Catholic multichannel programming plan falls through in Texas

KMBH, owned by the Catholic archdiocese in Harlingen, Texas, won't get permanent all-Catholic programming on one of its digital channels after all -- a deal it had been planning for years (Current, April 21, 2008). The Brownsville Herald reports that the agreement between the station and GospaTV, which began broadcasting on a KMBH multichannel in June 2009, has fallen apart and its broadcasts probably will end July 24. The paper said that GospaTV missed two $60,000 payments to the station, most recently on June 1. GospaTV's owner Fiat Communications counters that KMBH didn't provide certain benefits and services as stated in the contract. Fiat and RGV Educational Services, parent of KMBH, came to a mutual agreement to terminate GospaTV. It's the latest in a long list of problems (Current, March 16, 2009) at the station, including the unexplained ouster of several board members, a CPB audit and the removal of the station's controversial general manager in April.