KTKA-TV

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KTKA-TV
Topeka, Kansas
Branding 49 ABC (general)
Kansas First News (newscasts)
Channels Digital: 49 (UHF)
Subchannels (see article)
Affiliations ABC
The CW (DT3)
Owner PBC Broadcasting, LLC
(operated through SSA by New Vision Television)
(PBC Broadcasting of Topeka License, LLC)
First air date June 20th, 1983
Call letters' meaning TopeKA
Sister station(s) KSNT, KTMJ-CA
Former callsigns KLDH (1983-1987)
Former channel number(s) Analog: 49 (UHF, 1983-2009)
Digital: 48 (UHF, 1998-2010)
Transmitter power 55 kW
Height 451.1 m
Facility ID 49397
Transmitter coordinates 39°1′33.7″N 95°55′2.1″W / 39.026028°N 95.91725°W / 39.026028; -95.91725
Website www.ktka.com (official site)
49abc.com (program listings)

KTKA-TV, channel 49, is the ABC-affiliated television station in Topeka, Kansas. Owned by PBC Broadcasting, the station is operated by New Vision Television though a shared services agreement with NBC affiliate KSNT and low-powered Fox affiliate KTMJ-CA. Its studios are located on Northwest 27th Street (U.S. 24) near the Kiro section of Topeka, while its transmitter is located west of the city.

The station operates its digital signal on UHF channel 49. In the Topeka area, KTKA is available on Cox Communications analog cable channel 9 in standard definition and on digital cable channel 2009 in high definition; KTKA digital channel 49.2, a local weather channel.

Contents

[edit] Digital television

On digital subchannel 49.2 and Cox digital cable channel 675 is a 24-hour local weather channel. On digital subchannel 49.3 and Cox channel 5 is Northeast Kansas' The CW5 carrying programming from The CW Plus; the subchannel launched on June 2, 2009.

KTKA's broadcasts are digital-only, effective 12:01 a.m. on February 17, 2009.[1][2] Originally, the station aired its digital signal on channel 48 and remained there after the analog shutdown. However, through the use of PSIP, its signal redirected to channel 49. In mid-2010, the station moved its digital broadcasts back to channel 49.

Channel Video Aspect Name Programming
49.1 720p 16:9 KTKA-HD main KTKA-TV programming / ABC
49.2 480i 4:3 KTKA-WX Weather
49.3 KTKACW+ "Northeast Kansas' CW5"

[edit] History

KTKA originally signed on the air as KLDH in June 1983, immediately taking the ABC affiliation. Previously, ABC had been relegated to off-hours clearances on CBS affiliate WIBW-TV (channel 13) and NBC affiliate KTSB (channel 27, now KSNT). Channel 49's inception made Topeka one of the last markets in the country with full service from all three networks. Most of the area, however, could get the full ABC schedule from KMBC-TV in Kansas City or KQTV in St. Joseph, and KMBC had been available on cable in Topeka for decades.

KTKA logo, used from 2006 to 2011.

KLDH was plagued by technical problems during its first two years on-air, including a transmitter fire that knocked it off the air for a few weeks. It changed its calls to the current KTKA-TV in 1987.

In 1998, KTKA moved its studios from downtown Topeka to southwest Topeka; the current studio facilities are also used by radio station KTPK. On August 29, 2005, KTKA was purchased by the World Company, publisher of the Lawrence Journal-World.

On February 4, 2011, KTKA announced that Free State Communications will sell the station to PBC Broadcasting. PBC Broadcasting also owns stations in Youngstown, OH and Savannah, GA. Both operations are part of shared service and local marketing agreements with stations owned by New Vision Television in their markets, suggesting that KTKA would be structured under the same sort of arrangement with New Vision-owned KSNT. Despite objections to the sale by the American Cable Association that the sale could give the virtual triopoly too much leverage in retransmission consent negotiations, the FCC approved the sale of KTKA to PBC Broadcasting for $1.5 million on July 21, 2011.[3] PBC officially consummated on the purchase a week later.

[edit] News operation

KTKA began airing newscasts after it signed on, but never gained much traction against WIBW-TV and KSNT. It phased out news programming in 2002. After the World Company acquired the station, KTKA received new software and hardware for the re-development of a news division. On February 5, 2006, KTKA launched 49 News at 10 immediately following Super Bowl XL.

At one time, KTKA offered newscasts on weekday mornings (branded as Good Morning Kansas) and a weekday midday newscast at 11 a.m., but they were canceled on November 6, 2008 as part of cutbacks that resulted in nine employees being let go. On July 29, 2011, the station aired its final newscast as a standalone news operation; a shared newscast produced in conjunction with KSNT debuted on July 30, under the banner of Kansas First News. The arrangement is similar to other virtual triopoly joint news operations such as Raycom Media/MCG Capital's Hawaii News Now in Honolulu, Hawaii and Granite/Malara's Indiana's NewsCenter in Fort Wayne, Indiana and Northland's NewsCenter in Duluth, Minnesota.[4]

[edit] News/station presentation

[edit] Newscast titles

  • Newsline 49 (1983–1989)
  • 49 Eyewitness News (1989–1995)
  • News Source 49 (1995–2002)
  • 49 News (2006–2011)
  • Kansas First News (2011–present)

[edit] Station slogans

  • "Kansas' Most Powerful Television Station" (1989–early 1990s)
  • "Fast. Focused. Always Local." (2006–2011)
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[edit] News team[5]

Anchors

  • Nate Hill - weeknights 5pm and 5:30pm
  • Ben Bauman - weeknights at 6, 6:30pm, and 10 pm
  • Kelli Stegeman - weeknights at 6pm and 10 pm; also "Kelli's Cameo" segment producer
  • Hillary Mullin - weekday mornings
  • Gina Ninemire - weekends at 10 pm; also weekday reporter and news producer

First Warning Weather

  • Matt Miller - chief meteorologist; weeknights at 6 and 10 pm
  • Tom Hagen (AMS Certified Broadcast Meteorologist Seal of Approval) – morning meteorologist
  • Ashley Feaster - weekend meteorologist
  • Kyle Morris - weekday meteorologist at 9pm

Sports team

  • Alex Wiebel - sports director; weeknights at 6 and 10 p.m.
  • Rob Hughes - sports anchor; weekends at 10 p.m., also sports reporter

Reporters

  • Bob Beatty - political analyst
  • Monica Castro - general assignment reporter
  • Lauren Seabrook - general assignment reporter
  • Janene Gier - general assignment reporter

[edit] References

  1. ^ [1]
  2. ^ http://cjonline.com/stories/021409/loc_387794849.shtml
  3. ^ FCC OKs KTKA Sale Over ACA Objection, TVNewsCheck, July 21, 2011.
  4. ^ [2]
  5. ^ Meet the Team

[edit] External links

Television stations in northeastern Kansas, including Topeka
Local stations
KTWU (11.1 PBS, 11.2 Create, 11.3 PBS HD) • KSQA (12.1 Ind) • WIBW (13.1 CBS, 13.2 MNTV) • KKSU-LP 21 (Ind) • KSNT (27.1 NBC, 27.2 KTMJ-CA) • K31BW 31 (silent) • K33IC 33 (TBN) • KTMJ 43 / KTLJ 6 / KMJT 15 / KETM 17 (Fox) • KTKA (49.1 ABC, 49.2 Weather, 49.3 The CW)
Adjacent locals
Reception may vary by location and some stations may only be viewable with cable television
Defunct stations
Local stations
KQTV (2.1 ABC) • KTAJ (16.1 TBN, 16.2 Church, 16.3 JCTV, 16.4 Enlace, 16.5 Smile)
Adjacent locals
Reception may vary by location and some stations may only be viewable with cable television

Kansas City: WDAF 4 (Fox) • KCTV 5 (CBS) • KMBC 9 (ABC) • KCPT 19 (PBS) • KSHB 41 (NBC)

Omaha: KMTV 3 (CBS) • WOWT 6 (NBC) • KETV 7 (ABC)
Cable channels
ABC Network Affiliates in the state of Kansas
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