KBKF-LD

KBKF-LD
ATSC 3.0 station
San Jose, California
City	San Jose, California
Channels	Digital: 6 (VHF)
Branding	Air1
Programming
Affiliations	Air1
Ownership
Owner	Venture Technologies Group ; (Venture Technologies Group, LLC)
Operator	Educational Media Foundation
History
Founded	March 22, 2004
Former call signs	K26HN (2004); KBKF-LP (2004-2021)
Technical information
Licensing authority	FCC
Facility ID	127882
Class	TX
ERP	0.6 kW
HAAT	834 meters
Links
Public license information	Profile; LMS
Website	http://www.air1.com/

KBKF-LD, VHF digital channel 6, is a low-powered television station (LPTV) licensed to San Jose, California, United States. The station is owned by Venture Technologies Group, LLC. Its transmitter site is located on Loma Prieta Peak.

Although licensed as a TV station, KBKF-LD primarily functions as a radio station, broadcasting Contemporary Christian music from the Air1 network that can be heard by FM radios at 87.7 MHz. Its ATSC 3.0 video feed broadcasts U Channel on digital channel 6.2.

History[]

Originally KBKF-LP, the station initially transmitted as an analog TV station, taking advantage of the fact that the analog TV standard for channel 6 specifies the audio portion of the transmission as an FM signal centered on 87.75 MHz. This can be picked up by most FM receivers at 87.7 FM.

Faced with an approaching July 13, 2021 FCC deadline requiring all LPTV stations to convert from analog to digital transmissions,^[1] Venture Technologies developed a version of the ATSC 3.0 digital TV standard that allows an analog FM audio subcarrier to coexist with the digital TV signal.^[2]

Now operating as a digital LPTV station with the call sign KBKF-LD, this station was used as a test site, and began dual digital TV/analog FM transmissions in February 2021.^[3] On June 10, 2021, the FCC issued a six month long Special Temporary Authority (STA) grant allowing KBKF-LD to continue analog FM broadcasts on 87.75 MHz using this method.^[4]