THERE ARE TIMES WHEN WE ARE REMINDED WHY LIVING HERE IS ONE OF LIFE'S BLESSINGS. THE BRAZOS VALLEY MEDIA GIVING BACK FUND IS ABOUT TO DISPERSE DONATIONS IN MEMORY AND IN HONOR OF FIREFIGHTERS INVOLVED IN THE LOCAL TRAGEDY A FEW WEEKS BACK. YOUR GENEROUS RESPONSE EXCEEDED $60,000. ONE OUT OF TOWN GROUP WAS MEETING IN BRYAN-COLLEGE STATION, SAW A STORY ABOUT THE FUND ON KBTX, AND MADE A $400 DONATION BEFORE RETURNING HOME.

THERE ARE NO DOUBT OTHER STORIES OF THOSE WHO DONATED, BUT COLLECTIVELY, IT IS IMPRESSIVE THAT WHEN TRAGEDY STRIKES, LIKE FAMILY, WE ARE STRONGER TOGETHER. ON BEHALF OF THE EAGLE, BRYAN BROADCASTING, AND THE FAMILY AT KBTX, WE THANK YOU.

POLITICALLY, IF YOU ARE LIKE ME- FRANKLY I DON'T REALLY KNOW WHAT THIS WHOLE BUDGET ISSUE IS ABOUT - WITHHOLDING FUNDS FOR SERVICES LIKE TRAFFIC CONTROL AT EASTERWOOD.

G-S WROTE IN:

With all of your coverage of the FAA's threats to close the Easterwood Control Tower, please take a look at what the federal government has decided is more worthy than airport safety. The threat to close the control towers is purely a political stunt, and we depend on our news organizations to call the hand of those perpetrating these charades on the public. Please seize the opportunity to do so.

G-S- HAVE A POINT, POLITICS UNFORTUNATELY IS INVOLVED IN EVERYTHING IT SEEMS, AND I'M NOT SO SURE ANY MEDIA, INCLUDING KBTX, HAS DONE A GOOD JOB AT ALL OF BREAKING ALL OF THIS DOWN. WE THANK YOU FOR YOUR COMMENT.

IT IS MARCH MADNESS TIME AND LEADING UP TO THAT, OUR CW-8 AGGIELAND WAS HOME OF THE S-E-C TOURNAMENT BROADCASTS. SHANE WROTE IN WITH A CONCERN, A COMPLAINT ACTUALLY - RIDDLED WITH BAD INFORMATION - NOT BECAUSE OF HIM, MIND YOU.

HE SAYS:

I just wanted to express my disapproval with your broadcasting blackout policy for CW8 and the SEC Basketball Tournament. I have DirecTV for it superior product and services to date KBTX CW8 is not shown on DirecTV. DirecTV does show the SEC Basketball Tournament games on an alternate Fox Sports Southwest channel but it is blacked out because of your policies. I would hope you can resolve your contractual differences so people like myself are not penalized in the future or at the least lift said blackouts until you do.

SEVERAL THINGS HERE - FIRST, KBTX HAS OFFERED CW-8 TO DIRECTV, WE INVESTED THOUSANDS IN INSTALLING FIBER FROM HERE TO WACO AT THE DIRECTV HEAD END, SO - IT IS READY TO GO - AS IS THE HIGH DEF SIGNAL FROM KBTX AND OUR CBS SIGNAL. WE HAVE NO CONTRACTUAL DIFFERENCES. DIRECTV SIMPLY DOESN'T REGARD THIS AREA AS DESERVING OF WACO TO HAVE THE LOCAL FULL SERVICE TELEVISION STATION IN HIGH DEF.

AS FOR THE BLACK-OUT, WE HAVE NOTHING TO DO WITH THAT. THAT IS A DECISION BY PERHAPS THE S-E-C OR FOX SPORTS SOUTHWEST OR ESPN, NOT SOMETHING WE CONTROL. BASED ON DIRECTV NOT CARRYING CW-8, I WOULDN'T ASK FOR A BLACKOUT ANYWAY. IT ISN'T THE FAULT OF THE CUSTOMER, AND SOMETIMES CUSTOMERS OR SUBSCRIBERS GET CAUGHT IN THE MIDDLE FOR NO REASON. AFTER VISITING WITH SHAWN, IT WAS NICE TO KNOW HE SUPPORTS KBTX IN OUR EFFORTS WITH DIRECT. WE REMAIN APPRECIATIVE TO DISH NETWORK FOR KBTX-CARRIAGE IN H-D- AND TO SUDDENLINK FOR CARRIAGE OF KBTX AND CW-8 IN H-D- AS WELL.

WE WELCOME ALL OPINIONS, WE THANK YOU FOR YOUR INPUT AND YOUR THOUGHTS ALWAYS MATTER TO KBTX NEWS 3.