KHAS-TV

KHAS-TV

Hastings/Kearney/Grand Island, Nebraska
Branding	News 5
Slogan	Coverage You Can Count On
Channels	Digital: 5 (VHF)
Subchannels	(see article)
Affiliations	NBC This TV (DT2)
Owner	Hoak Media Corporation (Hoak Media of Nebraska License, LLC)
First air date	January 1, 1956
Call letters' meaning	HAStings
Former channel number(s)	Analog: 5 (VHF, 1956-2009)
Transmitter power	45 kW
Height	217 m
Facility ID	48003
Transmitter coordinates	40°39′6″N 98°23′4″W
Website	www.khastv.com

KHAS-TV 5 is the NBC television station in Hastings, Nebraska. It serves as the NBC affiliate for the western side of the Lincoln/Hastings/Kearney market. The station is owned by Hoak Media Corporation, which also owns and operates sister station KNOP-TV in North Platte. The station is rebroadcast on translator K02HJ in Ord on channel 2.

Recently, KHAS-TV has promoted itself as a full-market NBC station, challenging the long-standing status of Omaha's WOWT-TV as the default NBC affiliate in the capital. It has begun identifying as "Hastings/Kearney/Grand Island/Lincoln" on-air and on its Website. It is also available on the Lincoln DirecTV and Dish Network feeds as the local NBC station, boosting its potential audience to over 700,000 people across Nebraska and Kansas.

Digital programming

KHAS-DT broadcasts on digital channel 5.

This station's digital signal is multiplexed:

Channel	Name	Video	Aspect	Programming
5.1	KHAS-DT	1080i	16:9	Main KHAS-TV programming / NBC HD
5.2	KHAS-DT2	480i	4:3	"This Nebraska"; movies, classic television series, and children's programming

In September 2010, KHAS-TV digital subchannel 5.2 switched from a standard definition simulcast to This TV. It identifies locally as "This Nebraska".

Analog-to-digital conversion

On December 1, 2008, the station ended analog transmission and became exclusively digital. Due to Nebraska's cold winter weather, the station elected to make the transition early rather than on the national February 17, 2009 analog shutoff date. The digital signal on channel 5 is one of only 48 US full-power stations to broadcast digitally using a low-VHF/Band I channel.

History

KHAS was founded by a group of local investors headed by Fred A. Seaton, publisher of the Hastings Tribune newspaper and Secretary of the Interior during the Eisenhower Administration. It took its calls from KHAS (AM), which Seaton had founded in 1940. In 1967, it was one of the first stations in the area to acquire color broadcasting equipment.

The Seaton family owned KHAS-TV until 1997, when it was sold to Dick Shively and Ulysses Carlini Sr., owners of North Platte TV stations KNOP-TV and K11TW, operating the three stations under the name Greater Nebraska Television. In 2005, Greater Nebraska Television sold the stations to Hoak Media.

The station's studio is located north of Hastings on U.S. 281. The transmitter tower is located next to the studio. KHAS-TV was formerly rebroadcast on translator station K14IY in Holdrege; this translator went dark in 2009. NBC programming is carried in high definition, but KHAS produces all local content in standard definition.

News operation

KHAS-TV produces newscasts weekday mornings at 6 and 11:30 a.m., weeknights at 5, 6 and 10 p.m., and a weekend newscast at 10 p.m.

News team

(Year person joined KHAS in parentheses)

Anchors

• Jeniffer Berry - weeknights at 5, 6 and 10 p.m.; "Celebrate Youth" reporter/producer (2007)
• Josh Egbert - weekends at 10 p.m.; also weekday reporter (2011)
• Colin Murphy - weeknights at 5, 6 and 10 p.m. (2007)
• Chris Schukei - weekday mornings; also assistant news director (2008)
• Amy West - weekday mornings and 11:30 a.m. (2010)

SkyWatch 5 Weather Team

• Travis Klanecky - chief meteorologist; weekday mornings and 11:30 a.m. (2008)
• Joe Thompson - meteorologist; weeknights at 5, 6 and 10 p.m. (2011)
• Katie Gauthier - weather anchor; weekends at 10 p.m. (2011)
• Amy Hadachek - meteorologist; fill-in (2011)

Sports team

• Ed Littler - sports director; weeknights at 6 and 10 p.m. (1992)
• Kyle Thomas - sports anchor; weekends at 10 p.m. (2011)

Reporters

• Ginger ten Bensel - general assignment reporter; "What's Going Around?" reporter/producer (2000)
• Josh Egbert - general assignment reporter; also fill-in/weekend anchor (2011)
• Katie Gauthier - general assignment reporter/ fill-in weather anchor (2011)
• Dara Newson - general assignment reporter (2011)
• Jordan Shefte - general assignment reporter; also fill-in morning anchor (2011)

News/station presentation

Newscast titles

• Five Star News (1960s)
• The Sixth Hour Report/The Eleventh Hour Report (1968–1975)
• NewsCenter 5 (1975–1985)
• Channel 5 News (1985–1994)
• News 5 (1994–present)

Station slogans

• Your Full Color Station! (1960s)
• Channel 5 is Alive in the Air (1969–1970)
• Coverage You Can Count On (1997–2011)

This film, television or video-related list is incomplete; you can help by expanding it with reliably sourced additions.

Former on-air staff

• Bram Weinstein - sports (now at ESPNews)

External links

• Query the FCC's TV station database for KHAS-TV
  • Query the FCC's TV station database for K02HJ
  • Query the FCC's TV station database for K14IY
• BIAfn's Media Web Database -- Information on KHAS-TV
• Hoak Media (parent of KHAS-TV)
• Nebraska Broadcasting Association profile of Fred A. Seaton