Updated in May 2007, and again in April 2008.

I've written both here and (as a user) at HDTVOK.com about KFOR-DT's stupid insistence on discontinuing HDTV coverage to show weather maps, because KFOR-DT cannot superimpose a weather map image over an HD picture, and because they have an entire channel they supposedly use for this but don't. Me, from last October:

This is especially annoying because KFOR uses one of its four digital channels (4-2) for a 24/7 weather channel (NBC Weather Plus) that never has any live weather on it. Even while KFOR-TV is wall-to-wall tornado warnings, KFOR-DT's 4-2 channel is showing taped weathercasts from 6 hours ago and live NBC Weather Plus feeds about fog in New Jersey. They have a 24/7 weather channel and won't use it for severe weather, but drop the HD signal for "severe weather" that does not affect anyone receiving their HD signal. Usually, after the weather map goes away, the signal stays in SD for several minutes or, perhaps, all night. There are signs of improvement, but historically, KFOR just hasn't cared whether they broadcast in HD or not. (I have ranted about this many times at HDTVOK.com.)

Now, since severe storms hit here just three weeks ago, you may reasonably ask if this is just something we need to live with. I don't object too much when the stations go live wall-to-wall with severe storms coverage, because warning people in the broadcast area has to be the top priority. The problem is when they do it for areas outside the broadcast area.

For example, right now, KFOR-DT (and the other local stations) have stopped local programming to show live streaming video of a severe storm in Harper County, just east of Laverne and north of May. See a map of the storm's current location here.

Now, using Google Earth and maps from TVFool.com, here is the broadcast area for KFOR-DT. Here's what the map means, according to its providers:

• They DO take into account the transmitter power, frequency, antenna pattern, and height (according to the FCC)
• They DO account for propagation losses due to terrain
• They DO account for curvature of the Earth
• They represent the expected signal strength near ground level
• They DO NOT take into account your antenna gain, amps, elevated installation, or receiver sensitivity
• They DO NOT account for building obstructions or indoor penetration
• They DO NOT account for multipath

In very rough terms, the colors can be broken down as follows (not related to Antennaweb):

• White is extremely strong. Beware of signal overload on amps.
• Red-yellow-green are all quite strong. You can expect reasonable coverage with an indoor antenna.
• Cyan is where it's advisable to move the antenna up to the second floor or attic.
• Blue is where it's probably necessary to install a good antenna on the roof.
• Purple is quite weak and you really have to work at it for any chance of reception.

There's no way the people in the path of this storm are even receiving KFOR-DT except maybe by satellite, in which case the rain is so severe that they're not receiving it anyway. They'll take Jeopardy! off the air to show storm coverage for people who can't receive the broadcast, while (and I checked this to be sure) the "24/7 weather channel," 4-2, continued to broadcast national weather and a repeat of the weather segment from the noon news, four hours earlier.

In fact, when the storms hit here three weeks ago, I knew it because I had KOCO-DT's weather channel, 5-2, on the TV. Except for some children's programming on Saturday and Sunday mornings, 5-2 is a 24/7 live feed of KOCO's doppler weather radar. The station wasn't willing to break into its Oprah rerun at 11:30 PM until the storm and tornadoes were literally right on top of us.

A day earlier, KOCO had done it right, though - they left their prime-time HDTV signal active, updating people on storms during the commercial breaks, going so far as to emphasize "You're not missing any of your programming."

During the same storm period, KFOR-DT dropped shows like Heroes out of HDTV to show a weather map on the screen, and broke into programming to talk about storms outside the broadcast area. When the commercials came up, KFOR removed the weather map and let the commercials air uninterrupted. KOCO (and even Sinclair's KOKH-DT) did it the other way around - weather map on analog channels, HDTV undisturbed, updates during commercials. They bypassed some ad revenue to serve their viewers who weren't affected and update those who were. KFOR interrupted everyone's programs, so its viewers didn't see their programs and still saw all the commercials. KFOR sacrificed nothing.

And, really, that's my major beef: for KFOR, it's all about the appearance of looking concerned about severe weather without actually being concerned. They didn't give up a single ad dollar, but they interrupted high-rated programs to put the weather guy on to look concerned about storms affecting people who couldn't possibly receive his broadcasts.

Right now, as I post this, KFOR's David Payne is inside an F-0 tornado near May. It's very good footage, and good coverage, but the event is not in the KFOR-DT broadcast area. Past a certain point, you have to question the phony sanctimony of eliminating local programming (and constantly eliminating the HD signal) to show coverage of weather events in places that can't see the programming. It's about the appearance of concern while serving no purpose other than Mike Morgan's obsessive need to get his mug on the camera.

Update: In talking about this with Justin, he noted that KFOR-TV (analog) had shrunk the picture and moved it off to the side during the extremely important and anticipated Heroes season finale. I recorded the program in HD in case any of my friends missed it, even though I do not watch Heroes myself. (Hey, a network that couldn't make Studio 60 work had very little chance of building an audience for a sci-fi/fantasy series. I don't get involved with new serial dramas on NBC, ABC, or Fox, because about 75% of them are dropped after 2-3 episodes.) When he said that, I pulled up the Heroes finale and fast-forwarded - and KFOR-DT (digital) did not drop the HD signal for out-of-area weather coverage, even though I saw some of it flash by during a commercial.

Therefore, contradicting all previous evidence, there is now a small bit of hope that KFOR-DT can be taught. Let's hope it's a new philosophy and not just "we don't want to answer a thousand phone calls from nerds tonight."

Update 2 (April 2008): Available here, because trying to include it in this text is more than creaky old Manila can handle.