Channel 69 analog has some type of no-signal projector icon on the screen. It seems to be a new low power station.

A new low power Spanish Language DTV station just went on the air on channel 51 today. It's showing Univision17 on 51.1 and Telefutura on 51.2. No ID was seen as of yet. It's probably KDTF-LD, which is owned and operated by Entravision San Diego, which owns and operates KBNT-CA 17 (Univision) and KDTF-LP 36 (Telefutura). It started around 3pm Friday. The transmitter is 12.4kw of power from Mount San Miguel.

The Wires (June 13, 2009)

Inside Music Media: The decline of radio and the music industry also prevents both from transforming themselves into audio with pictures and text. The scariest complication from their coincidental decline is that the consumer now demands entertainment when they want it -- they see it, hear it and read it at will. This renders traditional broadcasting and music CDs antiquated as each year produces another generation of Gen Y consumers coming of age.

ZDNet: Exe Wrapper allows you to protect any .exe file from non-authorized execution with its own password. It can modify the main icon of the .exe file and bind special arguments to it. License: Free to try. OS: Windows 95/98/Me/NT/2000/XP/2003 Server

Tom Taylor radio-info.com: Make that 234 House members against a performance royalty. The New Jersey Broadcasters Association says Rep. Scott Garrett has just committed to opposing a new fee, tax or royalty for music performances on the radio. That is, he’s signed onto the Local Radio Freedom Act. If you’re wondering what the second-day story is about the MusicFirst complaint to the FCC about artist boycotts – nothing from the Commission. Yet.

Now composers, writers and actors want a “performance right” for Internet downloads. This is getting interesting – as Reuters’ Sue Zeidler says, “composers could potentially earn nearly $100 million in additional royalty payments annually as Internet viewing grows – if the law was changed to deem downloads of music in audio-visual works as ‘public performances.’” BMI’s Richard Conlon says “we see audiovisual as a vigorous growth area for composers, whether it’s on Hulu, Netflix or iTunes.” There’s a House Judiciary Committee hearing on that very issue in July. Speaking of hearings in the House -

TV Tech: Antennas Direct Adds High-Band VHF Model. Antennas Direct has a new member of the ClearStream family, the “C5 high gain digital VHF antenna.” The published specifications say the antenna has a maximum gain of 8.4 dBi and claims it’s the “smallest high gain VHF antenna on the market.”

Just In: Digital TV Updates (June 12, 2009)

On analog channel 69, there's a picture of a camera with a red X over it. What?

KUSI has changed its virtual channel from 51 to 18. Typing in 51-1 as a virtual channel no longer works. You must now get KUSI's digital signal by typing 18-1. You need to rescan your TV to receive KUSI again.

Co-channel interference possibility. The physical channel locations for KUSI in San Diego and KSCI in Los Angeles are both on channel 18, raising a potential problem with North County viewers to receive KUSI due to co-channel interference with KSCI.

KUSI can be received on Cox channel 9 and 709, Time Warner 9 and 709 (TW's 709 starting Friday at 5am). It's also in Dish/Direct TV-channel 51.

KUSI turns off its analog channel 51 at 4:30am Today (Friday).

New low power digital channels coming soon on June 12 or after that date. K26FA (26 analog, flash cut to digital), K35DG (35 to 11 digital), K61GH (61 to 50 digital), KDTF-LP (36 to 51 digital), KZSD-LP (41 to 39 digital), KSKT-CA (43, flash cut), K67AM (38 flash cut), and K63EN moves from 63 to 7, but it may be analog. K63EN has been off the air for a long time.

http://hdtv.forsandiego.com/messages/1/7546.html?1244782445

XHAS-DT, 33.1, (digital 34), appears to have increased power significantly improving reception.

Looks like we might see a new digital station by Saturday. The STA for KDTF-LP (mentioned previously) is approved. Telefutura D51 (36.1), From Mount San Miguel, 12.4Kw.

http://fjallfoss.fcc.gov/cgi-bin/ws.exe/prod/cdbs/pubacc/prod/app_list.pl?Facili ty_id=13022

http://fjallfoss.fcc.gov/prod/cdbs/forms/prod/getattachment_exh.cgi?exhibit_id=7 10840&formid=346&q_num=5110

The Wires (Analog End Day, Jun 12, 2009)

Detriot News: MusicFirst, the group promoting the Performance Rights Act bill, filed a complaint with the Federal Communications Commission late Tuesday charging that radio stations across the country are running misleading ads, dumping the music of artists who speak out for the bill and refusing to air ads stating MusicFirst's point of view.

Mel Phillips: The Performance Rights Act has become radio’s hottest issue in a hurry. While all sides were weighing in on the debate it was the MusicFirst Coaltion that wielded the heaviest hammer, requesting that the Federal Communications Commission “investigate and take action against radio stations for abusing their license to use the airwaves.” Do you still want the job, Julius Genachowski?

ZDNet: Free Internet To End in 2014?

TV Tech: D-Day Only Hours Away: The NAB predicts the following switch-off schedule on Friday among remaining stations: 175 stations will switch-off by 6 a.m. Another 200 will switch-off by noon Another 152 will switch-off by 6 p.m. The remainder (447) will switch-off by midnight.

The Wires (June 11, 2009)

NY Daily News: Howard Stern was up to his old tricks on CBS' "Late Show with David Letterman" hurling insults at Rush Limbaugh and dishing on his derriere.

Inside Music Media: There is growing evidence that radio consolidators are moving to expand virtual voice tracking as a way of continuing to cut costs. Voice tracking, of course, is the process of using one voice to record many pieces of content to make radio sound live. Once the weather forecast says “sunny – get out and enjoy the day” during a tornado (as reported to you a few weeks back), the cat is out of the bag. And when the content is so vapid that only a misguided radio CEO can like it, listeners usually figure it out.

FMQB: NAB Says musicFIRST Call For Investigation Is An "Act Of Desperation". musicFIRST asks the FCC to investigate reports of radio stations supressing artists who are in favor of the controversial Performance Royalty.

Randy Dotinga: Hoax-Us Pocus: Radio's Tomfoolery.

Inside Radio: Royalty fight heads to FCC. The Music First Coalition asks the FCC to investigate its allegation that radio stations are refusing to accept paid pro-performance royalty ads despite airing commercials from the NAB blasting the idea. The Coalition says several stations have also punished 13 artists backing the fee by refusing to air their records. The group says that violates stations’ public service commitments.

NAB calls filing a “stunt.” Broadcasters are playing down allegations that radio is punishing artists for advocating a performance royalty. NAB spokesman Dennis Wharton calls the request the FCC look into the matter an “act of desperation” by record labels as support dwindles in Congress. There are now 232 congressmen on record opposing a royalty bill.

Kurthanson.com: The U.S. House of Representatives passed the Webcaster Settlement Act of 2009 yesterday. The bill now awaits Senate approval . The legislation would give SoundExchange and webcasters 30 days from the bill's passage into law to settle on an acceptable royalty rate. Though SoundExchange was able to reach settlements with some Internet radio groups by the original February 15 deadline, as set by the Webcaster Settlement Act of 2008, many webcaster groups are still without royalty deals .

Rush: Boycott GM cars. General Motors has lots of problems, now it can add conservative talk radio to its list. Premiere Radio host Rush Limbaugh and several other talkers are calling for a boycott of GM products. "Nobody wants to support an Obama company," Limbaugh tells his audience.

The Wires (June 10, 2009)

Chicago Tribune: Sam Zell could lose control of Tribune Co to a group of banks and investors that holds $8.6 billion in senior debt.

Detroit News: A pair of right-wing radio hosts (Rush Limbaugh and Hugh Hewitt) says there's only one choice for conservatives angry about government involvement in the auto industry: Boycott GM.

Inside Music Media: The radio industry wants FM capability on the iPhone - not consumers. Young consumers are even more adamant. Where smart phones have been built with radio access, they have, frankly, laid an egg. You know this, but radio CEOs don’t seem to be getting the message. The iPhone is not a radio. People don’t listen to their phones like media executives listened to Walkman devices and transistor radios before that.

Mel Phillips: Thanks to Sam Zell, who bought a controlling interest in the Tribune Co. in 2007, the newspaper/media group is a disaster. They are in worse shape than the banks that will inherit the company, those same banks that were bailed out by the government. How low can you go? A bankruptcy reorganization plan, already underway will save the company but Zell is not likely to survive and you can take that to the bank.

Feedback Needed! (June 9, 2009)

KPBS-TV (15), KNSD-TV (39), and KUSI (51) are going to be shutting down their analog TV signals either at the last minute or earlier. The deadline is a mere nine days away. Each of them have digital signals that are on their permanent locations. KPBS-DT (30), KNSD-DT (40), and KUSI-DT (18) will stay where they are, but their virtual channels will remain their former channels so that viewers can tune them in using those.

XETV, XHDTV, XEWT, XHAS, and all TV stations that start with an "X" are not affected by the deadline, so they will continue to broadcast in analog until the Mexican government tells them when to shut down their analog transmitters.

Lower powered analog TV signals will remain as they are until further notice.

CGC #908 states that KNSD will be a nightlight station, dispensing DTV information from June 13 through June 26.

SDN is also soliticing information about the full powered analog TV stations in the Los Angeles area regarding analog shutdown times and dates.

The Wires (June 9, 2009)

Ars Technica: An appeals court has rebuked a bid to stop the FCC from protecting Low Power FM stations from big station signal interference. The next step is getting Congress to green light an expansion of the service.

Online Athens: Internet TV: Is it the wave of the future? Scott Shamp recently broached an unprecedented subject with his family - whether or not to cut cable TV from their home entertainment options as a way to reduce expenses.

New Scientist: The Internet gives pirate radio the last laugh

Yahoo AP: Bank of America, Verizon, Chipotle and other companies have pulled advertising from a Sacramento radio station after KRXQ's "Rob, Arnie & Dawn" referred to transgender people as "freaks" with mental disorders.

Yawner! Angelina Jolie dethrones Oprah as world's top celebrity. Who cares?!?

Inside Music Media: Think about it. Services used to be a main component of morning radio - traffic, weather, news, school closings, etc. Most morning talent will tell you that there was a reason they saved their “a” material for the 7 o’clock hour. There was so much else to do while the largest audience was waking up. Today, a Blackberry or iPhone can get you a forecast from your pocket whenever you wake up. Traffic services abound. Satellite radio has traffic channels. Auto manufacturers got into the service business with OnStar and similar products. News?

Indy Star: Is your TV ready for the digital conversion on Friday?

Radio Ink: KCBS/San Francisco Celebrates 100 Years. CBS Radio's News KCBS/San Francisco is celebrating its 100th anniversary. The station began broadcasting June 11, 1909, from Fairmont Plaza in San Jose.

All Access: NAMB To Pelosi: Performance Tax Would Bankrupt One-Third Of Minority Stations.

Inside Radio: Royalty opponents eye composers. ASCAP and BMI have largely taken a backseat role in the debate to require radio stations to pay a performance royalty. Both performance rights organizations may be dragged into the debate however as sources say several House members considering taking a performance royalty out of what radio already pays to songwriters.

Clear Channel sees digital explosion. For the first time Clear Channel Radio is releasing internal data on its digital audience size. It shows the monthly reach across all Clear Channel digital properties now numbers 22 million unique users. As much as 15% of some stations’ audience comes online. “Simply stunning” is how CEO John Hogan summarizes the statistics.

Sean Ross joins Radio-Info.com; Expanded 'Ross on Radio' Newsletter to launch. Ross, one of the radio and music industry's most widely respected writers and programming analysts, will be Executive Editor of Music and Programming. He is currently VP/Music and Programming at New Jersey-based Edison Research, and will continue there concurrently with his new role at Radio-Info.com. Ross will be responsible for the expansion of Radio-Info.com's programming and music-related content and will oversee the extension of his influential "Ross On Radio" column into a twice-weekly newsletter for the radio and music industries. He'll start his new duties June 15, with the newsletter launch soon after. Sign Up Here for the Newsletter.

Tom Taylor of radio-info.com: Sacramento's KRXQ loses sponsors to the morning show "transgender kids" flap. Bank of America, Verizon, Chipotle, Sonic and Snapple have all been reported by one media outlet or another to have yanked their schedules. KRXQ owner Entercom's already lived through one painful morning show controversy in Sacramento – it was January 2007 when the "Hold your wee for a Wii" promotion run by CHR "End" KDND (107.9) resulted in the water-intoxication death of a 28-year-old mom. That resulted in the firing of the Morning Rave morning show. What's up with rock KRXQ (98.5), then? The Rob, Arnie & Dawn show laid down a whole trail of comments on May 28 about a boy who was being allowed to enroll in a school as a girl. Rob, Arnie and Dawn opened up the phones and generally took the point of view that transgendered kids are "freaks" and "fruits" who are trying to "bring attention to themselves." One report (from the local Fox 40 TV) does say that Dawn Rossi "appeared distressed during the segment." But they're all coming under fire by gay and lesbian support group GLAAD – and the ad cancellations are reportedly coming into KRXQ. Arnie States says the bit was a joke and that they weren't advocating violence. Rob, Arnie & Dawn have been on the firing line before, when the station was fined $55,000 for indecency back during the FCC crackdown earlier this decade.

Mel Karmazin may be offering the "a la carte" option for Sirius XM soon, says Brandon Matthews in Satwaves. Brandon says a recent patent announcement "suggests they are already there", and might even allow subscribers with existing receivers to choose "a la carte." That's because the patent suggests that such channel-by-channel selection can be made possible from where it's transmitted – not at the receiver. If that's true – that's "if" – Sirius subscribers could finally get Major League Baseball, and Howard Stern fans could subscribe to just Howard 100 and Howard 101. We'll see where Sirius XM goes with this.

The good that radio does…Southern California's W Radio 690 takes 50 cancer-stricken kids to Disneyland. It's part of W Radio's month-long commitment to kids in the cancer ward at the Children's Hospital of Los Angeles. There was another event scheduled for yesterday, with W Radio morning-show hosts appearing at the Paramount Studios for the 18th annual HOPE program at Children's Hospital, observing National Cancer Survivor Day. "W Radio 690" is XEWW, Tijuana, the former XETRA, doing Spanish-language programming, and owned and operated by Grupo Latino de Radio.