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| Channels | |
| Branding |
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| Programming | |
| Network | KX Television |
| Affiliations |
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| Ownership | |
| Owner |
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| KXMB-TV,KXMC-TV,KXMD-TV | |
| History | |
First air date | October 15, 1956 (68 years ago) (1956-10-15) |
Former call signs |
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Former channel number(s) | Analog: 2 (VHF, 1956–2009) |
Call sign meaning | KX Television |
| Technical information[1] | |
Licensing authority | FCC |
| Facility ID | 55684 |
| ERP | 150kW |
| HAAT | 217 m (712 ft) |
| Transmitter coordinates | 46°43′35″N102°54′57″W / 46.72639°N 102.91583°W /46.72639; -102.91583 (KXMA-TV) |
| Links | |
Public license information | |
| Website | www |
KXMA-TV (channel 2) is atelevision station inDickinson, North Dakota, United States, serving as anowned-and-operated station ofThe CW Plus and an affiliate ofCBS. The station is owned byNexstar Media Group, and maintains anews bureau 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 theMountain Time Zone, 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 inCentral Time, where most of North Dakota is located.
KXMA's seconddigital subchannel is considered asemi-satellite ofKXMB-TV inBismarck, which is theflagship station of the four-stationKX Television regional network.KXMC-TV inMinot 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 andsyndicated programming as provided through its parent. However, KXMA-DT2 airs separatelegal 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 inMontana andSouth Dakota. KXMA serves the southwestern portion of the Bismarck–Minotmarket. The four stations are counted as a single unit forratings 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.
KXMA signed on in 1956 as KDIX-TV, and was owned by the Dickinson Radio and TV Corporation along withKDIX radio. Although theFederal Communications Commission (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 andABC—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 inRapid City planned to sign on KHSD-TV (channel 11), a satellite station inLead, South Dakota; 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 afterKFYR-TV opened a low-powered translator in Dickinson around 1967.
Then, in 1970, KOTA swapped affiliations with KRSD-TV (a precursor ofthe 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. 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, andKXMD-TV — were jointly branded as the "4X Network."[2]
In 1983, Deck sold KDIX-TV to Big Horn Communications, which owned KOUS-TV (nowKHMT) inBillings, 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, butPrairie Public Television 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 affiliateKBMY opened a translator in Dickinson.
In 2006, the stations began aweb portal-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 2007Teddy Award for Best Website and the 2007Eric Sevareid 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 byForum Communications Company. 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 announced its $44 million purchase of the Reiten Television stations, including KXMA-TV, on September 17, 2015.[3] Sale was completed on February 2, 2016.[4] As result of the acquisition, Nexstar decided to terminate the Joint Sales Agreement with KBMY.[5]
The KX network carries theCBS Overnight News (though withpublic service announcements instead of local commercials), while weekends simulcast the local weather conditions of North Dakota. All four stations provide a formalsign-off, including "The Star-Spangled Banner", 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.
TheNorth Dakota State Fair parade in Minot is aired live across the KX network every July as well as aJuly 4th Parade inMandan.
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'sCountry 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, actorWill Ferrell, as a promotion for his filmAnchorman 2, co-anchored the KX network's evening news as his characterRon Burgundy.[6]
The station's signal ismultiplexed:
| Channel | Res. | Aspect | Short name | Programming |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2.1 | 720p | 16:9 | KXMA Wx | The CW Plus[8] |
| 2.2 | 1080i | KXMA DT | CBS | |
| 2.3 | 480i | Laff | ||
| 2.4 | Ion Mystery |
Starting in 2016, KXMA moved CBS programming to its second digital subchannel, with The CW Plus on its primary channel. This is likely to ensure satellite carriage for The CW in the market.
KXMA-TV shut down its analog signal, overVHF channel 2, on June 12, 2009, the official date on which full-power television stations in the United Statestransitioned from analog to digital broadcasts under federal mandate. The station's digital signal remained on its pre-transitionUHF channel 19,[9] usingvirtual channel 2.
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