View source for KFDF-CD

{{Short description|Television station in Fort Smith, Arkansas}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=March 2024}}
{{update|date=October 2018}}
{{Infobox television station
| callsign               = KFDF-CD
| image                  =
| branding               =
| analog                 =
| digital                = 25 ([[UHF]])
| virtual                = 44
| translators            = 
| affiliations           = {{ubl|'''44.1:''' [[Estrella TV]]|''for others, see {{section link||Subchannels}}''}}
| owner                  = Pinnacle Media
| licensee               = KTV Media, [[LLC]]
| location               = [[Fort Smith, Arkansas]]
| country                = United States
| airdate                = {{start date and age|1990|3|30|p=y}}
| last_airdate           =
| callsign_meaning       =
| sister_stations        = [[KQRY-LD]], [[KXUN-LD]]
| former_callsigns       = {{ubl|'''KFDF-LP:'''|K46BZ (1988–1995)|KPBI-LP (1995–2001)|KFDF-CA (2001–2013)|'''KFDF-CD:'''|KFDF-LD (2006–2012)}}
| former_channel_numbers = {{ubl|'''Analog:''' 46 (UHF, 1988–2001), 10 ([[VHF]], 2001–2009)|'''Digital:''' 44 (UHF, 2009–2018)}}
| former_affiliations    = {{ubl|[[Fox Broadcasting Company|Fox]] (1990−2001)|[[UPN]] (2001–2006)|[[Retro TV|RTN]] (2006–2009)|[[Independent station|Independent]] (2009–2012)|[[MundoMax|MundoFox; MundoMax]] (2012–2016)|[[MeTV]] (2016−2017)}}
| erp                    = 15 [[kW]]
| haat                   = {{convert|130.8|m|ft|0|abbr=on}}
| class                  = [[Class A television service|CD]]
| coordinates            = {{coord|35|26|51.3|N|94|21|54.8|W|type:landmark_scale:2000}}
| facility_id            = 168154
| licensing_authority    = [[FCC]]
| website                = 
| embed_header           = [[Broadcast relay station#Broadcast translators|Translator]]
| embedded               = {{Infobox television station
| child                  = yes
| callsign               = KPBI-CD
| digital                = 31 (UHF)
| virtual                = 31
| country                = United States
| founded                = {{start date and age|1989|9|25|p=y}}
| location               = [[Winslow, Arkansas]]
| callsign_meaning       = 
| former_callsigns       = KPBI-CA, KWNL-CA
| erp                    = 15 kW
| haat                   = {{convert|114.9|m|ft|0|abbr=on}}
| facility_id            = 52426
| class                  = [[Class A television service|CD]]
| coordinates            = {{coord|36|8|50|N|94|11|14|W|type:landmark_scale:2000|name=KPBI-CD}}
| licensing_authority    = FCC
}}
}}

'''KFDF-CD''' (channel 44) is a [[Low-power broadcasting#Television|low-power]], [[Class A television station]] in [[Fort Smith, Arkansas]], United States, affiliated with the Spanish-language [[Estrella TV]] network. It is owned by Pinnacle Media alongside [[Court TV]] affiliate [[KQRY-LD]] (channel 36) and [[Univision]] affiliate [[KXUN-LD]] (channel 48). KFDF-CD's transmitter is located on Pernot Road in [[Van Buren, Arkansas]].

'''KPBI-CD''' (channel 31) in [[Winslow, Arkansas|Winslow]] operates as a [[broadcast relay station#Broadcast translators|translator]] of KFDF-CD; this station's transmitter is located on South 56th Street in [[Springdale, Arkansas|Springdale]].

==History==
The station began as K46BZ when the [[Federal Communications Commission]] (FCC) issued an original construction permit to Family Media of Ft. Smith to build a low-power television station on UHF channel 46. In October 1988, Family Media transferred the construction permit to Pharis Broadcasting, who brought the station on the air as a [[Fox Broadcasting Company|Fox]] affiliate and obtained its initial license on March 30, 1990.

In the mid-1990s, the FCC began to allow low-power stations to have four-letter callsigns, and in September 1995, the station took the call letters KPBI-LP, for Pharis Broadcasting Inc. In June 1998, claiming displacement, Pharis Broadcasting requested to move the station to [[VHF]] channel 10; the FCC granted the request in October 1998. Before finishing the move, Pharis sold KPBI-LP to Equity Broadcasting in a deal finalized in June 2001, along with several other stations.<ref>http://svartifoss2.fcc.gov/cgi-bin/ws.exe/prod/cdbs/forms/prod/cdbsmenu.hts?context=25&appn=100560130&formid=314&fac_num=52426 {{Dead link|date=March 2022}}</ref> One of those stations was KFDF-LP, at the time operating on channel 32. In September 2001, Equity requested Special Temporary Authority to move KFDF-LP to channel 46, being vacated by KPBI-LP. A month later, Equity switched the two stations' call letters, with the former KPBI moving to channel 10 as [[UPN]] affiliate '''KFDF-CA''', and the former KFDF moving to channel 46 as Fox affiliate [[KPBI-CA]].

Under Equity's ownership, KFDF was controlled remotely via satellite from Equity's headquarters in [[Little Rock, Arkansas]], and was relayed in encrypted{{Citation needed|date=February 2009}} form via the satellite [[Galaxy 18]] (Ku-band transponder 21). This was true of most of the company's stations.

KFDF-CA lost its UPN affiliation in September 2006, when the network and [[The WB]] closed and merged to form [[The CW Television Network]]. Equity Broadcasting originally announced that the station would affiliate with [[MyNetworkTV]], instead of joining The CW, which had no over-the-air affiliate in Fort Smith until April 2008, when [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]] affiliate [[KHBS]] (channel 40) launched a new CW-affiliated second subchannel. However, after KPBI-CA lost its Fox affiliation to then-[[NBC]] affiliate [[KFTA-TV]] (channel 24), Equity announced that KPBI-CA would join MyNetworkTV, and KFDF-CA would instead join [[Retro Television Network]] once UPN went off the air; KPBI was scheduled to join it once WB goes off the air but joined MyNetworkTV on September 22, 2006.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.nwaonline.net/articles/2006/08/26/business/0826foxswitch.txt |title=Fox Switch Planned Monday |access-date=August 27, 2006 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090501224201/http://www.nwaonline.net/articles/2006/08/26/business/0826foxswitch.txt |archive-date=May 1, 2009 |work=[[Nwaonline.com]]|first=Ben|last=Boulden}}</ref>

On January 4, 2009, a contract conflict between Equity and [[Luken Communications]] (who had acquired RTN from Equity in June 2008), interrupted the programming on many RTN affiliates.<ref>[http://www.wsav.com/sav/news/local/article/whats_wrong_with_mytv/7919/ What’s Wrong with MyTV?] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090113030808/http://www.wsav.com/sav/news/local/article/whats_wrong_with_mytv/7919/ |date=January 13, 2009 }}</ref> As a result, Luken restored a national RTN feed from its headquarters in [[Chattanooga, Tennessee]], via [[SES Americom]]-owned [[communications satellite|satellite]] AMC 9 (83.0°W), with individual feeds to non-Equity-owned affiliates to follow on a piecemeal basis. As a result, KFDF-CA lost its RTN affiliation immediately, though Luken vows to find a new affiliate for RTN in the area.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.tvnewsday.com/articles/2009/01/05/daily.5/ |title=Financial Dispute Disrupts RTN Diginet |access-date=August 27, 2006 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090208122045/http://www.tvnewsday.com/articles/2009/01/05/daily.5/ |archive-date=February 8, 2009 |date=January 5, 2009 |first=Harry A. |last=Jessell|work=TV NewsDay}}</ref>

After failing to find a buyer at a bankruptcy auction,<ref name="tvbr-forsale">{{cite news|url=http://www.rbr.com/tv-cable/tv_deals/14129.html|title=Equity stations still on the block|date=April 20, 2009|work=Television Business Report|access-date=April 28, 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090502204648/http://www.rbr.com/tv-cable/tv_deals/14129.html|archive-date=May 2, 2009|url-status=dead}}</ref> KFDF was sold to Pinnacle Media in August 2009 (after having initially been included in [[Silver Point Finance]]'s acquisition on June 2 of several Equity stations<ref name="fcc-saletosp">{{cite web|url=http://fjallfoss.fcc.gov/cgi-bin/ws.exe/prod/cdbs/forms/prod/prefill_and_display.pl?Application_id=1324773&Service=CA&Form_id=314&Facility_id=52418|title=APPLICATION FOR CONSENT TO ASSIGNMENT OF BROADCAST STATION CONSTRUCTION PERMIT OR LICENSE|date=June 15, 2009|work=CDBS Public Access|publisher=[[Federal Communications Commission]]|access-date=August 25, 2009}}</ref>), with Pinnacle assuming control under a [[local marketing agreement]] on August 5.<ref name="fcc-kpbirepeaterssale">{{cite web|url=http://fjallfoss.fcc.gov/cgi-bin/ws.exe/prod/cdbs/forms/prod/prefill_and_display.pl?Application_id=1327335&Service=CA&Form_id=314&Facility_id=52418|title=APPLICATION FOR CONSENT TO ASSIGNMENT OF BROADCAST STATION CONSTRUCTION PERMIT OR LICENSE |date=August 14, 2009|work=CDBS Public Access|publisher=Federal Communications Commission|access-date=August 25, 2009}}</ref>

==Technical information==
===Subchannels===
The station's signal is [[multiplex (TV)|multiplexed]]:
{| class="wikitable"
|+Subchannels of KFDF-CD<ref>[http://www.rabbitears.info/market.php?request=station_search&callsign=KFDF#station RabbitEars TV Query for KFDF]</ref>
! [[Digital subchannel#United States|Channel]]
! [[Display resolution|Res.]]
! [[Aspect ratio (image)|Aspect]]
! Short name
! Programming
|-
! scope = "row" | 44.1 
| [[720p]] || rowspan=2|[[16:9]] || rowspan=4| KFDF || [[Estrella TV]]
|-
! scope = "row" | 44.2 
| rowspan=3| [[480i]] || [[Dabl]]
|-
! scope = "row" | 44.3 
| rowspan=2| [[4:3]] || [[HSN]]
|-
! scope = "row" | 44.4 
| [[Newsmax TV|Newsmax2]]
|}

===Analog-to-digital conversion===
As a low-powered station, it is not impacted by the [[2009 digital television transition]]. On September 25, 2013, the station turned off its analog signal.

===Former translators===
'''KKAF-LD''' 30 (UHF 30) in Fayetteville and '''KEGW-CD''' 33 (UHF 33) in [[Siloam Springs]] previously rebroadcast KFDF-CD as well, but are now carrying [[KSJF-CD]].

==References==
<references/>

==External links==
*[http://www.lyngsat.com/galaxy18.html Galaxy 18 channel listing (Lyngsat)]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20080515081744/http://www.thelogbook.com/work/category/tv-promos/kpbi-fox-46/ Archive of KPBI-CA promos from the 1990s]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20080515081620/http://www.thelogbook.com/work/category/tv-promos/kfdf-upn-32/ Archive of KFDF-CA promos from the 1990s]

{{Fort Smith TV}}
{{Other Arkansas Stations}}

[[Category:Estrella TV affiliates]]
[[Category:Low-power television stations in Arkansas|FDF-CD]]
[[Category:Television channels and stations established in 1988]]
[[Category:Television stations in Northwest Arkansas|FDF-CD]]