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By BOB BERG Courier staff writerOttumwa’s new television station,TV-15, may be airing movies and syndicated shows by mid-February.The only Ottumwa-based station, KOIA on UHF channel 15, will have a signal range of 50 to 60 miles, said station manager Paul Vaughn.The full-power station with 165,000 watts will be serving much of Southern Iowa, including the cities of Bloomfield, Fairfield, Os-kaloosa, Albia and Ottumwa.The new station was born from the former TV-42, a low-power station of 15,000 watts whose signal was limited. In fact, when TV-42 was still on the air, some viewers could watch it 20 miles away, while some residents on Ottumwa’s north side couldn’t pick up the signal, Vaughn said.Vaughn said the station is waiting to receive a piece of equipment before broadcasting can start. He’s hoping to go on line the week of Feb. 17.TV-15’s antenna is on the Ottumwa Area Translator System tower. OATS “boosts” the signal of several Iowa stations, allowing people without cable hookups to receive the UHF stations.The station had also hoped to beadded to Ottumwa Cablevision’s basic service channels. But McDonald Group of Birmingham, Ala., which owns Cablevision, wants to wait until Channel 15 has been on the air for a while to see what programming it offers and the numbers of viewers it attracts.“I wouldn’t lock myself into something I hadn’t seen myself either,” Vaughn commented.Still, homes within TV-15’s signal area will be able to pick up the station on their television’s UHF dial or antenna (regardless of whether they have a cable hookup).• ••Another Iowa station that wouldlike to be added to Ottumwa's basic cable channels is KDSM TV-17 (formerly KCBR) of Des Moines, which has a range of some 60 miles.It, too, is a UHF station that shows a nuber of old and recent movies and television programs now in syndication.Ottumwa Cablevision decided against adding it to the cable because of the copyright royalty fee that must be paid for stations more than 35 miles away, said KDSM general manager Donald O’Connor.Ottumwa viewers with cable now cannot pick up Channel 17. But those without cable and with a quality setand a good antenna can receive it, said KDSM operations manager Alan Hay.Hay explained that Cablevision could later add Channel 17 to the cable, without paying royalty fees, if surveys show the Des Moines station is “significantly viewed” in the area. That means having 5 percent of homes with sets are watching Channel 17 at least once during a week, Hay said.• ••Vaughn said Channel 15’s programming will include movies — through a 20th Century Fox film package of more than 200 titles — such as “Patton,” “The Turning Point” and “Breaking Away.”There also will be movie theme weeks focusing on certain leading men, leading women and westerns.Children’s shows will be shown in the afternoon between 3 and 4 p.m.The station will also offer a variety of old TV shows including “Peyton Place,” “Peter Gun,” and“Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea.”Other offerings will be outdoorshows, music shows such as “Soul Train,” and locally produced news, weather and sports.Pro wrestling will be offered,along with a comedy series and music programs.
Newspaper Details
Ottumwa Courier
Ottumwa, Iowa, US
Tue, Jan 28, 1986
Page 3
Full Page
Clipped by
Sammi B.
NA 17 Jun 2023
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