The FCC has ruled that Time Warner Cable in Los Angeles is not required to carry the signal of KHIZ, Ch. 64, in Barstow, Calif., which is about 100 miles from its nearest service area.
The station, citing must-carry rules, has fought to be carried on the L.A. system. Time Warner Cable successfully argued that the designated market area should be modified in order that it not be required to offer the station's signal to its subscribers.
The cable operator argued that it had never carried KHIZ on its systems, that KHIZ is a "fringe" broadcaster, and fails to provide a good quality signal to the cable communities. Time Warner supplied the commission with a propagation study that argued KHIZ was not getting a Grade B signal into the contested communities.
The FCC, ruling in favor of Time Warner, found that KHIZ had no historical carriage on the systems or in the communities, no evidence of viewing patterns in non-cable households, and no local community service programming.
For more information visit www.fcc.gov.
