KVFD-TV,

UHF Ultra high frequency (UHF) is the ITU designation for radio frequencies in the range between 300 megahertz (MHz) and 3 gigahertz (GHz), also known as the decimetre band as the wavelengths range from one meter to one tenth of a meter (on ...

analog Analog or analogue may refer to: Computing and electronics * Analog signal, in which information is encoded in a continuous variable ** Analog device, an apparatus that operates on analog signals *** Analog electronics, circuits which use analog ...

channel 21, was an

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an Television in the United States, American English-language Commercial broadcasting, commercial television network, broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Enterta ...

- affiliated

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 ...

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 ...

Fort Dodge, Iowa Fort Dodge is a city in, and the county seat of, Webster County, Iowa, United States, along the Des Moines River. The population was 24,871 in the 2020 census, a decrease from 25,136 in 2000. Fort Dodge is a major commercial center for North Ce ...

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

, which operated from November 23, 1953 to May 4, 1977.

History

Edward J. Breen, a Fort Dodge attorney and former Democratic state legislator, owned KVFD radio and bought KQTV Channel 21 in 1953. It was an NBC affiliate, with local programming including the ''Barndance'' program, and ''Uncle Dick's Fun House'' with longtime KQTV/KVFD-TV announcer, weather and newscaster Dick Johnson. and ''Eve's Kitchen'' with Eve Rubenstein. Breen himself appeared on-air, with a couple of news/public affairs programs, ''Conference Table'' and ''Calling Ed Breen.'' He also served as a news anchor for the station. Bob Shannon handled the noon and 10 o'clock nightly news, occasionally with Vince Fleming, who also focused on sports reporting. Shannon was also Hormel's Wilfred The Wiener Wolf mascot when portrayed on the ''Uncle Dick's Funhouse'' afternoon show. Bob Shannon was also the daytime news announcer for KVFD radio in Ft. Dodge. Other locally produced shows were ''Saturday Night's Barn Dance'', which was televised live from KQTV studios. It featured local country & western talent in a Grand Ole Opry style format. The regular sponsor for this show was Schultz Brothers car sales from Algona, who would drive the "featured" car of the week to the studio early afternoon on Saturday, drive it into the studio and wax it down in preparation for the evening's live commercials. KQTV had one very large

General Electric General Electric Company (GE) is an American multinational conglomerate founded in 1892, and incorporated in New York state and headquartered in Boston. The company operated in sectors including healthcare, aviation, power, renewable energ ...

black & white image orthicon TV Camera. There were no zoom lenses, which meant the camera was "trucked" in and out for close ups or wide shots. It had a hydraulic pedestal and moved up or down by pressing on foot pedals. There was a smaller 2nd camera available which was rarely used. The "news" department was a small desk off of the control room and consisted of two Teletype machines that ran non-stop. Remote stories were shot on 8mm film with no live sound and were edited together on film-cutting film loops. The transmitter occupied the entire back of the building. Throughout the station's history, it competed against

Des Moines Des Moines () is the capital and the most populous city in the U.S. state of Iowa. It is also the county seat of Polk County. A small part of the city extends into Warren County. It was incorporated on September 22, 1851, as Fort Des Moines, ...

NBC affiliate

WHO-TV WHO-DT (channel 13) is a television station in Des Moines, Iowa, United States, affiliated with NBC and owned by Nexstar Media Group. The station's studios are located on Grand Avenue in downtown Des Moines, and its transmitter is located in Al ...

. The station changed its callsign to KVFD-TV in 1966. It moved to channel 50 in early 1977 after selling its

Bradgate, Iowa Bradgate is a city in Humboldt County, Iowa, United States, at the conjunction of Sections 5, 6, 7, and 8 of Avery Township, and rests near the banks of the West Fork of the Des Moines River. The population was 75 in the 2020 census, a decline fr ...

transmitter and tower to

Iowa Public Television 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 owned by the Iowa Public Broadcasting Board, an agency of the state education department which h ...

(IPTV). Viewership, and thus advertising revenues, for KVFD-TV had not increased as much as expected after building the 1200 foot Bradgate tower in 1970. This prompted the channel swap between KVFD-TV and IPTV's unbuilt KTIN, which was originally assigned to channel 46. KTIN took over the Bradgate tower and began operations on channel 21. KVFD-TV opted to return to its original 600-foot Fort Dodge tower at the studio and moved to channel 50, as a used transmitter and antenna that was tuned to channel 50 was available. After only a few months of operation on channel 50, the KVFD-TV studio and transmitter were struck by a tornado on the evening of May 4, 1977. Part of the roof was torn off of the KVFD-TV studio building, and the 600 foot tower, while still standing, suffered damage at the 200 foot level. As it was no longer safe, the tower was razed later that month. Breen made plans to rebuild the transmission facilities, but he died in 1978 before any new construction began. Apparently, his heirs (or the executors of his estate) chose not to pursue his rebuilding plans, since the station's callsign was deleted by the FCC in 1981. The building previously used by KVFD-TV was later sold to

Iowa Central Community College Iowa Central Community College is a public community college in Fort Dodge, Iowa, with satellite campuses in Webster City and Storm Lake. History The college was organized in 1966 on the foundation of three area junior colleges which had been ...

. The KQTV callsign has been used by a TV station in St. Joseph, Missouri since 1969. Fort Dodge does not have any other commercial TV stations, and receives commercial TV from Des Moines.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kvfd-Tv Television channels and stations established in 1953 Television channels and stations disestablished in 1977 Television stations in Iowa Defunct television stations in the United States Fort Dodge, Iowa Defunct mass media in Iowa 1953 establishments in Iowa 1977 disestablishments in Iowa