KTIV
KTIV, virtual channel 4 (UHF digital channel 14), is a dual NBC/CW+-affiliated television station licensed to Sioux City, Iowa, United States. The station is owned by Gray Television. KTIV's studios are located on Signal Hill Drive in Sioux City, and its transmitter is located near Hinton, Iowa.
 | |
| Sioux City, Iowa United States | |
|---|---|
| Channels | Digital: 14 (UHF) Virtual: 4 |
| Branding | KTIV 4 (general) News 4 (newscasts) |
| Programming | |
| Affiliations |
|
| Ownership | |
| Owner | Gray Television (Gray Television Licensee, LLC) |
| Sioux Falls: KSFY-TV/KDLT-TV Omaha/Council Bluffs: WOWT Lincoln, NE: KOLN/KCWH-LD/KSNB-TV | |
| History | |
First air date | October 10, 1954 |
Former channel number(s) | Analog: 4 (VHF, 1954-2009) Digital: 41 (UHF, 2009–2018) |
Call sign meaning | Television IV (Roman numeral 4) |
| Technical information | |
Licensing authority | FCC |
| Facility ID | 66170 |
| Class | DT |
| ERP | 1,000 kW |
| HAAT | 609.5 m (2,000 ft) |
| Transmitter coordinates | 42°35′12″N 96°13′19″W |
| Translator(s) | K24JG-D Norfolk, NE |
| Links | |
Public license information | Profile LMS |
| Website | ktiv |
History
After overcoming some construction obstacles, including having to raise the microwave tower height twice to avoid interference with a tree which blocked the microwave signal, KTIV made its broadcasting debut on October 10, 1954. That first broadcast evening included four NBC shows: People Are Funny at 6 p.m.; The Liebman Spectacular from 6:30–8 p.m.; The Television Playhouse from 8–9 p.m.; and The Loretta Young Show from 9–9:30 p.m.[1]
The station has always been an NBC affiliate, but it shared ABC programming with KVTV/KCAU-TV until September 2, 1967, when KCAU switched its primary affiliation to ABC. During the late 1950s, the station was also briefly affiliated with the NTA Film Network.[2]
The station was originally owned by the Perkins family along with the Sioux City Journal and KSCJ radio. Perkins Brothers Company sold KTIV to Black Hawk Broadcasting, the owner of fellow NBC affiliate and former sister station KWWL-TV in Waterloo, in 1973.[3] Black Hawk merged with Forward Communications in 1980, and sold KTIV and KWWL to AFLAC (then known by its full name, the American Family Life Assurance Company) that year.[4] Quincy Newspapers bought KTIV from AFLAC in 1989.[5]
In June 2011, KTIV's newscasts began to be broadcast in high definition. It was the second station in the Sioux City market (after KCAU) to begin broadcasting news in HD, and the last station in the market to begin using a widescreen format for local news.
Former NBC News anchor Tom Brokaw and former KNBC/ABC News anchor Paul Moyer began their television careers at KTIV.[6][7]
On February 1, 2021, Gray Television announced its intent to purchase Quincy Media for $925 million.[8] The acquisition was completed on August 2,[9] making KTIV sister to Gray stations in nearby markets, including NBC/ABC affiliates KDLT-TV and KSFY-TV in Sioux Falls and fellow NBC affiliate WOWT in Omaha. It also reunited KTIV with some former AFLAC sister stations, as AFLAC eventually merged its broadcasting unit into Raycom Media in 1997 and that company was purchased by Gray in 2019.[10]
Digital television
Digital channels
The station's digital signal is multiplexed:
| Channel | Video | Aspect | Short name | Programming[11] |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4.1 | 1080i | 16:9 | KTIVNBC | Main KTIV programming / NBC |
| 4.2 | 720p | KTIVCW | Siouxland CW | |
| 4.3 | 480i | KTIVME | MeTV | |
| 4.4 | CourtTV | Court TV | ||
| 4.5 | Ion | Ion Television | ||
Analog-to-digital conversion
KTIV shut down its analog signal, over VHF channel 4, at 1:30 p.m. on February 17, 2009, which was the original date of the federally mandated transition from analog to digital television;[12][13] it was later moved to June 12, 2009. The station's digital signal remained on its pre-transition UHF channel 41, using PSIP to display KTIV's virtual channel as 4 on digital television receivers.
Notable current on-air staff
- Ron Demers – chief meteorologist
Notable former on-air staff
- Tom Brokaw – newscaster, weatherman, and staff announcer (later a special contributor to NBC News; retired)
- Paul Moyer (later at KNBC, now retired)
- Gene Sherman – sportscaster
- Mike Wankum (now at WCVB-TV)
- Terry Zahn – newscaster (later at WAVY-TV and WVEC, now deceased)
Translator
| City of license | Callsign | Channel | ERP | HAAT | Facility ID | Transmitter coordinates |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Norfolk | K24JG-D | 24 | 15 kW | 89 m (292 ft) | 66171 | 42°02′01″N 97°21′55″W |
KTIV was formerly rebroadcast over these translators:
- Neligh, Nebraska: K40HB, channel 40.
- O'Neill, Nebraska: K51CC, channel 51.
References
- KTIV History, KTIV website, archived from the original April 21, 2006; original page has since been deleted.
- "Require Prime Evening Time for NTA Films", Boxoffice: 13, November 10, 1956
- https://www.americanradiohistory.com/hd2/IDX-Business/Magazines/Archive-BC-IDX/73-OCR/1973-11-12-BC-OCR-Page-0036.pdf
- https://www.americanradiohistory.com/hd2/IDX-Business/Magazines/Archive-BC-IDX/80-OCR/1980-11-03-BC-OCR-Page-0068.pdf
- https://www.americanradiohistory.com/hd2/IDX-Business/Magazines/Archive-BC-IDX/89-OCR/BC-1989-08-28-OCR-Page-0054.pdf
- Schneider, Michael (April 1, 2009). "KNBC's Paul Moyer set to retire". Variety. Retrieved March 26, 2014.
- Wishart, David J. (2004). Encyclopedia of the Great Plains. University of Nebraska Press. p. 507. ISBN 9780803247871.
- Goldsmith, Jill (February 1, 2021). "Gray Television Acquires Quincy Media For $925 Million In Cash". Deadline Hollywood. Penske Media Corporation. Retrieved February 1, 2021.
- Howell Jr., Hilton (August 2, 2021). "Gray Television Closes Quincy Acquisition". Gray Television. Globe Newswire. Retrieved August 2, 2021.
- Treaster, Joseph B. (14 August 1996). "Venture in Accord to Buy 7 TV Stations from Aflac". The New York Times.
- RabbitEars TV Query for KTIV
- Today is the day for digital TV switch, Dave Dreeszen, Sioux City Journal, February 17, 2009
- List of Digital Full-Power Stations Archived 2013-08-29 at the Wayback Machine