Two months ago, the company behind the MeTV brand that also owns broadcast TV stations in markets such as Milwaukee and Chicago convinced the FCC’s Media Bureau to issue a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking seeking public comment on a proposal to shift one of its VHF properties from one city to another in the Land of Enchantment.
The Commission has now given that request its blessing.
Weigel Broadcasting through its TV-49 Inc. subsidiary will now be able to build KKAB-TV on VHF Channel 12 in Truth or Consequences, N. Mex., relocating it from Silver City, N. Mex., some 88 miles to the west.
Weigel in its petition argued that no viewers in Silver City would be deprived of existing service for two reasons: KKAB hasn’t yet signed on the air, and Weigel-owned KKAD is licensed to Silver City.
Truth of Consequences, a community of roughly 6,053 people, does not have a TV broadcast allotment at this time. Silver City, to the west, has a slightly larger permanent population. The two cities are only accessible via a windy trek along State Highway 152.
As Barbara Kreisman, Video Division Chief, saw it, the proposal warranted consideration. One other commenter filed comments in support of the Weigel petition.
