Waivers
Due to changes in Federal law, KESQ-TV and its sister stations do not accept waiver requests which are sent directly to us. Waiver requests must be made through your satellite programming provider.
The Satellite Home Viewer Improvement Act
It is illegal for satellite companies to sell network services to households that can receive local broadcasters’ free over-the-air signal from a rooftop antenna. Most locations in KESQ’s viewing area have little difficulty receiving our local over-the-air signal and are not eligible to receive a distant signal. Those subscribers who cannot receive an over-the-air signal from a rooftop antenna may ask their satellite service provider to request a waiver on their behalf allowing them, if granted, to receive a distant network signal via their satellite dish.
In late 2004, Congress passed revised legislation governing the transmission of both local and distant network broadcast stations over satellite systems. This new legislation is called the Satellite Home Viewer Improvement Act (“SHVIA”). Among other things, SHVIA changed the waiver request process. Subscribers should now request a waiver by communicating directly with their satellite company. The satellite company will forward requests they feel have merit to the local affiliates for consideration. Local stations are required to respond to requests they receive from satellite companies within 30 days. In many cases, the satellite companies can forward requests electronically to local affiliates, which speeds up processing. KESQ will only consider requests received directly from satellite companies. To contact your satellite company concerning a waiver requests, use the contact information at the end of this page.
Many affiliates, including KESQ, and the satellite companies have access to sophisticated computer modeling software, which is utilized when considering waiver requests. It takes into account the coverage of our television signal, a viewer’s location, and interference factors such as terrain. The computer model tells us, with a high degree of accuracy, what signal strength a particular location should be receiving.
Signal strengths at or above that level are considered to be viewable TV signals. Many waiver requests we receive are from viewers who receive a signal from KESQ that is well above the minimum considered by FCC laws to be a viewable signal and are therefore denied.
Receiving Local Channels via a Satellite Dish Currently
Echostar’s Dish network and DirecTV both offer local channels in our viewing area. Echostar’s local channel lineup currently includes ABC Affiliate KESQ-TV, Fox Affiliate KDFX-TV, Telemundo affiliate KUNA-TV, and CW affilaite KCWQ-TV. DirecTV offers KESQ-TV, KDFX-TV, and KUNA-TV. They do not currently offer KCWQ. We encourage you to contact your DBS provider with any questions you may have concerning the availability of local signals via satellite dish in this market.
When local signals are offered in the Palm Springs market, people currently receiving distant signals were given the option of receiving the local stations and giving up the distant signals, or retaining the distant signals and receiving no local stations. New subscribers do not have the option of choosing to receive distant stations.
Denied Waiver Requests
If your satellite provider informed you that your waiver request was denied it’s likely because the information available to us indicates that your location receives a Grade B or better signal and you should have little difficulty receiving our signal from a properly installed roof top antenna.
Receiving KESQ’s signal via Antenna
The most frequent comment we hear from viewers is “My homeowners association doesn’t allow me to put an antenna on my house.” If such regulations exist, they are most likely pre-empted by federal law. The Federal Communications Commission requires cities and homeowners associations to allow homeowners and tenants to install commercially available analog and digital television antennas on their homes. Additional information, including how to file a complaint against an HOA or other governing body you think is violating the antenna rules, can be found at: www.fcc.gov/mb/facts/otard.html.
While KESQ’s main office and studios are located in Palm Desert , our transmission tower is centrally located on Edom Hill near Cathedral City , CA , providing service to all of the Palm Springs market. Although we are seen on local cable systems on channel 3, our over-the-air channel is UHF digital TV channel 42.1. As of June 16, 2009, KESQ-TV is available only as a digital TV channel, and you need a DTV receiver with an antenna to receive its over-the-air signal. KDFX-TV, our Fox affiliate, is on cable channel 11 but its over-the-air channel is 33. KUNA-TV, our Telemundo affiliate, is available over-the-air and on cable on channel 15. We broadcast digital multicasts of Fox, CW, and Telemundo on channels 33.2, 2.3, and 15.1 respectively.
All the other stations in the Palm Springs market have different cable and over-the-air channels, too. Most of the local stations have UHF over-the-air channels (channels 14-82) except our CW affiliate, KCWQ-LP, which is on channel 2. Most have towers located on Edom Hill. KUNA-TV’s tower is located on Indio Hill, which is northeast of Indio near Sun City Shadow Hills.
For optimum off-air reception of KESQ-TV be sure that your antenna is in good repair and that is a UHF antenna. Over time the ability of an antenna or satellite dish to receive a decent signal may be diminished due to prolonged exposure to the elements. If your signal is less than ideal, be sure to inspect your antenna for damage (IE: rust, broken elements). Other tips include making sure your antenna is securely mounted and oriented toward Edom Hill, that you’re using properly shielded coaxial cable and that ALL cable connections are tight to minimize “ghosting”. Most newer satellite dish receivers seamlessly integrate both satellite signals and local over-the-air signals from a roof top antenna. Viewers can switch back and forth between satellite and broadcast by simply pressing a button on their remote control.
HDTV is now available on cable and over-the-air, too!
If you are a Time Warner Cable subscriber, you have access to high definition signals from KESQ and KDFX (ABC and Fox.) You will need a special high definition set-top box and digital cable service. There is an additional charge. Contact Time Warner for more information. KESQ’s digital programming can be found on channel 603 and KDFX’s digital programming can be found on channel 611. Most of the ABC and Fox prime-time programming is now broadcast in high definition in a wide-screen (16 X 9) format. Selected sports programming is also available in high definition. During the day our analog programming is converted to digital, and sent via cable as a 4 X 3 format picture. You will see this programming with black or white side-bars on a wide screen set. You can adjust your set or your cable box to change the 4 X3 programming to wide-screen. You will lose some of the top and bottom of the picture, but the picture will fill the screen.
Time Warner also offers our ABC and Fox HD programming to its Desert Hot Springs subscribers.
KESQ-DT’s digital transmitter is now on the air! KESQ-DT broadcasts digital local and ABC programming on virtual channel 42.1. We also broadcast, in free, over-the-air digital television, the First Alert Weather Channel on 42.2, and digital simulcasts of KDFX (Fox) on DTV channel 33.2, CW, on DTV channel 2.3, and Telemundo on DTV channel 15.1 To receive our free over the air broadcasts, you need an over-the-air set-top decoder box or an “ATSC Ready” digital TV. If you have an ATSC “set top box” or an ATSC tuner equipped TV, all you need is an antenna to enjoy our digital programming. In many cases, you should be able to get our digital broadcasts with an indoor, UHF loop antenna. If an indoor antenna doesn’t work, you will need a simple outdoor UHF antenna to receive our digital broadcasts. Remember that all digital TV broadcasts in the Palm Springs market are on the UHF television band. A VHF antenna, including a “whip” antenna, won’t work very well. You need an antenna designed for UHF reception. The good news is these antennas are inexpensive and much smaller than VHF antennas.
All TV sets sold in the US must come equipped with an ATSC (digital) tuner. June 12, 2009, is the deadline for all full-power U.S. broadcasters to cease transmitting analog signals and all ful-power TV stations till broadcast only a digital signal. This deadline does not apply to low power TV stations. Only KESQ and KMIR are full power stations in the Palm Springs market. Low power TV stations are affiliates of all other major networks including Fox, CW, CBS, Telemundo, and Univision. They will not remove their signals from the air on June 12th, although they may do so at a later, unspecified, date. The government reclaimed the spectrum used for full-power analog TV, auctioned some of it off and assigned some of it for public safety services. If you consider buying a new television set, please be aware that it won’t work with over the air full-power broadcasts after June 12, 2009 unless you purchase a special DTV conversion box. Beware of analog sets sold at “fire sale” prices! We suggest that you only purchase “ATSC” ready television sets if you intend to receive over-the-air television signals. There is little price difference between analog and digital TV sets now. Be sure if you purchase a DTV converter box that it can receive both analog and digital signals because you will need this capability to get all the network programming available in the Palm Springs market.
Additional Information
Further information regarding the legislation that governs waiver requests is available on the FCC’s web site. Information about using an antenna to receive local affiliate channels, as well as, complete program listings for analog and digital broadcast television, satellite television, and cable television can be found on-line at TitanTV.com . We hope this information is helpful. If you have waiver request related questions that were not answered here or in the links listed below please e-mail us at programming@KESQ.com
Contact Information
Dish Network Customer Service P.O. Box 33577 Northglen, Colorado 80233 1-800-333-DISH (1-800-333-3474)
DirecTV Customer Service P.O. BOX 92600 Los Angeles, CA 90009 1-800-DIRECTV (1-800-347-3288)
