Signal boost: Broadcast upgrade strengthens reception of KOAM, KFJX

Joe Hadsall, The Joplin Globe, Mo.
·4 min read

Jul. 15—The digital antennas handed out free by KOAM and KFJX staff members are triumphs of redneck engineering.

Copper wire is attached to a wooden yardstick in a T-shape. The other end of the wire attached to the yardstick features a coaxial plug that goes in the back of a digital TV.

The homemade antennas have been a regular handout for viewers since analog TV broadcast signals were shut down by the FCC in 2009. The antennas frequently outperformed expensive equipment offered by retail stores.

"We have employees who make those for us in their downtime," said Brook Arnold, president and general manager of KOAM-TV. "We have a stack of them sitting at our front desk, and we are still doing that. ... We have given out so many."

A more powerful broadcast may reduce demand for those antennas. On Monday, the two stations, owned by Morgan Murphy Media, powered up a signal boost for their digital TV signals — KOAM on Channel 7 and KFJX on Channel 14. The upgrades help the stations better reach a growing group that represents almost half of their viewership across the region.

One step back, leaps forward

Getting the signal boost required a temporary regression of the networks' broadcast power. The project required removing old equipment and installing new equipment on the networks' 1,000-foot tower in Pittsburg. That meant in June many people lost whatever reception they were getting of the channels.

Now that the work is complete, over-the-air viewers need to run the auto channel search function on their TVs. Once that process is complete, the signals should be received just fine.

William Vickery, director of engineering, said that the two stations were boosted significantly:

—KOAM, the area's CBS affiliate, was increased from 14.8 to 98.8 kilowatts on its VHF band.

—KFJX, the area's Fox affiliate, was increased from 5.6 to 45.1 kilowatts on its UHF band.

Both signals now also have increased vertical polarization, which helps them penetrate structures more effectively, he said.

The two signals carry nine networks, including MeTV, H&I and Dabl. Fox is broadcast on channels 7.2 and 14, and the CW Network is shown on 14.2.

Growing audience

Improving the antenna is something the networks have wanted to do for a long time, Arnold said.

Viewers who relied on over-the-air signals struggled to get the two stations after the digital switchover in 2009. The broadcast tower in Pittsburg struggled to push its signal across the region to the Joplin area. Even locations in Pittsburg struggled to receive it, Arnold said.

Subscribers of premium TV services, such as cable or satellite, had no problem receiving the channels, but others counting on free over-the-air TV channels struggled for reception.

That number has grown over the last decade. Arnold said that about 45% of their viewers watch via an over-the-air signal.

"It became very evident, when we went to our temporary antenna, how many people catch us over the air," Arnold said. "The number of emails and phone calls we received were a clear indication of how many are watching us over the air."

Nationally, the number of people watching over the air is growing, with viewers also relying on internet-based services for television entertainment. Pew Research Center in 2021 reports that the number of premium TV service subscribers has dropped not quite by a fourth since 2021.

Arnold said the tower upgrades are also ready to handle ATSC 3.0, a form of next-generation TV that is currently available in larger cities. ATSC 3.0 is capable of sending 4K and HDR picture resolutions, according to information from the Advanced Televisions Systems Committee.

The boost represents one of the most important milestones in KOAM's history, Arnold said. Though it means reduced demand for the free, homemade antennas, the stations will continue to hand them out, she said.

"This is the most significant thing we have done since we started broadcasting in 1953," Arnold said. "If our purpose is to deliver information and content to the community, then I don't see how anything is more important."