Luken Communications

Luken Communications, LLC
Private LLC
Industry Broadcast Television
Founded Chattanooga, Tennessee (2008)
Founder Henry Luken III
Headquarters Chattanooga, Tennessee
Area served
United States (Nationwide)
Key people
Henry Luken III (president and CEO)
Products Television stations
Digital broadcast television networks
Owner Henry Luken III
Number of employees
50 (2010)
Subsidiaries
Website luken.tv

Luken Communications, LLC is a privately owned American broadcast holding company, based in Chattanooga, Tennessee, which owns or operates around 80 television stations in the United States and six digital television multicast networks.

History

Luken Communications (LC) was formed in 2008 by Henry Luken III, formerly president and CEO of Equity Media Holdings. LC agreed to purchase six TV stations from Equity Media for $17.5 million and paid a $5 million installment with the rest pending on regulatory approval. The stations are in Amarillo and Waco, Texas; Fort Myers/Naples, Florida, Minneapolis; and Oklahoma City and Tulsa, Oklahoma and were then affiliated with Univision and TeleFutura. In June 2008, Equity sold to Luken Retro Television Network for $18.5 million and 8.05 million Equity warrants for $1.5 million.[1]

On January 4, 2009, a contract conflict between Equity and Luken Communications interrupted RTN programming on many of its affiliates with Luken alleging that Equity had left many obligations to RTN's creditors, including programming suppliers, unpaid. As a result, Luken restored a national feed of the network from its Chattanooga headquarters.[2] As a result of this dispute, Luken pulled out of a deal to purchase Equity's stations in southwestern Florida.

In June 2009, Luken and Seals Entertainment Company LLC launched the male-oriented digital multicast channel Tuff TV.[3] On March 22, 2011, Luken became part-owners of My Family TV in a joint venture with existing owner ValCom.[4] In June 2011, Luken Communications announced the purchase of 78 low-power translator stations from the Minority Media and Telecommunications Council for $390,000; the purchase was made in order to expand coverage of its ten existing and planned digital multicast networks with hopes to eventually acquire 400 low-power stations.[5] In late summer 2011, Luken and Classic Media launched PBJ, featuring classic children's programs from the Classics Media library.[6] With Frost Cutlery's shopping network and outdoor shows, Luken launched in 2011 the Frost Great Outdoors network.[7]

On April 16, 2012, Luken Communications and Jim Owens Entertainment announced that the companies had teamed to relaunch The Nashville Network as a digital broadcast television network set for a late summer 2012 launch (TNN previously existed as a cable channel started by Gaylord Entertainment Company in 1983, and is now known as Spike under Viacom ownership). Jim Owens Entertainment acquired the rights to The Nashville Network trademark and logo around 2010-2011.

On June 23, 2013, Luken Communications filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. The filing came just two days after an Arkansas jury awarded a $47.4 million verdict against the company for a “fraudulent transfer” of the ownership of RTV six years ago.[8] Luken Communications emerged from bankruptcy protection in October 2014.[9]

Assets owned by Luken Communications

Digital multicast networks

Broadcast television stations

Notes: All stations are owned by Digital Networks, LLC. (a subsidiary of Luken Communications). Many of these stations were former Trinity Broadcasting Network (TBN) translators, unless specified.

DMA# City of license / Market Station Channel
TV (RF)
Primary affiliation
8. Washington, D.C. W43BP 43 (19) TBA (currently silent)
13. Phoenix, Arizona K38CX 38 (N/A) TBA
K51IO 51 (47) 51 Tuff TV
14. Tampa, Florida WDNP-LP 36 (36) 36.1 PBJ
15. Minneapolis, Minnesota K19BG 19 (19) Currently Silent
(To be Retro TV soon.)
K42FH 42 (16) TBA
17. Denver, Colorado K26CV 26 (26) TBA
K48CG 48 (33) TBA
24. Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina W45CN 45 (N/A) TBA (currently silent)
33. Salt Lake City, Utah K39AK 39 (39) TBA (currently silent)
36. San Antonio, Texas K15BV 15 (42) TBA
KRTX-LP 20 (20) 20.1 Retro TV
37. Spartanburg-Greenville, South Carolina WASV-LP 50 (50) 50.1 Heartland
50.2 Retro TV
50.3 PBJ
50.4 Tuff TV
WNGS-LP 50 (33) TBA
39. Birmingham, Alabama WRTD-LD 46 (46) 46.1 Retro TV
46.2 PBJ
46.3 My Family TV
46.4 Tuff TV
46.5 Frost Great Outdoors
45. Albuquerque-Santa Fe, New Mexico K36GD 36 (35) TBA (currently silent)
K50IA 50 (50) TBA (currently silent)
49. Memphis, Tennessee WPYM-LD1 56 (38) 38.1 PBJ
50. Jacksonville, Florida W23AQ 23 (22) TBA (currently silent)
W45CU 45 (17) TBA (currently silent)
51. Buffalo, New York W30BW 30 (30) 30.1 Retro TV
55. Fresno, California K27GZ 27 (N/A) TBA (currently silent)
58. Albany, New York W47CM 47 (47) TBA (currently silent)
59. Tulsa, Oklahoma K25GJ 25 (23) TBA (currently silent)
K50JG 50 (29) TBA (currently silent)
61. Knoxville, Tennessee WKXT-LD 61 (43) 61.1 PBJ
67. Wichita, Kansas K15CN 15 (15) analog channel shows TBN
KSMI-LP1, 3 51 (30) 51.1 Retro TV
51.2 Heartland
51.3 My Family TV
51.4 PBJ
51.5 Tuff TV
69. Green Bay, Wisconsin W36DH 36 (15) TBA (currently silent)
71. Honolulu, Hawaii K34HC 34 (34) TBA (currently silent)
K38HU 38 (N/A) TBA (currently silent)
75. Springfield, Missouri K41HC 41 (41) TBA (currently silent)
78. Portland, Maine WMNE-LP 32 (32) TBA
80. Huntsville-Decatur-Florence, Alabama WNAL-LD 27 (31) 27.1 PBJ
WSWH-LD 33 (35) 33.1 PBJ
81. Paducah, Kentucky-Cape Girardeau-
Harrisburg-Mt. Vernon, Illinois
K39CP 39 (19) TBA (currently silent)
83. Shreveport, Louisiana K30EA 30 (30) TBA
86. Chattanooga, Tennessee WOOT-LP1, 2 6 (31) 6.1 Heartland
6.2 Retro TV
6.3 Rev'N
6.4 Tuff TV
88. Waco, Texas K47ED 47 (38) TBA (currently silent)
89. Waterloo, Iowa K42HI 42 (42) TBA (currently silent)
K44FK 44 (44) TBA (currently silent)
92. Savannah, Georgia W14CQ 14 (N/A) TBA
WLOW-LP 19 (49) TBA
93. Jackson, Mississippi W36AC 36 (49) TBA (currently silent)
WEAZ-LD 49 (49) 49.1 PBJ
95. Burlington, Vermont W16AL 16 (16) TBA
99. Greenville-New Bern-Washington, North Carolina W22CJ 22 (33) TBA (currently silent)
W44CN 44 (15) TBA (currently silent)
100. Davenport, Iowa-Rock Island-Moline, Illinois KQCT-LP 61 (17) Currently silent
(to be Retro TV soon)
W19CX 19 (N/A) TBA (currently silent)
W51DT 51 (43) TBA (currently silent)
113. Sioux Falls, South Dakota K56GF 56 (23) TBA (currently silent)
117. Fargo-Valley City, North Dakota K35KD 35 (35) TBA (currently silent)
124. Lafayette, Louisiana K39JV 39 (39) analog channel shows TBN
127. Columbus, Georgia W30BD 30 (41) TBA (currently silent)
131. Chico-Redding, California K19FY 19 (19) TBA (currently silent)
133. Columbus-Tupelo-West Point, Mississippi W25AD 25 (25) TBA (currently silent)
135. Wausau-Rhinelander, Wisconsin K32GF 32 (44) TBA (currently silent)
136. Topeka, Kansas K31BW 31 (31) TBA (currently silent)
140. Medford-Klamath Falls, Oregon K58BG 58 (16) TBA (currently silent)
142. Wichita Falls, Texas-Lawton, Oklahoma K49GC 49 (N/A) TBA (currently silent)
146 Erie, Pennsylvania W48CH 48 (48) TBA (currently silent)
W52BO 52 (46) TBA (currently silent)
147. Sioux City, Iowa K21HS 21 (N/A) TBA (currently silent)
152. Minot-Bismarck-Dickinson, North Dakota K21GQ 21 (N/A) analog channel shows The Church Channel
K40DE 40 (N/A) analog channel shows TBN
K46DY 46 (28) analog channel shows TBN
153. Rochester-Austin, Minnesota-Mason City, Iowa K40JT 40 (40) TBA (currently silent)
154. Terre Haute, Indiana WSWY-LP 43 (43) TBA (currently silent)
160. Idaho Falls-Pocatello, Idaho K41JC 41 (42) TBA (currently silent)
161. Sherman, Texas-Ada, Oklahoma KWRW-LP 44 (44) TBA (currently silent)
173. Rapid City, South Dakota KRPC-LP 33 (33) 33.1 Heartland
33.2 Retro TV
33.3 PBJ
33.4 Tuff TV
174. Elmira, New York W59DG 59 (38) TBA
187. Greenwood/Greenville, Mississippi WPYM-LD1 38 (38) 38.1 PBJ
192. Parkersburg, West Virginia W45BW 45 (36) TBA (currently silent)
193. Bend, Oregon K33AG 33 (29) TBA (currently silent)
203. Zanesville, Ohio W16BT 16 (29) TBA (currently silent)
208. Alpena, Michigan W18BT 18 (33) TBA

References

  1. Marich, Robert (June 26, 2008). "Equity Media Sells RTN to Ease Crunch". Broadcasting & Cable. Retrieved February 18, 2015.
  2. Jessell, Harry A. (1/5/2009). "Financial Dispute Disrupts RTN Diginet". tVNewsCheck. Retrieved February 18, 2015. Check date values in: |date= (help)
  3. "New TUFF TV Network Scheduled For Launch". April 29, 2009.
  4. Frank, Judy (March 22, 2011). "Chattanooga's Luken Communications Enters Joint Venture With ValCom Entertainment Company". Chattanoogan. Retrieved March 30, 2011.
  5. Jessell, Harry A. (June 16, 2011). "RTN Parent Buys 78 TV Translators". TVNewsCheck. Retrieved February 18, 2015.
  6. "Luken, Classic Media To Debut New Network". TVNewsCheck. May 5, 2011. Retrieved May 7, 2011.
  7. Flessner, Dave (June 10, 2012). "Chattanooga businessman Henry Luken goes country". ChattanooganTimes Free Press. Retrieved February 19, 2015.
  8. Luken Communications files bankruptcy after Arkansas jury verdict against company, June 23, 2013
  9. http://rbr.com/jim-owens-entertainment-ends-licensing-deal-with-luken/. Missing or empty |title= (help)
  10. Marcucci, Carl (October 31, 2012). "Luken RTV affiliate losses not a big hit". Radio-TV Business Report (Streamline RBR, Inc). Retrieved February 18, 2015.

External links

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