KOTA-TV

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KOTA-TV
KOTA logo
Rapid City, South Dakota
Branding KOTA Territory (general)
KOTA Territory News (newscasts)
Slogan Coverage You Can Count On
Channels Digital: 2 (VHF)
Virtual: 3 (PSIP)
Subchannels 3.1 ABC
3.2 Me-TV
3.3 This TV
Translators (see below)
Owner Duhamel Broadcasting Enterprises
First air date July 1, 1955
Call letters' meaning South DaKOTA (pronounced as "kota")
Sister station(s) KDDX, KOTA, KQRQ, KZLK, KZZI
Former channel number(s) Analog:
3 (VHF, 1955-2009)
Former affiliations CBS (primary, 1955-1965; dual-primary, 1965-1976)
ABC (secondary, 1955-1965; dual-primary, 1965-1976)
NBC (secondary, 1955-1958 and 1976-1988)
Transmitter power 18.2 kW
Height 174 m
Facility ID 17688
Transmitter coordinates 44°4′7.7″N 103°15′5″W / 44.068806°N 103.25139°W / 44.068806; -103.25139
Website www.kotatv.com
www.kduhtv.com

KOTA-TV, channel 3, is an ABC television affiliate based in Rapid City, South Dakota, USA. The station is owned by the Duhamel family of Rapid City. Its current slogan is "Coverage You Can Count On." Its transmitter is located in Rapid City, while its studios are located in downtown Rapid City along with radio stations KOTA, KQRQ, KZZI, KDDX and KZLK.

Through the use of three satellite stations, KOTA-TV serves a large area in western South Dakota, eastern Montana, eastern Wyoming and the Nebraska panhandle. It calls its vast coverage area "KOTA Territory."

Contents

[edit] Digital television

In 2009, KOTA-TV and its satellite stations added the Retro Television Network and This TV on their digital subchannels. In 2011, Retro Television was replaced by Me-TV on KOTA-TV and its satellite stations.[1]

Channel Aspect Format Programming
3.1 16:9 720p main KOTA-TV programming / ABC
3.2 4:3 480i Me-TV
3.3 This TV

[edit] Rebroadcasters

KOTA-TV's programming is also shown on a network of three satellite stations:

Station City of license Channels
TV / RF		 First air date ERP HAAT Facility ID Transmitter Coordinates
KDUH-TV Scottsbluff, Nebraska 4 (PSIP)
7 (VHF)		 March 5, 1958 32 kW 475 m 17683 41°50′27.7″N 103°4′28.8″W / 41.841028°N 103.074667°W / 41.841028; -103.074667 (KDUH-TV)
KHSD-TV Lead, South Dakota 11 (PSIP)
10 (VHF)		 November 2, 1966 34.8 kW 576 m 17686 44°19′35.1″N 103°50′9″W / 44.326417°N 103.83583°W / 44.326417; -103.83583 (KHSD-TV)
KSGW-TV Sheridan, Wyoming 12 (PSIP)
13 (VHF)		 December 28, 1977 50 kW 372 m 17680 44°37′23″N 107°7′2.3″W / 44.62306°N 107.117306°W / 44.62306; -107.117306 (KSGW-TV)

KDUH-TV is a semi-satellite of KOTA-TV, airing separate commercials. It once produced its own full-length newscasts as well. However, due to recent cutbacks, KDUH's newscasts have been reduced to inserts in KOTA-TV's newscasts. KHSD-TV and KSGW-TV are full repeaters of KOTA-TV.

KDUH-TV is one of two ABC affiliates on Dish Network's Cheyenne-Scottsbluff local feed. The other is KTWO-TV in Casper, which is carried on KLWY's digital subcarrier.

When KHSD was being launched, the Duhamels made a deal with KDIX-TV in Dickinson, North Dakota (now KXMA) to provide programming for that station, as KDIX was close enough to Dickinson that its engineers would be able to pick up KHSD's signal. Consequently, KDIX was practically a satellite of KOTA from November 1966 until KEVN signed on nearly a decade later.

KSGW airs local Sheridan commercials alongside other network ads. Newscasts feature spliced in weather forecasts specifically for Northeastern Wyoming. The Sheridan office for KOTA often produces local news segments that air periodically on the main network-wide newscast.

KOTA is also operating a fill-in translator on channel 18 that serves the immediate part of the Rapid City area.[2]

KOTA-TV also operates the following low-power translators:

This list is incomplete; you can help by expanding it.

[edit] History

KOTA-TV debuted on the air on July 1, 1955 as the second television station in South Dakota, and the first in the western part of the state. It originally carried programming from all three networks, though it was a primary CBS affiliate. It was owned by Rapid City businesswoman Helen Duhamel along with CBS Radio Network affiliate KOTA (1380 AM). Duhamel bought a minority stake in the radio station in 1943 and gradually expanded her holdings until she bought full control in 1954. Her family continues to own and operate the stations today; Helen's son William Duhamel has been KOTA-TV's president and general manager since 1976.

When KRSD-TV, the original channel 7 in Rapid City, signed on in 1958, it took the NBC affiliation, sharing ABC with KOTA-TV. In 1965, channel 3 took on an unusual "joint primary" affiliation with CBS and ABC, slightly favoring CBS. It was certainly quite a struggle to fit as many network shows as possible onto the schedule, especially in the daytime, so KRSD-TV had to take up some of the slack. But channel 7 always had a painfully weak signal which, by 1966, had deteriorated to the point of unacceptability. KRSD-TV finally gave up and ceased operations on December 31, 1971.

Fortunately for KOTA-TV, the original Prime Time Access Rule had taken effect by this time, which made it easier for the station to clear shows from both CBS and ABC. From January 1972 until June 1976, KOTA had only PBS station KBHE-TV (channel 9) as a competitor; NBC had to be piped in on cable from KOA-TV (now KCNC-TV) in Denver.

The coverage of KOTA-TV satellite KDUH-TV in Scottsbluff, Nebraska clashed with the coverage of KSTF, a satellite of KYCU-TV (now KGWN-TV) in Cheyenne, especially with CBS programs. In February 1976, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) awarded a channel 7 license to KEVN-TV, in order to relieve KOTA of its heavy network load and to end the duplication problem in Scottsbluff. When KEVN opened on July 11, 1976, it took all CBS programming. KOTA and its satellites became primary ABC affiliates. As consolation, both stations added secondary NBC affiliations.

Then in November 1988, KELO-TV in Sioux Falls put a Rapid City satellite of its own on the air, KCLO-TV on channel 15, which took the CBS affiliation. KOTA-TV then became a full-time ABC affiliate, leaving KEVN with NBC; KEVN switched to Fox in 1995 as part of the U.S. television network affiliate switches of 1994.

[edit] News operation

[icon] This section requires expansion with:
information on KOTA-TV's news operation history.

[edit] News/station presentation

[edit] Newscast titles

  • KOTA Newservice (1973–1978)
  • Newswatch (1978–1981)
  • Newsline (1981–1984)
  • KOTA Territory News (1984–present)[3]

[edit] Station slogans

  • "Your 24-Hour News Source" (1990–2000)
  • "Your Local News Leader" (2000–2003)
  • "Live. Local." (2003–2006)
  • "Coverage You Can Count On" (2006–present)
Television.svg This film, television or video-related list is incomplete; you can help by expanding it with reliably sourced additions.

[edit] News team[4]

Anchors

  • Cindy Davis - weekdays at noon; also producer
  • Helene Duhamel - weeknights at 5:30 p.m.; also "Family Healthcast" reporter (granddaughter of station founder Helen Duhamel)
  • Alicia Garcia - weeknights at 10 p.m.; also consumer reporter
  • Eric Gardner - weekday mornings

Weather team

  • Mike Modrick (AMS Seal of Approval) - chief meteorologist; weeknights at 5:30 and 10 p.m.
  • Eric Gardner (NWA Seal of Approval) - meteorologist; weekday mornings
  • Justin Fanfarilli - meteorologist; weekends at 10 p.m.; also reporter and producer
  • Dick Horkey - meteorologist; fill-in

Sports team

  • Vic Quick - sports director; weeknights at 5:30 and 10 p.m.
  • Chris Neyenhouse - sports anchor; weekends at 10 p.m., also general assignment reporter

Reporters

  • Rachael Embler - general assignment reporter
  • Katy Urban - general assignment reporter
  • Jason Tarr - general assignment reporter

[edit] References

  1. ^ Where to Watch Me-TV: KOTA-TV
  2. ^ https://licensing.fcc.gov/cgi-bin/ws.exe/prod/cdbs/forms/prod/cdbsmenu.hts?context=25&appn=101414421&formid=346&fac_num=17688
  3. ^ KOTA Terriotry News Open from 1999
  4. ^ Contact Us

[edit] External links
Rapid City

KOTA (3.1 ABC, 3.2 Me-TV) • KEVN (7.1 Fox) • KBHE (9.1 PBS, 9.2 PBS World, 9.3 Create) • KCLO (15.1 CBS) • KNBN (21.1 NBC, KWBH/CW 21.2, Ion/MNTV 21.3) • KKRA-LP 24 (NBC) • KWBH-LP 27 (CW) • K33CO 33 (silent) • KCPL-LP 52 (Ind)
Black Hills

KIVV (5.1 Fox) • KHSD (11.1 ABC, 11.2 Me-TV)
Outlying Areas

KDUH / KSGW (4/12.1 ABC, 4/12.2 Me-TV) • KZSD / KPSD (8/13.1 PBS, 8/13.2 PBS World, 8/13.3 Create) • KSWY-LP 29 (NBC)
Defunct

KJCW (7.1 NBC/JCTV)
Broadcast Television Stations by Affiliation in the state of South Dakota
ABC Affiliates
CBS Affiliates
CW Affiliates
Fox Affiliates
Independent/Religious Stations
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Sioux Falls market: KUSD 2 (Vermillion) - KESD 8 (Brookings) - KTSD 10 (Pierre) - KQSD 11 (Lowry) - KDSD 16 (Aberdeen) - KCSD 23 (Sioux Falls)

Rapid City market: KZSD 8 (Martin) - KBHE 9 (Rapid City) - KPSD 13 (Eagle Butte)
RTN Affiliates
ABC Network Affiliates in the state of Nebraska
Broadcast Television Stations by Affiliation in the state of Wyoming
ABC Affiliates
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