Wisconsin TV Stations Change Call Signs and Channel Numbers in Advance of November’s Election

by Roseland Broadcasting | May 20, 2024 | Press

MILWAUKEE, May 20, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — Low power TV (LPTV) station operator Roseland Broadcasting announced today that it has changed the call sign and the operating channel number of its two Wisconsin stations in Milwaukee and near Madison in advance of the November election.

Viewers in Milwaukee will find the call sign of station WPVS has been changed to WWMW and it now broadcasts on Channel 16. Viewers in the Verona area of Madison will find a new station WMWI also on channel 16. Roseland plans to move WMWI into Madison later this year.

In addition, Roseland announced that a new political channel, PurpleTV, will launch on its Milwaukee station in June.

Roseland Broadcasting’s CEO Matthew Davidge explained “We wanted both of our Wisconsin stations to be broadcasting on the same channel number before the Republican Convention in July. A new client, PurpleTV, will launch an informational channel on politics in June on both stations.”

Roseland already broadcasts political programming; OANN (One America Network) appears on its channel line-up on TV station KXBK in Bismarck ND and KXXW in Tyler TX.

Roseland Broadcasting believes that TV broadcasting is a valuable complement to online and in-person political activities and reaches viewers that other communications mediums cannot.

Over the air (OTA) television viewing remains high in Wisconsin at around 25%, especially among older viewers, despite the splintering of media consumption channels.

“We are not all ‘lean forward and tap’ users… there are still many’ lean back and watch’ viewers,” Davidge added.

PurpleTV.com will announce its launch plans separately.

About Roseland Broadcasting
Roseland Broadcasting, established in 2017, operates 10 low power TV (LPTV) stations in several US States, State Capitals and in West Palm Beach. It leases subchannels to religious, shopping and political channels. Roseland Broadcasting’s Wisconsin stations are WWMW Milwaukee and WMWI Verona, both of which broadcast on Channel 16.

For more information:–

Kendle Priestley
[email protected]
443.962.9740
www.roselandbroadcasting.com

2 Wisconsin low-power TV stations are changing channel numbers, adding politics

by Roseland Broadcasting | May 20, 2024 | Press

The operator of clusters of low-power television stations in Milwaukee and Madison is launching a new politics-centric channel in Milwaukee in time for this summer’s Republican National Convention.

Kansas City, Missouri-based Roseland Communication said Tuesday it plans to launchPurple TV, described as an “informational political channel,” in June on its cluster ofMilwaukee channels.

Details on what kind of political content would air on the new channel were slim. According to Purple TV’s website, “the channel will focus on politics and will have a centrist and pro-compromise outlook. It will run from the Republican Convention in July through the election in November.”

The website also says it will be added on Roseland’s cluster of channels in Madison later thissummer.

Roseland says it operates 10 low-power TV station clusters in small and midsize markets around the country. Among the programming services the company leases its subchannels to is One America News Network (OANN), a hard-conservative news and opinion channel that it airs on stations in Bismarck, North Dakota, and Tyler, Texas.

According to the website, Purple TV is run by Matthew Davidge, who also is CEO of Roseland Broadcasting.

5/22/24, 2:27 PM 2 Wisconsin low-power TV stations change channel numbers, add politics https://www.jsonline.com/story/entertainment/television-radio/2024/05/20/2-wisconsin-low-power-tv-stations-change-channel-numbers-add-politics-purple-tv/73767… 1/2 

The news came a couple weeks after Roseland changed the call letters and channel number ofits low-power cluster in Milwaukee from WPVS, airing on Channel 29, to WWMW, nowfound over the air on Channel 16. Roseland also changed its Madison-area cluster, licensed toVerona, to WMWI, also broadcasting on Channel 16.

Low-power stations have licenses that allow them to broadcast over the air using a morelimited transmitter signal than full-power stations; typically, they lease their stations’bandwidth to a variety of programming outlets.

Southeast Wisconsin has more than a half-dozen low-power TV outlets, though their signalsmake their reach limited, depending on a viewer’s antenna. Only a handful are also carried onlocal cable or satellite services.

Many low-power stations, like their full-power counterparts, slice their digital signals into anumber of subchannels. WWMW currently has five channels in all airing in Milwaukee: 16.1,airing the Nostalgia Network; 16.2, SportStak; 16.3, an infomercial station; 16.4, Jewelry TV,a shopping channel; and 16.5, SonLife, a Christian channel. 

5/22/24, 2:27 PM 2 Wisconsin low-power TV stations change channel numbers, add politics https://www.jsonline.com/story/entertainment/television-radio/2024/05/20/2-wisconsin-low-power-tv-stations-change-channel-numbers-add-politics-purple-tv/73767… 2/2 

Digital Alert Systems and Masterplay announce technology partnership

by Roseland Broadcasting | Mar 13, 2024 | Press

Cheyenne TV stations shuffle continues with KXCY Channel 18 sale to NEWSnet parent

by Roseland Broadcasting | Feb 2, 2024 | Press

A second Cheyenne television station has changed hands in as many days – this time it’s KXCY Channel 18, with 24-hour news channels NEWSnet and One America News as its anchor networks. Also this week, Gray Television, Inc said it will sell its television stations in the Cheyenne, Scottsbluff and Casper television markets – KGWN, KSTF, and KGWC, to Marquee Broadcasting, Inc, as reported by The Cheyenne Post.

The KXCY Channel 18 purchase is part of Bridge News, LLC’s rapid national acquisition of television stations, controlled by the founder of 5-Hour Energy, Manoj Bhargava, as part of a large owned-and-operated strategy being carried out by CEO Vince Bodiford, with broadcast veteran Scott Centers at the helm of that station group.

The Cheyenne station gives NEWSnet and SportsNews Highlights broadcast coverage from Cheyenne, into the front range of Colorado. The two 24-hour national TV networks are the flagships of the company.

An asset purchase agreement dated January 26, filed with the FCC for regulatory approval on Wednesday, shows NEWSNet parent Bridge News LLC struck the deal with the Julie Huang and Matthew Davidge-controlled Roseland Broadcasting that sees it acquire KXCY-18 in Cheyenne, as reported in the industry trade journal Radio+Television Business Report.

Bodiford, Bhargava Strike Again With Another LPTV Buy

by Roseland Broadcasting | Jan 31, 2024 | Press

The rapid acquisition of low-power television stations by the founder of 5-Hour Energy, Manoj Bhargava, as part of a large owned-and-operated strategy being carried out by Vince Bodiford, has continued with an agreement that will give NewsNet a property in Wyoming.

An asset purchase agreement dated January 26, filed with the FCC for regulatory approval on Wednesday, shows NewsNet parent Bridge News LLC strike a deal with the Julie Huang and Matthew Davidge-controlled Roseland Broadcasting that sees it acquire KXCY-LD in Cheyenne.

The station is licensed for Channel 18.

A $400,000 purchase price has been agreed to, with a $40,000 escrow deposit being held by Dan J. Alpert.

Serving as Roseland’s legal counsel in this transaction is Aaron Shainis of Shainis & Peltzman.

SagamoreHill NBC Affiliate Poised For Bigger Coverage

by Roseland Broadcasting | Jan 30, 2024 | Press

Matthew Davidge and Julie Huang have teamed up as equity interest holders in a variety of broadcast TV stations, including low-power facilities licensed to Roseland Broadcasting Inc.

The pair are also partners in SagamoreHill, and in an Upstate New York city it is Louis Wall that holds majority interest in a low-power TV station branded as “NBC Watertown.” Now, that operation is in position to greatly expand its coverage area thanks to a deal involving three LPTVs across the region.

Northeast Gospel Broadcasting has agreed to sell the following facilities to SagamoreHill of Watertown Licenses LLC:

• WNGG-LD 9 in Gouverneur, N.Y., immediately to the north of Fort Drum and Watertown
• WNGJ-LD 20 in Ogdensburg, N.Y., a city on the St. Lawrence River some 60 miles south of Canada’s capital, Ottawa
• WNGF-LD 26 in Potsdam, N.Y., due east of Ogdensburg in the Adirondack region of New York State’s North Country

A $75,000 purchase price has been agreed to by the parties; a 10% deposit has been made to the seller.

Serving as the seller’s legal counsel is Lee Petro with Pillsbury Law. The legal counsel for SagamoreHill is Aaron Shainis of Shainis & Peltzman.

Signing off on the transaction is Davidge, who serves as COO and is based in Kansas City.

LPTV Licensee Faces $9,500 Fine For FCC Violations

by Roseland Broadcasting | Dec 22, 2023 | Press

A licensee that has seen Julie Huang and Matt Davidge amass a collection of low-power TV stations over the last several years could be on the hook for a financial penalty for failing to adhere to two big FCC rules.

The matter involves KXCC-LD 16 in Corpus Christi, Tex., which on January 4 was granted a Construction Permit to make minor changes to its facilities. A modification construction permit (Mod CP) was assigned an expiration date of January 4, 2026.

On February 6 of this year, Roseland filed with the Commission a resumption of operations notice stating it had “resumed regular operations” as of February 1 — “pursuant to the
parameters of its license.”

There’s just one problem: Roseland failed to promptly submit an application for license, which the FCC requires. Almost five months after construction was complete, Roseland submitted that filing, explaining it “overlooked” the filing at the time.

While the FCC doesn’t give that reason any credence, Roseland nevertheless wanted it retroactively applied to KXCC, as it then stated that after the license to cover is granted, it would file immediately a Special Temporary Authority authorization to operate KXCC-LD at reduced power (one-half of its licensed wattage) while the station’s transmitter was repaired.

But, Roseland didn’t wait: KXCC was operating at reduced power between June 27 and September 25, before it received the STA.

How does Davidge, the CFO of Roseland, explain what happened?

The FCC notes that, according to Davidge, “After the station commenced broadcasting from the new site, a transmitter repair became necessary. Power was reduced accordingly and an STA was not sought due to the pendency of the license to cover.” He went on to explain that Roseland did not immediately seek an STA for reduced power operation because his attorney “was concerned that the LMS database would associate the requested STA with the former site and create confusion.” Further, Davidge argues, since the Commission had been alerted through the filing of license application that the LPTV station intended to reduce power, Rosemary assumed that “once the license to cover was granted, should it be necessary [it] would have filed the Request for STA.”

The lesson here regarding the assumption? A Notice of Apparent Liability for Forfeiture in the amount of $9,500.

While the normal base fine is $26,000, it was reduced due to its LPTV status. However, Video Division Chief Barbara Kreisman explained that the proposed fine is higher than proposed forfeitures the FCC has issued for similar violations. Why? Roseland was previously admonished by the Commission for another instance of unauthorized operations and “apparent pattern of rule violations.”

Edge Spectrum Spins Three TV Facilities

by Roseland Broadcasting | Aug 29, 2023 | Press

In the ATSC 3.0 era, datacasting and broadcast internet could prove to be more lucrative opportunities for TV station licensees than the much ballyhooed NEXTGEN TV promise of better sound and improved picture quality — if the studies showing an irreversible shift to streaming from linear media are true.

This could explain why Edge Spectrum invested in developing a nationwide network of UHF television stations as the infrastructure behind what it envisioned as a new multicast content distribution platform.

Now, Edge Spectrum is divesting three properties. The buyer is a privately held TV station owner which enjoys shared services agreements with five different companies for some of the stations it doesn’t operate itself.

The buyer is SagamoreHill of Portland LLC, and it is agreeing to acquire the following properties from Edge Spectrum:

• WTKJ-LD 19 in Watertown, New York (FCC Facility ID 128834)
• KCKW-LD 25 in Eugene, Oregon (FCC Facility 188579)
• K32FW in Pierre, South Dakota (FCC Facility 129373)

A purchase price of $447,180 has been agreed upon by the parties.

A 50% deposit has been made with the execution of an asset purchase agreement.

There is no broker or finder associated with this deal.

Serving as the seller’s legal counsel is Aaron Shainis of Shainis & Peltzman.

SagamoreHill is today led by Chief Operating Officer Matthew Davidge.

With Evoca’s Demise, Its First Property Is Spun

by Roseland Broadcasting | Jul 24, 2023 | Press

On December 1, 2022, Evoca TV brought to light its biggest challenge to date as a unique pay-TV service relying on local NEXTGEN TV lighthouse and internet-delivered programming  streamed to subscribers and integrated into a single user interface: funding woes.

By the end of the year, an attempt to raise enough capital to keep the lights on failed, and the business led by CEO Todd Achilles shut down. Now, the licensee that leased to Evoca its first low-power TV station is selling it.

SagamoreHill of Kansas City Licenses LLC, led by COO Matthew Davidge, is agreeing to acquire KEVA-LD 34 in Boise, Idaho, from Sawtooth Mountains Broadcast & Wireless Corp.

And, it is a bit of a bargain for SagamoreHill, as it is paying $50,000 for the facility that had been offering a group of encrypted signals to paying subscribers.

A $10,000 earnest money deposit has been made by SagamoreHill for KEVA, which made pioneering moves including the successful delivery of emergency information to video subscribers tuned to programming delivered over the internet — an “industry first.”

Alas, getting the dollars to build out the service proved to be an Achilles’ heel, if you will, as Evoca ceased operations in six states, saying goodbye to a consumer base of 8 million potential subscribers.

This left Sawtooth Mountains with a decision to make — operate it as a traditional LPTV facility, or sell it. The option was to spin it.

Commenting via e-mail to RBR+TVBR, Achilles said two factors drove Evoca’s decision to wind down Evoca — the Big Four networks’ “coordinated refusal to license content even when we offered them a premium,” and “the lack of growth capital given the Fed’s rate increases.”

Achilles continues, “The Evoca team executed well across many dimensions and developed an innovative new hybrid broadcast service based on ATSC 3.0. Where we could license independent content, we were growing as fast as we could build set-top boxes, with churn under 2%. But it would have been a niche business, at best, without fair and reasonable access to mainstream Big Four content.”

Serving as the broker for Sawtooth Mountains in this transaction is Sterling BCG LLC.

Once the transaction is complete, KEVA will formally be housed under the same group of stations as four low-power TV properties in Lawrence, Kansas; Columbia, Mo.; and in Springfield and St. Elmo, Ill.

SagamoreHill will be gaining its first Boise property with KEVA, where The E.W. Scripps Co. (KIVI-6); Sinclair Inc. (KBOI-2); TEGNA (KTVB-7); and Marquee Broadcasting-owned FOX affiliate KNIN-9 (operated by Scripps) are the main players in the local TV marketplace.

SagamoreHill Snags a New York DMA LPTV Property

by Roseland Broadcasting | May 4, 2023 | Press

It was originally the home of The Box, a 24/7 music video channel. Craig Fox then sold the property to the former Paxson Communications, and in August 2007 was acquired by Miami-headquartered Caribevision Station Group.

Since then, this low-power TV station has been home to the now-defunct MundoFOX and MundoMax networks, and today is home for America TeVe programming supplied by South Florida-based stations.

That will soon change, as Caribevision has sold WPXO-LD.

WPXO, which uses digital channel 4 and has a PSIP of Channel 34, is being acquired by SagamoreHill, the licensee led by Matthew Davidge.

Caribevision is selling the station as it seeks to emerge from Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, and currently maintains debtor-in-possession status with the FCC.

SagamoreHill is paying $405,000 for the East Orange, N.J.-licensed facility, with a $40,000 deposit being held by Shainis & Peltzman. At closing, $176,000 will be paid. Six months after closing, $189,000 will be paid by SagamoreHill.

Shainis & Peltzman is serving as the buyer’s legal counsel. Representing the seller is Francisco Montero of Fletcher, Heald & Hildreth.

WPXO has a highly directional signal pattern designed to place a broadcast signal over the New York metropolitan area, stretching to the Tappan Zee Bridge in the north to Elizabeth, N.J. to the south. Its western signal is highly directional and can be seen in Morristown but not Mahwah, N.J., and WPXO’s eastern signal extends to the middle of Long Island.

Davidge considers himself a “media entrepreneur,” and in February 2016 acquired the Little Rock-based media communications center previously owned by Soul of the South Network that serves as the home for Media Gateway, which he co-owns. Media Gateway is an outsourced master control and news-reading company.

Based at the Arkansas facilities is “Frixxer,” founded in September 2015 as “a network of short-form (under :30) microvideo content for the channel-hopping TV audience.”

Davidge has also been a digital strategy consultant to MTV Networks, and owned in-hospital TV networks housed under The Wellness Network through the end of 2015. He’s also been associated with Roseland Broadcasting.

Duluth Trading: A LPTV Facility Goes To SagamoreHill

by Roseland Broadcasting | Jan 13, 2023 | Press

A low-power television facility serving the Duluth, Minn., and Superior, Wisc., viewing area is changing hands.

The buyer is the licensee led by CEO Louis Wall with one other Minnesota property, which is operated by Gray Television via a shared services agreement.

Wall-led SagamoreHill Broadcasting is agreeing to purchase KMYD-LD in Duluth from My Central Valley.

A $200,000 purchase price was agreed upon, with Roxzan Castro signing off on the sale for the seller, which is based in the Sacramento area. My Central Valley is a partnership between Roxzan and Josh Castro, and Thomas Driggers.

For SagamoreHill, COO Matthew Davidge was the signee.

Serving as the buyer’s legal counsel is Aaron Shainis of Shainis & Peltzman.

Once the transaction is complete, KMYD will join KXLT “FOX 47” in Rochester, Minn., as SagamoreHill’s second property in Minnesota. KXLT is operated by Gray via a shared services agreement.

Could Gray gain a similar relationship with KMYD? In Duluth, Gray owns KBJR-6 and maintains the “Northern News Now” brand seen across the NBC affiliate on KBJR-6.1, “CBS3” on KBJR-6.2, and “My9” on KBJR-6.3.

A San Joaquin Valley LPTV CP Is Spun

by Roseland Broadcasting | Nov 9, 2022 | Press

The construction permit for a low-power television station serving the largest city in the southern San Joaquin Valley of California has been sold.

The buyer is the licensee led by Matt Davidge.

That would be Roseland Broadcasting, which is agreeing to purchase K07AAJ-D from Mako Communications, the Texas limited liability company that has been selling off “unique” LPTV CPs based on their construction deadlines.

How much is Mako selling the unbuilt LPTV for? The sale price is $15,000.

Bob Heymann of the Chicago office of Media Services Group served as the exclusive
broker for the seller in this transaction.

Roseland Picks Up Two LPTVs In Twin Deals

by Roseland Broadcasting | May 11, 2022 | Press

Roseland Broadcasting, the licensee led by Julie Huang and Matt Davidge, is picking up two low-power TV stations in concurrent deals filed with the FCC for regulatory approval on Wednesday.

One of the properties is in South Dakota. The other is in Aspen, Colo.

In the first transaction, Casey S. Peterson is agreeing to spin a construction permit for a new low-power television station in Sioux Falls, S.D.

The deal is valued at $30,000, and a $10,000 deposit has been made by Huang’s group.

The second transaction sees Roseland acquiring K10RS-D in Aspen from MIK, LLC. That’s led by Michael Dagen, who operates the licensee as Quad Marketing Group.

This deal is valued at $5,000.

Dagen is based in Merritt Island, in Brevard County, Fla.