KXMA-TV (channel 2) 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
Dickinson, North Dakota
Dickinson is a city in and the county seat of Stark County, North Dakota, United States. The population was 25,679 at the 2020 census. Dickinson is home to the Ukrainian Cultural Institute, which has a museum and holds events year round for the ...
, United States, airing programming from
The CW Plus
The CW Plus is a secondary national programming service feed of The CW that is fully controlled and 75% owned by Nexstar Media Group, with Paramount Global and Warner Bros. Discovery each owning a 12.5% stake in the network. It is intended primar ...
and
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS, the abbreviation of its former legal name Columbia Broadcasting System, is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainm ...
. The station is
owned and operated
In the broadcasting industry, an owned-and-operated station (frequently abbreviated as an O&O) usually refers to a television or radio station owned by the network with which it is associated. This distinguishes such a station from an affiliate ...
by
The CW
''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...
's majority owner,
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 ...
, and maintains a
news bureau
A news bureau is an office for gathering or distributing news. Similar terms are used for specialized bureaus, often to indicate a geographic location or scope of coverage: a ‘Tokyo bureau’ refers to a given news operation's office in Tokyo; ' ...
and advertising sales office at the intersection of West Villard Street and State Avenue North in Dickinson; its transmitter is located southwest of the city. As Dickinson is located in the
Mountain Time Zone
The Mountain Time Zone of North America keeps time by subtracting seven hours from Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) when standard time ( UTC−07:00) is in effect, and by subtracting six hours during daylight saving time ( UTC−06:00). The clo ...
, the station's prime time schedule starts at 6 p.m. rather than the usual 7 p.m. start for the rest of Mountain Time, or in
Central Time, where most of North Dakota is located.
KXMA's second
digital subchannel
In broadcasting, digital subchannels are a method of transmitting more than one independent program stream simultaneously from the same digital radio or television station on the same radio frequency channel. This is done by using data compress ...
is considered a
semi-satellite
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 ...
of
KXMB-TV
KXMB-TV (channel 12) is a television station in Bismarck, North Dakota, United States, affiliated with CBS and The CW Plus. The station is owned by Nexstar Media Group, and maintains studios on North 15th Street in Bismarck; its transmitter is lo ...
in
Bismarck, which is the
flagship station of the four-station
KX Television
KX Television, sometimes branded as KX Net or simply KX, is a group of four television stations in western North Dakota owned by the Nexstar Media Group and affiliated with CBS and The CW.
Stations
The network consists of four stations:
The gro ...
regional network.
KXMC-TV
KXMC-TV (channel 13) is a television station in Minot, North Dakota, United States, affiliated with CBS and The CW Plus. Owned by Nexstar Media Group, the station has studios at the intersection of 2nd Street SE and 18th Avenue SE in Minot, and ...
in
Minot
Minot ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Ward County, North Dakota, Ward County, North Dakota, United States, in the state's north-central region. It is most widely known for the Minot Air Force Base, Air Force base approximately north of ...
is the oldest station and former flagship of the KX group, while KXMB provides master control and some internal operations for the entire network. KXMA-DT2 airs a time-shifted simulcast of KXMB in Mountain Time for most of the day, clearing all network and
syndicated programming as provided through its parent. However, KXMA-DT2 airs separate
legal identifications and commercial inserts. The KX network relays CBS network programming and other programs across central and western North Dakota, as well as bordering counties in
Montana
Montana () is a state in the Mountain West division of the Western United States. It is bordered by Idaho to the west, North Dakota and South Dakota to the east, Wyoming to the south, and the Canadian provinces of Alberta, British Columbi ...
and
South Dakota
South Dakota (; Sioux language, Sioux: , ) is a U.S. state in the West North Central states, North Central region of the United States. It is also part of the Great Plains. South Dakota is named after the Lakota people, Lakota and Dakota peo ...
. KXMA serves the southwestern portion of the Bismarck–Minot
market
Market is a term used to describe concepts such as:
*Market (economics), system in which parties engage in transactions according to supply and demand
*Market economy
*Marketplace, a physical marketplace or public market
Geography
*Märket, an ...
. The four stations are counted as a single unit for
ratings purposes. Unlike the other KX stations, KXMA airs The CW Plus on its main signal as a satellite of KXMB-DT2—hence its on-air branding, Dakota's CW 2—and CBS programming (which aired on 2.1 until 2016) on DT2.
History
KXMA signed on in 1956 as KDIX-TV, and was owned by the Dickinson Radio and TV Corporation along with
KDIX radio. Although the
Federal Communications Commission
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is an independent agency of the United States federal government that regulates communications by radio, television, wire, satellite, and cable across the United States. The FCC maintains jurisdiction ...
(FCC) had combined all of western and central North Dakota into a single market in the mid-1950s, this wouldn't be fully realized for another three decades, mainly because Dickinson is in the Mountain Time Zone. It carried programming from all three networks—CBS,
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American English-language commercial broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a division of Comcast, its headquarters are l ...
and
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 ...
—but was a primary CBS affiliate.
The station was unable to get a direct network feed for its first three decades on the air. Until 1966, the station picked up what CBS programs it could under CBS' Extended Market Plan, which served as a go-between for non-interconnected stations in very small markets. It also aired a few ABC and NBC shows out of pattern.
Then, in 1966,
KOTA-TV
KOTA-TV (channel 3) is a television station in Rapid City, South Dakota, United States, affiliated with ABC. It is owned by Gray Television alongside MeTV affiliate KHME (channel 23) and low-power Fox affiliate KEVN-LD (channel 7). The station ...
in
Rapid City
Rapid City ( lkt, link=no, Mni Lúzahaŋ Otȟúŋwahe; "Swift Water City") is the second most populous city in South Dakota and the county seat of Pennington County. Named after Rapid Creek, where the settlement developed, it is in western So ...
planned to sign on KHSD-TV (channel 11), a satellite station in
Lead, South Dakota
Lead ( ) is a city in Lawrence County, South Dakota, Lawrence County, South Dakota, United States. The population was 2,982 at the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census. Lead is located in western South Dakota, in the Black Hills near the Wyomi ...
; to extend its coverage into northeastern Wyoming and southeastern Montana. At the time, KOTA-TV held a joint affiliation with CBS and ABC, but slightly favored CBS. Stanley Deck, KDIX's general manager at the time, discovered that Dickinson was close enough to Lead that his engineers could easily get an acceptable signal from KHSD whenever CBS and ABC programming aired. He arranged with the Duhamel family, owners of KOTA, to provide network programming for KDIX-TV. In addition, Deck purchased virtually all the stock in the Dickinson Radio and TV Corporation. The deal took effect when KHSD opened on November 2, 1966; for the next several years, KDIX was practically a separately-owned satellite of KOTA. It continued airing NBC programming even after
KFYR-TV
KFYR-TV (channel 5) is a television station in Bismarck, North Dakota, United States, affiliated with NBC and Fox. Owned by Gray Television, the station has studios on North 4th Street and East Broadway Avenue in downtown Bismarck, and its tran ...
opened a low-powered translator in Dickinson around 1967.
Then, in 1970, KOTA swapped affiliations with KRSD-TV (a precursor of
the present KOTA-TV) and joined NBC. KDIX-TV still picked up ABC programming from KOTA, and was also able to pick up NBC as well. However, its engineers now had to switch to KXMB's signal for CBS shows. A decade later, in 1980, KFYR-TV owner Meyer Television upgraded its Dickinson translator to a full-power station,
KQCD-TV
KQCD-TV (channel 7) is a television station in Dickinson, North Dakota, United States, affiliated with NBC and Fox. The station is owned by Gray Television, and maintains a news bureau and advertising sales office on 21st Street East in Dickins ...
. Channel 2 then dropped all NBC programming and severed its remaining ties with KOTA-TV; afterward, KDIX-TV and the Reiten stations — KXMC-TV, KXMB-TV, and
KXMD-TV
KXMD-TV (channel 11) is a television station in Williston, North Dakota, United States, affiliated with CBS and The CW Plus. Owned by Nexstar Media Group, the station maintains a news bureau and advertising sales office at the intersection of 13th ...
— were jointly branded as the "4X Network."
In 1983, Deck sold KDIX-TV to Big Horn Communications, which owned KOUS-TV (now
KHMT
KHMT (channel 4) is a television station licensed to Hardin, Montana, United States, serving as the Fox Broadcasting Company, Fox affiliate for the Billings, Montana, Billings area. It is owned by Mission Broadcasting, which maintains local marke ...
) in
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 Met ...
, and the calls were changed to KNDX. Big Horn paid so little attention to KNDX that the station's signal quickly deteriorated to the point of unacceptability. With the station on the verge of closing down, the Reitens came to KNDX's rescue, agreeing to buy the station in late 1984. The station adopted its current calls, KXMA-TV, when the deal closed on January 2, 1985. (It would have been KXME, but
Prairie Public Television
Prairie Public Television is a state network of public television stations operated primarily by Prairie Public Broadcasting. It comprises all of the PBS member stations in the U.S. state of North Dakota.
The state network is available via fla ...
objected.) With wealthier ownership, KXMA was finally able to get a direct network feed from CBS. Since then, KXMA has been a semi-satellite of KXMB, airing a time-shifted feed of KXMB in Mountain Time. It continued to air a few ABC shows until 1986, when newly signed-on Bismarck ABC affiliate
KBMY
KBMY (channel 17) is a television station in Bismarck, North Dakota, United States, affiliated with ABC and MyNetworkTV. Owned by Forum Communications Company, the station maintains a news bureau and advertising sales office on North 15th Stre ...
opened a translator in Dickinson.
![KX News Van](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/ee/KX_News_Van.jpg)
In 2006, the stations began a
web portal
A web portal is a specially designed website that brings information from diverse sources, like emails, online forums and search engines, together in a uniform way. Usually, each information source gets its dedicated area on the page for displayin ...
-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 began using the "KX Net" moniker 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
The Teddy Award is an international film award for films with LGBT topics, presented by an independent jury as an official award of the Berlin International Film Festival (the Berlinale). In the most part, the jury consists of organisers of gay ...
for Best Website and the 2007
Eric Sevareid
Arnold Eric Sevareid (November 26, 1912 – July 9, 1992) was an American author and CBS news journalist from 1939 to 1977. He was one of a group of elite war correspondents who were hired by CBS newsman Edward R. Murrow and nicknamed " Murrow's ...
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 its existing stations and KBMY, Bismarck's ABC affiliate owned by
Forum Communications Company
Forum Communications Company is an American multimedia and technology company headquartered in Fargo, North Dakota. With multiple online and print news brands throughout Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota and Wisconsin, Forum Communications of ...
. A consequence of this agreement was that KBMY's programming began to be simulcast in Dickinson on a full-power signal on KXMA's second digital subchannel in 2009.
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
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 ...
announced its $44 million purchase of the Reiten Television stations, including KXMA-TV, on September 17, 2015.
Sale was completed on February 2, 2016. As result of the acquisition, Nexstar decided to terminate the Joint Sales Agreement with KBMY.
Programming
The KX network carries the ''
CBS Overnight News
''CBS Overnight News'' is an American overnight news broadcasting that is broadcast on CBS during the early morning hours each Monday through Friday. The program maintains a infotainment format, incorporating national, international and busine ...
'' (though with
public service announcement
A public service announcement (PSA) is a message in the public interest disseminated by the media without charge to raise public awareness and change behavior. In the UK, they are generally called a public information film (PIF); in Hong Kong, ...
s instead of local commercials), while weekends simulcast the local weather conditions of North Dakota. All four stations provide a formal
sign-off
A sign-on (or start-up in Commonwealth countries except Canada) is the beginning of operations for a radio or television station, generally at the start of each day. It is the opposite of a sign-off (or closedown in Commonwealth countries exce ...
, including "
The Star-Spangled Banner
"The Star-Spangled Banner" is the national anthem of the United States. The lyrics come from the "Defence of Fort M'Henry", a poem written on September 14, 1814, by 35-year-old lawyer and amateur poet Francis Scott Key after witnessing the b ...
", at 1:05 a.m. CT/12:05 a.m. MT Tuesday through Saturday mornings and at 1:35 a.m. CT/12:35 a.m. MT on Sunday and Monday mornings.
The
North Dakota State Fair
The North Dakota State Fair is an annual state fair held each July in Minot, North Dakota, USA. The fair has carnival rides, agricultural expositions, government and commercial exhibitions, and a variety of musical and performance entertainment. ...
parade in Minot is aired live across the KX network every July as well as a
July 4th
Events Pre-1600
*362 BC – Battle of Mantinea: The Thebans, led by Epaminondas, defeated the Spartans.
* 414 – Emperor Theodosius II, age 13, yields power to his older sister Aelia Pulcheria, who reigned as regent and proclaimed ...
Parade in
Mandan
The Mandan are a Native American tribe of the Great Plains who have lived for centuries primarily in what is now North Dakota. They are enrolled in the Three Affiliated Tribes of the Fort Berthold Reservation. About half of the Mandan still res ...
.
News operation
KXMB produces local newscasts on weekdays at noon, 6 and 10 p.m. Weekend newscasts are produced at 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
John William Ferrell (; born July 16, 1967) is an American actor, comedian, and producer. He first established himself in the mid-1990s as a cast member on the NBC sketch comedy show ''Saturday Night Live'', where he performed from 1995 to 200 ...
, as a promotion for his film ''
Anchorman 2'', co-anchored the KX network's evening news as his character
Ron Burgundy
The ''Anchorman'' series is a media franchise initially consisting of three American comedy films – '' Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy'', '' Wake Up, Ron Burgundy: The Lost Movie'' (both 2004), and '' Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues'' ...
.
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 ...
:
Starting in 2016, KXMA moved CBS programming to its second digital subchannel, with The CW on its primary channel. This is likely to ensure satellite carriage for The CW in the market.
Analog-to-digital conversion
KXMA-TV shut down its analog signal, over
VHF channel 2, on June 12, 2009, the official date in 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 19.
Through the use of
PSIP
The Program and System Information Protocol (PSIP) is the MPEG (a video and audio industry group) and privately defined program-specific information originally defined by General Instrument for the DigiCipher 2 system and later extended for the AT ...
, digital television receivers display the stations
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 ...
as its former VHF analog channel 2.
See also
*
KXMB-TV
KXMB-TV (channel 12) is a television station in Bismarck, North Dakota, United States, affiliated with CBS and The CW Plus. The station is owned by Nexstar Media Group, and maintains studios on North 15th Street in Bismarck; its transmitter is lo ...
*
KXMC-TV
KXMC-TV (channel 13) is a television station in Minot, North Dakota, United States, affiliated with CBS and The CW Plus. Owned by Nexstar Media Group, the station has studios at the intersection of 2nd Street SE and 18th Avenue SE in Minot, and ...
*
KXMD-TV
KXMD-TV (channel 11) is a television station in Williston, North Dakota, United States, affiliated with CBS and The CW Plus. Owned by Nexstar Media Group, the station maintains a news bureau and advertising sales office at the intersection of 13th ...
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kxma-Tv
CBS network affiliates
Laff (TV network) affiliates
Ion Mystery affiliates
Television channels and stations established in 1956
XMA-TV
The CW affiliates
Dickinson, North Dakota
Nexstar Media Group