KFXA
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Facility ID | 35336 |
ERP | 1,000 kW |
HAAT | 449 m (1,473 ft) |
Transmitter coordinates | 42°5′25″N 92°5′14″W / 42.09028°N 92.08722°W |
Links | |
Public license information |
KFXA (channel 28) is a
Channel 28 began broadcasting as KOCR in January 1988. The region's Fox affiliate for most of its history, the station started out on poor financial footing; its owner, Metro Program Network, was repeatedly sued for breaching various financial obligations. The station lacked the resources to build a transmitter facility adequate to broadcast beyond the Cedar Rapids and
Second Generation acquired KOCR in 1995 and returned it to air that August as KFXA. Until 2004, it was paired with
History
KOCR: Construction and financial woes
In January 1983, Stanley G. Emert Jr., an attorney from
Construction had accelerated by August 1987, when Fitzgerald announced he was negotiating to affiliate with Fox; studios on Boyson Road Northeast in Cedar Rapids were nearly complete.[7] KOCR began broadcasting on January 10, 1988, for three hours a day.[8] The first week contained unscheduled "previews" of the station's Fox and syndicated programming, as not all of the programs for which KOCR had paid had arrived.[9][10]
However, the station was unable to remain on the air at the outset. Before broadcasting, Fitzgerald sought to modify the construction permit to again reflect a Cedar Rapids transmitter site instead of one in Garrison, where Benton County officials declined to approve the erection of a taller tower. In what Fitzgerald later called a "procedural problem", the Garrison site was still active in FCC records when the station began operating from the Cedar Rapids location.[11] When the FCC learned KOCR was broadcasting from an unauthorized facility, and after a $150 payment check to the commission bounced—rendering the station without a license as the construction permit expired—it ordered KOCR off the air on March 25, 1988. The commission granted verbal approval on April 22 for the station to resume;[12] the next year, the FCC levied a $20,000 fine against Metro Program Network for the construction of KOCR at the then-unauthorized location.[13]
Within two weeks of being ordered off the air, Metro Program Network's financial problems began to become apparent. On April 8, while the station was off the air, Fitzgerald paid nearly $5,000 to settle a
The decision to build a smaller tower in Cedar Rapids also had the consequence of limiting the station's over-the-air coverage outside of the Cedar Rapids and
In addition to the lawsuits in court, KOCR faced the threat of eviction beginning in 1991. Under a capital crunch in 1989, Fitzgerald sold KOCR's facilities to two landlords, Don Tauke and Joan Nickol, who then leased the property back to the station. Tauke and Nickol received court approval to evict KOCR in June 1991, having sought court action against Fitzgerald for some time prior due to lapsed payments, but reached an eleventh-hour agreement because Fitzgerald provided evidence of activity with potential buyers.[25] Tauke and Nickol carried out an attempt to evict the station on September 7, 1994, which was stopped an hour after it began by a court order. While Linn County sheriff's deputies who had fretted about how to explain the loss of Mighty Morphin Power Rangers and Beverly Hills, 90210 to their children were relieved, station officials were forced to take equipment back inside after work crews had already removed it.[26] Days later, electricity to the studios was cut off, though the station continued to broadcast using generators for power, annoying nearby residents.[27][28] After Fitzgerald missed payments on a short-term lease that was supposed to run through June 1995, Tauke and Nicol finally lost patience with KOCR. On October 6, they won court approval for another attempt to evict the station, which sheriff's deputies carried out later that day. Cable systems in Cedar Rapids and Iowa City immediately substituted Foxnet for the lost affiliate.[27] At the time of the eviction, the station owed more than $45,000 to IES Utilities, along with $100,000 in back rent.[29] Tauke and Nickol then sold the land to a communications company.[30] Fitzgerald was later accused of felony fraud for failing to pay the state of Iowa more than $4,400 in taxes.[31]
The sign-off of KOCR created a void that one group did seek to fill. Fant Broadcasting held the construction permit for channel 48, KTVC, and openly floated that it might replace channel 28 as the regional Fox affiliate.[32][33]
Second Generation ownership and return to air as KFXA
In May 1995, Second Generation of Iowa, a company owned by Thomas Embrescia of Cleveland, acquired KOCR for $1.25 million. Embrescia had previously owned WUPW in Toledo, Ohio, and was also a part-owner of two Cleveland radio stations. An advance of the purchase price allowed Fitzgerald to purchase equipment needed to get the station back on the air, with the remainder of the proceeds satisfying debts. At the time, Eastern Iowa was the largest market in the country without a local Fox affiliate. Fitzgerald conceded that he had been in over his head running the station; he said he didn't have the financial wherewithal "to operate the station the way it should be operated".[34] The next month, it was announced that KDUB-TV (channel 40) in Dubuque, an ABC affiliate with local news programming for that city, would switch to Fox in partnership with channel 28, though the Dubuque station would continue to be separately owned.[35]
On August 13, 1995, the station began broadcasting again as KFXA, with the Dubuque station becoming KFXB-TV.[36] With channel 28 back in service, KGAN ultimately withdrew its claim to be able to broadcast NFL games in 1995.[37] Channel 40 would continue to split from KFXA's programming to air its existing local news for the Dubuque area.[38] Second Generation operated the station under a local marketing agreement (LMA) until January 23, 1996, when it closed on the outright acquisition of KFXA.[39]
An immediate priority for Second Generation was improving channel 28's signal. While KFXA was carried on Waterloo cable, it too could not be seen over the air in that city.
Sinclair takes over; newscast
In 2002, Sinclair and Second Generation of Iowa entered into an outsourcing agreement whereby Sinclair began providing KFXA's sales and other non-programming services.
Separate from the evening newscast, KFXA produced and aired a two-hour morning show, Good Day Iowa, from 2005 to 2007. The program, hosted by Eadie Fawcett and Craig Johnson—both former anchors at other Eastern Iowa TV stations—failed to attract significant ratings to ensure its survival.[50][51]
In 2008, Sinclair acquired the assets of KFXA, except the license.[52] A 7 a.m. news hour was added to KFXA in 2011.[53]
Loss of Fox affiliation
On January 1, 2021, the programming and Fox affiliation of KFXA's main subchannel became the 2.2 subchannel of KGAN.[54] On July 28, the FCC issued a forfeiture order stemming from a lawsuit against Second Generation of Iowa. The lawsuit, filed by AT&T, alleged that Second Generation failed to negotiate for retransmission consent in good faith for KFXA. Owners of other Sinclair-managed stations, such as Deerfield Media, were also named in the lawsuit. Second Generation was ordered to pay a fine of $512,228.[55]
Subchannels
The station's signal is
Channel | Res.
|
Aspect | Short name | Programming |
---|---|---|---|---|
28.1 | 480i | 16:9 |
Dabl | Dabl |
28.2 | Charge! | Charge! | ||
28.3 | TBD | TBD | ||
28.4 | TheNest | The Nest | ||
28.5 | Comet | Comet |
References
- ^ "Facility Technical Data for KFXA". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission.
- ^ a b "Tennessee man seeks approval for UHF television station in C.R." The Gazette. February 1, 1983. p. 2A. Archived from the original on April 21, 2024. Retrieved May 27, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b "Second application filed for UHF channel in C.R." The Gazette. March 31, 1983. p. 5A. Archived from the original on April 21, 2024. Retrieved May 27, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Burke, Mary (December 7, 1983). "C.R. man plans new UHF TV, teleconference station". The Gazette. p. 4A. Archived from the original on April 21, 2024. Retrieved May 27, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
- ProQuest 1014725159. Archived(PDF) from the original on March 2, 2022. Retrieved May 27, 2023.
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- ^ Rexroat, Dee Ann (August 6, 1987). "New TV station in the works in C.R." The Gazette. pp. 1B, 3B. Archived from the original on April 21, 2024. Retrieved May 27, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Call the Courier". The Courier. January 20, 1988. p. A6. Archived from the original on April 21, 2024. Retrieved May 27, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Rexroat, Dee Ann (January 7, 1988). "KOCR set to sign on with previews Sunday". The Gazette. p. 2A. Archived from the original on April 21, 2024. Retrieved May 27, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "About KOCR's programming". The Gazette. January 30, 1988. p. TV Vision 2. Archived from the original on April 21, 2024. Retrieved May 27, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "KOCR official: TV station should be on air today or Thursday". The Gazette. March 30, 1988. p. 8A. Archived from the original on April 21, 2024. Retrieved May 27, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "KOCR-TV is back on the air". The Gazette. April 23, 1988. p. 2. Archived from the original on April 21, 2024. Retrieved May 27, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "FCC votes to fine KOCR-TV". The Gazette. October 22, 1989. p. 13A. Archived from the original on April 21, 2024. Retrieved May 27, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Hogan, Dick; Stevens, Nancy (April 9, 1988). "Sale of KOCR-TV nullified; owner buys back property". The Gazette. p. 2A. Archived from the original on April 21, 2024. Retrieved May 27, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Krekeler, Roland (June 16, 1988). "Paramount sues KOCR over copyright violations". The Gazette. p. 2A. Archived from the original on April 21, 2024. Retrieved May 27, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Krekeler, Roland (July 19, 1988). "Paramount increases ante in suit against KOCR-TV". The Gazette. p. 2A. Archived from the original on April 21, 2024. Retrieved May 27, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Smith, Rick (April 11, 1991). "KOCR-TV ordered to pay Paramount over $250,000". The Gazette. pp. 1A, 9A. Archived from the original on April 21, 2024. Retrieved May 27, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "KOCR, Orion agree to court settlement". The Gazette. June 13, 1991. p. 3B. Archived from the original on April 21, 2024. Retrieved May 27, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "KOCR told to pay $60,000". The Gazette. September 26, 1991. p. 1B. Archived from the original on April 21, 2024. Retrieved May 27, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "AP wins judgment in KOCR-TV case". The Gazette. May 9, 1992. p. 3B. Archived from the original on April 21, 2024. Retrieved May 27, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Glenn, Curtis (January 9, 1994). "Solving the mystery of Fox". The Courier. p. 2-TV. Archived from the original on April 21, 2024. Retrieved May 27, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Arnold, Bill (July 4, 1991). "KOCR's plug pulled; failure to pay rent cited". Telegraph Herald. p. 3A. Archived from the original on May 28, 2023. Retrieved May 28, 2023.
- ^ Bloom, Elizabeth (January 14, 1994). "Football coverage by Fox causes reception scramble". The Courier. p. A5. Archived from the original on April 21, 2024. Retrieved May 27, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "KGAN lands 35-game NFC package". The Gazette. July 23, 1994. p. 1C. Archived from the original on May 9, 2023. Retrieved May 27, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Smith, Rick (June 18, 1991). "KOCR-TV faces eviction, hopes for D.M. buyer". The Gazette. p. 1A. Archived from the original on April 21, 2024. Retrieved May 27, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Smith, Rick (September 8, 1994). "KOCR-TV saved in mid-eviction". The Gazette. pp. 1A, 8A. Archived from the original on April 21, 2024. Retrieved May 27, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b Neumann, Douglas (October 7, 1994). "KOCR-TV is evicted, but Fox still on cable". The Gazette. p. 1A. Archived from the original on May 12, 2023. Retrieved May 27, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
- KWWL. October 7, 2009. Archivedfrom the original on February 19, 2017. Retrieved February 18, 2017.
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- ^ Neumann, Douglas (November 17, 1994). "Former KOCR property sold to real estate agent". The Gazette. p. 8A. Archived from the original on April 21, 2024. Retrieved May 27, 2023 – via Newspapers.com. A correction Archived April 21, 2024, at the Wayback Machine was printed on page 2A, November 18, 1994.
- ^ "Former KOCR-TV owner accused of fraud". The Gazette. August 5, 1995. p. 11. Archived from the original on April 21, 2024. Retrieved May 27, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
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