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TheBuzz Erika Engle |
KHON broadcast
signal takes a dive
during ratings surveyKHON-TV was knocked off the air April 29, just after the start of the May ratings survey by Nielsen Media Research.
Not everybody noticed the outage, however, as Oceanic Time Warner Cable of Hawaii Inc. picks up and relays KHON's signal via a fiber-optic connection.
The power supply that feeds the transmitter atop Century Center blew up, according to Rick Blangiardi, Hawaii market senior vice president for Emmis Communications Corp.
"We had a fair amount of calls. We worked as quickly as we could. It took two days to get the (replacement) part here," he said.
Replacement was the only option as some of the "components were pretty charred," said George Nakamoto, assistant chief engineer. The equipment is regularly inspected and maintained, but it is nearly 30 years old, Blangiardi said.
People who pick up the station's over-the-air signal or watch via Craig Wireless Honolulu Inc. got the signal back Thursday at 6:28 p.m.
Many Craig Wireless Honolulu Inc. customers were upset at missing installments of the popular Fox Network show "American Idol," according to Sales and Marketing Manager Bob Toguchi.
"We also lost some customers, even though it was not our fault," Toguchi said. Craig Wireless' engineers are reviewing other connection options, he said.
The timing is unfortunate for KHON as the Nielsen rating period is April 24 through May 21. KHON notified Nielsen officials of the technical difficulty, which may factor into the ratings.
Blangiardi had no estimate of the number of viewers affected during the outage but said a very high percentage receives television through cable.
By law cable operators must carry broadcast television signals if they meet certain technical minimums such as signal strength, according to Clyde Sonobe, cable television administrator for the state Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs.
Must-carry stations in Hawaii include the major network affiliates and PBS.
There are no similar requirements for so-called digital broadcast service providers, such as DISH Network, which does not carry KHON.
"Our company is currently negotiating with the folks at DISH and we should hopefully learn something soon," Blangiardi said.
Sister-station KGMB is carried by DISH through an agreement with previous owner, Lee Enterprises Inc. DISH also carries KBFD, KFVE, KHET, KHNL, KIKU, KITV and KWHE.
Erika Engle is a reporter with the Star-Bulletin.
Call 529-4302, fax 529-4750 or write to Erika Engle,
Honolulu Star-Bulletin, 500 Ala Moana Blvd., No. 7-210,
Honolulu, HI 96813. She can also be reached
at: eengle@starbulletin.com