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This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Sammi Brie (talk | contribs) at 03:14, 30 May 2020 (Adding short description: "NBC affiliate in Juneau–Douglas, Alaska" (Shortdesc helper)). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

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KATH-LD, virtual channel 5 (UHF digital channel 35), is a low-powered NBC-affiliated television station licensed to both Juneau and Douglas, Alaska, United States. Owned by Denali Media Holdings (a subsidiary of local cable provider GCI), it is a sister station to low-powered CBS affiliate KXLJ-LD (channel 24). The two stations share transmitter facilities in downtown Juneau.

KSCT-LP in Sitka is a translator of KATH-LD, broadcasting on virtual and VHF channel 5 from a transmitter in downtown Sitka. Programming is identical to KATH-LD with both stations being fed from the Denali Media hub in Anchorage.

KATH-LD is carried on GCI cable in Juneau on channel 15, on Dish Network throughout Southeast Alaska on channel 5/9380, and on DirecTV throughout Southeast Alaska on channel 5. KATH-LD's high definition feed is also available on GCI's basic service on digital channel 652 in Juneau, Sitka, Ketchikan, Petersburg and Wrangell. KATH-LD's standard definition signal is also on GCI cable in Petersburg, Wrangell and Angoon. Daily Alaska news is provided through a partnership with Anchorage's NBC affiliate KTUU-TV (channel 2).

History

KSCT-LP was the first of the two stations to go on the air, signing on May 1, 1995 as a Fox affiliate owned by Dan Etulain, who previously owned KTNL (channel 13) from 1983 to 1992.[1] KSCT-LP had operated as a cable-only station since December 9, 1994;[2] during that period, Fox's primetime programming was seen in the afternoon, though it was moved into primetime concurrently with channel 5's sign on.[1] KSCT-LP affiliated with Fox because, at the time, it was the only one of the Big Four television networks that was willing to affiliate with low-power television stations.[1] Initially, most of KSCT-LP's non-Fox programming was supplied by National Empowerment Television, though it also broadcast some local programming;[1][2] after NET moved to a satellite that the station could not receive, its programming was replaced with Channel America, Outdoor Channel, and American Independent Network on December 1, 1995.[3] By this time, KSCT-LP had added a secondary affiliation with The WB.[3] The station was originally assigned the call letters K05KH; it officially became KSCT-LP on November 20, 1995,[4] though it had promoted itself as "KSCT" since its launch.[1]

In June 1998, Etulain announced that he would launch KATH-LP as Juneau's NBC affiliate that July; KSCT-LP had switched to NBC by this time as well.[5] Delays in receiving equipment required to place the station on GCI's lineup postponed the launch of the station to August 17, 1998.[6] NBC programming was previously only available in Juneau via cable carriage of Seattle's KING-TV; however, KING was not carried on the basic cable tier, unlike KATH-LP.[5] KATH-LP supplemented NBC programming with blocks of local programming, which generally consisted of pre-recorded coverage of community events and high school sports; at its launch, the station did not air any local newscasts.[5][6] Juneau's existing stations, ABC affiliate KJUD (channel 8) and PBS station KTOO-TV (channel 3), were at the time part of the statewide Alaska's SuperStation and AlaskaOne networks respectively, with limited local programming.[5] Shortly after KATH-LP's launch, Etulain purchased[7] K05JR,[8] which had been licensed in 1994;[9] the sale was completed on May 26, 1999.[7] K05JR and KSCT-LP continued their secondary WB affiliations until early 1999; at that time, K05JR added a secondary UPN affiliation.[10] K05JR's call sign was changed to KATH-LP on November 15, 2001;[8] it had been calling itself "KATH" on the air since its sale to Etulain. By early 2003, KATH-LP was simulcasting local newscasts from KTUU-TV in Anchorage.[11] KATH-LD ended analog over-the-air broadcasts in November 2011.

On November 9, 2012, GCI, through subsidiary Denali Media Holdings, announced plans to purchase KATH-LD and KSCT-LP from Dan Etulain's North Star Television Network, along with KTVA in Anchorage from MediaNews Group.[citation needed] The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) approved the deal on October 29, 2013.[12] KATH-LD's news partnership with KTUU-TV was suspended on December 7, 2013 as a result of a larger dispute between GCI and KTUU,[13] but a deal to resume it was reached on February 6, 2014.[14]

KSCT-LP began broadcasting a digital over-the-air TV signal in January 2018.[citation needed]

Denali Media Holdings announced the sale of KATH-LD and KSCT-LP to Gray Television on May 28, 2020.[15] Once the sale closes, KATH-LD and KSCT-LP will become sister stations to KTUU-TV and KYES-TV in Anchorage and KTVF in Fairbanks, and will give Gray a monopoly on NBC programming throughout Alaska.

References

  1. ^ a b c d e Haugland, Shannon (April 28, 1995). "TV Watchers to Receive Broader Viewing". Daily Sitka Sentinel. p. 13. Retrieved April 6, 2016.
  2. ^ a b "New TV Station On Air in Sitka". Daily Sitka Sentinel. December 30, 1994. p. 7. Retrieved April 6, 2016.
  3. ^ a b "Local Station Changes Schedule". Daily Sitka Sentinel. November 30, 1995. p. 4. Retrieved April 6, 2016.
  4. ^ "Call Sign History (KSCT-LP)". CDBS Public Access. Federal Communications Commission. Retrieved April 6, 2016.
  5. ^ a b c d "Juneau-based television station to hit airwaves soon". Juneau Empire. June 26, 1998. Archived from the original on April 22, 2016. Retrieved April 6, 2016.
  6. ^ a b "New local television station to hit airwaves Monday". Juneau Empire. August 16, 1998. Archived from the original on April 22, 2016. Retrieved April 6, 2016.
  7. ^ a b "Application Search Details (DKATH-LP, 1)". CDBS Public Access. Federal Communications Commission. Retrieved April 6, 2016.
  8. ^ a b "Call Sign History (DKATH-LP)". CDBS Public Access. Federal Communications Commission. Retrieved April 6, 2016.
  9. ^ "Application Search Details (DKATH-LP, 2)". CDBS Public Access. Federal Communications Commission. Retrieved April 6, 2016.
  10. ^ Smith, Doug (March 1999). "TV News" (PDF). VHF-UHF Digest. p. 10. Retrieved April 6, 2016.
  11. ^ Krueger, Andrew (March 6, 2003). "What's up with that?". Juneau Empire. Retrieved April 6, 2016.
  12. ^ Burke, Jill (October 30, 2013). "GCI wins out in FCC fight over acquisition of Alaska TV stations". Alaska Dispatch. Retrieved October 31, 2013.
  13. ^ "KTUU service in Southeast to change". Juneau Empire. December 6, 2013. Retrieved December 10, 2013.
  14. ^ "Agreement finalized, KTUU-TV programming to return to rural Alaska on GCI cable systems". KTUU.com. February 6, 2014. Archived from the original on February 7, 2014. Retrieved February 7, 2014.
  15. ^ "GCI announces sale of TV stations in Southeast markets". KINY. Retrieved May 29, 2020.
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