KXMB-TV
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| Bismarck, North Dakota United States | |
|---|---|
| Branding |
KXMB CBS 12 (general) KX Television (regional) KX News (newscasts) |
| Slogan | Your Eye on Dakota |
| Channels |
Digital: 12 (VHF) Virtual: 12 (PSIP) |
| Subchannels |
12.1 CBS 12.3 KX Weather Channel |
| Translators | K09FG Lemmon |
| Affiliations | CBS (Secondary through 1986) |
| Owner |
Nexstar Broadcasting Group (Nexstar Broadcasting, Inc.) |
| First air date | November 19, 1955 |
| Call letters' meaning | KX Television Mandan Bismarck |
| Sister station(s) | KXMA-TV, KXMC-TV, KXMD-TV |
| Former callsigns | KBMB-TV (1955–1960) |
| Former channel number(s) |
Analog: 12 (VHF, 1955–2009) Digital: 23 (UHF, 2002–2009) |
| Former affiliations |
Secondary: ABC (1955–1986) |
| Transmitter power | 19.1 kW |
| Height | 444.3 m |
| Facility ID | 55686 |
| Transmitter coordinates | 46°35′23″N 100°48′20″W / 46.58972°N 100.80556°W |
| Licensing authority | FCC |
| Public license information: |
Profile CDBS |
| Website | www.kxnet.com |
KXMB-TV, channel 12, is the CBS-affiliated television station for Bismarck, North Dakota. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on VHF channel 12 (or virtual channel 12.1 via PSIP) from a transmitter near St. Anthony. The station can also be seen on Midcontinent cable channel 11 in Bismarck-Mandan, and cable channel 12 in most other areas. There is a high definition feed provided on Midcontinent digital channel 611.
KXMB is owned by Nexstar Broadcasting Group and serves as the flagship of KX Television, a regional network of three stations relaying CBS network programming and other programs provided by KXMB across central and western North Dakota, as well as bordering counties in Montana and South Dakota. The three satellite stations clear all network and syndicated programming as provided through KXMB but air station identifications and commercial inserts. KXMC-TV in Minot also produces separate local newscasts, KXMD-TV in Williston simulcasts KXMC's programming, and KXMA-TV in Dickinson simulcasts KXMB's programming. KXMC is the oldest station of the KX group, and was the flagship station originating programming until master control and internal operations were moved to KXMB in the 2000s. KXMB and KXMC often share news stories (along with ABC affiliates WDAY-TV in Fargo and WDAZ-TV in Grand Forks), and co-produce joint morning and 5:00 p.m. newscasts seen on all four stations. The four stations are counted as a single unit for ratings purposes. Dish Network only provides KXMC, while DirecTV only provides KXMB, as central and western North Dakota's CBS affiliate.
Syndicated programming on KXMB includes Dr. Phil, The Ellen DeGeneres Show, Entertainment Tonight, Friends, Rachael Ray, among others.
History
KXMB first went on the air on November 19, 1955 as KBMB-TV, owned by Fargo businessman John Boler and his North Dakota Broadcasting Company. The station had a primary affiliation with CBS, but carried other networks as well. During the late 1950s, the station was briefly affiliated with the NTA Film Network.[1] In 1958, it moved to its current location.
In 1959, Boler sold a part-interest in the North Dakota Broadcasting Company to Chester Reiten of Minot. The two men teamed up to buy that city's CBS station, KCJB-TV, and changed the calls to KXMC-TV. The two stations merged their operations, with KXMC as the flagship station. In 1959, KBMB changed its calls to the current KXMB. They would put KXMD-TV in Williston on in 1969.
KXJB-TV in Fargo was co-owned with the KX stations (though programmed separately) until Boler sold his interest in the partnership to Reiten in 1971. Reiten retained the western North Dakota stations. The KX stations formerly had a secondary affiliation with ABC shared with KFYR-TV before full-time ABC affiliate KBMY signed on.
Reiten Broadcasting purchased KNDX (previously KDIX-TV) in Dickinson in 1985 and converted it into a full-time semi-satellite of KXMB and changed the call letters to KXMA (It would have been KXME, but Prairie Public Television objected.) Before being sister stations, KNDX/KDIX would often pick up CBS programming from KXMB since 1970, when KHSD-TV (KOTA-TV Rapid City, South Dakota satellite) dropped CBS programming.
After an ice storm on April 6, 1997 caused the KXJB-TV mast to collapse, some cable systems replaced KXJB with KXMB, either temporarily or permanently, to maintain CBS service.
In 2006, the stations began a web portal-like website called KX Net, with each station's website displaying a localized front page. The stations continue to be branded as "KX Television" and as "KX News" on the air, but also use the "KX Net" monkier on the air also. KXNet.com combined the previous domains kxma.com, kxmb.com, kxmc.com and kxmd.com under one umbrella. The original domains are still active. KXNet.com won the 2007 Teddy Award for Best Website and the 2007 Eric Sevareid Award for best website small market television in a six state region.
In July 2008, Reiten Television began a joint agreement to sell television commercial slots on both KXMB and KBMY, Bismarck's ABC affiliate owned by Forum Communications Company. KXMB houses sales and engineering personnel solely for KBMY's operations. A consequence of this agreement has enabled KBMY-DT to begin broadcasting in July 2008 directly from KXMB's station, bringing a digital ABC television signal to Bismarck.
In October 2007, KXNet.com along with Midkota Solutions launched DakotaPolitics.com, a web site focusing on North Dakota political news coverage. DakotaPolitics featured profile information, voting records and some analysis. DakotaPolitics also launched weekly tracking polls for the 2008 elections. In 2008, KXNet.com became the first web site in North Dakota to deliver a live news broadcast over the Internet when they streamed a 1-hour special coverage of the 2008 Presidential Caucuses from Bismarck.
Nexstar Broadcasting Group announced its $44 million purchase of the Reiten Television stations, including KXMB-TV, on September 17, 2015.[2] The sale was completed on February 2, 2016.[3] As a result of the acquisition, Nexstar decided to terminate the Joint Sales Agreement with KBMY.[4]
Programming
The North Dakota State Fair parade in Minot is aired live every July as well as a July 4 Parade in Mandan.
The KX network carries CBS News Up To The Minute (though with public service announcements instead of local commercials), while weekends simulcast the local weather conditions of North Dakota. All four stations provide a formal sign-off, including The Star Spangled Banner, every night at 1:05 a.m. CT/12:05 a.m. MT Tuesday-Saturday mornings and at 1:35 a.m. CT/12:35 a.m. MT on Sunday and Monday mornings.
Digital television
Digital channels
The station's digital signal is multiplexed:
| Channel | Video | Aspect | PSIP Short Name | Programming[5] |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12.1 | 1080i | 16:9 | KXMB-DT | Main KXMB-TV programming / CBS |
| 12.3 | 480i | 4:3 | KXMB-WX | KX Weather Channel |
Analog-to-digital conversion
KXMB-TV was the first commercial digital television station in North Dakota as when it went on the air in 2002. The station shut down its analog signal, over VHF channel 12, at 10 a.m. on May 28, 2009. The station's digital signal relocated from its pre-transition UHF channel 23 to VHF channel 12 for post-transition operations.[6][7][8]
News operation
KXMB and KXMC produce separate daily local newscasts at 6 a.m., noon, 6 p.m. and 10 p.m. on weekdays, 6 and 10 p.m. on Saturdays, and 10 p.m. on Sundays. KXMC produces a morning show at 5 a.m. and co-produces a 5 p.m. newscast with KXMB, broadcast on all four stations. All of the local newscasts are broadcast in high definition.
For many years, KXMA placed inserts into KXMB's newscasts. However, recent cutbacks have resulted in KXMA's operations being largely merged with those of KXMB, and local inserts have been eliminated.
As a whole, KX Television has long trailed NBC North Dakota in the ratings by a significant margin; the main stations and their satellites are counted as one station for ratings and regulatory purposes. However, KX News Morning has recently surged well ahead of NBC North Dakota's Country Morning Today—the only time in recent memory that NBC North Dakota has lost consecutive ratings periods in any time slot.
On November 30, 2013, actor Will Ferrell, as a promotion for his film Anchorman 2, co-anchored the station's evening news as his character Ron Burgundy.[9]
See also
References
- ↑ "Require Prime Evening Time for NTA Films", Boxoffice, November 10, 1956: 13
- ↑ "Nexstar Buys 4 North Dakota Stations". TVNewsCheck. September 17, 2015. Retrieved September 17, 2015.
- ↑ Consummation Notice - Federal Communications Commission
- ↑ Application for Consent to Assignment of Broadcast Station Construction Permit or License - Federal Communications Commission
- ↑ RabbitEars TV Query for KXMB
- ↑ http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/190618-Four_Stations_Waiting_For_FCC_Approval_On_Earlier_Analog_Cut_Off_Dates.php?rssid=20065
- ↑ http://www.kxmb.com/getArticle.asp?ArticleId=381924
- ↑ "DTV Tentative Channel Designations for the First and the Second Rounds" (PDF). Retrieved 2012-03-24.
- ↑ "Will Ferrell anchors North Dakota newscast as 'Anchorman' Ron Burgundy". New York Daily News. Retrieved 2 December 2013.
External links
- KXNet.com - Official Website
- Query the FCC's TV station database for KXMB
- BIAfn's Media Web Database -- Information on KXMB-TV
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