KTBY

KTBY, virtual channel 4 (UHF digital channel 20), is a Fox-affiliated television station licensed to Anchorage, Alaska, United States. The station is owned by Coastal Television Broadcasting Company LLC,[1] which also operates ABC affiliate KYUR (channel 13) under joint sales[2] and shared services[3] agreements (JSA/SSA) with owner Vision Alaska LLC. The two stations share studios on East Tudor Road in Anchorage; KTBY's transmitter is located in historic downtown Anchorage atop the Hilton Anchorage East Tower hotel.

KTBY
Anchorage, Alaska
United States
ChannelsDigital: 20 (UHF)
Virtual: 4 (PSIP)
BrandingFox 4 (general)
Fox Alaska News (newscasts)
SloganYour Alaska Link
Programming
Affiliations4.1: Fox (1986–present)
4.2: Dabl
4.3: Cozi TV
Ownership
OwnerCoastal Television Broadcasting Company LLC
(KTBY License LLC)
KATN, KJUD, KYUR
History
First air date
December 2, 1983 (1983-12-02)
Former channel number(s)
Analog:
4 (VHF, 1983–2009)
Independent (1983–1986)
Technical information
Licensing authority
FCC
Facility ID35655
ERP234.4 kW
HAAT45 m (148 ft)
Transmitter coordinates61°13′9″N 149°53′32″W
Translator(s)K09QH-D 9 Kenai, etc.
K33AF-D 33 Kasilof
K31MD-D 31 Ninilchik
K04JH-D 4 Homer
Links
Public license information
Profile
LMS
Websitewww.youralaskalink.com

On cable, the station is available on GCI channel 4 and in high definition on digital channel 654.[4] It is also carried on DirecTV and Dish Network in the Anchorage television market. Some of KTBY's programming is broadcast to rural communities via low-power translators through the Alaska Rural Communications Service (ARCS).

History

KTBY signed on the air on December 2, 1983 as a locally owned independent with Mike Parker as President, Mike Buck as General Manager and Dave Peters II as Program Director before joining the then-fledgling Fox network on its launch of October 9, 1986 (being part of a small number of TV stations on the VHF dial to affiliate with the new network upon its launch), and today is still one of the charter affiliates. It was the only Fox station in Alaska until 1992, when KFXF in Fairbanks went on the air; in the late 1980s, it also became the first station in Alaska to broadcast 24 hours a day.

During the 1980s, KTBY was the first Anchorage station to air professional wrestling with any regularity, largely in response to the increase in mainstream interest. Televised wrestling programs were largely absent from Anchorage television, as the programs were traditionally used to promote live events, which have been held only occasionally in Alaska dating back to the 1950s. The station originally aired AWA All-Star Wrestling (in conjunction with a short-lived attempt on their part to promote events in the market), and later World Class Championship Wrestling and WWF Superstars of Wrestling.

In June 2010, Coastal Television hired Scott Centers as General Manager to manage KTBY and under a shared services agreement, manage Vision Alaska I and Vision Alaska II. In September 2010, KTBY relocated its master control operations to colocate with Vision Alaska I.

Digital television

Digital channels

The station's digital signal is multiplexed:

Channel Video Aspect PSIP Short Name Programming[5]
4.1720p16:9KTBY-HDMain KTBY programming / Fox
4.2480iDABLDabl
4.3COZICozi TV

Analog-to-digital conversion

KTBY shut down its analog signal, over VHF channel 4, 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 20.[6] Through the use of PSIP, digital television receivers display the station's virtual channel as its former VHF analog channel 4.

News operation

Until October 1, 2008, KTBY aired a 9:00 p.m. weeknight newscast produced by local CBS affiliate KTVA (channel 11). This production ceased when KTBY began its own news operation.

In April 2020, as a result of impending economic concerns caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, KTBY and KYUR announced plans to outsource its news production to the national NewsNet service, which began operations one year earlier. All of the stations' newscasts outside of prime time, including Good Day Alaska, were canceled, and the majority of the local staff were laid off. By the end of the month, KYUR's news output had been reduced to a 30-minute newscast at 10 p.m. and KTBY was reduced to an hour-long newscast at 9 p.m. Both of these newscasts are branded as NewsNet Alaska, featuring a brief local news segment produced in Anchorage, with the rest of the broadcast utilizing the NewsNet national feed produced out of Cadillac, Michigan. Despite the reduction in local news, KTBY and KYUR have opted to use the NewsNet national branding "More News. More Often." in their broadcasts.[7]

References
  2. Joint Sales Agreement - Federal Communications Commission
  3. Time Brokerage Fees - Federal Communications Commission
  4. https://www.gci.com/-/media/files/gci/channel-lineups/consumer-2018/anchorage-line-up-cards-statewide-cons-jan2018.pdf
  5. RabbitEars TV Query for KTBY
  6. "DTV Tentative Channel Designations for the First and the Second Rounds" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2013-08-29. Retrieved 2012-03-24.
  7. "MI News 26 Founder Starting National News Network". TVNewsTalk.net. 25 April 2020. Retrieved 26 April 2020.
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