KDOC-TV

KDOC-TV

Anaheim-Los Angeles, California
City of license	Anaheim, California
Branding	LA 56
Slogan	Discover Independent Television
Channels	Digital: 32 (UHF) Virtual: 56 (PSIP)
Subchannels	56.1 Main programming 56.2 ESNE 56.3 Me-TV 56.4 Plum TV 56.5 Viet Power TV
Affiliations	independent Me-TV
Owner	Ellis Communications (Ellis Communications KDOC Licensee, LLC (operated by Titan Broadcasting Group))
First air date	October 1, 1982
Call letters' meaning	Dynamic Orange County
Former channel number(s)	Analog: 56 (UHF, 1982-2009)
Transmitter power	1000 kW
Height	949 m
Facility ID	24518
Transmitter coordinates	34°13′35″N 118°3′58″W
Website	www.kdoctv.net

KDOC-TV (digital channel 32, virtual channel 56) is an independent television station based in Orange County, California (licensed to Anaheim, with studios and offices in Santa Ana). The station's transmitter is located on Mount Wilson, California. It broadcasts on digital channel 32, but uses PSIP technology to display its virtual channel as 56, its former analog number.

History

KDOC was initially owned by locally-based Golden Orange Broadcasting, whose investors included entertainer Pat Boone. KDOC has been on the air since 1982, and was the 5th independent television station in Los Angeles. It was the home of conservative commentator Wally George and televangelist Dr. Gene Scott until their deaths. During this period, the station was also popular for weekend broadcasts of Asian programming, which gained a significant non-Asian audience with the broadcast of the 1984–1985 (subtitled) Japanese Miyamoto Musashi television series.

In the fall of 1988, KDOC embarked on the station's first brief foray in television news. KDOC began producing NewsWatch 56. The newscast aired at 8PM anchored by Michelle Merker (also the station's public affairs director) and Pat Matthews (then a radio newscaster from New Orleans). The program was moved frequently to 7PM, then 9 PM, finally 11PM. During that time the station re-branded the program as Orange County NewsWatch, and then KDOC NewsWatch. In 1992, KDOC stopped producing full newscasts; the station produced news cut-ins instead.

Much of the station's programming through the years have featured situation comedy and dramatic reruns that were seen elsewhere in years past on other Los Angeles-area stations, after those stations either relinquished the rights or shared the rights with KDOC. Among those shows, they include The Mary Tyler Moore Show, The Dick Van Dyke Show, The Beverly Hillbillies, The Cosby Show, Saved by the Bell, The Doris Day Show, and My Three Sons. Reruns of the iconic courtroom drama Perry Mason had been on the station since 1988, where it aired weekdays at noon for about twenty years, and aired early mornings on KDOC (channel 56.1) until September 2011. Several of the aforementioned shows currently air on Me-TV (KDOC channel 56.3).

On April 4, 2006, Bert Ellis along with Anaheim Ducks owners Henry Samueli and his wife Susan bought KDOC for $149.5 million from Golden Orange Broadcasting. The sale closed in May 2006 and is currently licensed to Ellis Communications, Inc., a subsidiary of Titan Broadcast Management, based in Atlanta, Georgia.

In September 2006, KDOC made changes in its line-up and debuted a new slogan and logo Endless Classics (a reference to the Beach Boys album and the 1966 film The Endless Summer). The lineup included more current syndicated repeats, Anaheim Ducks hockey, some movies, as well as hours of paid programming. In 2008, the station's programming began moving away from the "Endless Classics" format adding more recent comedies and talk & judicial shows that have ended production.

In September 2008, KDOC launched a new website. The new website brought a new look, promoting their new programming format, and removing the forum section for viewers to post questions and comments on KDOC-TV programming that many stations provide. The Endless Classics logo was replaced in late 2009. In fall 2009, the station added ESPN Plus' syndication package of Southeastern Conference football and men's basketball, and added its coverage of Big 12 Conference men's basketball during the 2010-11 season.

On July 4, 2011, KDOC launched a new, revised website, as well as a new station logo (minus the TV after the KDOC call letters), a new color scheme, programming promotions for KDOC's main channel, 56.1 and Me-TV, channel 56.3, videos, and news headlines for both Los Angeles and Orange Counties. On December 3, 2012, the station launched a branding campaign, this time re-branding itself as LA 56.

On December 31, 2012, KDOC aired a live New Year's Eve special that was hosted by comedian and actor Jamie Kennedy—however, the special quickly became infamous for a large number of technical issues, dead air, unedited swearing, and a fight breaking out on-stage. A montage of clips from the special went viral after it was discovered by fellow comedian Patton Oswalt.

Digital television

The station's digital signal is multiplexed:

Channel	Video	Aspect	PSIP Short Name	Programming
56.1	720p	16:9	KDOC-HD	Main KDOC-TV programming
56.2	480i	4:3	ESNE	Spanish Catholic
56.3			METVLA	Me-TV
56.4			PLUM-TV	Plum TV
56.5			VPOWER	Viet Power TV (Vietnamese)

Analog-to-digital conversion

KDOC began digital broadcast operations on February 18, 2004 at 12:19 p.m. The station shut down its analog signal, on June 12, 2009 at 12:00 p.m., as part of the digital television transition in the United States. It then aired a "nightlight" message of the change before permanently shutting down the analog signal later in the afternoon. The station remained on its pre-transition channel 32, using PSIP to display its virtual channel as 56.1.

Me-TV affiliation

On April 4, 2011, Titan Broadcast Management (parent company of Ellis Communications) was announced, along with other television station groups (such as Hearst, Capitol Broadcasting, Raycom, Cox and Media General among others) to a carriage agreement of the Me-TV classic television programming network (a joint venture of Weigel Broadcasting and MGM, featuring programming from the CBS-Paramount-Desilu, NBCUniversal and 20th Century Fox television libraries). The network was launched on KDOC 56.3 on June 13, 2011 as Me-TV Los Angeles. On September 19, 2011, KDOC's main programming channel underwent a change to a new contemporary format, thus positioning Me-TV Los Angeles to be the network for classic television programming that once aired on KDOC.

Although KDOC continues to carry Me-TV on subchannel 56.3, KVME-TV in Bishop (with a low-power translator station in Banning) became an affiliate with Me-TV on April 30, 2012. The station carries Me-TV on their primary digital channel 20 (virtual channel 20.1), which is also available on the DirecTV and Dish Network local packages tier for the Los Angeles market. Both stations market the subchannel as "Me-TV Hollywood" changing from KDOC's previous id of Me-TV Los Angeles. Local advertising for Me-TV Hollywood will be completed by a jointly managed ad sales team for both stations.

As of February 1, 2012, Verizon FiOS subscribers in the Los Angeles area can receive Me-TV Hollywood on channel 462. In September 2012, Time Warner Cable announced it would add Me-TV Hollywood on its Southern California systems on October 31, 2012, on channel 137. As of 2012, other cable providers within the Los Angeles/Orange County area such as Charter Communications or Cox Communications do not carry Me-TV Hollywood on their lineup.

Due to KTTV holding exclusive local rights to I Love Lucy (as they have since the 1960s; these rights are also shared with sister station KCOP), Me-TV will replace any scheduled airings of that program from the national feed with The Lucy Show instead.

Programming

Syndicated programs that are broadcast on KDOC's main channel, 56.1 includes According to Jim, America's Funniest Home Videos, American Dad!, Baggage, Cash Cab, Cheaters, The Daily Buzz, Frasier, Jeremiah, Justice for All with Judge Cristina Pérez, Last Shot With Judge Gunn, Law & Order: Criminal Intent, Seinfeld, Star Wars: The Clone Wars, 'Til Death, Trisha, Tyler Perry's House of Payne and We the People With Gloria Allred. The station also produces the local programs Box Office America and Jennifer Day TV.

KDOC also mainains broadcast rights to games from several local sports teams including the Anaheim Ducks, C.D. Chivas USA, the Los Angeles Galaxy and the Los Angeles Sparks, along with SEC and Big 12 college football and college football games supplied by ESPN Plus. It also broadcasts the locally produced wrestling program Championship Wrestling from Hollywood.

Daybreak OC

On September 10, 2007, KDOC-TV in partnership with the Orange County Register, launched a morning newscast named Daybreak OC. The show initially covered Orange County specific weather, traffic, news in high-definition when the station's studios moved to the Orange County Register headquarters in Santa Ana, California. On September 8, 2008, the show was cut to one hour, moved to late morning and focused less on news. On October 14, 2008, the program was cancelled by KDOC following that day's show.

Station presentation

Station slogans

• "Endless Classics" (2006-2009)
• "Discover Independent Television" (2009–present)

See also

• Hot Seat
• Short Ribbs

External links

• KDOC-TV website
• Query the FCC's TV station database for KDOC
• BIAfn's Media Web Database -- Information on KDOC-TV
• Query TV Fool's coverage map for KDOC-DT