By BRIAN HOVE
Gray Television’s recent move to yank the plug on KTVF’s local news broadcast brings an untimely and regrettable end to decades of award-winning news programming delivered to viewers across much of Interior Alaska. There is no other way to paint this pig other than to say it’s a damn shame an Outside company 4,000 miles away can turn its back on Fairbanks – as if it’s nothing.
Fairbanks is not nothing.
Airwaves are a publicly owned asset. As such, broadcasters are required to meet certain regulatory standards. In fact, a broadcast license cannot be owned. It only gives the holder the right to use a particular frequency to carry a signal. Notably, the licensee must operate in service to the “public interest, convenience and necessity” per FCC rules and regulations. If the licensee is deemed to have substantially violated the public’s interest, the FCC can revoke the broadcaster’s license.
But, apparently times have changed.
It used to be broadcasters took their public-interest responsibility seriously since the financial consequences of violating the terms of their license could be catastrophic. Furthermore, broadcast licenses were not granted in perpetuity. So, the FCC held a high hammer over the broadcaster’s head, especially during the periodic renewal process. To qualify for renewal, licensees were obligated to submit material evidence supporting their compliance with the public-interest standard, among other hoops.
How was this accomplished?
A common and effective approach was to create programing of particular interest to their community, such as local news. Back in the day, I recall Hank Hove hosting a show in March or early April featuring a local tax specialist answering viewer questions. Such programming exemplified operating in the public interest. Of course, this was a time when community opinion mattered to the FCC, so it also mattered to the broadcaster. As noted, it seems times have changed. Does the FCC even care or still matter today?
For Hank, KTVF’s local news programming was critical to sustaining the station’s long-term viability. Even when network ratings were in a down cycle, KTVF maintained competitive separation over the course of several decades (dating back to the early 1980s) due to continuous investments made in local news. He loved returning home from industry tradeshows with some new whiz-bang gadget that would elevate KTVF’s news production ever closer to how the big dogs do it.
Of course, on-air talent was always key. Many successful anchors and reporters started their careers in Fairbanks. Some even stayed. I’ve had my favorites over the years, but Ann Secrest and Mike Shultz will always be top shelf. In the early days, Hank even took a couple turns at the anchor desk. This was before KTVF had teleprompters.
I’ll acknowledge any bias, but I recall he did a better than fair job memorizing copy on deadline, especially considering this was not his regular function at the station.
In any event, it’s difficult to reconcile how a licensee can drop local news programming in favor of a relevance-challenged substitute imported from hundreds of miles away while still operating within the FCC’s long-established public-interest standard. Clearly, Gray Television doesn’t give a damn about Fairbanks. By the way, if Gray’s pull-the-plug strategy proves successful, how long can Anchorage last?
Hank Hove’s son Brian is a UAF business graduate and a 44-year resident of Alaska. Brian and his wife Marilyn currently reside in Anchorage, but look forward to a day when they can once again call Fairbanks home.
All licensed stations are supposed to keep a “public file” that includes, among other things, communications from members of the community. Anyone can write a letter advocating for the continuance or resumption of public interest programming and arguing that the license should not be renewed unless that happens. The FCC is supposed to take the comments in the public file into consideration when the license is renewed. People writing letters to the station — or better yet, bringing them in person to the station — should specify that the letter is to be placed in the public file. By the way, any member of the public can ask to look at that file during business hours. At least that’s the way it was when I worked in radio. Things have changed at the FCC, but I’m told that the public file is still a requirement for license renewal.
The author of this piece said, “Airwaves are a publicly owned asset.” That may be, but the wherewithal to create signals are not publicly owned. The transmitters, antennas and broadcast studios are privately owned and if the owner of those assets chooses not to transmit that is his right. Fairbanks is a shrinking niche market that is having difficulty attracting capital investment and operating expense. On a larger scale same can be said for Alaska.
Those transmitters have ZERO value without an FCC broadcast license, Don. That license is not a right, but an earned privilege.
So if it is that important, why not hire an attorney and force them to get on with the program?
More control over what they want the public to see. This is happening all over the U.S.
I’m gonna devils advocate this. I don’t like the decision but I understand it.
Gray isn’t rolling in money. And local news is expensive. Every person must be paid. Staff is the most expensive part of any business.
Gray doesn’t pay well. Certainly not enough to support life in Fairbanks. Therefore they are gonna be forced to pick from the bottom of the talent pool, and most won’t stay long enough to make an impact in the community.
Additionally, social media and blogs are often better sources for local news. And usually much more timely.
Lastly, the industry as a whole is dying.
Gray, business wise, is making a smart decision. However much we don’t like it.
The wisest way forward to to have a 1-2 person team in Fairbanks to cover local stories and put them on the web.
About sums it up. If the locals want it, they must fight or maybe get their own license and move on. To heck with outside interests. There is always a catch to that outside money, always has been, always will be. So, get smart Alaska and don’t take the easy money.
A shrinking market indeed. The same can be said about the local newspaper, Newsminer. How many people really count on these two dinosaurs for their news? With national, state, and local news/weather/sports all at the push of a button on your cellphone, they are mostly irrelevant today. Especially the Newsminer. The under 40 year olds never even heard of Dermot Cole. Lucky sons a guns.
Thanks for writing this piece, Brian. I recall when your dad worked at KTVF, and was both on the borough assembly and then mayor at different times. He was a good guy.
As one who has purchased news- agacent ads I know this was profitable advertising venue for the parent company. What is sickening is Gray Media was enjoying gettting thousands of dollars for a 30 second news spot ahead of the election. These cold blooded outsiders waited until just after the election ad buys were completed to pull the plug- after they filled their bank account with piles of cash.
I think a letter writing campaing is a great idea. I’d like to see 1,000 letters in the public file asking the FCC to revoke their license unless they keep the news.
I remember your father well Brian. He truly was a man who loved the Fairbanks community and served it well as a newscaster and as a Borough Assembly member and then as Borough Mayor for three years from 1997 to 2000. The local Fairbanks news was a true avocation for him as well as thousands other viewers who watched him report to us.
Yes, Hank was one of the good guy mayors in Fairbanks. He wasn’t a toadie and a union puppet like so many other mayors, to name a few:
Juanita Helms, Jim Sampson, Luke Hopkins, and now unfortunately,…..Hopkin’s lightweight son…..Hopkins Junior Boy.
Comments are closed.