KNMD-TV,

virtual channel In most telecommunications organizations, a virtual channel is a method of remapping the ''program number'' as used in H.222 Program Association Tables and Program Mapping Tables to a channel number that can be entered via digits on a receiver's ...

5 ( VHF digital channel 8), is an

ATSC 3.0 ATSC 3.0 is a major version of the ATSC standards for television broadcasting created by the Advanced Television Systems Committee (ATSC). The standards are designed to offer support for newer technologies, including HEVC for video channels of u ...

Public Broadcasting Service (

PBS The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is an American public broadcaster and non-commercial, free-to-air television network based in Arlington, Virginia. PBS is a publicly funded nonprofit organization and the most prominent provider of educat ...

)

member Member may refer to: * Military jury, referred to as "Members" in military jargon * Element (mathematics), an object that belongs to a mathematical set * In object-oriented programming, a member of a class ** Field (computer science), entries in ...

television station A television station is a set of equipment managed by a business, organisation or other entity, such as an amateur television (ATV) operator, that transmits video content and audio content via radio waves directly from a transmitter on the eart ...

serving Albuquerque, New Mexico, United States that is

licensed A license (or licence) is an official permission or permit to do, use, or own something (as well as the document of that permission or permit). A license is granted by a party (licensor) to another party (licensee) as an element of an agreeme ...

to the

capital city A capital city or capital is the municipality holding primary status in a country, state, province, department, or other subnational entity, usually as its seat of the government. A capital is typically a city that physically encompasses t ...

of Santa Fe. Owned by the

University of New Mexico The University of New Mexico (UNM; es, Universidad de Nuevo México) is a public research university in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Founded in 1889, it is the state's flagship academic institution and the largest by enrollment, with over 25,400 ...

, it is a sister station to Albuquerque-licensed

KNME-TV KNME-TV, virtual channel 5 ( UHF digital channel 35), branded on-air as NM PBS, is a Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) member television station licensed to Albuquerque, New Mexico, United States. Jointly owned by the University of New Mexico ...

(channel 5). Both stations share studios on UNM's North Campus on University Boulevard Northeast in Albuquerque, while KNMD-TV's transmitter is located atop

Sandia Crest Sandia Crest, also known locally as Sandia Peak or simply as the Crest, is a mountain ridge that, at , is the highpoint of the Sandia–Manzano Mountains, and is located in the Sandia Mountains of Bernalillo County, New Mexico, United States ...

History

KNMD began broadcasting in late 2004 at 200 watts on VHF channel 9. It was launched as an exclusively digital television station and is the first and only station in the Albuquerque market to have never broadcast in analog.

Signal issues

Broadcasting at only 200 watts, KNMD's signal was sometimes hard to pick up in many areas without

pixelation In computer graphics, pixelation (or pixellation in British English) is caused by displaying a bitmap or a section of a bitmap at such a large size that individual pixels, small single-colored square display elements that comprise the bitmap, a ...

and choppy sound. KNMD was not licensed as a low-powered TV station but originally used low power because of interference issues with KCHF which broadcasts its digital signal on channel 10 from a site near

Los Alamos, New Mexico Los Alamos is an census-designated place in Los Alamos County, New Mexico, United States, that is recognized as the development and creation place of the atomic bomb—the primary objective of the Manhattan Project by Los Alamos National Labo ...

. KNMD filed an application with the FCC in 2009 to move transmission frequency to channel 8 and increase power to 5.14 kW in order to improve its signal quality and range. They were granted a permit to make the changes in October 2009. In late August 2010, the upgrades were completed, greatly improving the station's signal.

ATSC 3.0 conversion

KNMD-TV converted to

(Next Gen TV) on June 30, 2021. In preparation for this change, on February 15,

World Channel WORLD Channel, also branded as WORLD, is an American digital multicast public television network owned and operated by the WGBH Educational Foundation. It is distributed by American Public Television and the National Educational Telecommunica ...

began airing on KNME-TV channel 5.4, and Create debuted on 5.5. KNMD-TV simulcasts the entire KNME multiplex in ATSC 3.0 format. Prior to the conversion, KNMD received a construction permit to increase power from 5.14 kW to 16.6 kW.

Digital television

Digital channels

The station's digital signal is

multiplexed In telecommunications and computer networking, multiplexing (sometimes contracted to muxing) is a method by which multiple analog or digital signals are combined into one signal over a shared medium. The aim is to share a scarce resource - a ...

: In the new ATSC 3.0 signal, KNMD's main HD channel is on 5.4 and runs programming from the "World" public television network which airs mostly news and documentaries. Some hours are programmed locally with re-airings of recent PBS prime time shows. Locally produced programs such as ''New Mexico In Focus'' are also shown on KNMD. KNMD had previously aired the

PBS Satellite Service The PBS Satellite Service (also known as the PBS National Program Service, with the primary C-band feed being formerly known as PBS Schedule X in Eastern Time, with the West Coast delay signal designated PBS-XP) consists of feeds relayed from PB ...

on channel 9.1 but on January 28, 2009 had moved PBS World from 9.2 to 9.1 and launched the how-to programming channel Create on 9.2.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Knmd-Tv University of New Mexico Television channels and stations established in 2004 2004 establishments in New Mexico NMD-TV Mass media in Santa Fe, New Mexico Mass media in Albuquerque, New Mexico ATSC 3.0 television stations