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Station’s owner optimistic afterstormy 3% yearsBy Gene GeorgeThe Hawk EyeIt wasn’t easy getting KJMH-TV on the air in the winter of 1987, Bad weather delayed testing. Faulty parts delayed the First broadcast.Even after the station, which broadcasts on channel 26, signed on, it has had trouble staying on the air.But the station has survived 3^ years in the tough world of independent television, and its principal owner, Burlington lawyer Steven Hoth, argues that ought to account for something.Hoth won’t discuss the specifics of the station’s Finances, advertising revenues or audience share. But he concedes that his business has its troubles.“Many small businesses are operating on a close budget,’’ Hoth said in an interview last week. “I think we're having exactly the same problems that all independent stations are having. But I think it’s important to recognize we’ve been in operation in excess of three years and are a contributing member of the community.Wmr-“There are negatives to be overcome. But its important to accentuate the posi-tive.”Among the negatives are technical troubles that have knocked the station off the air — including twice in the lastthree months — difficulties meeting payroll and lower-than-expected revenues.But among the positives, Hoth says, are the recent channel realignment at Westmarc Cable that put channel 26 in the top spot of the local cable lineup, an increase in audience, plans to upgrade equipment and Hoth’s own determination to carry on.‘Cornucopia of problems’Last Monday a power surge from Iowa Southern Utilities knocked out the station’s transmitter, and KJMH was off the air until Thursday afternoon.The station, which employs 14 people in its downtown Burlington studios, had to wait for an engineer from Ottumwa to come Fix the transmitter, causing in part the delay in returning to the air.Last week’s difficulties were only the latest in a series that have plagued the Fox affiliate since before it put its First show on the air.The Federal Communications Commission granted Hoth a construction permit to build the station in 1984. Three years and Five extensions later, channel 26 was almost ready to sign on.All that remained was to test the equipment. But bad weather in November kept engineers from erecting an antenna, delaying the planned start. Then some parts for the transmitter, located on Roosevelt Avenue, turned out to be faulty. New ones had to be ordered and the sign-on was delayed again.In dune of 1990, the station went on and off the air over the course of a few days when tubes and wiring in the transmitter went on the fritz.“It’s been a cornucopia of problems,’’station manager George Van Hagen said at the time.When contacted last week for comment, Van Hagen referred questions to Hoth.‘State of the art’“KJMH has state of the art broadcast equipment,’’ Hoth said. “We don’t have redundancy in the equipment. Once the upgrade is done, we will.”The equipment upgrade, which the station has been working on the last twomonths, will probably be Finished in December, he said. In addition to im proving the quality of the picture and sound, the station will install additional equipment to back up the transmitter.“As in any business that’s faced with increasing techndlogy, he said, this is basically very expensive equipment, and we add it when we can afford it.”He declined to say how much he’s invested in the UHF station, but didnote that a transmitter of the typeKJMH has costs about $160,000.Mike Hayhoe, general manager of Westmarc Cable, however, thinks the station’s equipment is not up to industry standards.“You never get a First chance a second time,” he said last week. The first impression people got was sour. The equipment was inferior.But Hayhoe is quick to point out that he has no intention of yanking the local station from his cable lineup.“I will support a local TV station as long as it’s on the air,” he said. “A television station can make it in this market. It behooves me to put on something that's local.“But they’ve got to make the effort to get out in the community. I’ve told Steve Hoth that to make this station go he’s got to be more active in the community. He’s got to be the guy on the spot.“But it costs money to do that.And that’s the ruh.Independent television stations much larger than KJMH are losing money, said economist Mark Fratrik, vice president of the National Association of Broadcasters.In the country's 100 biggest TV markets, more than half of the network-affiliated stations are losing money, he said. Independents are in worse shape.In the top 100 markets, an independent station typically earns $2.2 million a year, according to an NAB survey. But expenses run $3 million.Please turn to page 3D
Newspaper Details
Burlington Hawk Eye
Burlington, Iowa, US
Sun, Jul 28, 1991
Page 27
Full Page
Clipped by
Sammi B.
NA 01 Mar 2023
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