KLDT

Infobox_Broadcast
call_letters = KLDT
city =
station_
station_slogan =
station_branding =
analog =
digital = 54 (UHF)"(current)"
39 "(future)"
other_chs =
affiliations = OnTV4U
network =
founded =
airdate = 1999
location = Lake Dallas, Texas/Dallas/Fort Worth, Texas
callsign_meaning = Lake Dallas, Texas
or
Lake Dallas Television
former_callsigns =
former_channel_numbers = Analog:
55 (1999-2007)
owner = Johnson Broadcasting
licensee = Johnson Broadcasting of Dallas, Inc.
sister_stations =
former_affiliations = independent (general) (1999-2000)
HTVN (2000-2003)
ShopNBC (2003-2005)
independent (infomercials) (2005-2007)
Gems TV (2007-2008)
effective_radiated_power = 75 kW
HAAT = 494 m
class =
facility_id = 17433
coordinates = coord|32|32|35.4|N|96|57|32.9|W|type:landmark_scale:2000
homepage =

KLDT is a full-service ATSC digital television station in Lake Dallas, Texas, United States, broadcasting locally on channel 54 as an OnTV4U affiliate. Founded March 18,1997, the station is owned by Johnson Broadcasting. The station broadcasts from a tower site in the Cedar Hill area. It is the first station in the market to broadcast exclusively in digital. The station is carried on cable via Time Warner (channel 19), Charter (channels vary), and Verizon FiOS (channel 3). The station broadcasts many of its "infomercial" programs without audio.

Until its transition to digital, the station's analog transmitter was located in Lewisville.

History

Two television stations have been licensed to Lake Dallas with the callsign KLDT. The first KLDT, initially licensed in 1990, is noted for a hefty US$15,500 fine imposed by the FCC for failing to adequately staff its main studio, for not making its public inspection file freely available, and for other filing violations. [cite web |url=http://www.fcc.gov/Daily_Releases/Daily_Digest/1995/dd032295.txt |title=Daily Digest |publisher=FCC CDBS database |date=1995-03-22 |accessdate=2007-08-25] The station lost its license in the mid-1990s in favor of the current KLDT licensee.

The current KLDT was founded March 18 1997 with a grant of an original construction permit to Johnson Broadcasting of Dallas LLC. The application was mutually exclusive with the license renewal application of the first KLDT station, [cite web |url=http://fjallfoss.fcc.gov/cgi-bin/ws.exe/prod/cdbs/pubacc/prod/comment.pl?Application_id=187746&File_number=BPCT-19930701KE |title=Public Notice Comment |publisher=FCC CDBS database |date=1997-03-24 |accessdate=2007-08-25] but the FCC granted the Johnson Broadcasting application and did not renew the license of the previous station.

Former_thumb|leftThe station originally had call letters KAVB, but quickly changed to KLDT. Originally an affiliate of ACN, the station soon relegated shopping programming to the nighttime hours, and began broadcasting syndicated classic programming and movies, as well as news from Bloomberg TV, college sports from ESPN Plus, Lone Star Park Horseracing, and Houston Astros MLB games simulcast from sister station KNWS-TV in Houston. During this time, the station adopted the slogan "TV55 Has The Shows You Know".

By 2000, the station had dropped most of its entertainment programming in favor of infomercials, or shopping from ACN. It also broadcasts Plano pastor Doyle Davidson's Water of Life church services during weeknights and on weekends, from nine to ten pm. In 2000, however, the station received a much-needed shot in the arm: it became the flagship station for the Hispanic Television Network. HTVN aired programming targeted towards Hispanic viewers from Mexico. Due to numerous missteps, the network folded in 2003, and the station began airing shopping programs again, this time from ShopNBC.

By this time, most of the station's sports programming had moved to former Telemundo affiliate KFWD. In 2005, the station became the temporary home for the FC Dallas soccer team, but that too eventually moved to KFWD. The station eventually dropped its ShopNBC affiliation and began to fill its empty time slots with infomercials, as well as religious programming.

Transition to digital

On May 22 2006, KLDT signed on their digital broadcasts on channel 54. [cite web |author=J. Eggerton |url=http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA6336969.html |title=Dallas Station Asks To Go Digital |work=Broadcasting & Cable |date=2006-05-22 |accessdate=2006-08-19] This would be key, as Qualcomm, who was launching MediaFLO service over channel 55's bandwidth, would request them to go digital-only on channel 54. On November 17 2006, the Federal Communications Commission gave permission for KLDT to shut off their analog facilities and "flash cut" to their final digital channel (39) at the end of the DTV transition period, February 17 2009. [cite web |url=http://fjallfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/openAttachment.do?link=DA-06-2319A1.pdf |title=Analog shutoff authorization |publisher=FCC CDBS database |date=2006-11-17 |accessdate=2007-08-25] KLDT shut off their analog station on January 1 2007. [cite web |author=J. Eggerton |url=http://broadcastingcable.com/article/CA6393042.html |title=KLDT Switches To All-Digital |work=Broadcasting & Cable |date=2006-11-17 |accessdate=2006-11-18] Two weeks prior to the shutoff, KLDT became an affiliate of Gems TV.

As of 2008, KLDT returned to its infomercial programming, this time from the OnTV4U network.

On February 17, 2009, KLDT will relocate its digital channel to channel 39, after the shutdown of the analog signal of KXTX-TV; the signal at the new frequency will broadcast at 1000 kilowatts ERP. Currently through the use of PSIP, digital television receivers display KLDT's virtual channel as "55".

See also

*KNWS-TV (Houston, TX)

External links

*TVQ|KLDT
*BIA|KLDT|TV|TV

References