KTYJ-LP explained

Callsign:KTYJ-LP
Analog:58 (UHF)
Founded:July 9, 1990
Country:US
Former Callsigns:K58DQ (1994–1997)
Owner:Christian Broadcasting of Idaho, Inc.
Erp:20.3 kW
Haat:6710NaN0
Facility Id:15648
Class:TX
Coordinates:47.66°N -116.963°W

KTYJ-LP (channel 58) was a low-power television station in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, United States. It began broadcasting in 1994 as an independent station; its operation was dominated by a legal dispute that led to a bankruptcy filing as investors cut the licensee out of station management. The dispute ended in 1996 with the owner, David Derryberry, receiving control; under his management, the station returned in 1997, became KTYJ-LP, and was sold to Christian Broadcasting of Idaho, Inc. That company ran KTYJ until 2009, when it closed for financial reasons.

History

The station went on air as K58DQ on May 1, 1994,[1] from a transmitter on Canfield Butte.[2] The permit had previously belonged to the King Broadcasting Company, owner of KREM-TV in Spokane.[3] David Derryberry, a retired TV producer, acquired the K58DQ permit in 1992 and began planning a local-service low-power station for the Coeur d'Alene area.[4] The station aired programming from the HomeNet service as well as classic TV shows. It also planned to introduce a local newscast focusing on news of North Idaho,[5] though this did not happen by October 1994.[6] The Kootenai County cable system added K58DQ to its lineup on December 1,[7] giving it access to some 18,000 subscribers.[8] In 1995, the station began carrying Seattle Mariners baseball games from KIRO-TV in Seattle. When the Mariners moved from KSTW to KIRO, they lost cable coverage in the area; K58DQ was able to afford the games because KIRO was paid in airtime to sell during the broadcasts.[9]

Within a year of going on air, K58DQ encountered financial and legal issues. Derryberry was removed from management in January 1995 and a new limited liability company set up at the same time it filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy reorganization.[10] The takeover of K58DQ management by Idaho Broadcast Network generated further litigation. Derryberry alleged that his investors cut him out illegally by forging his signature on a document. Derryberry remained the licensee, so the changeover was an unauthorized transfer of control in the eyes of the Federal Communications Commission. Idaho Broadcast Network fell into its own financial troubles; within 18 months of the February 1995 bankruptcy filing, the station's liabilities to creditors doubled, and a series of general managers defrauded advertisers by agreeing to trade-out deals for services but not airing the promised commercials. Derryberry was barred by a court order from visiting the station he still technically owned.[11] In August 1996, a bankruptcy court judge awarded control of K58DQ to Derryberry; because another person had loaned the station its transmitter, the station had to leave the air[12] beginning August 30.[13]

After six months, K58DQ returned to the air under Derryberry control in February 1997, though in the time it was off the air it had been removed from cable. The new general manager believed his predecessor should have been charged with felony theft for stealing videotapes.[14] The station was renamed KTYJ-LP later that year[15] and sold to Christian Broadcasting of Idaho (associated with CSN International) in 1998.

By 2009, KTYJ-LP was up for sale in classified advertisements.[16] It was taken off the air for financial reasons on July 14, 2009; Christian Broadcasting of Idaho attempted to sell the station in 2010, but by that time it had been off the air more than a year, automatically causing its broadcast license to expire.[17]

Notes and References

  1. News: Channel 58 on line May 1. April 25, 1994. A3. John. Firehammer. The Coeur d'Alene Press. Coeur d'Alene, Idaho. Newspapers.com. May 24, 2024.
  2. News: Cd'A TV station to take to the airwaves in April. March 15, 1994. A14. John. Firehammer. The Coeur d'Alene Press. Coeur d'Alene, Idaho. Newspapers.com. May 24, 2024.
  3. News: Notice. June 21, 1991. A13. The Coeur d'Alene Press. Coeur d'Alene, Idaho. Newspapers.com. May 24, 2024.
  4. News: Coeur d'Alene soon to have its own TV station. December 16, 1992. A2. Bart. Smith. The Coeur d'Alene Press. Coeur d'Alene, Idaho. Newspapers.com. May 24, 2024.
  5. News: Low-power station will be news to CdA. March 27, 1994. E&T 3. Jim. Kershner. The Spokesman-Review. Spokane, Washington. Newspapers.com. May 24, 2024.
  6. News: Cable will offer local TV station. October 26, 1994. A13. John. Firehammer. The Coeur d'Alene Press. Coeur d'Alene, Idaho. Newspapers.com. May 24, 2024.
  7. News: Channel 58 debuts today on cable channel 21. December 1, 1994. A14. The Coeur d'Alene Press. Coeur d'Alene, Idaho. Newspapers.com. May 24, 2024.
  8. News: New TV station goes on air but not cable: Channel 58 plans to produce shows with Idaho flair. May 8, 1994. B3. Cynthia. Taggart. The Spokesman-Review. Spokane, Washington. Newspapers.com. May 24, 2024.
  9. News: Channel 58 to get Mariner broadcast. April 21, 1995. A15. Howie. Stalwick. The Coeur d'Alene Press. Coeur d'Alene, Idaho. Newspapers.com. May 24, 2024.
  10. News: Station plans to reorganize. February 10, 1995. B1. David. Kilmer. The Coeur d'Alene Press. Coeur d'Alene, Idaho. Newspapers.com. May 24, 2024.
  11. News: Litigation clouds Channel 58's picture: Whoever owns station, it's broke. July 17, 1996. A1, A4 (Idaho). Eric. Torbenson. The Spokesman-Review. Spokane, Washington. Newspapers.com. May 24, 2024.
  12. News: Channel 58 goes off the air. August 15, 1996. B1, B8 (Idaho). Eric. Torbenson. The Spokesman-Review. Spokane, Washington. Newspapers.com. May 24, 2024.
  13. News: Officials pull plug on Channel 58's transmitter. August 31, 1996. B1 (Idaho). Eric. Torbenson. The Spokesman-Review. Spokane, Washington. Newspapers.com. May 24, 2024.
  14. News: Channel 58 signals new beginning: Troubled TV station resumes broadcasting, seeks cable spot. February 6, 1997. B1, B6 (Idaho). Eric. Torbenson. The Spokesman-Review. Spokane, Washington. Newspapers.com. May 24, 2024.
  15. Web site: Call Sign History for KTYJ-LP. Consolidated Database System. Federal Communications Commission. March 13, 2007.
  16. News: KTYJ-TV, Channel 58. June 20, 2009. C10. Classified ad. The Spokesman-Review. Spokane, Washington. Newspapers.com. May 24, 2024.
  17. Web site: Re: KTYJ-LP, Coeur D'Alene, ID. September 13, 2010. Hossein. Hashemzadeh. Federal Communications Commission.