KTWO-TV
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| KTWO-TV / KDEV | |
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| KTWO: Casper, Wyoming KDEV: Cheyenne, Wyoming |
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| Branding | K2 |
| Slogan | Wyoming's News Leader |
| Channels | KTWO-TV 2 (VHF) KDEV 33 (UHF) analog, KTWO-DT 17 (UHF) KDEV-DT 11 (VHF) digital |
| Affiliations | ABC (secondary 1957-84 and sole affiliate since 2004 [KDEV only 2003-04]) RTN (KDEV only) |
| Owner | KTWO: Silverton Media KDEV: Equity Broadcasting |
| Founded | KTWO: March 1, 1957 KDEV: August 28, 1987 |
| Call letters meaning | KTWO: K-TWO (2, channel number) |
| Former callsigns | KTWO: none KDEV: KKTU (1987-2005) |
| Former affiliations | CBS (1957-81) NBC (1957-2003 secondary until 1981) Independent (KTWO only, 2003-04) |
| Website | www.k2tv.com |
KTWO-TV, also known as K2, is an ABC affiliate based in Casper, Wyoming. It also operates a semi-satellite station, KDEV, channel 33, in Cheyenne, Wyoming, and operates several low-powered repeaters across the state. KTWO is owned by Silverton Broadcasting, while KDEV is owned by Equity Broadcasting and controlled by KTWO. Its current slogan is "Wyoming's News Leader." KDEV is also a secondary affiliate of Retro Television Network.
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[edit] History
KTWO signed on the air on March 1, 1957 airing programming from all three major networks, though it was a primary CBS affiliate. By 1981, the CBS affiliation went to KGWC and KTWO became a primary NBC/secondary ABC affiliate. That lasted until 1984 when KFNB took ABC, leaving KTWO with NBC. On August 28, 1987, KKTU signed on as KTWO's satellite station in Cheyenne.
[edit] Transition from NBC to ABC affiliation
On September 1, 2003, NBC moved their affiliation from KTWO to KCWY. Although KTWO planned on becoming an ABC affiliate, it was forced to wait until ABC's affiliation with KFNB expired in June 2004. During the interim period, KTWO operated as an independent station.
Meanwhile, KTWO's Cheyenne satellite KKTU immediately switched from NBC to ABC and began branding itself as ABC 8 after its position on the Cheyenne cable system. After reaching an agreement with KTWO, KFNB agreed to end its ABC affiliation early. In March 2004, KTWO officially became an ABC affiliate, KFNB obtained the FOX affiliation from K26ES and K26ES became an affiliate of UPN. KKTU changed its calls to KDEV in 2005. On May 31, 2006, KTWO was sold by Equity Broadcasting Company to Silverton Media, headed by Barry Silverton. However, Equity kept KDEV, though they allowed KTWO to operate it.
KKTU has been moved to Channel 40 on low power. KDEV no longer airs any ABC programming, instead taking RTN Programming.
[edit] Conflict over sharing station studios
There has been much controversy surrounding KTWO and its relationship with other Casper stations in recent years. In 2004, KTWO moved from its original studios on east 2nd St. to the KFNB/K26ES building on Skyview Drive. Several months earlier, CBS affiliate KGWC abandoned its brand new studios on CY Avenue and moved to the KFNB building. Since 2004, every television station in Casper, except for NBC affiliate KCWY, operates from the same building. 
The original KTWO TV studios on East 2nd Street, Casper WY.
In the KTWO sale, the parties disclosed an agreement for FOX affiliate KFNB to produce news programming on KTWO. The agreement was curious since KFNB did not broadcast any news of its own. KFNB used to have a newscast, but it was promptly dropped in 2005 for undisclosed reasons.
Several employees, most notibly on-air talent have left during and after this transition. The ABC affiliate has had no less than 4 news directors within the last 2 years. There was even more turbulence in the head office during the 5 year period of 2001-2006 when KTWO TV suffered through 12 changes of ownership.
[edit] External links
| Broadcast television in the Casper / Riverton market (Nielsen DMA #198) | |||
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KTWO 2 (ABC) - KCWC 4 (PBS) - KFNE 10 (Fox) - KCWY 13 (NBC) - KGWC 14/KGWL 5 (CBS) - KFNB 20 (Fox) - K26ES 26 (The CW) |
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