KSVI (channel 6) is a
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 earth ...
in
Billings, Montana
Billings is the largest city in the U.S. state of Montana, with a population of 117,116 as of the 2020 census. Located in the south-central portion of the state, it is the seat of Yellowstone County and the principal city of the Billings Metrop ...
, United States, affiliated with
ABC
ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet.
ABC or abc may also refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting
* American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster
** Disney–ABC Television ...
. It is owned by
Nexstar Media Group
Nexstar Media Group, Inc. is an American publicly traded media company with headquarter offices in Irving, Texas; Midtown Manhattan; and Chicago, Illinois. The company is the largest television station owner in the United States, owning 197 te ...
, which provides certain services to
Hardin-licensed
Fox
Foxes are small to medium-sized, omnivorous mammals belonging to several genera of the family Canidae. They have a flattened skull, upright, triangular ears, a pointed, slightly upturned snout, and a long bushy tail (or ''brush'').
Twelve sp ...
affiliate
KHMT
KHMT (channel 4) is a television station licensed to Hardin, Montana, United States, serving as the Fox affiliate for the Billings area. It is owned by Mission Broadcasting, which maintains joint sales and shared services agreements (JSA/SSA) w ...
(channel 4) under
joint sales and
shared services
Shared services is the provision of a service by one part of an organization or group, where that service had previously been found, in more than one part of the organization or group. Thus the funding and resourcing of the service is shared and th ...
agreements with
Mission Broadcasting
Mission Broadcasting, Inc. is a television station group that owns 20 television stations in 17 markets in the United States. The group's Chair is Nancie Smith, the widow of David S. Smith, who founded the company in 1996 and died in 2011. All but ...
. Both stations share studios on South 24th Street West in Billings, while KSVI's transmitter is located on Old Hardin Road east-northeast of the city.
KSVI's programming is relayed on
translator station
A broadcast relay station, also known as a satellite station, relay transmitter, broadcast translator (U.S.), re-broadcaster (Canada), repeater (two-way radio) or complementary station (Mexico), is a broadcast transmitter which repeats (or tran ...
K25BP-D (channel 25) in Billings, in areas where KSVI's signal is poor. It can also be seen in
Miles City on K16DH-D (channel 16), and in Howard on K32MN-D (channel 32).
History
KSVI went on the air January 8, 1993,
under the ownership of Big Horn Communications.
Big Horn had previously signed on KOUS-TV (channel 4) in 1980. However, for most of its existence, KOUS was plagued by marginal reception in some parts of Billings, since its transmitter was located east of the city in order to ensure city-grade coverage of its city of license,
Hardin.
[ In hopes of getting better reception in Billings, Big Horn won a ]construction permit
Planning permission or developmental approval refers to the approval needed for construction or expansion (including significant renovation), and sometimes for demolition, in some jurisdictions. It is usually given in the form of a building perm ...
for channel 6 after the allocation was moved from Miles City.[
KOUS signed off for the last time on January 8,][ and later that day the KOUS intellectual unit—including the ABC affiliation—moved to KSVI on channel 6.][ At the outset, channel 6's programming was also seen on KYUS-TV (channel 3) in Miles City] and KCTZ (channel 7) in Bozeman
Bozeman is a city and the county seat of Gallatin County, Montana, United States. Located in southwest Montana, the 2020 census put Bozeman's population at 53,293, making it the fourth-largest city in Montana. It is the principal city of th ...
, both of which had previously served as satellites of KOUS. KCTZ was sold to Cordillera Communications
Evening Post Industries is a privately held American media company, based in Charleston, South Carolina, United States. It has been led by four generations of the Manigault family.
On August 6, 2013, the company changed its name from the Evening ...
several months later to become a satellite of KXLF-TV
KXLF-TV (channel 4) is a television station in Butte, Montana, United States, affiliated with CBS and The CW Plus. Owned by the E. W. Scripps Company, it is part of the Montana Television Network, a statewide network of CBS-affiliated stations. K ...
in Butte
__NOTOC__
In geomorphology, a butte () is an isolated hill with steep, often vertical sides and a small, relatively flat top; buttes are smaller landforms than mesas, plateaus, and tablelands. The word ''butte'' comes from a French word mea ...
[ (eventually becoming KBZK), while KYUS was sold to Stephen Marks in 1995] (originally proposed to become a satellite of KXGN-TV
KXGN-TV (channel 5) is a television station in Glendive, Montana, United States, affiliated with CBS and NBC. It is owned by Marks Radio Group alongside radio stations KXGN (1400 AM) and KDZN (96.5 FM). The three stations share studios on ...
in Glendive
Glendive is a city in and the county seat of Dawson County, Montana, United States, and home to Dawson Community College. Glendive was established by the Northern Pacific Railway when they built the transcontinental railroad across the northern ...
,[ KYUS now simulcasts ]KULR-TV
KULR-TV (channel 8) is a television station in Billings, Montana, United States, affiliated with NBC and owned by the Cowles Company. The station's studios are located on Overland Avenue in the Homestead Business Park section of Billings, and it ...
from Billings). Following the sale of KCTZ, KSVI's programming was carried on translators K26DE (channel 26) in Bozeman and K43DU (channel 43) in Butte; this ended when KWYB
KWYB (channel 18) is a television station in Butte, Montana, United States, affiliated with ABC and Fox. Owned by the Cowles Company, the station has studios on Dewey Boulevard in Butte, and its transmitter is located on XL Heights east of the ci ...
signed on in 1996. Channel 6 also, at its sign-on, inherited Billings translator station K25BP, which was originally intended to improve KOUS' signal in Billings.[
KSVI added a secondary affiliation with ]Fox
Foxes are small to medium-sized, omnivorous mammals belonging to several genera of the family Canidae. They have a flattened skull, upright, triangular ears, a pointed, slightly upturned snout, and a long bushy tail (or ''brush'').
Twelve sp ...
in April 1994; this was primarily to carry the network's NFL coverage, but 15 hours a week of other Fox programs, such as '' Married... with Children'' and ''The Simpsons
''The Simpsons'' is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical depiction of American life, epitomized by the Simpson family, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa, ...
'', were aired in overnight and weekend timeslots not programmed by ABC. Following this deal, cable systems in the Billings area removed Foxnet
Foxnet was an American cable television channel that was owned by the Fox Entertainment Group division of News Corporation. Serving as a national feed of the Fox Broadcasting Company (known simply as Fox), the service was intended for American t ...
from their lineups. The secondary Fox affiliation ended when channel 4 returned to the air in August 1995 as Fox affiliate KHMT
KHMT (channel 4) is a television station licensed to Hardin, Montana, United States, serving as the Fox affiliate for the Billings area. It is owned by Mission Broadcasting, which maintains joint sales and shared services agreements (JSA/SSA) w ...
under a local marketing agreement
In North American broadcasting, a local marketing agreement (LMA), or local management agreement, is a contract in which one company agrees to operate a radio or television station owned by another party. In essence, it is a sort of lease or tim ...
with KSVI. Also in June 1995, channel 6 added a secondary affiliation with UPN
The United Paramount Network (UPN) was an American broadcast television network that launched on January 16, 1995. It was originally owned by Chris-Craft Industries' United Television. Viacom (through its Paramount Television unit, which prod ...
(it had carried the first season of the network's '' Star Trek: Voyager'' on a standalone basis before signing as a formal secondary affiliate that June). this affiliation, which was eventually shared with KHMT, continued until UPN closed down in 2006.
Big Horn Communications sold KSVI to Great Trails Broadcasting Corporation for $17.37 million in 1997. The following year, Great Trails exited broadcasting and sold the station (and its LMA with KHMT), along with WHAG-TV
WDVM-TV (channel 25) is an independent television station licensed to Hagerstown, Maryland, United States, serving the Washington, D.C. television market. It is owned by Nexstar Media Group alongside CW owned-and-operated station WDCW (chann ...
in Hagerstown, Maryland
Hagerstown is a city in Washington County, Maryland,
United States and the county seat of Washington County. The population of Hagerstown city proper at the 2020 census was 43,527, and the population of the Hagerstown metropolitan area (exten ...
, and WFFT-TV in Fort Wayne, Indiana
Fort Wayne is a city in and the county seat of Allen County, Indiana, United States. Located in northeastern Indiana, the city is west of the Ohio border and south of the Michigan border. The city's population was 263,886 as of the 2020 Censu ...
, to Quorum Broadcasting Company for $65 million. Nexstar Broadcasting Group acquired Quorum for $230 million in December 2003.
News operation
KSVI launched a news operation, shared with sister station KHMT, on April 18, 2002. After 18 months, the newscasts were canceled in September 2003, following Nexstar taking control of the stations in advance of its purchase of Quorum. Though the news operation had won Montana Broadcasters Association and Associated Press
The Associated Press (AP) is an American non-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association. It produces news reports that are distributed to its members, U.S. newspa ...
awards during its run, it was not successful in the ratings, as KSVI's newscasts trailed KTVQ
KTVQ (channel 2) is a television station in Billings, Montana, United States, affiliated with CBS and The CW Plus. Owned by the E. W. Scripps Company, it is part of the Montana Television Network, a statewide network of CBS-affiliated station ...
(channel 2) and KULR-TV
KULR-TV (channel 8) is a television station in Billings, Montana, United States, affiliated with NBC and owned by the Cowles Company. The station's studios are located on Overland Avenue in the Homestead Business Park section of Billings, and it ...
(channel 8) by a substantial margin. Nexstar said that shutting down the news operation was necessary to keep the stations profitable.[
]
Technical information
Subchannels
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 ...
:
Translators
* Billings
Billings is the largest city in the U.S. state of Montana, with a population of 117,116 as of the 2020 census. Located in the south-central portion of the state, it is the seat of Yellowstone County and the principal city of the Billings Metrop ...
: K25BP-D
* Bridger, etc.: K31LE-D
* Columbus
Columbus is a Latinized version of the Italian surname "''Colombo''". It most commonly refers to:
* Christopher Columbus (1451-1506), the Italian explorer
* Columbus, Ohio, capital of the U.S. state of Ohio
Columbus may also refer to:
Places ...
: K33EA-D
* Colstrip
Colstrip is a city in Rosebud County, Montana, Rosebud County, Montana, United States. The population was 2,096 at the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census. Established in 1924 and incorporated as a city in 1998, Colstrip is the largest city in ...
: K07WJ-D, K24KM-D
* Emigrant
Emigration is the act of leaving a resident country or place of residence with the intent to settle elsewhere (to permanently leave a country). Conversely, immigration describes the movement of people into one country from another (to permanentl ...
: K23LW-D
* Hardin: K16DZ-D
* Harlowton
Harlowton is a city in and the county seat of Wheatland County, Montana, United States. The population was 955 at the 2020 census.
Description
The city was once the eastern terminus of electric operations (1914–74) for the "Pacific Extension ...
–Shawmut Shawmut, according to 19th-century scholarship, is a term derived from the Algonquian word ''Mashauwomuk'' referring to the region of present-day Boston, Massachusetts.Forsford, Eben Norton, ''The Indian names of Boston, and their meaning''Univer ...
: K07ZR-D
* Harlowton
Harlowton is a city in and the county seat of Wheatland County, Montana, United States. The population was 955 at the 2020 census.
Description
The city was once the eastern terminus of electric operations (1914–74) for the "Pacific Extension ...
: K15JA-D
* Howard
Howard is an English-language given name originating from Old French Huard (or Houard) from a Germanic source similar to Old High German ''*Hugihard'' "heart-brave", or ''*Hoh-ward'', literally "high defender; chief guardian". It is also probabl ...
: K32MN-D
* Judith Gap: K04RT-D
* Martinsdale–Lennep
Remscheid () is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is, after Wuppertal and Solingen, the third-largest municipality in Bergisches Land, being located on the northern edge of the region, on the south side of the Ruhr area.
Remscheid ha ...
: K09LW-D
* Miles City: K16DH-D
* Roundup: K07WP-D
* White Sulphur Springs: K11MP-D
References
External links
*
{{NXST TV
SVI
ABC network affiliates
Ion Mystery affiliates
Bounce TV affiliates
Antenna TV affiliates
Television channels and stations established in 1993
1993 establishments in Montana
Nexstar Media Group