KJTV-TV

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KJTV-TV is a Fox-affiliated television station licensed to Lubbock, Texas, United States. It is the flagship television property of locally based Ramar Communications. KJTV was a charter station for its network, having broadcast the network since its launch on October 9, 1986. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on UHF channel 35, which remaps to former analog channel 34 via PSIP. The station also operates a low-powered sister station on channel 32.1, KJTV-CD, branded as Fox 34 News Now, which is simulcast on KJTV-TV's second digital subchannel.

KJTV's studios are located at 98th Street and University Avenue in south Lubbock, which also houses MyNetworkTV affiliate KMYL-LD, The CW affiliate KLCW-TV, Telemundo affiliate KXTQ-CD (branded as Telemundo Lubbock), MeTV affiliate KLBB-LD and seven radio stations (one on AM and six on FM). Just yards from the studio, KJTV transmits from a 950-foot (290 m) tower with an effective radiated power of 1 million watts for its digital signal.

On cable, KJTV is carried on channel 10 on most systems in the market.

History

Channel 34 first appeared in 1967 as KKBC-TV (owned by the KB Company (Chester and Clarance Kissell), operating from a control room and transmitter at the tallest downtown building. It had approximately 25 kilowatts of visual power from an antenna about 320 feet (98 m) above average terrain. The station signed on with a few films, some NBC and CBS programs declined by KCBD and KLBK-TV, and The Mike Douglas Show. Local engineer Alvie Ivey built the facility from used equipment gathered from stations in the region.

Soon after channel 34 signed on, a station on channel 28 signed on with much better facilities. KSEL-TV (now ABC affiliate KAMC) had 2 megawatts of power, an 875-foot (267 m) tower located in south Lubbock near other station's towers, and had support from sister stations KSEL-AM 950 (now KJTV-AM) and KSEL-FM 93.7 (now KLBB-FM) (both of which, ironically, are today sister stations to KJTV-TV). This provided the impetus to move KKBC to a taller location with greater power.

New owners took over channel 34 and a taller tower was built at 98th and University Avenue. Local station KWGO-FM (now KQBR) rented a spot on the tower as it was going up. The improved KKBC-TV developed a power of more than 4 megawatts. However, KSEL still had the lead, as it obtained a full-time ABC affiliation, while channel 34 affiliated with the Spanish International Network (by bicycled tapes) and changed calls to KMXN-TV. The station continued until sometime in 1973. Legend has it that the board of directors met at the station, assessed their shaky financial footing, and ordered the station shut down on the way out. The film on the air was interrupted, and the station signed off. The license was then returned to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC).

The tower and land was later acquired by Ramar for use by a radio station the company was starting, KTEZ (now KONE). After a few years' operation, Ramar decided to file for a new channel 34 license using the old tower, feed line, and antenna. That was granted around 1980-81, and on December 11, 1981 KJAA was launched as an independent station. On August 16, 1985, the station became KJTV (the KJTV call letters were previously used by KCIT, now the Fox affiliate in nearby Amarillo), and in 1986, it switched to Fox as one of its charter stations. For a time, the station secondarily aired programming from the Prime Time Entertainment Network. On October 2, 2000, KJTV added a -TV suffix to its call letters.

For a time in the early 1990s, the station aired Maury (then known as The Maury Povich Show) and LIVE! with Regis and Kathie Lee (now Live with Kelly and Ryan). Prior to the Fox network beginning seven-nights-per-week programming in 1993, locally produced programming included The Cowboy Picture Show, a Wednesday night airing of a Western film that usually had a local sponsor (e.g., KLLL-FM); and a primetime movie aired most weeknights at 7 p.m., not unlike other Fox affiliates in the Central Time Zone during these years.

Digital television

Digital channels

The station's digital channel is multiplexed:

Channel	Video	Aspect	PSIP Short Name	Programming
34.1	720p	16:9	FOX34	Main KJTV-TV programming / Fox
34.2	480i	4:3	FOX34NN	Fox 34 News NOW
34.3				Ion Television

Analog-to-digital conversion

KJTV-TV shut down its analog signal, over UHF channel 34, on February 17, 2009, the original target date in which full-power television stations in the United States were to transition from analog to digital broadcasts under federal mandate (which was later pushed back to June 12, 2009). The station's digital signal remained on its pre-transition UHF channel 35. Through the use of PSIP, digital television receivers display the station's virtual channel as its former UHF analog channel 34.

Programming

Syndicated programming

Syndicated programming on KJTV includes: Two and a Half Men, Friends, The Ellen DeGeneres Show, How I Met Your Mother, and AgDay.

Sports programming

Starting with the 1989-90 season, KJTV became the exclusive broadcaster of Southwest Conference athletics for Lubbock and the South Plains; prior to the fall of 1989, it had split broadcast rights with KCBD. Occasionally, however, KJTV did produce its own sports telecasts. Namely, in September 1986, Texas Tech's football team travelled to Miami to take on the University of Miami (Florida). Former Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Drew Pearson provided color commentary; for many Cowboy fans across the South Plains, it was a welcome sign, as the Cowboys would post its first losing season since 1964. Unfortunately, the Red Raiders could not deliver on the possibility that they could establish themselves as a national power, as Texas Tech lost 61-11.

Since 1994, it has been the South Plains' broadcaster of National Football Conference games. Prior to 1994, KLBK aired NFC games, including those of the Dallas Cowboys.

News operation

In 2000, KJTV launched a local newscast at 9 p.m. using a virtual set (which was also used for news on KXTQ-CA). Concurrent with their inauguration of a new news department and the first one in Lubbock in more than 30 years, they also introduced a new logo, which is still in use to this day. To give South Plains viewers a sense of familiarity, they lured former KAMC anchor Jeff Klotzman away from Phoenix to anchor the newscasts. In recent years, Klotzman anchored the weekday newscasts alongside former KLBK and KOSA-TV newsman Kurt Kiser. However, Klotzman retired after the February 28, 2019 newscast after Lubbock ISD hired him as part of their community relations department. As he had also retired from the station's news directorship, chief meteorologist Matt Ernst replaced him in said capacity.

On October 1, 2008. KJTV launched a morning newscast titled Good Day Lubbock that, as of 2018, airs from 5–9 a.m. weekday mornings. KJTV discontinued its virtual set in 2008 and again in 2017. In 2010, KJTV launched the now-canceled Ag Day Lubbock, a daily local newscast covering agricultural issues complimenting the syndicated farm news show Ag Day, which preceded it.

In 2012, KJTV added three hours of news and information from 6–9 p.m. on FOX 34 News NOW, 32.1 KJTV-CD/34.2 KJTV-TV.

See also

• KUPT (TV)
• KLCW-TV

External links

• www.fox34.com
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