Jump to content

KQCW-DT

Add links
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

KQCW-DT
CityMuskogee, Oklahoma
Channels
BrandingTulsa CW
Programming
Affiliations19.1: The CW
Ownership
Owner
History
FoundedAugust 27, 1998
First air date
September 12, 1999 (25 years ago) (1999-09-12)
Former call signs
  • KWBT (1999–2006)
  • KQCW (2006–2009)
Former channel number(s)
Analog: 19 (UHF, 1999–2009)
The WB (1999–2006)
Technical information[1]
Licensing authority
FCC
Facility ID78322
ERP
  • 550 kW
  • 1,000 kW (CP)
HAAT
  • 252 m (827 ft)
  • 432 m (1,417.3 ft) (CP)
Transmitter coordinates
Translator(s)
  • KOTV-DT 6.2 (26.2 UHF) Tulsa
  • K15LM-D 15 (UHF) McAlester
Links
Public license information

KQCW-DT (channel 19) is a television station licensed to Muskogee, Oklahoma, United States, serving the Tulsa area as an affiliate of The CW. It is owned by Griffin Media alongside CBS affiliate KOTV-DT (channel 6) and radio stations KOTV (1170 AM), KRQV (92.9 FM), KVOO-FM (98.5), KXBL (99.5 FM) and KHTT (106.9 FM). All of the outlets share studios at the Griffin Media Center on North Boston Avenue and East Cameron Street in the downtown neighborhood's Tulsa Arts District; KQCW's transmitter is located near Harreld Road and North 320 Road (near State Highway 16) in rural northeastern Okmulgee County. It is also broadcast as a subchannel of KOTV-DT (6.2) from its transmitter on South 273rd East Avenue (just north of the Muskogee Turnpike) in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma.

Channel 19 began broadcasting on September 12, 1999, as KWBT, Tulsa's first full-time affiliate of The WB. It was owned by Cascade Communications, which had acquired an interest from a consortium of three groups that sought the channel. In 2005, the station was acquired by Griffin Media, which consolidated it with KOTV's operation. The WB and UPN merged to form The CW in 2006; KWBT became KQCW, the market's affiliate for the merged network, and debuted local newscasts produced by KOTV.

History

[edit]

Establishment

[edit]

In late 1995 and early 1996, several groups filed to build stations on the channel 19 allocation in Muskogee, southeast of Tulsa: KM Communications, Northwest Television, and Natura Communications.[2][3][4] The groups merged their bids into Tulsa Channel 19 LLC in a settlement window for mutually exclusive applications opened by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and were granted a construction permit on August 27, 1998. On March 9, 1999, Larkspur, California–based Tulsa Communications LLC purchased a 51 percent controlling stake in KWBT for $4.59 million; the sale was finalized on June 1, 1999.[5]

The programming of The WB had generally been unavailable to many Tulsa viewers since its launch in 1995. While Superstation WGN—a service uplinked by Tulsa-based United Video—aired WB programming nationally, the Tele-Communications Inc. cable system in Tulsa had not carried the channel since the end of 1996.[6] Further, The WB and United Video mutually agreed to drop WB programming from the superstation feed in 1999 to reduce redundancy with the growing roster of WB affiliates and preemptions of WGN's sports programming.[7]

Channel 19 debuted as KWBT ("WB Tulsa"), the market's first full-time WB affiliate, on September 12, 1999. It offered WB series as well as syndicated programs. In its premiere week, the station aired reruns of WB programs previously unseen in Tulsa, such as 7th Heaven and Dawson's Creek.[8][9] KWBT was initially placed on cable channel 19 but moved to channel 12 in 2000 after the station reached a deal with Rogers State University, whose KRSC-TV occupied cable channel 12, to switch in exchange for scholarships and internships for the university's communications students.[10] The parent company of KWBT, Cascade Communications, also established the university's first endowed chair, named for company founder Greg Kunz.[11] Cascade transferred master control operations from its Tulsa facilities to its corporate office in Tucson, Arizona, in early 2004, resulting in eight layoffs.[12]

KWBT carried the ABC late-night talk show Jimmy Kimmel Live! from April 2003 to April 2004; Tulsa's ABC affiliate, KTUL, had declined to air the program and aired syndicated shows in the time slot it would otherwise occupy.[13][14]

KWBT's final logo as a WB affiliate, used from September 2004 to August 2006.

Griffin ownership

[edit]
A three-story wall-to-wall building on a corner. The front windows have awnings featuring alternating News on 6 and KQCW logos.
The historic Pierce Block in Tulsa housed the KOTV–KQCW sales department until 2013.

On October 8, 2005, Cascade announced the $14.5 million sale of KWBT to Griffin Communications, the Oklahoma City–based owner of local CBS affiliate KOTV (channel 6). Griffin immediately assumed operational control under a joint sales agreement.[15][16][17] Griffin consolidated KQCW with KOTV's burgeoning operation, which was rapidly outgrowing its downtown Tulsa studios; Griffin rented office space in the city's historic Pierce Block for the KOTV sales department.[18][19][20]

The WB and UPN announced their intention to merge into The CW on January 24, 2006.[21][22][23] KWBT was announced as the CW affiliate for the market in April[24][25] and changed its call sign to KQCW; the UPN affiliate, KTFO, signed with rival MyNetworkTV.[26]

In January 2006, KWBT signed a contract with the Tulsa Talons, an arena football team in the second-tier AF2 league, whose games had aired the year before on KWHB (channel 47). Talons co-owner Henry Primeaux cited KWHB's telecasts of the sixteen games played during the 2005 regular season as a partial cause of a 14 percent year-to-year increase in ticket sales that year.[27][28] Following the move to KWBT, ratings for Talons home games declined sharply; the team's four early-season road games of the 2006 season producing higher viewership compared to the remainder of the schedule, while the home telecasts barely managed to register a ratings point. Midway through the season, the Talons dropped the remaining home telecasts from the lineup.[29][30]

To house the growing Griffin Tulsa operation, the company acquired a parcel downtown and broke ground on a new studio and office complex in April 2008.[31][32][33] Construction was halted due to the Great Recession but resumed in 2011.[34] The 50,000-square-foot (4,645 m2) Griffin Communications Media Center opened in 2013.[35]

Newscasts

[edit]
Further information: KOTV-DT § Newscasts

Coinciding with the launch of The CW, KOTV debuted a half-hour, weeknight 9 p.m. newscast for the station on September 18, 2006. It competed with the newscast in the same time slot aired by Fox affiliate KOKI-TV.[36] The newscast was expanded to weekends in October 2007[37] and to an hour on weeknights in 2013.[38][39] By 2023, the station simulcast the 6 a.m. hour of KOTV's Six in the Morning and aired a two-hour extension from 7 to 9 a.m., in addition to the hour-long 9 p.m. newscast.[40]

Technical information

[edit]

Subchannel

[edit]
Subchannel of KQCW-DT[41]
Channel Res. Aspect Short name Programming
19.1 1080i 16:9 KQCW-HD Main KQCW-DT programming / The CW

Analog-to-digital conversion

[edit]

Because it was granted an original construction permit after the FCC finalized the digital television allotment plan on April 21, 1997, the station did not receive a companion channel for its digital signal. Instead, on February 17, 2009, during the first round of broadcast stations ceasing analog operations on the originally scheduled date of the digital television conversion period for full-power stations, KQCW was required to turn off its analog signal and turn on its digital signal (a method called a "flash-cut").[42][43] KQCW elected to choose UHF channel 20 as its final digital channel selection and began digital broadcasts that day.[44] Digital television receivers display the station's virtual channel as its former UHF analog channel 19.[45]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Facility Technical Data for KQCW-DT". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission.
  2. ^ "For the Record" (PDF). Broadcasting & Cable. December 4, 1995. p. 94. ProQuest 1505567049. Archived (PDF) from the original on July 2, 2020. Retrieved December 1, 2017 – via World Radio History.
  3. ^ "For the Record" (PDF). Broadcasting & Cable. September 18, 1995. p. 74. ProQuest 1014769372. Archived (PDF) from the original on June 28, 2020. Retrieved December 1, 2017 – via World Radio History.
  4. ^ "Top of the Week: TV CP Settlements" (PDF). Broadcasting & Cable. December 30, 1996. p. 34. ProQuest 1016968634. Archived (PDF) from the original on June 28, 2020. Retrieved December 1, 2017 – via World Radio History.
  5. ^ "For the Record" (PDF). Broadcasting & Cable. March 15, 1999. p. 84. ProQuest 1014774970. Archived (PDF) from the original on June 29, 2020. Retrieved December 1, 2017 – via World Radio History.
  6. ^ McConville, Jim (December 9, 1996). "TCI move not so super for superstations". Broadcasting & Cable. pp. 92–94. ProQuest 225357146.
  7. ^ Sherrow, Rita (January 30, 1999). "Bye bye Buffy: UVTV dropping WB lineup to air movies, sports". Tulsa World. Archived from the original on September 29, 2023. Retrieved December 1, 2017.
  8. ^ Sherrow, Rita (August 19, 1999). "New local TV station to air WB programming". Tulsa World. Archived from the original on October 5, 2023. Retrieved December 1, 2017.
  9. ^ Sherrow, Rita (September 12, 1999). "KWBT to the rescue". Tulsa World. Archived from the original on October 5, 2023. Retrieved December 1, 2017.
  10. ^ Sherrow, Rita (October 25, 2000). "WB affiliate, Rogers State station to swap spots on cable lineup". Tulsa World. Retrieved December 1, 2017.
  11. ^ Gillham, Omer (November 2, 2000). "RSU gets endowed chair in communications". Tulsa World. Tulsa, Oklahoma. p. A13. Retrieved December 10, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  12. ^ Sherrow, Rita (December 23, 2003). "Tulsa's WB affiliate to move transmission services". Tulsa World. Retrieved December 1, 2017.
  13. ^ "WB to broadcast 'Kimmel Live'". Tulsa World. April 8, 2003. Archived from the original on October 14, 2023. Retrieved December 1, 2017.
  14. ^ "TV Briefs: He's baaaack". Tulsa World. April 10, 2004. Archived from the original on October 14, 2023. Retrieved December 1, 2017.
  15. ^ Collington, Jason (October 8, 2005). "Company that owns channel 6 buys local WB affiliate". Tulsa World. Retrieved December 1, 2017.
  16. ^ Stafford, Jim (October 8, 2005). "Griffin acquires 2nd TV station in Tulsa market". The Oklahoman. Retrieved December 1, 2017.
  17. ^ "For the Record: Deals". Broadcasting & Cable. BIA Financial Networks. October 14, 2005. Archived from the original on December 2, 2017. Retrieved December 1, 2017.
  18. ^ "Griffin Breaks Ground on Tulsa Media Center". TVNewsCheck. April 8, 2008. Archived from the original on December 24, 2018. Retrieved December 1, 2017.
  19. ^ Davis, Kirby Lee (December 6, 2012). "Downtown Tulsa's Pierce Building sold for $1.2M". The Journal Record. ProQuest 1237318091.
  20. ^ Tuttle, Ray (February 18, 2008). "Broadcast News". Tulsa Business & Legal News. Retrieved December 1, 2017 – via Tulsa World.
  21. ^ Seid, Jessica (January 24, 2006). "'Gilmore Girls' meet 'Smackdown'; CW Network to combine WB, UPN in CBS-Warner venture beginning in September". CNNMoney.com. Archived from the original on March 16, 2017. Retrieved August 3, 2020.
  22. ^ Carter, Bill (January 24, 2006). "UPN and WB to Combine, Forming New TV Network". The New York Times. Archived from the original on October 17, 2015. Retrieved October 12, 2019.
  23. ^ Sutel, Seth (January 25, 2006). "UPN, WB to shut down; new television network formed". Tulsa World. Associated Press. Archived from the original on May 9, 2020. Retrieved December 1, 2017.
  24. ^ Sherrow, Rita (April 13, 2006). "Local WB station will join CW network". Tulsa World. Archived from the original on March 20, 2022. Retrieved December 1, 2017.
  25. ^ "13 More Markets on the CW Bandwagon". TVNewsCheck. April 10, 2006. Archived from the original on December 1, 2017. Retrieved December 1, 2017.
  26. ^ Sherrow, Rita (July 30, 2006). "Channel 41 to join My Network". Tulsa World. Archived from the original on March 20, 2022. Retrieved December 1, 2017.
  27. ^ Doyle, Matt (August 19, 2005). "TU duo's chemistry the best". Tulsa World. Archived from the original on October 5, 2023. Retrieved December 1, 2017.
  28. ^ "Talons finalize contracts". Tulsa World. January 20, 2006. Archived from the original on October 5, 2023. Retrieved December 1, 2017.
  29. ^ Tepper, Greg (July 12, 2006). "Talons Notebook: Talons get healthier". Tulsa World. Retrieved December 1, 2017.
  30. ^ Brown, Mike (May 16, 2006). "Tulsa Talons: Team to discontinue home TV broadcasts". Tulsa World. Retrieved December 1, 2017.
  31. ^ Lassek, P. J. (August 4, 2007). "KOTV plans $25 million expansion". Tulsa World. Retrieved December 1, 2017.
  32. ^ "Griffin to Build $20 Million Downtown Media Center". Tulsa Business & Legal News. October 25, 2007. Archived from the original on December 2, 2021. Retrieved December 1, 2017 – via Tulsa World.
  33. ^ "Griffin Breaks Ground on Downtown Media Center". Tulsa World. April 9, 2008. Retrieved December 1, 2017.
  34. ^ Arnold, Kyle (October 5, 2011). "Construction begins on Griffin Communication building". Tulsa World. Retrieved December 1, 2017.
  35. ^ Sherrow, Rita (January 17, 2013). "KOTV starts work from new Brady District building this weekend". Tulsa World. Retrieved December 1, 2017.
  36. ^ Sherrow, Rita (August 26, 2006). "Tulsa station adds a 9 p.m. newscast with familiar faces". Tulsa World. Archived from the original on November 3, 2019. Retrieved December 1, 2017.
  37. ^ "Station adds 9 p.m. weekend newscast". Tulsa World. October 29, 2007. Archived from the original on November 6, 2021. Retrieved December 1, 2017.
  38. ^ Eck, Kevin (January 30, 2013). "Chera Kimiko Jumps From KOKI to KQCW". TVSpy. Archived from the original on December 2, 2017. Retrieved December 1, 2017.
  39. ^ "Chera Kimiko And Jennifer Loren Debut On Tulsa CW". KOTV-DT. June 17, 2013. Archived from the original on December 1, 2017. Retrieved December 1, 2017.
  40. ^ "Quarterly Listing of Community Issues and Programming Providing the Most Significant Treatment of Those Issues for the Period July 1 through September 30, 2023" (PDF). Public Inspection File, Federal Communications Commission. October 5, 2023.
  41. ^ "RabbitEars TV Query for KQCW". RabbitEars. Archived from the original on December 1, 2017. Retrieved December 1, 2017.
  42. ^ Evatt, Robert (February 14, 2009). "Most TV stations go digital Tuesday". Tulsa World. Archived from the original on March 20, 2022. Retrieved December 1, 2017.
  43. ^ Evatt, Robert (February 17, 2009). "Analog broadcasts fade away". Tulsa World. Archived from the original on March 20, 2022. Retrieved December 1, 2017.
  44. ^ "DTV Transition Status Report". Consolidated Database System. Federal Communications Commission. March 12, 2009.
  45. ^ "DTV Tentative Channel Designations for the First and the Second Rounds" (PDF). Federal Communications Commission. Archived from the original (PDF) on August 29, 2013. Retrieved June 28, 2017.
[edit]
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=KQCW-DT&oldid=1231573798"