KFFV

KFFV is a full-power television station serving Seattle, Washington, and surrounding communities. The station broadcasts on physical channel 44 and is associated with the MeTV classic-television network. Its programming identity has changed several times since the station first went on the air, reflecting the fluid economics of smaller-market digital television, the growth of multicast networks, and successive ownership changes. The Federal Communications Commission assigned the station the call letters KHCV in connection with a construction permit issued on October 2, 1989. After a lengthy period involving repeated permit extensions, the station began broadcasting on January 1, 1999, using channel 45 for its analog service and channel 44 for digital operations. During its early operating period, the station carried a succession of specialty and ethnic-oriented services. Azteca América appeared on the analog channel and one of the digital streams in 2006. Other digital subchannels carried the Funimation Channel, GNF Entertainment Network services, AAT Television, America One, Sportsman Channel, MBC-D, and Jewelry Television at different times. The station experienced operational disruption in the late 2000s. In November 2008, KHCV requested authority to keep its analog signal silent. The call sign changed to KPST in September 2009, and the station went silent in December after losing access to its former studios and being unable to operate its studio-to-transmitter link from its replacement location. Broadcasting resumed in February 2010, initially with an infomercial-heavy schedule. The current KFFV identity dates from November 15, 2010, when the station adopted its present call letters. OTA Broadcasting purchased the station at a bankruptcy auction in June 2011, with the transaction closing in October of that year. Under OTA, the station continued to use its digital capacity for a mixture of national multicast services. WeatherNation was added in 2013 and was later replaced by Cozi TV. MeTV programming was introduced to the station's digital lineup in March 2015 through a soft launch on a multicast stream. A major strategic change followed Weigel Broadcasting's agreement in October 2017 to purchase KFFV, KVOS-TV, KAXT-CD, and KTLN-TV from OTA Broadcasting. The transaction closed on January 15, 2018. Weigel subsequently reorganized KFFV's programming so that it closely matched the services offered by sister station KVOS-TV. MeTV became the principal service on channel 44.1, Movies! replaced Azteca América on 44.2, and Heroes & Icons replaced AAT Television on 44.3. The arrangement positioned KFFV as part of Weigel's Seattle-area multicast portfolio rather than as a standalone general-entertainment or ethnic station. KFFV shares Seattle studio facilities on Third Avenue South with KVOS-TV, which is licensed to Bellingham. Its transmitter is located on Capitol Hill, east of downtown Seattle. The station's principal role is the distribution of MeTV and other Weigel-associated multicast services to over-the-air viewers, with additional carriage potentially supplied by local pay-television systems. It remains an active broadcast outlet, although the exact subchannel lineup may change as network affiliations and distribution agreements evolve.

KFFV began as a long-running construction-permit project under the call sign KHCV. The FCC assigned those call letters on October 2, 1989, but the station did not begin broadcasting until January 1, 1999, after receiving multiple permit extensions. Its original analog service operated on UHF channel 45, while its digital facility used channel 44. In its first years, the station served as a platform for a rotating set of network and specialty services rather than a stable single-network brand. In 2006, Azteca América was added to both the analog service and a digital stream. The digital lineup also included the Funimation Channel, GNF Entertainment Network services, AAT Television, America One, Sportsman Channel, MBC-D, and Jewelry Television at various points. The station's analog, digital, and cable lineups did not always carry the same programming; for example, Jewelry Television appeared on the analog service and a digital stream in 2007, while Comcast carried it on a local cable channel. The station faced technical and facility problems during the transition from analog to digital broadcasting. KHCV requested permission to suspend its analog signal in November 2008. Its call letters became KPST in September 2009. In December of that year, KPST temporarily ceased operations after it was evicted from its studios and could not operate its studio-to-transmitter link from the new location. Broadcasting resumed on February 4, 2010, but the station initially carried infomercials continuously on its principal channel. The present call sign, KFFV, was adopted on November 15, 2010. OTA Broadcasting acquired the station at a bankruptcy auction on June 30, 2011, and completed the purchase on October 12. During OTA's ownership, KFFV continued to experiment with multicast services. WeatherNation joined the digital lineup in January 2013 and was later replaced by Cozi TV. MeTV was introduced in March 2015 through a soft launch on a digital subchannel associated with KFFV and its sister-station relationship with KVOS-TV. Weigel Broadcasting announced in October 2017 that it would acquire KFFV and KVOS-TV, together with two San Francisco-area stations, in a transaction reported at $23.2 million. The purchase closed on January 15, 2018. Weigel then standardized much of KFFV's programming with KVOS-TV's network portfolio. MeTV replaced Evine on the primary digital stream, Movies! replaced Azteca América on another stream, and Heroes & Icons replaced AAT Television on a third. This change made KFFV a more integrated component of Weigel's multicast-network distribution strategy. KFFV shares studio space with KVOS-TV on Third Avenue South in Seattle, while its transmitter is located on Capitol Hill. The station continues to serve the Seattle market through over-the-air digital broadcasting and functions primarily as a local outlet for national multicast networks. Its history illustrates the evolution of U.S. television stations from analog single-channel operations into flexible digital platforms carrying multiple specialized services.

• 2018

  Weigel Broadcasting takes ownership

  [1]KFFVen.wikipedia.org

  Weigel completed its acquisition of KFFV and related stations on January 15.

• 2015

  MeTV soft launch

  [1]KFFVen.wikipedia.org

  MeTV programming was introduced on one of the station's digital subchannels on March 12.

• 2011

  OTA Broadcasting purchase closes

  [1]KFFVen.wikipedia.org

  OTA Broadcasting completed its bankruptcy-auction acquisition of the station on October 12.

• 2010

  KFFV identity begins

  [1]KFFVen.wikipedia.org

  The station changed its call letters to KFFV on November 15.

• 2009

  Call sign changes to KPST

  [1]KFFVen.wikipedia.org

  The station adopted the KPST call letters on September 28.

• 2006

  Azteca América enters the lineup

  [1]KFFVen.wikipedia.org

  Azteca América began airing on the analog channel and a digital subchannel during the week of August 11.

• 1999

  Station begins broadcasting

  [1]KFFVen.wikipedia.org

  The station signed on January 1 after years of permit extensions, operating on analog channel 45 and digital channel 44.

• 1989

  FCC assigns the KHCV call letters

  [1]KFFVen.wikipedia.org

  The FCC assigned the future station the KHCV call sign in connection with a construction permit issued on October 2.

A Seattle-area broadcast station centered on classic television and other national multicast-network programming.

• Classic television network · 2015

  MeTV

  MeTV is KFFV's principal programming identity under Weigel Broadcasting. The network specializes in library television programming, particularly classic scripted series and other familiar syndicated entertainment. KFFV carries the service for viewers in the Seattle market through its digital broadcast operation.

• Movie television network · 2018

  Movies!

  Movies! is a national multicast service carried by KFFV after Weigel's 2018 programming realignment. It provides feature-film programming and occupies a digital subchannel that previously carried Azteca América.

• Television multicast network · 2018

  Heroes & Icons

  Heroes & Icons became part of KFFV's post-2018 Weigel lineup, replacing AAT Television on a digital stream. The network is oriented toward genre, action, adventure, and other broadly accessible library programming.

• 2018

  Weigel acquisition of KFFVM&A

  Background

  Weigel Broadcasting sought to acquire KFFV, KVOS-TV, KAXT-CD, and KTLN-TV from OTA Broadcasting as a group.

  Action taken

  The parties announced the transaction in October 2017, and Weigel completed the purchase on January 15, 2018.

  Aftermath

  KFFV was integrated with KVOS-TV's Seattle-area operations and its lineup was reorganized around MeTV, Movies!, and Heroes & Icons.

  Reported transaction value. $23.2 million (Announced October 2017)

  Source

• 2018

  Digital lineup standardized with sister station KVOS-TVStrategy

  Background

  After acquiring KFFV, Weigel ended the station's previous OTA-era network carriage arrangements.

  Action taken

  MeTV replaced Evine on the primary stream, Movies! replaced Azteca América, and Heroes & Icons replaced AAT Television.

  Aftermath

  KFFV became a more direct distribution outlet for Weigel's national multicast networks in the Seattle market.

  Source

1. 1KFFVen.wikipedia.org
2. 2KFFV station pagemetv.com