Luken buys LPT stations in Midwest

[DiscoLoveGrapes]

Alas, nothing close enough to Minneapolis/St. Paul, but some other nearby places might get one of the Lusken (RTV/Tuff/PBJ) channels soon.

From Northpine.com:

A company headed by Henry G. Luken III, the CEO of the company that owns the "Retro TV" and "Tuff TV" networks, is buying seventeen low-power TV stations in the Upper Midwest. Digital Networks is paying the Minority Media and Telecommunications Council $390,000 for a total of 78 LPTV stations nationwide. The Trinity Broadcasting Network donated the stations to MMTC last year. The stations include:

Iowa: K61HD Davenport, K42HI Muscatine, K44FK Waterloo
Minnesota: K40JT Albert Lea, K42FH Bemidji, K19BG St. Cloud
North Dakota: K46DY Bismarck, K35KD Fargo, K21GQ Minot, K40DE Williston
Nebraska: K21HS Norfolk, K26CV Ogallala
South Dakota: K38CQ Huron, K33CO Rapid City, K56GF Sioux Falls
Wisconsin: K32GF Rhinelander, W36DH Waupaca
None of the stations has been converted to digital, and many are off the air.

 

[Anole]

"off the air", and "not converted to digital", eh?
How many years can they run low power station on analog, withOUT converting to digital?
I know we have a couple out here.

So, $350k for 78 stations, eh?
Doesn't that work out to about a buck-fifty each? - - (okay, $4500, ea) - :up
Sounds like a good deal.
Of course, some are no more than a closet on a mountain top (yea, I've seen some just like that!)

attn: Brian of SatelliteAV . . .
I see a large sale in your future for some of those little rack-mount receivers!
Don't let DMSI beat you to it!

 

[Mr Tony]

the whole list is here
https://licensing.fcc.gov/cdbs/CDBS...?appn=101431665&qnum=5030&copynum=1&exhcnum=1

most of these are off the air. TBN owned them but didnt want to upgrade them to digital. Most are in outskirt areas (as example St Cloud is about 70 miles from Minneapolis) so even if they upgrade them to digital the 15kw max low powered stations can use wont get to "major" areas.
St Cloud is too far away from Minneapolis
Albert Lea is too far from Rochester
Bemidji is mainly an island in Northern MN...very few folks with antennas there

Also this bothers me about this whole "Minority Media and Telecommunications Council" thing. So they exist to "promote diversity in TV and radio"...these bigger companies donate stations to MMTC on that grounds. Now they turn around and sell them. How does that promote their existance?

Sadly here in Minneapolis the only low powered analog stations left are mainly O&O....HSN, 3ABN. We have Univision (WUMN) that Equity owned and is now on 118.7 C-Band. Wish Luken bought it and made it RTV or something like that.

 

[Juan]

Luken bought a channel in Connecticut too (WSAH) and it shows RTN now too

 

[Mr Tony]

you sure? I see it as owned to "Multicultural Broadcasting" with the intent to sell but doesnt say to whom

Just because its RTV programming, doesnt mean Luken owns it

 

[stanleyjohn]

you sure? I see it as owned to "Multicultural Broadcasting" with the intent to sell but doesnt say to whom

Just because its RTV programming, doesnt mean Luken owns it

That would explain if true why WSAH suddenly decided to take back RTV.I have heard WASH was very glad to rid themselves of RTV two years ago.

 

[Juan]

you sure? I see it as owned to "Multicultural Broadcasting" with the intent to sell but doesnt say to whom

Just because its RTV programming, doesnt mean Luken owns it

It says Luken broadcasting on the logo..but once again u r correct