KWCM-TV

Last updated
KWCM-TV
Pioneer PBS logo 2019.png
Channels
BrandingPioneer PBS
Programming
Affiliations10.1: PBS
10.2: Create
10.3: Minnesota Channel
10.4: World
10.5: PBS Kids
Ownership
OwnerWest Central Minnesota Educational TV Corp.
History
First air date
January 21, 1966(58 years ago) (1966-01-21)
Former channel number(s)
Analog:
10 (VHF, 1966–2009)
Digital:
31 (UHF, 2009)
NET (via KTCA, 1966–1970)
Call sign meaning
West Central Minnesota
Technical information [1]
Licensing authority
FCC
Facility ID 71549
ERP 50 kW
HAAT 381 m (1,250 ft)
Transmitter coordinates 45°10′3″N96°0′2″W / 45.16750°N 96.00056°W / 45.16750; -96.00056 (KWCM-TV)
Translator(s) See below
Links
Public license information
Website www.pioneer.org
Satellite station
KSMN
Channels
Brandingsee KWCM-TV infobox
Programming
Affiliations20.1 PBS
20.2: Create
20.3: Minnesota Channel
20.4: World
20.5: PBS Kids
Ownership
OwnerWest Central Minnesota Educational TV Corp.
History
First air date
February 3, 1997(27 years ago) (1997-02-03)
Former call signs
KMSW (CP, 11/20/1995–12/8/1995)
Former channel number(s)
Analog: 20 (UHF, 1997–2009)
Call sign meaning
Southern Minnesota
Technical information [2]
Facility ID 71558
ERP 200 kW
HAAT 290.1 m (952 ft)
Transmitter coordinates 43°53′52″N95°56′51″W / 43.89778°N 95.94750°W / 43.89778; -95.94750
Links
Public license information

KWCM-TV (channel 10) is a PBS member television station in Appleton, Minnesota, United States, owned by the West Central Minnesota Educational TV Corp. KWCM-TV's studios are located on Pioneer Drive in Granite Falls, and its transmitter is located near Appleton.

Contents

KSMN (channel 20) in Worthington operates as a full-time satellite of KWCM-TV; this station's transmitter is located near Chandler, Minnesota. KSMN covers areas of southwestern Minnesota that receive a marginal to non-existent over-the-air signal from KWCM, although there is significant overlap between the two stations' contours otherwise. KSMN is a straight simulcast of KWCM; on-air references to KSMN are limited to Federal Communications Commission (FCC)-mandated hourly station identifications during programming. Aside from the transmitter, KSMN does not maintain any physical presence locally in Worthington.

The two stations are collectively branded as Pioneer PBS. Their combined signal can also be received in parts of Iowa, South Dakota and North Dakota. Several other translators carry the signal into other communities.

History

Logo used from mid-2000s until November 3, 2019 PioneerPublicTV.jpg
Logo used from mid-2000s until November 3, 2019

KWCM went on the air for the first time on February 7, 1966. In the early years, it repeated the signal of KTCA-TV in the Twin Cities. It adopted the Pioneer Public Television name in 1982, and added KSMN in 1997.

The station is available on the DirecTV and Dish Network feeds for the Twin Cities and Sioux Falls markets. Appleton is part of the Twin Cities market, while Worthington is in the Sioux Falls market. This gives Pioneer a potential audience of 4.8 million people in Minnesota, Iowa, South Dakota, North Dakota and Wisconsin. As of November 3, 2019, the station became Pioneer PBS due to PBS' overhaul.

Pioneer-produced shows

Some locally produced shows include Postcards, Prairie Sportsman, Funtime Polka, Your Legislators, Country Spires and programs produced with the University of Minnesota Morris, Prairie Yard and Garden, Academic Challenge, Echoes of Cry of the Marsh and Minnesota Rivers and Fields. Some of these shows have also been shown on the Minnesota Channel, a statewide network originated at KTCI-TV in the Twin Cities which carries local programs on Saturday and Sunday evenings.

Technical information

Subchannels

The stations' digital signals are multiplexed:

Channel Res. Aspect Short nameProgramming
KWCMKSMNK08QE-DKWCMKSMN
10.120.18.1 720p 16:9 KWCM-HDKSMN-HDMain programming / PBS
10.220.28.2 480i Create Create
10.320.38.3KWCM-MNKSMN-MN Minnesota Channel
10.420.48.4KWCM-WDKSMN-WD World
10.520.58.5PTVKids PBS Kids
10.620.68.6PTVFNX First Nations Experience

Analog-to-digital conversion

KWCM-TV and KSMN shut down their analog transmitters on June 12, 2009. [3] KWCM-TV's digital signal relocated to VHF channel 10 from UHF channel 31, while KSMN's digital signal remained on its pre-transition UHF channel 15.

Translators

A network of digital translators in western Minnesota translates KWCM.

City of licenseCallsignChannel ERP HAAT Facility ID Transmitter coordinatesOwner
Alexandria K27KN-D 271.1 kW123 m (404 ft)59645 45°55′59.0″N95°26′51.0″W / 45.933056°N 95.447500°W / 45.933056; -95.447500 (K27KN-D) Selective TV
Fergus Falls K08QE-D 83 kW202 m (663 ft)71562 46°28′48.0″N96°01′46.0″W / 46.480000°N 96.029444°W / 46.480000; -96.029444 (K08QE-D) West Central Minnesota Educational TV Corporation
Olivia K20JY-D 200.79 kW87 m (285 ft)55749 44°45′32.9″N94°52′24.0″W / 44.759139°N 94.873333°W / 44.759139; -94.873333 (K20JY-D) Renville County TV Corporation
Willmar K22ND-D 220.7 kW155 m (509 ft)68708 45°09′58.0″N95°02′38.0″W / 45.166111°N 95.043889°W / 45.166111; -95.043889 (K22ND-D) UHF TV, Inc.

Related Research Articles

Iowa PBS, formerly Iowa Public Television (IPTV), is a network of Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) member stations in the U.S. state of Iowa. It is operated by the Iowa Public Broadcasting Board, an agency of the state education department which holds the licenses for all the PBS member stations in the state. Iowa PBS' headquarters are located at 6450 Corporate Drive in Johnston, Iowa, a suburb of Des Moines.

Twin Cities Public Television, Inc. is a nonprofit organization based in Saint Paul, Minnesota, United States, that operates the Twin Cities' two PBS member television stations, KTCA-TV and KTCI-TV, both licensed to Saint Paul. It produces programs for local, regional and national television broadcast, operates numerous websites, and produces rich media content for Web distribution.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Maryland Public Television</span> PBS member network serving Maryland, USA

Maryland Public Television (MPT) is the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) member state network for the U.S. state of Maryland. It operates under the auspices of the Maryland Public Broadcasting Commission, an agency of the Maryland state government that holds the licenses for all PBS member stations licensed in the state.

WFTC is a television station licensed to Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States, broadcasting the MyNetworkTV programming service to the Twin Cities area. It is owned and operated by Fox Television Stations alongside Fox outlet KMSP-TV. Both stations share studios on Viking Drive in Eden Prairie, while WFTC's transmitter is located in Shoreview, Minnesota.

KPXM-TV is a television station licensed to St. Cloud, Minnesota, United States, broadcasting the Ion Television network to the Minneapolis–Saint Paul area. The station is owned and operated by the Ion Media subsidiary of the E. W. Scripps Company, and maintains a sales office on 176th Street NW near Big Lake; its transmitter is located in Nowthen, Minnesota.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Prairie Public Television</span> PBS member network serving North Dakota, United States

Prairie Public's television service is a state network of public television signals operated by Prairie Public Broadcasting. It comprises all of the PBS member stations in the U.S. state of North Dakota.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">KBMY</span> ABC/MyNetworkTV affiliate in Bismarck, North Dakota

KBMY is a television station in Bismarck, North Dakota, United States, affiliated with ABC and MyNetworkTV. Owned by Forum Communications Company, the station maintains a news bureau and advertising sales office on North 15th Street in Bismarck, and its transmitter is located near St. Anthony, North Dakota.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">KVRR</span> Fox affiliate in Fargo, North Dakota

KVRR is a television station in Fargo, North Dakota, United States, affiliated with the Fox network. Owned by Coastal Television Broadcasting Company, the station maintains studios on South 40th Street and South 9th Avenue in Fargo, and its transmitter is located near Tansem, Minnesota. KVRR also handles master control and some internal operations for sister station and fellow Fox affiliate KQDS-TV in Duluth, Minnesota.

PBS Wisconsin is a network of non-commercial educational television stations operated primarily by the Wisconsin Educational Communications Board and the University of Wisconsin–Madison. It comprises all of the PBS member stations in the state outside of Milwaukee.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">South Dakota Public Broadcasting</span> Public radio and TV network in South Dakota

South Dakota Public Broadcasting (SDPB) is a network of non-commercial educational television and radio stations serving the U.S. state of South Dakota. The stations are operated by the South Dakota Bureau of Information and Telecommunication, an agency of the state government which holds the licenses for all of the PBS and NPR member stations licensed in South Dakota except KRSD in Sioux Falls, which is owned and run by Minnesota Public Radio, and KAUR in Sioux Falls, which is owned by Augustana University and operated by MPR. SDPB has studios and offices in Rapid City and Sioux Falls with headquarters being located in the Al Neuharth Media Center on the campus of the University of South Dakota in Vermillion.

KEYC-TV is a television station licensed to Mankato, Minnesota, United States, affiliated with CBS and Fox. It is owned by Gray Television alongside low-power, dual NBC/CW+ affiliate KMNF-LD. The two stations share studios on Lookout Drive in North Mankato; KEYC-TV's transmitter is located near Lewisville, Minnesota.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">KCPM (TV)</span> TV station in Grand Forks, North Dakota (2003–2020)

KCPM was a television station licensed to Grand Forks, North Dakota, United States, which served eastern North Dakota and northwestern Minnesota. Owned by Chuck Poppen's Central Plains Media of Sioux Falls, South Dakota, it was last affiliated with MyNetworkTV. KCPM's transmitter was located on the Midco cable headend tower northwest of East Grand Forks, Minnesota.

Nebraska Public Media, formerly Nebraska Educational Telecommunications (NET), is a state network of public radio and television stations in the U.S. state of Nebraska. It is operated by the Nebraska Educational Telecommunications Commission (NETC). The television stations are all members of the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS), while the radio stations are members of National Public Radio (NPR).

WDSE, branded PBS North, is a PBS member television station in Duluth, Minnesota, United States. Owned by the Duluth–Superior Area Educational Television Corporation, it is sister to adult album alternative radio station WDSE-FM (103.3). The two outlets share studios on rented space at the University of Minnesota Duluth; the television station's transmitter is located west of downtown Duluth in Hilltop Park.

KTTW is a religious television station in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, United States, owned and operated by Tri-State Christian Television (TCT) with transmitter in Rowena, South Dakota. It is rebroadcast on KTTM in Huron, whose transmitter is located near Alpena, South Dakota. KTTM covers areas of south-central and southeastern South Dakota that receive a marginal to non-existent over-the-air signal from KTTW.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">KSFY-TV</span> ABC affiliate in Sioux Falls, South Dakota

KSFY-TV is a television station in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, United States, affiliated with ABC. It is owned by Gray Television alongside dual NBC and Fox affiliate KDLT-TV. The two stations share studios in Courthouse Square on 1st Avenue South in Sioux Falls; KSFY-TV's transmitter is located near Rowena, South Dakota.

Montana PBS is the PBS member public television network for the U.S. state of Montana. It is a joint venture between Montana State University (MSU) and the University of Montana (UM). The network is headquartered in the Visual Communications Building on the MSU campus in Bozeman, with a separate studio on the UM campus in Missoula.

KSFL-TV is a television station in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, United States. It is owned by Forum Communications Company alongside low-power station KCWS-LD. KSFL-TV's studios are located on West 57th Street in Sioux Falls, and its transmitter is located in Rowena.

KRSU-TV is an educational independent television station in Claremore, Oklahoma, United States, serving the Tulsa area. Owned by Rogers State University, the station maintains studios on the university's campus on West Will Rogers Boulevard in Claremore, and its transmitter is located to the adjacent southeast of Oologah Lake in northern Rogers County.

The Minnesota Channel is an American free-to-air television channel originating at Twin Cities Public Television. It features programming related to Minnesota, plus coverage of the Minnesota Legislature when in session. The Minnesota Channel is carried as a digital subchannel on all six member networks of the Minnesota Public Television Association.

References

  1. "Facility Technical Data for KWCM-TV". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission.
  2. "Facility Technical Data for KSMN". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission.
  3. Salas, Randy A. (2009-02-18). "More Minnesota stations pull the plug on analog TV". www.startribune.com.