2,000, including the necessary tuner.

“It’s a flip of supply and demand,” said Van Comer, general manager of KFSM. “It’s an interesting process the government is taking us through, but when it’s all said and done, I think people will be impressed.”