KTVF

Last updated
KTVF
KTVF 2023 (cropped).png
Channels
BrandingKTVF Channel 11 (general)
NewsCenter Fairbanks(newscasts)
Programming
Affiliations11.1: NBC (1985–present, secondary until April 1996)
11.2: MeTV/MyNetworkTV [1]
11.3: CBS
Ownership
Owner
KFXF-LD, KXDF-CD, KTUU-TV
History
First air date
February 1955(69 years ago) (1955-02) [2]
Former channel number(s)
Analog:
11 (VHF, 1955–2009)
Primary:
CBS (1955–April 1996)
Secondary:
NTA (1956–1961)
ABC (1971–1985)
UPN (1995–2000)
CBS (April–August 1996)
DT2:
Fox (via KFXF-LD, January–November 2017)
Call sign meaning
TeleVision Fairbanks
Technical information [3]
Licensing authority
FCC
Facility ID 49621
Class DT
ERP 27 kW
HAAT 471 m (1,545 ft)
Transmitter coordinates 64°52′43.4″N148°3′22.7″W / 64.878722°N 148.056306°W / 64.878722; -148.056306
Translator(s) 11 (VHF) Fairbanks
Links
Public license information
Website www.webcenterfairbanks.com

KTVF, virtual channel 11 (UHF digital channel 26), is an NBC-affiliated television station licensed to Fairbanks, Alaska, United States. Owned by Atlanta-based Gray Television, it is sister to two low-power stations: primary MeTV and secondary MyNetworkTV affiliate KFXF-LD (channel 22) and Class A CBS affiliate KXDF-CD (channel 13). The stations share studios on Braddock Street in downtown Fairbanks, while KTVF's transmitter is located on the Ester Dome.

Contents

KTVF is used to provide full-market over-the-air high definition coverage of KFXF-LD (simulcast over KTVF-DT2) and KXDF-CD (simulcast over KTVF-DT3). [4] [5] [6] The station also operates a digital fill-in translator on VHF channel 11 from a transmitter located at its studios.

History

The station signed on the air in February 1955 as the first television station serving what at the time was the smallest television market in the United States. The station was a CBS affiliate until April 1, 1996.

While primarily a CBS station, KTVF also served as a secondary affiliate for ABC from 1971 to 1985 (when it aired some of ABC's top-rated shows like Marcus Welby, M.D. , Happy Days , Laverne & Shirley , Three's Company , and Eight is Enough as well as Wide World of Sports, Monday Night Football and the Academy Awards) and NBC from 1985 to 1996. During the late 1950s, the station was also briefly affiliated with the NTA Film Network. [7] In 1967, months after the Chena River flood temporarily knocked them off the air, KTVF rebuilt their studios in the Northward Building (where they still remained until 1990) and returned to the air, this time broadcasting in color.

In 1996, KTVF switched affiliations, from CBS to NBC. The reason for the network switch was that rival station KATN—which had the NBC affiliation since signing on a couple weeks after KTVF but had been primarily with ABC since 1984—would be merged with two other ABC stations in Anchorage and Juneau to form ABC Alaska's SuperStation, and that NBC was the dominant network by the 1995–96 season while CBS was in third place. KTVF also carried UPN programming on weekends from 1995 to 2000. KFXF aired a few CBS shows until K13XD (now KXDF-CD) signed on in August.

KTVF was founded by Alaska broadcasting pioneer Augie Hiebert and his company, Northern Television. It was thus a sister station to KTVA-TV in Anchorage, which signed on two years earlier. Hiebert retired in 1997, and his family sold the station to the Ackerley Group in 1999. Ackerley merged with Clear Channel Communications in 2001. Clear Channel sold its entire television division, including KTVF, to Newport Television in 2007.

In June 2003, Media News Group, owner of the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner , announced that it would exercise an option to purchase KTVF. The seven-year option, pending removal of the FCC's restrictions on newspaper/broadcast ownership, was granted to Media News in 1999 when Northern Television sold the station to Ackerley. The FCC eliminated this rule on June 3, 2003, but implementation was stayed pending the outcome of litigation. Media News' purchase attempt never materialized; the seven-year option period expired in 2006 without renewal.

KTVF began airing high definition programming from NBC on February 12, 2010, at the start of the Winter Olympics in Vancouver; full HD broadcasting (both NBC and syndicated) would follow on May 31, 2012.

On September 29, 2010, the FCC granted KTVF a construction permit for a fill-in translator on their former analog allotment channel 11. [8] The translator will serve sections of the Fairbanks area.

Newport announced the sale of KTVF to Chena Broadcasting, a local company owned by Michael Young, on October 13, 2011. [9] Young had previously owned a partial stake in Tanana Valley Television, owner of KFXF and K13XD; [10] that company took over KTVF's operations under a shared services agreement upon the deal's completion. [11] The sale of KTVF to Chena Broadcasting was consummated on March 7, 2012—resulting in all of Fairbanks' commercial stations being operated by just two companies.

On November 8, 2016, Northern Lights Media, the subsidiary of Gray Television that operates Anchorage stations KTUU-TV and KYES-TV, announced that it would buy KTVF, KFXF-LD and KXDF-CD (then known as KXDD-CD) for $8 million in cash, pending FCC approval. [12] The sale was completed on January 13, 2017. [13] [14]

With KTVA converting to a Rewind TV affiliate in 2021, KTVF became the oldest continuously operating station in Alaska.

Technical information

Subchannels

The station's digital signal is multiplexed:

Channel Video Aspect Short nameProgramming [15]
11.1 1080i 16:9 KTVF-DTMain KTVF programming / NBC
11.2 720p KFXF-LDSimulcast of KFXF-LD
11.3 1080iKXDF-CDSimulcast of KXDF-CD

Analog-to-digital conversion

KTVF shut down its analog signal, over VHF channel 11, on June 12, 2009, the official date on which full-power television stations in the United States transitioned from analog to digital broadcasts under federal mandate. The station's digital signal remained on its pre-transition UHF channel 26. [16] Through the use of PSIP, digital television receivers display the station's virtual channel as its former VHF analog channel 11.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WWNY-TV</span> CBS affiliate in Carthage, New York

WWNY-TV is a television station licensed to Carthage, New York, United States, serving as the CBS affiliate for the Watertown area. It is owned by Gray Television alongside low-power, Class A Fox affiliate WNYF-CD. Both stations share studios on Arcade Street in downtown Watertown, while WWNY-TV and WNYF-CD's transmitters are located on the same tower along NY 126/State Street on Champion Hill.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WILM-LD</span> Independent LPTV station in Wilmington, North Carolina

WILM-LD is a low-power independent television station in Wilmington, North Carolina, United States, owned by the Capitol Broadcasting Company. The station's studios are located on Wrightsville Avenue in Wilmington, and its transmitter is located in Delco, North Carolina. Master control and some internal operations are based at the facilities of sister station, NBC affiliate and company flagship WRAL-TV in Raleigh.

KHME is a television station in Rapid City, South Dakota, United States, affiliated with the classic television network MeTV. It is owned by Gray Television alongside ABC affiliate KOTA-TV and low-power Fox affiliate KEVN-LD. The stations share studios on Skyline Drive in Rapid City, where KHME's transmitter is also located.

KTVA is a television station in Anchorage, Alaska, United States, affiliated with the digital multicast network Rewind TV. The station is owned by Denali Media Holdings, a subsidiary of local cable provider GCI. KTVA's transmitter is located in Spenard—covering the Anchorage bowl and much of the adjacent Matanuska-Susitna Valley.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WCTV</span> CBS/MyNetworkTV affiliate in Thomasville, Georgia

WCTV is a television station licensed to Thomasville, Georgia, United States, serving the Tallahassee, Florida, market as an affiliate of CBS and MyNetworkTV. It is owned by Gray Television alongside Live Oak, Florida–licensed MeTV affiliate WFXU. The two stations share studios on Halstead Boulevard in Tallahassee ; WCTV's transmitter is located in unincorporated Thomas County, Georgia, southeast of Metcalf, along the Florida state line.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">KTUU-TV</span> NBC affiliate in Anchorage, Alaska

KTUU-TV is a television station in Anchorage, Alaska, United States, affiliated with NBC. It is owned by Gray Television alongside dual CBS/MyNetworkTV affiliate KAUU. The two stations share studios on East 40th Avenue in midtown Anchorage; KTUU-TV's transmitter is located in Knik, Alaska.

KTBY is a television station in Anchorage, Alaska, United States, affiliated with the Fox network. The station is owned by Coastal Television Broadcasting Company LLC, which provides certain services to dual ABC/CW+ affiliate KYUR under joint sales and shared services agreements (JSA/SSA) with owner Vision Alaska LLC. The two stations share studios on East Tudor Road in Anchorage; KTBY's transmitter is located in historic downtown Anchorage atop the Hilton Anchorage East Tower hotel.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">KAUU</span> CBS/MyNetworkTV affiliate in Anchorage, Alaska

KAUU is a television station in Anchorage, Alaska, United States, affiliated with CBS and MyNetworkTV. It is owned by Gray Television alongside NBC affiliate KTUU-TV. The two stations share studios on East 40th Avenue in Anchorage; KAUU's transmitter is located in Knik, Alaska.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WJHG-TV</span> NBC affiliate in Panama City, Florida

WJHG-TV is a television station in Panama City, Florida, United States, affiliated with NBC. It is owned by Gray Television alongside low-power dual CBS/MyNetworkTV affiliate WECP-LD. The two stations share studios on Front Beach Road/SR 30 in Panama City Beach; WJHG-TV's transmitter is located on SR 20 in unincorporated Youngstown, Florida.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">KATN</span> ABC/Fox/CW affiliate in Fairbanks, Alaska

KATN is a television station in Fairbanks, Alaska, United States, affiliated with ABC, Fox, and The CW Plus. Owned by Vision Alaska LLC, the station is operated through a time brokerage agreement (TBA) by Coastal Television Broadcasting Company, LLC. KATN's studios are located in the Lathrop Building on 2nd Avenue in downtown Fairbanks, and its transmitter is located on Cranberry Ridge northeast of the city.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">KFXF</span> Television station in Fairbanks, Alaska (1992–2017)

KFXF, virtual and VHF digital channel 7, was a Fox-affiliated television station licensed to Fairbanks, Alaska, United States. The station was owned by Tanana Valley Television Company. KFXF's transmitter was located north of Fairbanks and its programming was simulcast on low-power digital translator KFXF-LD. In January 2017, Northern Lights Media, a subsidiary of Gray Television, purchased KFXF-LD, KXDF-CD, and KTVF from Tanana Valley Television Company, which subsequently took KFXF off-the-air.

KXDF-CD, virtual and VHF digital channel 13, is a low-power, Class A CBS-affiliated television station licensed to Fairbanks, Alaska, United States. Owned by Atlanta-based Gray Television, it is a sister station to NBC affiliate KTVF and primary MeTV and secondary MyNetworkTV affiliate KFXF-LD. The stations share studios on Braddock Street in downtown Fairbanks, while KXDF-CD's transmitter is located northeast of the city on Cranberry Ridge.

KVIQ-LD is a low-power television station in Eureka, California, United States, affiliated with CBS. It is owned by Imagicomm Communications alongside NBC affiliate KIEM-TV. Both stations share studios on South Broadway in Spruce Point near the southwestern corner of Eureka, while KVIQ-LD's transmitter is located along Barry Road southeast of the city.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WABG-TV</span> ABC/Fox affiliate in Greenwood, Mississippi

WABG-TV is a television station licensed to Greenwood, Mississippi, United States, serving the Delta area as an affiliate of ABC and Fox. It is owned by Imagicomm Communications alongside two low-power stations: Grenada-licensed NBC affiliate WNBD-LD and Cleveland-licensed CBS affiliate WXVT-LD. The three stations share studios on Washington Avenue in Greenville; WABG-TV's transmitter is located northeast of Inverness, Mississippi.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WAMS-LD</span> WOHL-CD translator in Minister/New Bremen, Ohio

WAMS-LD is a low-power television station licensed to both Minster and New Bremen, Ohio, United States. It is a translator of Lima-licensed Class A dual ABC/CBS affiliate WOHL-CD which is owned by Block Communications, and is also sister to Lima-licensed, full-powered dual NBC/Fox affiliate WLIO. All of the stations share studios on Rice Avenue northwest of downtown; WAMS-LD's transmitter is located off SR 119 east of Minster.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WPNM-LD</span> Television station in Ohio, United States

WPNM-LD is a low-power television station in Leipsic, Ohio, United States. It is a translator of Lima-based Class A dual ABC/CBS affiliate WOHL-CD which is owned by Block Communications, and is also sister to Lima-licensed, full-powered dual NBC/Fox affiliate WLIO. WPNM-LD's transmitter is located on the WBGU-TV tower near Belmore, Ohio; its parent station shares studios with WLIO on Rice Avenue northwest of downtown Lima.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">KATH-LD</span> NBC affiliate in Juneau–Douglas, Alaska

KATH-LD, virtual channel 2, is a low-power NBC-affiliated television station licensed to both Juneau and Douglas, Alaska, United States. The station is owned by Gray Television. KATH-LD's transmitter is located in downtown Juneau.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">KXLJ-LD</span> TV station in Juneau, Alaska (2001–2021)

KXLJ-LD, virtual and UHF digital channel 24, was a low-power CBS-affiliated television station that was licensed to Juneau, Alaska, United States. It was a full-time satellite of Sitka-licensed KTNL-TV which was owned by Denali Media Holdings. KXLJ-LD was a sister station to low-power NBC affiliate KATH-LD, licensed to both Juneau and Douglas. KXLJ-LD shared transmitter facilities with KATH-LD in downtown Juneau.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">KFXF-LD</span> Television station in Alaska, United States

KFXF-LD, virtual channel 7, is a low-power primary MeTV and secondary MyNetworkTV-affiliated television station licensed to Fairbanks, Alaska, United States. Owned by Atlanta-based Gray Television, it is a sister station to NBC affiliate KTVF and Class A CBS affiliate KXDF-CD. The three stations share studios on Braddock Street in downtown Fairbanks, where KFXF-LD's transmitter is also located.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">KNEP</span> NBC affiliate in Sidney, Nebraska

KNEP is a television station in Sidney, Nebraska, United States, serving the Nebraska Panhandle as an affiliate of NBC. It is owned by Gray Television alongside Cheyenne, Wyoming–licensed dual CBS/CW+ affiliate KGWN-TV. KNEP's studios are located on 1st Avenue in Scottsbluff, and its transmitter is located in Angora, Nebraska.

References

  1. "TitanTV Programming Guide -- What's on TV, Movies, Reality Shows, and Local News". ktvf.titantv.com. Retrieved Jun 20, 2020.
  2. The Broadcasting and Cable Yearbook says February 17, while the Television and Cable Factbook says February 3.
  3. "Facility Technical Data for KTVF". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission.
  4. "KTVF FAIRBANKS, AK". www.rabbitears.info. Retrieved Jun 20, 2020.
  5. "KFXF-LD FAIRBANKS, AK". www.rabbitears.info. Retrieved Jun 20, 2020.
  6. "KXDF-CD FAIRBANKS, AK". www.rabbitears.info. Retrieved Jun 20, 2020.
  7. "Require Prime Evening Time for NTA Films". Boxoffice: 13. November 10, 1956. Archived from the original on June 14, 2009.[ unreliable source? ]
  8. "Application Search Results".
  9. Eggerton, John (October 13, 2011). "Newport Agrees to Sell KTVF to Chena Broadcasting". Broadcasting & Cable . Retrieved October 14, 2011.
  10. Chomicz, Dorothy (October 15, 2011). "Fairbanks businessman Mike Young awaits approval of KTVF purchase". Fairbanks Daily News-Miner . Retrieved October 19, 2011.
  11. "More than meets the eye to Fairbanks TV deal". Television Business Report. October 19, 2011. Archived from the original on October 20, 2011. Retrieved October 20, 2011.
  12. "Northern Lights Media announces acquisition of Fairbanks television stations". www.ktuu.com. Retrieved Jun 20, 2020.
  13. Gray Closes Green Bay, Davenport and Fairbanks Acquisitions Gray Television, 17 January 2017, Retrieved, 22 January 2017.
  14. Consummation Notice, Federal Communications Commission, 19 January 2017, Retrieved 22 January 2017.
  15. "Digital TV Market Listing for KTVF". RabbitEars.info.
  16. "DTV Tentative Channel Designation for the First and the Second Rounds" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2013-08-29. Retrieved 2012-03-24.