KCWH-LD

Not to be confused with KWCH-DT.
KCWH-LD
Channels
BrandingThe CW Nebraska
Programming
Affiliations
Ownership
Owner
KNHL, KOLN/KGIN, KSNB-TV
History
First air date
August 9, 1999
(25 years ago) (1999-08-09)
Former call signs
  • K18CD (1999–2011)
  • K18CD-D (2011–2018)
Former channel number(s)
Analog: 18 (UHF, 1999–2011)
Call sign meaning
The CW, Huskers
Technical information[1]
Licensing authority
FCC
Facility ID21165
ERP15 kW
HAAT112.7 m (370 ft)
Transmitter coordinates40°49′17″N 96°39′44″W / 40.82139°N 96.66222°W / 40.82139; -96.66222
Translator(s)
Links
Public license information
LMS

KCWH-LD (channel 18) is a low-power television station in Lincoln, Nebraska, United States, affiliated with The CW Plus. It is owned by Gray Television alongside CBS affiliates KOLN/KGIN (channels 10 and 11) in Lincoln and Grand Island and NBC affiliate KSNB-TV (channel 4) in York. KCWH-LD is broadcast from a tower at the KOLN studios on North 40th Street in Lincoln.

For most of its history, KCWH-LD, under the call sign K18CD, served as a translator for KSNB-TV, whose signal was weak in Lincoln until its transmitter was moved to the KOLN tower near Beaver Crossing in 2022. It signed on in 1999, when KSNB-TV broadcast Fox programming; in 2009, the parent station left the air, only intermittently broadcasting until shortly before Gray acquired it in 2013. K18CD-D, now a digital station, continued to provide a rebroadcast of KSNB-TV, which broadcast MyNetworkTV programming before becoming the regional NBC affiliate in 2014. In 2018, after the station lost its tower in a collapse, Gray converted the station into a standalone CW+ affiliate, simulcast on KNHL (channel 5) in Hastings and the second subchannel of Fox affiliate KIIT-CD (channel 11) in North Platte.

History

[edit]

Translator of KSNB-TV

[edit]
Main article: KSNB-TV

The original construction permit for a translator station on channel 18 in Lincoln was granted on January 4, 1988,[2] and issued the call sign K18CD.[3] It was one of two translators that had been issued for the rebroadcast of KSNB-TV, at the time one of the ABC affiliates in the Nebraska Television Network (NTV); the other was K22CX (channel 22).[4] K22CX began broadcasting in 1994.[5] This service fulfilled a longstanding ambition of the network to expand to Lincoln and Lancaster County, which had nearly twice as many TV households as the Tri-Cities area.[6] However, the Lincoln translator attracted little interest locally, and NTV was not added on cable there.[7]

After Pappas Telecasting took over the operations of NTV in 1996, it switched KSNB-TV from ABC to Fox in September, simulcasting with NTV-managed KTVG-TV in Grand Island.[8][9] KSNB-TV was never owned directly by Pappas; because its signal overlapped with Pappas-owned KPTM in Omaha, Pappas assigned the right to buy the station to Colins Broadcasting Company.[10][11] The sales of NTV to Pappas and KSNB to Colins were approved by the FCC on February 17, 1999, and completed on May 24.[12][13] In August 1999, Colins applied for a license to cover for the station, indicating it had started broadcasting.[14] By 2001, KSNB-TV was broadcast from channel 18 and from channel 22.[15]

Silence and sale to Gray

[edit]

On June 12, 2009, Pappas converted KCWL-TV, an affiliate of The CW it managed in Lincoln, to Fox Nebraska as KFXL-TV,[16] which in turn was simulcast as a subchannel from the NTV stations.[17] This fulfilled an ambition of Pappas that dated to the late 1990s.[18] With Fox network coverage shifted to KFXL and the NTV transmitters, the operating agreements Pappas held to run KSNB-TV and KTVG-TV ended. The time brokerage agreement between Pappas Telecasting and Colins Broadcasting Corporation, expired on November 30, 2009; that station, along with the two translators in Lincoln owned by Colins, shut down on December 1. (KSNB-TV's Beatrice translator, K17CI, had already left the air on June 12, 2009.)[19] On December 19, 2011, the station converted to digital operations as K18CD-D.[3] By then, the Colins stations were broadcasting intermittently with programming from the Three Angels Broadcasting Network.[20]

Gray Television filed to buy KSNB-TV and its Lincoln translators from Colins Broadcasting in 2012. The Lincoln–Hastings–Kearney market has only five full-power stations (KOLN/KGIN and KHGI/KWNB are both counted as single stations for ratings and regulatory purposes), not enough to legally permit a duopoly. Colins and Gray sought a failing station waiver to allow the acquisition to move forward.[21][a] After the FCC granted the assignment of the license to Gray, the sale was officially completed on February 25, 2013.[23] KSNB-TV then became "10/11 Central Nebraska", a MyNetworkTV affiliate, in 2013.[24][25] KSNB-TV's programming changed again when Gray acquired the assets and NBC affiliation of KHAS-TV in Hastings in 2014; this programming moved to KSNB-TV.[26][27]

CW affiliate

[edit]

On October 20, 2017, the 500-foot (150 m) tower in Lincoln leased by K18CD-D and KFXL-TV collapsed, rendering the translator out of commission.[28] On May 18, 2018, the call letters were changed to KCWH-LD.[3] It returned to the air on September 26, 2018,[29] transmitting from the KOLN studios;[30] on October 1, Gray announced that KCWH-LD had become the market's CW affiliate and would be simulcast on subchannels of KNHL in Hastings and KIIT-CD in North Platte.[31][32] There had not been a CW affiliate broadcast in the market since KCWL-TV became KFXL-TV in 2009.[16]

Subchannels

[edit]

The station's signal is multiplexed:

Subchannels of KCWH-LD[33]
Channel Res. Aspect Short name Programming
18.1 720p 16:9 CW HD The CW Nebraska
18.3 1080i KOLN-DT CBS (KOLN/KGIN 10.1)
  Simulcast of subchannels of another station

Notes

[edit]
  1. ^ The FCC can issue a failing station waiver allowing for the creation of a duopoly in markets otherwise too small to permit one legally (as is the case in Lincoln), or involving two stations rated in the top four, under certain circumstances relating to lack of other suitable buyers; low ratings; three years of negative cash flow; and public interest benefit of the merger.[22]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Facility Technical Data for KCWH-LD". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission.
  2. ^ "Application Search Details (KCWH-LD, 1)". CDBS Public Access. Federal Communications Commission. Archived from the original on October 2, 2018. Retrieved October 2, 2018.
  3. ^ a b c "Call Sign History (KCWH-LD)". CDBS Public Access. Federal Communications Commission. Archived from the original on October 2, 2018. Retrieved October 2, 2018.
  4. ^ "Public Notice". The Lincoln Star. February 16, 1993. p. 15. Retrieved May 27, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. ^ Bogues, Maureen (April 2, 1994). "Second ABC affiliate to hit Lincoln TV". Lincoln Journal Star. p. 7. Retrieved May 23, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. ^ "NTV expanding to Lincoln". Kearney Hub. August 21, 1993. p. 1D – via GenealogyBank.
  7. ^ Johnson, Tom (June 17, 1996). "Telecommunications bill opens cable access to more small entrepreneurs". Lincoln Journal Star. p. 2B. Retrieved May 24, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. ^ "Response of Pappas Telecasting of Central Nebraska, Hill Broadcasting Company, Inc., and Fant Broadcasting Company of Nebraska, Inc. Regarding Local Marketing Agreements" (PDF). Electronic Comment Filing System. Federal Communications Commission. July 8, 1997. Archived from the original on February 25, 2015. Retrieved February 24, 2015.
  9. ^ "NTV-Superior Switches To Fox Affiliate". The Belleville Telescope. September 26, 1996. p. 7. Retrieved May 23, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. ^ "Sale, sort of" (PDF). Broadcasting & Cable. February 17, 1997. p. 16. Archived (PDF) from the original on February 27, 2015. Retrieved February 25, 2015.
  11. ^ "Correction" (PDF). Broadcasting & Cable. March 3, 1997. p. 14. Archived (PDF) from the original on February 27, 2015. Retrieved February 25, 2015.
  12. ^ "Application Search Details (KHGI-TV, 1)". CDBS Public Access. Federal Communications Commission. Archived from the original on February 26, 2015. Retrieved February 25, 2015.
  13. ^ "Application Search Details (KSNB-TV, 3)". CDBS Public Access. Federal Communications Commission. Archived from the original on February 26, 2015. Retrieved February 25, 2015.
  14. ^ "Application Search Details (KCWH-LD, 2)". CDBS Public Access. Federal Communications Commission. Archived from the original on October 2, 2018. Retrieved October 2, 2018.
  15. ^ Korbelik, Jeff (September 24, 2001). "KLIN ends Berry talk show, extends morning show". Lincoln Journal Star. p. 3D. Retrieved May 27, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  16. ^ a b Korbelik, Jeff (June 5, 2009). "Station switches to Fox". Lincoln Journal Star. p. 1F. Retrieved May 26, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  17. ^ "KFXL/KTVG coverage map" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on December 2, 2009. Retrieved December 15, 2009.
  18. ^ Korbelik, Jeff (September 8, 1997). "Some good news for 'Trek' fans". Lincoln Journal Star. p. 5B. Retrieved May 26, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  19. ^ "KSNB-TV signs off for final time". The Superior Express. December 1, 2009. Archived from the original on December 14, 2009. Retrieved December 10, 2009.
  20. ^ "FCC: Colins Broadcasting Corporation, KSNB-DT TV4, Superior, Nebraska, Quarterly List of Issue – Responsive Programming (Third Quarter 2012 – July 1, 2012 thru September 30, 2012)" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on November 29, 2014. Retrieved October 2, 2018.
  21. ^ "Gray Lines Up 2nd Station In Lincoln, NE". TVNewsCheck. November 26, 2012. Archived from the original on May 9, 2013.
  22. ^ Kreisman, Barbara A. (May 1, 2020). "Re: WDRB(DT), Louisville, KY; WBKI(DT), Salem, Indiana". Federal Communications Commission. Archived from the original on April 29, 2023. Retrieved April 29, 2023.
  23. ^ "Consummation Notice". Archived from the original on December 10, 2014. Retrieved February 26, 2013.
  24. ^ Malone, Michael (November 28, 2012). "Gray TV Plans to Add MyNet to KNSB [sic] Lincoln". Broadcasting & Cable. Archived from the original on November 2, 2013.
  25. ^ "Gray Television Buys KSNB Lincoln, Neb". TVNewsCheck. February 25, 2013. Archived from the original on May 9, 2013.
  26. ^ "KHAS TV - KSNB TV Statement". KHAS-TV. Archived from the original on July 14, 2014. Retrieved June 12, 2014.
  27. ^ "KHAS 5.1 Signal Moving to KSNB 4.1". 1011now.com. June 12, 2014. Archived from the original on June 15, 2014. Retrieved June 12, 2014.
  28. ^ Olberding, Matt (October 20, 2017). "500-foot communications tower collapses in north Lincoln". Lincoln Journal Star. Archived from the original on October 20, 2017. Retrieved October 20, 2017.
  29. ^ "Resumption of Operations of a LPTV Station Application". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission. September 27, 2018. Archived from the original on October 2, 2018. Retrieved October 2, 2018.
  30. ^ "License To Cover for LPTV Station Application". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission. September 26, 2018. Archived from the original on October 2, 2018. Retrieved October 2, 2018.
  31. ^ Pluhacek, Zach (October 1, 2018). "CW affiliates coming to Lincoln, central Nebraska". Lincoln Journal Star. Archived from the original on October 2, 2018. Retrieved October 2, 2018.
  32. ^ "Gray Television launches local CW affiliates in Nebraska". KOLN. October 1, 2018. Archived from the original on October 10, 2018. Retrieved February 17, 2019.
  33. ^ "RabbitEars TV Query for KCWH-LD". Archived from the original on October 17, 2018. Retrieved October 16, 2018.
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