KZTC-LD channel 7 has asked the FCC to approve the transfer of its ownership to Intrigue TV of Stamford CT for $187,500.

At the same time, Intrigue TV asked for a Major Change from VHF channel 7 with 3 kW ERP to UHF channel 25 using 12kW ERP to achieve approximately the same coverage from Mt. Woodson. They propose to continue to beam southward to protect Los Angeles stations.

The seller, Premeire Media Networks, has been around for decades, a derivative of Civic Light, Inc., that started as a channel 63 station K63EN, broadcasting from SBE Chapter 36 past member Matthew Lunati’s apartment in Hillcrest in 1990. In 2010 at the end of the digital transition, the station moved to Mt. Woodson and began transmitting on channel 7. Since its inception, the station has been at least partly owned by Matt, who now lives in Arizona and works for IWA Technical Services as an RF engineer.

The buyer, Intrigue TV, is led by Frank Copsidas—”Super Frank” as he’s widely known. He is head of the LPTV Broadcasters’ Association and an evangelist for 5G one-way data transmission. Maybe you’ve heard that a Boston LPTV station, WWOO-LD, received an experimental license and is now broadcasting 5G technology from an antenna in downtown Boston. XGN Network is providing the technical horsepower and CEO Frank Copsidas says they chose 5G both for its economics for LPTV station owners and its potential for compatibility with existing mobile phones.

Qualcomm tried something similar to this with the MediaFLO project in the late 2000s and they discontinued the system after it failed to attract a profitable share of mobile users. Intrigue has partnered with Bitstern and Qualcomm on the current project. They own a network of TV stations that include WCRN Boston, KEFN St. Louis, WJSJ Indianapolis, and other stations in smaller markets.