Channel 52 Dallas/Salem is going Spanish June 30th. Churchill has been thought of as a radio company until now.

Portland getting Spanish TV station
Portland Business Journal - 3:37 PM PDT Wednesday, May 9, 2007

Churchill Media LLC is launching a new Spanish-language television station in Portland.

Beginning July 30, Los Angeles Hispanic network Azteca America will be transmitted on Channel 52, currently owned by the KWVT independent television station in Salem. KWVT is selling the frequency to Churchill and will move its lineup to another channel, yet to be announced.

Churchill Media was founded in 2004 in Eugene to serve the growing Spanish-language market in Lane County. It currently has radio stations in Yakima, Eugene, Portland and Boise.

Churchill said Portland is referred to as a top "hypergrowth" Hispanic market, along with Raleigh, Atlanta and Denver, where Azteca America coverage is also present, because the growth of its Hispanic population is more than twice the national average. One in every three new residents in Portland is of Hispanic origin, according to U.S. Census data.

"Azteca America offers top live Mexican soccer matches, as well as the quality telenovelas and news and entertainment programming that have been missing until now," said Suzanne Arlie, president of Churchill Media.

Azteca America is a wholly owned subsidiary of TV Azteca S.A. de C.V., one of the two largest producers of Spanish-language television content in the world. Azteca America currently has presence in over 57 Hispanic markets.

KWVT website mentions a channel in McMinnville.
It isn't on yet.
Will this channel be included in the sale?

Portland is getting a Spanish TV station? Actually in Dallas/Salem?

What about Univision already in Portland... IN Portland on CH47?

Been there a while, also. Did the Business Journal forget about that one?
At least the Hispanic population will now have 2 channels to choose from, OTA. Actually, I think there is also a Telemundo repeater around town, also.

Spanish speakers i know have satellite tv or digital cable.

From what I understand the only license involved is for channel 52.

There has been a Telemundo station in SE Portland for a number of years. However, the signal is not receivable on the West side. The only reliable way to get Spanish television programming here would be with cable or satellite. I have seen a number of Hispanic businesses that sell subscriptions to a "Dish Latino" Spanish language satellite TV service. The mini dish antennas are also a fairly common site in neighborhoods with large Hispanic populations.

I've always been perplexed by why the Telemundo affiliate in Portland put their transmitter in SE Portland instead of on the West Hills.

Portland OTA Signal.
CH. 38 KKEI-CA Telemundo
CH. 47 KPOU-CA Univision
CH. 51 KOXO-CA Telefutura.

On the side note, does anybody know when they move their transmitter to Skyline Ridge? Since CH.38 and CH. 51 have a construction permit at KGW/KOPB Tower.

Um... Could it be Alfredo that most of the Hispanic population calls Rockwood their home?

Seems like smart business to me. Except that even I in Gresham, much closer to their tower have the same problems you do with channel 38. Channel 47 Univision comes in a ton more clearly.

It would be nice to watch 2 or even 3 spanish stations locally, but I guess I'll have to deal with the mujer mini series on right now on Univision.

Alfredo: Be perplexed no more! When KKEI-CA signed on the air in 1993 as K56EI channel 56, it was running programming from NET - National Empowerment Television. The switch to Telemundo happened in 1995. So the station transmitter site was not selected for Latino coverage. Originally K56EI it was licensed to the Estate of A.B. Herman & Helen Herman. It's currently licensed to WatchTV, Inc.

"On the side note, does anybody know when they move their transmitter to Skyline Ridge? Since CH.38 and CH. 51 have a construction permit at KGW/KOPB Tower."

Construction permit runs out 8/03/07, so it should be soon, if they still intend to do it.

http://svartifoss2.fcc.gov/cgi-bin/ws.exe/prod/cdbs/pubacc/prod/app_det.pl?Appli cation_id=995498

I wonder if KWVT has already let their local broadcasts know of this deal. As there are local producers involved currently with KWVT that are already on board and currently producing gringo style broadcasts for them. My question is will they continue?

Article in today's Eugene Register Guard says Churchill will be targeting Portland from a Salem studio, and will acquire more LPTVs. to do so.

KWVT will continue the announcement was to be made this coming week and someone jumped the gun. More information to follow see www.kwvtsalem.com

Ken

Churchill Media was originally formed to market Progressive Talk in Eugene. After getting a hold of 660 in Junction City and turning it spanish, they weighed which one produced more of a profit.

Now, they're primarily doing Spanish, as it is a moneymaker.

This is the story, as I've heard it.

Spanish making money and progressive talk not doing so well.... Is that a surprise?

Progressive talk doesn't make money because it's not done right, IMO. The numbers are there - this is a very progressive market (Eugene, especially). And I think if they wanted to make money with Spanish OTA TV, they should have translators in places like Cornelius and other areas where there are lots of farms and lots of Hispanic people.

Just letting you know Churchill paid $900,000 for KWVT-LP. (B&C Magazine w/o 5/28)

Congrads Ken Lewetag and company! You now have some retirement monies or put it back into radio/TV!

The owner of channel 52 will be building a new station in Salem. The transmitter will be closer to Salem and the signal will be stronger.

Which owner? Churchill or the previous?

Previous

I was looking at the FCC database recently. And I noticed that the KWVT-LP calls have been warehoused to the Tillimook translator. While channel 52 has the call letters to KGUG-LP.

craig-adams i'm impressed with your knowledge about the history of KKEI however i will note that
watchtv, inc and the helen herman estate are one in the same, her son greg herman owns watchtv.

roy larson came to watchtv in 1995 and proposed the telemundo thing. they had a falling out in 1998. basically roy did not want to have anything to do with a sleazeball like greg herman. watchtv then affiliated with univision and then back to telemundo.

they also broadcast americas store/HSN on UHF

what i am wondering is what will happen when the UHF channels they broadcast over go away with the digital switchover in 2008

They've been in the process for awhile of changing those stations to digital. I don't know how far along the procedure is.