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Channels | |
Branding |
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Programming | |
Affiliations |
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Ownership | |
Owner |
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KIIT-CD, KNPL-LD, KNEP, KNHL, KOLN/KGIN, KSNB-TV, WOWT | |
History | |
First air date | December 15, 1958 |
Former channel number(s) |
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Call sign meaning | North Platte |
Technical information[1] | |
Licensing authority | FCC |
Facility ID | 49273 |
ERP | 16 kW |
HAAT | 196 m (643 ft) |
Transmitter coordinates | 41°12′13″N 100°44′0″W / 41.20361°N 100.73333°W |
Links | |
Public license information | |
Website | www |
KNOP-TV (channel 2) is a television station in North Platte, Nebraska, United States, affiliated with NBC. It is owned by Gray Television alongside two low-power stations: CBS affiliate KNPL-LD (channel 10) and Class A Fox affiliate KIIT-CD (channel 11). The three stations share studios on South Dewey Street in downtown North Platte; master control and some internal operations are based at the facilities of sister station KOLN on North 40th Street in Lincoln. KNOP-TV's transmitter is located at the site of its former studio on US Route 83 north of North Platte.
KNEP (channel 4) in Scottsbluff, Nebraska, operates as a semi-satellite of KNOP-TV.
History
KNOP-TV was founded by local investors headed by attorney Rush Clarke and went on-air December 15, 1958.[2]
In 1968, it was purchased by Richard F. Shively, Harold O. Shively and Ulysses Carlini Sr.[3] Richard died on December 4, 2003.[4] In 1997, Shively and Carlini bought KHAS-TV in Hastings, and formed Greater Nebraska Television as a holding company for their television interests.
In 2005, Greater Nebraska Television sold its stations (including KNOP-TV) to Hoak Media.[5]
KNOP started rebroadcasting NBC programming in high definition, and carrying K11TW's Fox programming on its second digital subchannel, in March 2011.[6]
KNOP gained national attention in February 2012 for being the only station in the country to air a Will Ferrell-produced Super Bowl commercial for Old Milwaukee beer.[7][8]
On November 20, 2013, Hoak announced the sale of most of its stations, including KNOP-TV and K11TW, to Gray Television. The sale made them sister stations to North Platte CBS affiliate KNPL-LD, a semi-satellite of Gray's KOLN/KGIN; it would have also partially separated KNOP from KHAS-TV, which was planned to be sold to Excalibur Broadcasting but be operated by Gray's KOLN/KGIN and KSNB-TV through a shared services agreement.[9] However, in the wake of heightened FCC scrutiny about local marketing agreements, on June 11, 2014, KHAS-TV announced it would leave the air at midnight on June 13 and NBC programming would be moved to KSNB-TV and the digital subcarrier of KOLN/KGIN.[10] The whole sale was completed on June 13.[11] (KHAS was ultimately sold to Legacy Broadcasting,[12] the call letters were changed to KNHL,[13] and it returned to the air in June 2015 as a SonLife Broadcasting Network affiliate.[14]
On September 14, 2015, Gray announced that it would purchase the television and radio stations owned by Schurz Communications, including Scottsbluff, Nebraska based KDUH-TV (a satellite of Rapid City's ABC-affiliated KOTA-TV) for $442.5 million.[15][16][17] Gray planned to convert KDUH into a semi-satellite of KNOP-TV,[18][19] change the station's call letters to KNEP, and also change KDUH/KNEP's city of license to Sidney, Nebraska (which will move it from the Cheyenne–Scottsbluff market to the Denver market, eliminating an ownership conflict with KSTF, a Gray-owned, Scottsbluff-based semi-satellite of Cheyenne, Wyoming-based CBS affiliate KGWN-TV).[20][21][22] The sale approved by the FCC on February 12, 2016,[23] and was completed on February 16.[24] The FCC approved the change of station's city of license on May 16.[25] KNEP's NBC feed for the Nebraska Panhandle (which is branded as "NBC Nebraska Scottsbluff" and produces its own newscasts) signed on May 5, 2016.[26] The station formerly aired KOTA-TV programming on its DT1 channel until 2020.[27]
Newscasts
KNOP-TV presently broadcasts 17 hours of locally produced newscasts each week (with three hours each weekday and one hour each on Saturdays and Sundays). The station also produces 2+1⁄2 hours of weekly news programming each for CBS and Fox affiliated sister stations KIIT-CD and KNPL-LD. Between the three stations, the news operation produces about 22 hours of news programming each week.
Technical information
Subchannels
The station's signal is multiplexed:
Channel | Res. | Aspect | Short name | Programming |
---|---|---|---|---|
2.1 | 1080i | 16:9 | KNOP | NBC |
2.2 | 720p | KIIT | Fox (KIIT-CD) | |
2.3 | 480i | ION TV | Ion Television | |
2.4 | CIRCLE | Outlaw |
Analog-to-digital conversion
KNOP-TV shut down its analog signal, over VHF channel 2, on February 10, 2009.[29][30] The station's digital signal relocated from its pre-transition UHF channel 22 to VHF channel 2 for post-transition operations.[31]
References
- ^ "Facility Technical Data for KNOP-TV". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission.
- ^ 1959 Broadcasting Yearbook (PDF), 1954, p. B-53
- ^ Sportscaster Joe Swift out of job - The North Platte Bulletin
- ^ Application for Consent to Assign Broadcast Station Construction Permit or License, or to Transfer Control of Entity Holding Broadcast Station Construction Permit or License - Federal Communications Commission
- ^ KNOP may get new owners - The North Platte Telegraph
- ^ New Broadcasting Qualities - KNOP News 2
- ^ Burke, Timothy. "We Now Have The Will Ferrell Old Milwaukee Super Bowl Ad In HD, Along With More Info About It". Deadspin. Retrieved 7 February 2012.
- ^ Carlini, Holly. "Commercial Ran Only On KNOP-TV". KNOP-TV. Archived from the original on 8 February 2012. Retrieved 7 February 2012.
- ^ "Gray Buying Hoak, Prime Stations For $342.5M". TVNewsCheck. November 20, 2013. Retrieved November 20, 2013.
- ^ "KHAS TV - KSNB TV Statement". KHAS-TV. Archived from the original on July 14, 2014. Retrieved June 12, 2014.
- ^ Gray closes Hoak deal; completes refinancing., rbr.com, Retrieved 13 June 2014.
- ^ "Gray Sets Buyers For Its Six SSA Stations". TVNewsCheck. 27 August 2014. Retrieved 27 August 2014.
- ^ "Resumption of Operations". CDBS Public Access. Federal Communications Commission. June 9, 2015.
- ^ "September 2015". NorthPine.com: Upper Midwest Broadcasting. 11 September 2015.
- ^ "GRAY TELEVISION PURCHASES KOTA-TV, KDUH". KNEB. September 15, 2015. Retrieved June 16, 2016.
- ^ "Schurz Communications to sell WSBT and other TV, radio stations". South Bend Tribune. September 14, 2015. Retrieved September 14, 2015.
- ^ Kuperberg, Jonathan (September 14, 2015). "Gray Acquiring TV, Radio Stations from Schurz for $442.5 Million". Broadcasting & Cable. Retrieved September 14, 2015.
- ^ "Comprehensive Exhibit" (PDF). CDBS Public Access. Federal Communications Commission. Retrieved September 18, 2015.
- ^ Gray Television unveils some changes for Scottsbluff station. KOTA-TV, 17 February 2016, Retrieved 23 February 2016.
- ^ "Comprehensive Exhibit" (PDF). CDBS Public Access. Federal Communications Commission. October 2015. Retrieved October 24, 2015.
- ^ KOTA Territory News to bring more statewide coverage., Scottsbluff Star-Herald, 19 February 2016. Retrieved 18 May 2016.
- ^ "Sale of KDUH-TV Parent Complete". KCSR. February 16, 2016. Retrieved June 16, 2016.
- ^ FCC Approves Gray-Schurz TV Station Deal. Broadcasting & Cable, 12 February 2016, Retrieved 13 February 2016
- ^ Gray Closes Schurz Acquisition, Related Transactions, And Incremental Term Loan Facility Press Release, Gray Television, Retrieved 16 February 2016.
- ^ Report and Order, Federal Communications Commission, 16 May 2016. Retrieved 16 May 2016.
- ^ "KOTA announces switch to KNEP in May". Scottsbluff Star-Herald. March 29, 2016. Retrieved June 16, 2016.
- ^ May 2016 - Upper Midwest Broadcasting
- ^ RabbitEars TV Query for KNOP-TV
- ^ Notification of Suspension of Operations - Federal Communications Commission
- ^ KNOP switches to digital - The North Platte
- ^ "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.