KMCC(TV) – Laughlin, Nevada FCC Facility ID No: 41237

ION Television License, LLC (“ION”), licensee of television station KMCC(TV), Laughlin, Nevada, FCC Facility ID No. 41237 (the “Station”) operates utilizing a licensed Distributed Transmission System which includes two physical transmitter locations. DTS Site Number:1 (“KMCC-1”) which operates at 1000 kW effective radiated power (“ERP”), and DTS Site Number:2 (“KMCC-2”) which operates at 4.4 kW. Due to systemic problems with the KMCC-1 facility, ION hereby requests Special Temporary Authority to operate that facility at variance from its currently-licensed parameters.

Recently, ION consummated an Assignment of License of the Station (FCC File No. BALCDT-20200129AAE). On April 30, 2020, ION personnel visited the KMCC-1 site to install ancillary equipment. ION’s team discovered that the Station’s IOT Tube Transmitter had experienced mechanical failure and that the KMCC-1 facility had gone off the air subsequent to consummation. ION’s team immediately began to troubleshoot the problem and was able to get the Station’s transmitter to 50% power of its ERP temporarily. The operations of KMCC-2 are not impaired.

Although KMCC-1’s IOT Tube Transmitter is obsolete, ION has obtained recycled replacement parts from a decommissioned transmitter at a different location. Upon delivery and installation of these parts, the Station may be able to resume full power operations, although it is unclear whether it will be able to maintain full-power operations for any appreciable period of time. Several deteriorating factors are working against the short term reliability of this transmitter, including age, condition, and lack of vendor support for the current equipment. ION is actively looking at various replacement solutions that will permit permanent operation of the licensed KMCC-1 facilities. ION expects, however, that this task will prove to be quite difficult due to the remote and rough terrain, and the lack of infrastructure space and readily available 3- phase power at the KMCC-1 site. Moreover, ION anticipates that the COVID-19 pandemic will present additional challenging delays and obstacles.

Steps to resolve the issue have begun, but it is unclear how long it will take to implement a permanent solution for the Station that will permit continuous full-power operations. Accordingly, the Station anticipates the need to operate at a variance from its authorized power for the immediate future at the KMCC-1 facility.

ION Media 2020-05-05