Ed Ehrman, submitted by Linda Shannon-Hills
After years of constant messages and phone calls to the fire district, Pinal County political officers, Federal Communications Commission (FCC), and other agencies, Ed Ehrman needs a hearty thank you for continued effort to get approval from the Media Bureau of the FCC on April 8, 2024, to move our community, SaddleBrooke Ranch, and the communities of SaddleBrooke, Oracle, and Eagle Crest from the Phoenix DMA (a Neilson marketing area term) into the Tucson/Sierra Vista DMA.
It will take a few weeks to communicate to the various satellite, streaming, and other broadcast areas, but by June 1, 2024, “implementation will be seamless,” a spokesperson from Dish Satellite stated. For residents currently receiving Phoenix stations, the change will be automatic; we do not need to do anything. The assumption is that DIRECTV would be similar.
Our area will be able to access the four major TV channels in Tucson. This will provide us with news, weather, emergency notices, and important information more relevant to our area: KGUN-TV channel 9 (ABC), KOA channel 4 (NBC), KOLD-TV channel 13 (CBS), and KMSB channel 11 (FOX).
Many of us worked hard and long to achieve this, and I would like to thank those of you who provided feedback on our survey last year, which was needed to file the petition.
The final push came from the Pinal County Board of Supervisors and the county attorneys who focused on this important issue. A special thanks goes out to Kevin Cavanaugh, who, while our supervisor, helped start this journey after the Bighorn Fire on Mount Lemmon in 2020. Additional thanks go to Jeff McClure, current District 4 Board Supervisor, and his assistant, Trecia Koozer. They carried the ball over the goal line. We can’t thank them enough.
If you have any questions, contact your TV station provider.
Federal Communications Commission
Washington, D.C. 20554
In the Matter of Pinal County, Arizona
Petition for Modification of the Satellite Television
Markets of KGUN-TV, KVOA, KOLD-TV, KMSB, Tucson, Arizona
MB Docket No. 24-28
MEMORANDUM OPINION AND ORDER
Adopted: April 8, 2024, Released: April 8, 2024
Once again, thank you to Ed Ehrman, resident of SaddleBrooke Ranch.