KQCD-TV

KQCD-TV, virtual and VHF digital channel 7, is a dual NBC/Fox-affiliated television station licensed to Dickinson, North Dakota, United States. The station is owned by Gray Television. KQCD-TV's news bureau and advertising sales office are located on 21st Street East in Dickinson, and its transmitter is located near South Heart, North Dakota. On cable, the station is available on Midcontinent Communications channel 7 and Consolidated Telcom channel 5 in Dickinson, and channel 7 in most other areas. There is a high definition feed provided on Midco digital channel 607 and Consolidated Telcom digital channel 305.

KQCD-TV
Semi-satellite of KFYR-TV,
Bismarck, North Dakota
Dickinson, North Dakota
United States
ChannelsDigital: 7 (VHF)
Virtual: 7 (PSIP)
BrandingKQCD-TV (general)
NBC North Dakota (regional)
West Dakota Fox (on DT2)
MeTV North Dakota (on DT3)
SloganYour News Leader
Programming
Affiliations7.1: NBC
7.2: Fox
7.3: MeTV
7.4: Circle (soon)
Ownership
OwnerGray Television
(Gray Television Licensee, LLC)
KFYR-TV, KMOT, KUMV-TV, KVLY-TV
History
First air date
c. 1967 (current full-power license dates from July 28, 1980)
Former call signs
K07FN (c. 1967–1980)
Former channel number(s)
Analog:
7 (VHF, c. 1967–2009)
Digital:
18 (UHF, until 2009)
Secondary:
ABC (c. 1967–1986)
Call sign meaning
Queen City Dickinson
Technical information
Licensing authority
FCC
Facility ID41430
ERP11.3 kW
HAAT205 m (673 ft)
Transmitter coordinates46°56′53″N 102°59′27″W
Translator(s)KNDX-LD 38.1 (UHF) Dickinson (relays KQCD-DT2)
Links
Public license information
Profile
LMS
Websitewww.kfyrtv.com

KQCD-TV is part of the four-station NBC North Dakota regional network of NBC affiliates in central and western North Dakota, originating from flagship station KFYR-TV (channel 5) in Bismarck. The NBC North Dakota network relays NBC network and other programming from KFYR-TV across central and western North Dakota, as well as bordering counties in Montana and South Dakota. The four stations along with fellow NBC affiliate KVLY-TV in Fargo often share news stories. Master control and some internal operations of KQCD are based at KFYR-TV's facilities on North 4th Street and East Broadway Avenue in downtown Bismarck. The four stations are counted as a single unit for ratings purposes.

Though identifying as a station in its own right, KQCD-TV is a semi-satellite of KFYR-TV in Bismarck. While it airs separate commercials and legal identifications, for most of the day it airs a time-shifted feed of KFYR-TV in Mountain Time. Most of the station's coverage area, including Dickinson itself, is in the Mountain Time Zone, and its prime time schedule starts at 6 p.m. rather than the usual 7 p.m. for its sister stations.

KQCD's Fox-affiliated second digital subchannel can be seen on cable channel 4 in most areas. There is a high definition feed provided on Midco digital channel 604 and Consolidated Telcom digital channel 304 in Dickinson. The cable channels previously carried KNDX until their programming moved to the NBC North Dakota network's subchannels. KNDX's former low-powered repeater in Dickinson, KNDX-LD (channel 38), continues as a simulcast of the Fox subchannel.

History

KQCD-TV debuted on January 25, 1980. It was the last station in what was then known as the Meyer Television Network to sign on, and has always been a semi-satellite of KFYR-TV. It replaced K07HN, a low-powered translator of KFYR-TV that had served the area since around 1967.[1][2] Until KQCD's sign-on, KDIX-TV (channel 2, now KXMA-TV) aired a few NBC programs in off-hours.

Longtime owner Marietta Meyer Ekberg sold her broadcast holdings in 1997, with the television stations going to Sunrise Television Corporation. Sunrise sold them to The Wicks Group of Companies of New York City.

Hoak Media bought KFYR-TV, KMOT, KUMV, and KQCD in July 2006, as well as KVLY-TV in Fargo and KSFY in Sioux Falls, South Dakota and its satellite stations. On November 17, 2006, the sale was approved by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC).

KQCD picked up MeTV in April 2013, with an official launch date of May 1, 2013.[3]

On November 20, 2013, Gray Television announced it would purchase Hoak Media in a $335 million deal. Gray initially planned, through Excalibur Broadcasting, to also acquire Fox affiliate KNDX/KXND for $7.5 million and operate them under a local marketing agreement.[4] On March 25, 2014, Prime Cities Broadcasting, owner of KNDX/KXND, requested that the FCC dismiss the sale of that station to Excalibur.[5] This came as a result of increased scrutiny of LMAs by the FCC. Gray would instead acquire the stations' non-license assets,[6] and, upon the closure of the Hoak purchases on June 13, 2014, shut down KNDX/KXND and moved Fox programming to subchannels of KFYR and its satellites.[7]

Digital television

Digital channels

The station's digital signal is multiplexed:

Channel Video Aspect PSIP Short Name Programming[8]
7.11080i16:9KQCD-DTMain KQCD-TV programming / NBC
7.2720pWD FOXFox[9]
7.3480iMeTV NDMeTV
7.4CircleCircle (soon)

Analog-to-digital conversion

KQCD-TV shut down its analog signal, over VHF channel 7, on February 16, 2009, the day prior to the original date in which full-power television stations in the United States were set to transition from analog to digital broadcasts under federal mandate (which was later rescheduled for June 12, 2009). The station's digital signal relocated from its pre-transition UHF channel 18 to VHF channel 7 for post-transition operations.[10][11]

Programming

Syndicated programming on KQCD includes Live with Kelly and Ryan, The Dr. Oz Show, The Doctors, Jeopardy!, and Wheel of Fortune, among others.

News operation

KQCD once aired partially separate weekday newscasts from KFYR-TV at 6 p.m. and 10 pm, much like KUMV does today. The first 10 minutes (which included regional news and weather) originated at KFYR, while the remaining 20 minutes were filled by KQCD's own news and sports anchors. All other newscasts originated from KFYR. In 2002, severe cutbacks resulted in KQCD ending its locally focused newscasts. Since then, the only visual evidence that KQCD is a separate station has been its separate commercials and idents.

KQCD's news department was reduced to a single reporter, Cebe Schneider. In 2009, she was joined by Adam Powell as bureau chief. Powell and Schneider's stories aired on KFYR's regional newscasts. They were the only reporters based in southwestern North Dakota. However, they were fired in 2012 due to further cutbacks. KQCD still has a single reporter whose stories air on KFYR.

The stations occasionally share stories with co-owned KVLY-TV. The five stations simulcast major North Dakota sporting events under the NBC North Dakota brand name and share certain equipment, such as remote broadcasting vehicles. On April 30, 2012, NBC North Dakota began broadcasting its local newscasts in high definition.[12]

The Fox-affiliated subchannel debuted West Dakota Fox News at Nine during October 2014, originating from KFYR's studios in Bismarck.

Translators

Gray also owns KNDX-LD (channel 38) in Dickinson; this station was acquired alongside the purchase of the non-license assets of KNDX and KXND[6] and thus simulcasts KQCD's Fox-affiliated second subchannel. As of February 4, 2018, KNDX-LD is off the air due to being displaced by T-Mobile.[13] KNDX-LD has been granted a move to channel 28.[14]

See also

References
  1. http://americanradiohistory.com/Archive-BC-YB/1978/B-Television-Broadcasting-Yearbook-1978-Full.pdf Page B-152
  2. TV Factbook II 1967, page 225-a
  3. http://northpine.com/
  4. "Gray Buying Hoak, Prime Stations For $342.5M". TVNewsCheck. Retrieved November 20, 2013.
  5. Paxson, Ann Thomas (March 25, 2014). "Re: Prime Cities Broadcasting, Inc. Request for Dismissal of Group Application for Assignment of Broadcast Station License(s)…" (PDF). CDBS Public Access. Federal Communications Commission. Retrieved March 26, 2014.
  6. "Gray Adds North And South Dakota TVs". TVNewsCheck. May 1, 2014. Retrieved December 4, 2014.
  7. "Gray Completes Hoak-Prime Station Buy". TVNewsCheck. Retrieved June 16, 2014.
  8. RabbitEars TV Query for KQCD
  9. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on March 31, 2012. Retrieved June 12, 2014.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  11. "DTV Tentative Channel Designations for the First and the Second Rounds" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on August 29, 2013. Retrieved March 24, 2012.
  12. KFYR-TV Makes the Conversion to HD
  13. "Request for Suspention of Operations" (PDF). Retrieved September 13, 2018.
  14. "Displacement for LPTV Translator Application". June 7, 2018. Retrieved September 13, 2018.
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