Uodated at 3:45pm Pacific
LOS ANGELES — In November 1993, Gary Cocola — the Fresno-based digital multicast pioneer — acquired a low-power TV station in one of the fastest-growing markets in the U.S. West.
Now, Cocola is parting ways with the LPTV station.
The buyer? Larry Weissman and Todd Achilles are at the helm.
Their White Cloud Mountain & Wireless Corp., directly tied to advanced TV and video streaming entity Evoca, born from Edge Networks, is agreeing to purchase everything but the programming and call letters associated with what is today KCBB-LD in Boise, Idaho, using digital channel 34 and PSIP channel 51.
A $243,171 price tag has been agreed to, with a $25,000 deposit made by Weissman and Achilles. The balance will be paid in full at closing.
Serving as the broker in this transaction, representing Cocola Broadcasting Companies, is Sterling BCG LLC.
In a conversation with Cocola, the KCBB call letters will be shifting to another TV facility in Boise licensed to his company, along with the Azteca América affiliation.
Weissman and Achilles are based in Ketchum, Idaho, with Achilles holding the title of President/CEO of Edge Networks Inc.
As RBR+TVBR has reported, Boise is a market where early adoption of 4K UHD television is an opportunity now unfolding. In October 2020, Adventure-focused programming from Insight TV became available to viewers in the Boise-Nampa, Idaho DMA in a NEXTGEN format, via the Evoca platform.
It’s being done thanks to ATSC 3.0, and marked the first over-the-air broadcast in the U.S. of a 24/7 4K UHD channel.
And, it’s designed to be subscription-based TV, as Evoca uses a proprietary receiver called “Scout” to access the multichannel lineup that includes local channels and select video-on-demand programming and cable/satellite channels.
KZAK, with a PSIP of channel 51, is presently the home of Azteca América. It was previously housed on KCBB and is being retained by Cocola.
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