KTSM-TV: Difference between revisions
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{{short description|NBC affiliate in El Paso, Texas}} |
{{short description|NBC affiliate in El Paso, Texas}} |
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{{Use mdy dates|date=January 2024}} |
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{{Infobox television station |
{{Infobox television station |
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| callsign = KTSM-TV |
| callsign = KTSM-TV |
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| logo = KTSM-TV 9 News logo.png |
| logo = KTSM-TV 9 News logo.png |
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| logo_size = 200px |
| logo_size = 200px |
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| branding = KTSM 9 |
| branding = KTSM 9; ''KTSM 9 News'' |
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| digital = 16 ([[ |
| digital = 16 ([[UHF]]) |
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| virtual = 9 |
| virtual = 9 |
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| affiliations = {{ubl|'''9.1:''' [[NBC]]|'' |
| affiliations = {{ubl|'''9.1:''' [[NBC]]|''for others, see {{section link||Subchannels}}''}} |
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| translators = |
| translators = |
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| owner = [[Nexstar Media Group]] |
| owner = [[Nexstar Media Group]] |
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| licensee = Nexstar Media Inc. |
| licensee = Nexstar Media Inc. |
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| location = [[El Paso, Texas]] |
| location = {{ubl|[[El Paso, Texas]]|[[Las Cruces, New Mexico]]|[[Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua]]}} |
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| country = United |
| country = United States–Mexico |
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| airdate = {{start date and age|1953|1|4|p=y}} |
| airdate = {{start date and age|1953|1|4|p=y}} |
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| last_airdate = |
| last_airdate = |
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| callsign_meaning = Tri |
| callsign_meaning = Tri-State Music or Tri-State Media |
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| sister_stations = |
| sister_stations = |
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| former_callsigns = |
| former_callsigns = |
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| former_channel_numbers = '''Analog:''' |
| former_channel_numbers = {{ubl|'''Analog:''' 9 ([[VHF]], 1953–2009)|'''Digital:''' 16 (UHF, 2005–2009), 9 (VHF, 2009–2015)}} |
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| former_affiliations = [[National Educational Television|NET]] (select programs, 1969–1970) |
| former_affiliations = {{ubl|[[National Educational Television|NET]] (select programs, 1969–1970)|[[PBS]] (select programs, 1970–1978)}} |
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| erp = 250 [[ |
| erp = 250 [[kW]] |
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| haat = {{convert|577|m|ft|0|abbr=on}} |
| haat = {{convert|577|m|ft|0|abbr=on}} |
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| facility_id = 67760 |
| facility_id = 67760 |
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| coordinates = |
| coordinates = {{coord|31|48|18.9|N|106|29|0.7|W|type:landmark_scale:2000}} |
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| licensing_authority = [[ |
| licensing_authority = [[FCC]] |
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| website = {{URL|http://www.ktsm.com/}} |
| website = {{URL|http://www.ktsm.com/}} |
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}} |
}} |
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===Early years=== |
===Early years=== |
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[[File:KTSM_equipment.jpg|thumb|Old KTSM equipment on exhibit in the Mills Building, May 2018.]] |
[[File:KTSM_equipment.jpg|thumb|Old KTSM equipment on exhibit in the Mills Building, May 2018.]] |
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The station first [[sign-on|signed on]] the air on January 4, 1953. KTSM-TV was the second television station in the El Paso [[ |
The station first [[sign-on and sign-off|signed on]] the air on January 4, 1953. KTSM-TV was the second television station in the El Paso [[TV market]], behind KROD-TV (channel 4, now [[KDBC-TV]]), which debuted in December 1952. KTSM-TV was owned by Tri-State Broadcasting, a nod to the [[U.S. state]]s of Texas and [[New Mexico]] and the [[Mexico|Mexican]] state of [[Chihuahua (state)|Chihuahua]].<ref name="El Paso Broadcasting History">{{cite web|url=http://epcc.libguides.com/content.php?pid=309255&sid=2621837|title=Library Research Guides: Borderlands: El Paso Broadcasting: The Stories Behind the Call Letters 12 (1994)|first=Rachel|last=Murphree|website=epcc.libguides.com|access-date=April 11, 2018}}</ref> Channel 9 was co-owned with [[KTSM (AM)|KTSM]] radio (then on [[KHEY (AM)|1380 AM]], now at 690 AM) and 99.9 [[KTSM-FM]]. (The two radio stations are both now owned by [[iHeartMedia]].) |
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The [[call signs in North America|call sign]] stood for the company's original name, "Tri-State Music |
The [[call signs in North America|call sign]] stood for the company's original name, "Tri-State Music". The meaning has since changed to Tri-State Media. KTSM-TV claimed its [[broadcast tower]] at Ranger Peak, located within the [[Franklin Mountains (Texas)|Franklin Mountains]], was the tallest [[VHF]] transmission tower in Texas, standing at {{convert|2,000|ft|m}} above downtown El Paso, and {{convert|5,990|ft|m}} above sea level. |
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[[File:KTSM Logo.png|thumb|left|KTSM "NewsChannel 9" logo, from 1995 through 2018.]] |
[[File:KTSM Logo.png|thumb|left|KTSM "NewsChannel 9" logo, from 1995 through 2018.]] |
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Tri-State Broadcasting was controlled by El Paso broadcast pioneer Karl O. Wyler (1906-1990), who signed on KTSM (AM) in 1930. Wyler built the El Paso Aerial Tramway in the early 1960s to allow his staff to maintain the transmitters at Ranger Peak. The tramway was open to the public until the 1980s, when insurance laws in Texas became too costly for carrying people who were not employees. Wyler owned the station until his death in 1990, and donated his controlling stake in Tri-State Broadcasting to the El Paso Community Foundation. In 1991, the Foundation hired Richard E. Pearson, who served as station manager at [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]] affiliate [[KVIA-TV]] (channel 7) at the time, to run the operations of the radio and television stations. Under Pearson's leadership, KTSM-TV flourished, and became a dominant force in the market, until the stations were sold to [[Communications Corporation of America]] in 1998. |
Tri-State Broadcasting was controlled by El Paso broadcast pioneer Karl O. Wyler (1906-1990), who signed on KTSM (AM) in 1930. Wyler built the El Paso Aerial Tramway in the early 1960s to allow his staff to maintain the transmitters at Ranger Peak. The tramway was open to the public until the 1980s, when insurance laws in Texas became too costly for carrying people who were not employees. Wyler owned the station until his death in 1990, and donated his controlling stake in Tri-State Broadcasting to the El Paso Community Foundation. In 1991, the Foundation hired Richard E. Pearson, who served as station manager at [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]] affiliate [[KVIA-TV]] (channel 7) at the time, to run the operations of the radio and television stations. Under Pearson's leadership, KTSM-TV flourished, and became a dominant force in the market, until the stations were sold to [[Communications Corporation of America]] in 1998. |
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Among KTSM-TV's most famous personalities was Ted Bender (1925–2013), who hosted numerous shows on the station including the local version of the ''[[Dialing for Dollars]]'', which aired weekdays at 10:05 a.m., following a five-minute mid-morning newscast at 10 |
Among KTSM-TV's most famous personalities was Ted Bender (1925–2013), who hosted numerous shows on the station including the local version of the ''[[Dialing for Dollars]]'', which aired weekdays at 10:05 a.m., following a five-minute mid-morning newscast at 10 a.m. Bender gave four viewers a chance to win money while watching the station. Halfway through the calls, Bender (who was a city councilman) would interview a key figure in the El Paso community. Bender also served as KTSM-TV's lead weather forecaster, from the station's inception until his retirement in 1991. |
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===Agreement with KDBC-TV=== |
===Agreement with KDBC-TV=== |
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On October 19, 2009, Communications Corporation of America entered into a [[shared services]] agreement (SSA) with Titan Broadcast Management, owner of [[CBS]] affiliate KDBC-TV. KTSM-TV provided advertising sales and administrative services as well as some news resources for Channel 4. Titan retained KDBC-TV's [[broadcast license|license]] and both stations employed separate news departments.<ref>{{Cite |
On October 19, 2009, Communications Corporation of America entered into a [[shared services]] agreement (SSA) with Titan Broadcast Management, owner of [[CBS]] affiliate KDBC-TV. KTSM-TV provided advertising sales and administrative services as well as some news resources for Channel 4. Titan retained KDBC-TV's [[broadcast license|license]] and both stations employed separate news departments.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.kvia.com/global/story.asp?s=11339223#|title=You searched for 11339223|newspaper=Kvia }}</ref> On April 24, 2013, ComCorp announced that it would sell all of its television stations, including KTSM-TV, to the [[Nexstar Broadcasting Group]].<ref>https://licensing.fcc.gov/cdbs/CDBS_Attachment/getattachment.jsp?appn=101552312&qnum=5040©num=1&exhcnum=1 {{Bare URL inline|date=August 2022}}</ref> The sale was completed on January 1, 2015.<ref>[http://licensing.fcc.gov/cgi-bin/ws.exe/prod/cdbs/forms/prod/prefill_and_display.pl?Application_id=1667027&Service=DT&Form_id=905&Facility_id=67760 Consummation Notice], ''CDBS Public Access'', [[Federal Communications Commission]], Retrieved January 6, 2015.</ref> |
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The acquisition, as well as the sale of KDBC-TV to the [[Sinclair Broadcast Group]] (which originally planned to transfer that station's license to partner company [[Cunningham Broadcasting]]), placed some uncertainty on the future status of the SSA between KTSM-TV and KDBC-TV, particularly as Channel 4 is now co-owned with [[Fox Broadcasting Company|Fox]] affiliate [[KFOX-TV]] (channel 14). The SSA was indeed terminated on October 16, 2014, at which point KDBC-TV began producing its newscasts in association with KFOX-TV. |
The acquisition, as well as the sale of KDBC-TV to the [[Sinclair Broadcast Group]] (which originally planned to transfer that station's license to partner company [[Cunningham Broadcasting]]), placed some uncertainty on the future status of the SSA between KTSM-TV and KDBC-TV, particularly as Channel 4 is now co-owned with [[Fox Broadcasting Company|Fox]] affiliate [[KFOX-TV]] (channel 14). The SSA was indeed terminated on October 16, 2014, at which point KDBC-TV began producing its newscasts in association with KFOX-TV. |
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==Programming== |
==Programming== |
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KTSM-TV clears most of the NBC network schedule. However, the station preempted the [[CNBC]] program ''[[ |
KTSM-TV clears most of the NBC network schedule. However, the station preempted the [[CNBC]] program ''[[Mad Money]]'' which formerly aired as part of the network's overnight block (although it cleared the rebroadcast of the [[Today with Hoda & Jenna|fourth hour]] of ''[[Today (American TV program)|Today]]'' which preceded it nationally). The station aired [[infomercial]]s in place of ''Mad Money''. |
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[[Broadcast syndication|Syndicated]] programs broadcast by KTSM-TV include ''[[Rachael Ray (talk show)|Rachael Ray]]'', ''[[Karamo (talk show)|Karamo]]'', ''[[Dr. Phil (talk show)|Dr. Phil]]'', and ''[[TMZ on TV|TMZ]]''. |
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For many years, the station delayed the airing of NBC's daytime game shows which later were seen in the afternoon hours. Instead, KTSM-TV showed ''Dialing for Dollars'' and daytime [[soap opera|soaps]]. The [[National Educational Television|NET]]/[[PBS]] shows ''[[Sesame Street]]'' and ''[[Mister Rogers' Neighborhood]]'' were also broadcast due to the lack of a full-market [[public television]] station in the area at the time. [[Las Cruces, New Mexico|Las Cruces]]–based [[KRWG-TV]] (channel 22) was an NET/PBS member, but its reception was spotty in parts of the El Paso TV market due to the Franklin Mountains cutting across western El Paso. NET/PBS arranged for channel 9 to carry select children's programs including ''Sesame Street''. ''Sesame Street'' aired on the station from its debut in 1969 until El Paso PBS station [[KCOS (TV)|KCOS]] signed on in August 1978. Before KRWG-TV signed on the air in 1973, KTSM aired a number of additional programs from NET/PBS.{{Specify|date=February 2023}} |
For many years, the station delayed the airing of NBC's daytime game shows which later were seen in the afternoon hours. Instead, KTSM-TV showed ''Dialing for Dollars'' and daytime [[soap opera|soaps]]. The [[National Educational Television|NET]]/[[PBS]] shows ''[[Sesame Street]]'' and ''[[Mister Rogers' Neighborhood]]'' were also broadcast due to the lack of a full-market [[public television]] station in the area at the time. [[Las Cruces, New Mexico|Las Cruces]]–based [[KRWG-TV]] (channel 22) was an NET/PBS member, but its reception was spotty in parts of the El Paso TV market due to the Franklin Mountains cutting across western El Paso. NET/PBS arranged for channel 9 to carry select children's programs including ''Sesame Street''. ''Sesame Street'' aired on the station from its debut in 1969 until El Paso PBS station [[KCOS (TV)|KCOS]] signed on in August 1978. Before KRWG-TV signed on the air in 1973, KTSM aired a number of additional programs from NET/PBS.{{Specify|date=February 2023}} |
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===News operation=== |
===News operation=== |
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KTSM-TV presently broadcasts 24 |
KTSM-TV presently broadcasts {{frac|24|1|2}} hours of locally produced newscasts each week (with {{frac|4|1|2}} hours each weekday and one hour each on Saturdays and Sundays). On August 3, 2008, starting with its 5 p.m. newscast, KTSM became the first television station in the El Paso market to begin broadcasting its local newscast in [[High-definition television|high definition]]. |
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In 2019, KTSM-TV reporter joined Nexstar-owned website ''[[Border Report]]'' as an El Paso correspondent.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Winter |first=Meaghan |date=July 20, 2020 |title=Nexstar Nation |url=https://www.cjr.org/special_report/nexstar-nation.php/ |access-date= |
In 2019, KTSM-TV reporter joined Nexstar-owned website ''[[Border Report]]'' as an El Paso correspondent.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Winter |first=Meaghan |date=July 20, 2020 |title=Nexstar Nation |url=https://www.cjr.org/special_report/nexstar-nation.php/ |access-date=March 12, 2022 |website=Columbia Journalism Review |language=en}}</ref> |
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====Notable former on-air staff==== |
====Notable former on-air staff==== |
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===Subchannels=== |
===Subchannels=== |
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The station's |
The station's signal is [[multiplex (TV)|multiplexed]]: |
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{| class="wikitable" |
{| class="wikitable" |
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|+Subchannels of KTSM-TV<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.rabbitears.info/market.php?request=station_search&callsign=KTSM#station|title=RabbitEars TV Query for KTSM|website=www.rabbitears.info|access-date= |
|+Subchannels of KTSM-TV<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.rabbitears.info/market.php?request=station_search&callsign=KTSM#station|title=RabbitEars TV Query for KTSM|website=www.rabbitears.info|access-date=April 11, 2018}}</ref> |
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! scope = "col" | [[Digital subchannel#United States|Channel]] |
! scope = "col" | [[Digital subchannel#United States|Channel]] |
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! scope = "col" | [[Display resolution|Res.]] |
! scope = "col" | [[Display resolution|Res.]] |
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! scope = "row" | 9.4 |
! scope = "row" | 9.4 |
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| Laff || [[Laff (TV network)|Laff]] |
| Laff || [[Laff (TV network)|Laff]] |
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|- style="background-color:#DFEBF6; border-top: 2px solid #003399;" |
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! scope = "row" | [[KFOX-TV|14.1]] |
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| [[720p]] || 16:9 || FOX || [[Fox Broadcasting Company|Fox]] ([[KFOX-TV]]) |
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|} |
|} |
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{{legend|#DFEBF6|Broadcast on behalf of another station}} |
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KTSM began to carry the [[Spanish language in the United States|Spanish-language]] network [[Estrella TV]] on its second [[digital subchannel]] in 2009.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.medialifemagazine.com/artman2/publish/Television_44/Coming_a_new_force_in_Hispanic_TV.asp|title=Coming, a new force in Hispanic TV|date=March 20, 2009|work=Media Life Magazine|access-date= |
KTSM began to carry the [[Spanish language in the United States|Spanish-language]] network [[Estrella TV]] on its second [[digital subchannel]] in 2009.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.medialifemagazine.com/artman2/publish/Television_44/Coming_a_new_force_in_Hispanic_TV.asp|title=Coming, a new force in Hispanic TV|date=March 20, 2009|work=Media Life Magazine|access-date=April 11, 2009|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090323192822/http://www.medialifemagazine.com/artman2/publish/Television_44/Coming_a_new_force_in_Hispanic_TV.asp|archive-date=March 23, 2009}}</ref> |
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===Analog-to-digital conversion=== |
===Analog-to-digital conversion=== |
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KTSM-TV shut down its analog signal, over VHF channel 9, at 12:30 p.m. on June 12, 2009, the official date on which full-power television stations in the United States [[Digital television transition in the United States|transitioned from analog to digital broadcasts]] under federal mandate.<ref name="Digital Switch Complete">[http://www.ktsm.com/local/digital-switch-complete Digital Switch Complete], KTSM-TV, June 12, 2009.</ref> The station's digital signal relocated from its pre-transition [[ |
KTSM-TV shut down its analog signal, over VHF channel 9, at 12:30 p.m. on June 12, 2009, the official date on which full-power television stations in the United States [[Digital television transition in the United States|transitioned from analog to digital broadcasts]] under federal mandate.<ref name="Digital Switch Complete">[http://www.ktsm.com/local/digital-switch-complete Digital Switch Complete], KTSM-TV, June 12, 2009.</ref> The station's digital signal relocated from its pre-transition [[UHF]] channel 16 to VHF channel 9.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DA-06-1082A2.pdf |title=DTV Tentative Channel Designations for the First and the Second Rounds |access-date=March 24, 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130829004251/http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DA-06-1082A2.pdf |archive-date=August 29, 2013 }}</ref><ref name="FCCForm387">{{cite web|url=http://fjallfoss.fcc.gov/cgi-bin/ws.exe/prod/cdbs/forms/prod/cdbsmenu.hts?context=25&appn=101232541&formid=387&fac_num=67760|title=CDBS Print<!-- Bot generated title -->|website=fcc.gov|access-date=April 11, 2018}}</ref> |
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Due to reports of reception issues with its signal on digital channel 9, KTSM-TV was granted permission by the [[Federal Communications Commission]] to operate a secondary signal on its former UHF digital channel 16 under special temporary authorization on July 23, 2009, mapped to virtual channel 9.1. KTSM had filed a petition to the FCC to permanently operate its digital signal exclusively on UHF channel 16.<ref>{{cite web |title=NOTICE OF PROPOSED RULEMAKING |url=http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DA-11-74A1.pdf |work=[[Federal Communications Commission]] |date=January 11, 2011|access-date=May 19, 2014}}</ref> |
Due to reports of reception issues with its signal on digital channel 9, KTSM-TV was granted permission by the [[Federal Communications Commission]] to operate a secondary signal on its former UHF digital channel 16 under special temporary authorization on July 23, 2009, mapped to virtual channel 9.1. KTSM had filed a petition to the FCC to permanently operate its digital signal exclusively on UHF channel 16.<ref>{{cite web |title=NOTICE OF PROPOSED RULEMAKING |url=http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DA-11-74A1.pdf |work=[[Federal Communications Commission]] |date=January 11, 2011|access-date=May 19, 2014}}</ref> It was issued a license for that channel on June 5, 2015. |
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==References== |
==References== |
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Ktsm-Tv}} |
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ktsm-Tv}} |
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[[Category: |
[[Category:1953 establishments in Texas]] |
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[[Category:Estrella TV affiliates]] |
[[Category:Estrella TV affiliates]] |
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[[Category:Ion Mystery affiliates]] |
[[Category:Ion Mystery affiliates]] |
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[[Category:Laff (TV network) affiliates]] |
[[Category:Laff (TV network) affiliates]] |
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⚫ | |||
[[Category:Nexstar Media Group]] |
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[[Category:Television channels and stations established in 1953]] |
[[Category:Television channels and stations established in 1953]] |
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[[Category:Television stations in El Paso, Texas|TSM-TV]] |
[[Category:Television stations in El Paso, Texas|TSM-TV]] |
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[[Category:1953 establishments in Texas]] |
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⚫ |
Revision as of 06:40, 25 January 2024
![]() | |
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City | El Paso, Texas |
Channels | |
Branding | KTSM 9; KTSM 9 News |
Programming | |
Affiliations |
|
Ownership | |
Owner |
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History | |
First air date | January 4, 1953 |
Former channel number(s) |
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Call sign meaning | Tri-State Music or Tri-State Media |
Technical information[1] | |
Licensing authority | FCC |
Facility ID | 67760 |
ERP | 250 kW |
HAAT | 577 m (1,893 ft) |
Transmitter coordinates | 31°48′18.9″N 106°29′0.7″W / 31.805250°N 106.483528°W |
Links | |
Public license information | |
Website | www |
KTSM-TV (channel 9) is a television station in El Paso, Texas, United States, affiliated with NBC and owned by Nexstar Media Group. The station's studios are located on Oregon Street (near El Paso Community College) in northwest El Paso, and its transmitter is located atop the Franklin Mountains on the El Paso city limits.
History
Early years
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/74/KTSM_equipment.jpg/220px-KTSM_equipment.jpg)
The station first signed on the air on January 4, 1953. KTSM-TV was the second television station in the El Paso TV market, behind KROD-TV (channel 4, now KDBC-TV), which debuted in December 1952. KTSM-TV was owned by Tri-State Broadcasting, a nod to the U.S. states of Texas and New Mexico and the Mexican state of Chihuahua.[2] Channel 9 was co-owned with KTSM radio (then on 1380 AM, now at 690 AM) and 99.9 KTSM-FM. (The two radio stations are both now owned by iHeartMedia.)
The call sign stood for the company's original name, "Tri-State Music". The meaning has since changed to Tri-State Media. KTSM-TV claimed its broadcast tower at Ranger Peak, located within the Franklin Mountains, was the tallest VHF transmission tower in Texas, standing at 2,000 feet (610 m) above downtown El Paso, and 5,990 feet (1,830 m) above sea level.
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/2/27/KTSM_Logo.png/220px-KTSM_Logo.png)
Key figures
Tri-State Broadcasting was controlled by El Paso broadcast pioneer Karl O. Wyler (1906-1990), who signed on KTSM (AM) in 1930. Wyler built the El Paso Aerial Tramway in the early 1960s to allow his staff to maintain the transmitters at Ranger Peak. The tramway was open to the public until the 1980s, when insurance laws in Texas became too costly for carrying people who were not employees. Wyler owned the station until his death in 1990, and donated his controlling stake in Tri-State Broadcasting to the El Paso Community Foundation. In 1991, the Foundation hired Richard E. Pearson, who served as station manager at ABC affiliate KVIA-TV (channel 7) at the time, to run the operations of the radio and television stations. Under Pearson's leadership, KTSM-TV flourished, and became a dominant force in the market, until the stations were sold to Communications Corporation of America in 1998.
Among KTSM-TV's most famous personalities was Ted Bender (1925–2013), who hosted numerous shows on the station including the local version of the Dialing for Dollars, which aired weekdays at 10:05 a.m., following a five-minute mid-morning newscast at 10 a.m. Bender gave four viewers a chance to win money while watching the station. Halfway through the calls, Bender (who was a city councilman) would interview a key figure in the El Paso community. Bender also served as KTSM-TV's lead weather forecaster, from the station's inception until his retirement in 1991.
Agreement with KDBC-TV
On October 19, 2009, Communications Corporation of America entered into a shared services agreement (SSA) with Titan Broadcast Management, owner of CBS affiliate KDBC-TV. KTSM-TV provided advertising sales and administrative services as well as some news resources for Channel 4. Titan retained KDBC-TV's license and both stations employed separate news departments.[3] On April 24, 2013, ComCorp announced that it would sell all of its television stations, including KTSM-TV, to the Nexstar Broadcasting Group.[4] The sale was completed on January 1, 2015.[5]
The acquisition, as well as the sale of KDBC-TV to the Sinclair Broadcast Group (which originally planned to transfer that station's license to partner company Cunningham Broadcasting), placed some uncertainty on the future status of the SSA between KTSM-TV and KDBC-TV, particularly as Channel 4 is now co-owned with Fox affiliate KFOX-TV (channel 14). The SSA was indeed terminated on October 16, 2014, at which point KDBC-TV began producing its newscasts in association with KFOX-TV.
Programming
KTSM-TV clears most of the NBC network schedule. However, the station preempted the CNBC program Mad Money which formerly aired as part of the network's overnight block (although it cleared the rebroadcast of the fourth hour of Today which preceded it nationally). The station aired infomercials in place of Mad Money.
For many years, the station delayed the airing of NBC's daytime game shows which later were seen in the afternoon hours. Instead, KTSM-TV showed Dialing for Dollars and daytime soaps. The NET/PBS shows Sesame Street and Mister Rogers' Neighborhood were also broadcast due to the lack of a full-market public television station in the area at the time. Las Cruces–based KRWG-TV (channel 22) was an NET/PBS member, but its reception was spotty in parts of the El Paso TV market due to the Franklin Mountains cutting across western El Paso. NET/PBS arranged for channel 9 to carry select children's programs including Sesame Street. Sesame Street aired on the station from its debut in 1969 until El Paso PBS station KCOS signed on in August 1978. Before KRWG-TV signed on the air in 1973, KTSM aired a number of additional programs from NET/PBS.[specify]
News operation
KTSM-TV presently broadcasts 24+1⁄2 hours of locally produced newscasts each week (with 4+1⁄2 hours each weekday and one hour each on Saturdays and Sundays). On August 3, 2008, starting with its 5 p.m. newscast, KTSM became the first television station in the El Paso market to begin broadcasting its local newscast in high definition.
In 2019, KTSM-TV reporter joined Nexstar-owned website Border Report as an El Paso correspondent.[6]
Notable former on-air staff
Technical information
Subchannels
The station's signal is multiplexed:
Channel | Res. | Aspect | Short name | Programming |
---|---|---|---|---|
9.1 | 1080i | 16:9 | KTSM-DT | Main KTSM-TV programming / NBC |
9.2 | 480i | 4:3 | KTSM-D2 | Estrella TV |
9.3 | Escape | Ion Mystery | ||
9.4 | Laff | Laff | ||
14.1 | 720p | 16:9 | FOX | Fox (KFOX-TV) |
KTSM began to carry the Spanish-language network Estrella TV on its second digital subchannel in 2009.[8]
Analog-to-digital conversion
KTSM-TV shut down its analog signal, over VHF channel 9, at 12:30 p.m. on June 12, 2009, the official date on which full-power television stations in the United States transitioned from analog to digital broadcasts under federal mandate.[9] The station's digital signal relocated from its pre-transition UHF channel 16 to VHF channel 9.[10][11]
Due to reports of reception issues with its signal on digital channel 9, KTSM-TV was granted permission by the Federal Communications Commission to operate a secondary signal on its former UHF digital channel 16 under special temporary authorization on July 23, 2009, mapped to virtual channel 9.1. KTSM had filed a petition to the FCC to permanently operate its digital signal exclusively on UHF channel 16.[12] It was issued a license for that channel on June 5, 2015.
References
- ^ "Facility Technical Data for KTSM-TV". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission.
- ^ Murphree, Rachel. "Library Research Guides: Borderlands: El Paso Broadcasting: The Stories Behind the Call Letters 12 (1994)". epcc.libguides.com. Retrieved April 11, 2018.
- ^ "You searched for 11339223". Kvia.
- ^ https://licensing.fcc.gov/cdbs/CDBS_Attachment/getattachment.jsp?appn=101552312&qnum=5040©num=1&exhcnum=1 [bare URL]
- ^ Consummation Notice, CDBS Public Access, Federal Communications Commission, Retrieved January 6, 2015.
- ^ Winter, Meaghan (July 20, 2020). "Nexstar Nation". Columbia Journalism Review. Retrieved March 12, 2022.
- ^ "RabbitEars TV Query for KTSM". www.rabbitears.info. Retrieved April 11, 2018.
- ^ "Coming, a new force in Hispanic TV". Media Life Magazine. March 20, 2009. Archived from the original on March 23, 2009. Retrieved April 11, 2009.
- ^ Digital Switch Complete, KTSM-TV, June 12, 2009.
- ^ "DTV Tentative Channel Designations for the First and the Second Rounds" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on August 29, 2013. Retrieved March 24, 2012.
- ^ "CDBS Print". fcc.gov. Retrieved April 11, 2018.
- ^ "NOTICE OF PROPOSED RULEMAKING" (PDF). Federal Communications Commission. January 11, 2011. Retrieved May 19, 2014.