KQDS-TV
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| KQDS-TV | |
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| Duluth, Minnesota | |
| Branding | Fox 21 |
| Channels | Analog: 21 (UHF) |
| Affiliations | Fox |
| Owner | Red River Broadcasting Company, LLC (KQDS Acquisition Corporation) |
| First air date | 1994 |
| Call letters’ meaning | Quality Duluth Superior |
| Former callsigns | KNLD (1994-1999) |
| Former affiliations | independent (1994-99) |
| Transmitter Power | 550 kW (analog) 1000 kW (digital) |
| Height | 284 m (analog) 299 m (digital) |
| Facility ID | 35525 |
| Transmitter Coordinates | |
| Website | www.kqdsfox21.tv |
KQDS-TV, channel 21, is the Fox affiliate for Duluth, Minnesota, USA, serving Northeastern Minnesota, Northwestern Wisconsin, and a portion of Michigan's Upper Peninsula. The station's digital signal, KQDS-DT, transmits on channel 17. Its transmitter is located in Duluth. KQDS is owned and operated by Red River Broadcasting, which also owns KQDS-AM 1490/FM 94.9, KZIO-FM 104.3/94.1, and WWAX 92.1 FM, as well as twelve other stations in northeastern Minnesota and northwestern Wisconsin.
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[edit] History
Channel 21 signed on as KNLD on September 20, 1994. However, very few people knew the station was actually on the air at this time, as it broadcast at low power with an extremely limited schedule -- usually only a few hours in the morning to meet minimum FCC requirements for keeping its license. The station was independent, and although its lineup once included Big Ten college football, most of the schedule was filled with the Shop at Home Network by the late 1990s.
In 1998, Red River Broadcasting (via sister company KQDS Acquisition Corporation) purchased KNLD, KDDS 1490 AM (now KQDS-AM) and KQDS-FM 94.9 and later changed KNLD's callsign to KQDS-TV. The new owners found some controversy as they tried to upgrade; KQDS was constructing a new tower to replace its old one adjacent to Duluth Central High School and some school and city officials expressed concern about the danger of ice falling from the tower onto the Central parking lot. Although the new tower had already been approved by city officials, KQDS agreed to construct the new tower further from the parking lot than initially planned.
On September 1, 1999, KQDS-TV became a Fox affiliate, increased its power and added eight translator stations across the Northland. This was the first time the full Fox programming lineup was available over-the-air in the market (Fox previously had secondary affiliations with KDLH, KBJR-TV, and WDIO-TV, while cable systems carried the national Foxnet service).
KQDS-DT signed on several years later, and increased to 1,000 kilowatts in 2006 following construction of a new transmitter plant.
[edit] Newscasts
Early in KQDS's Fox affiliation, the station experimented with a 9 p.m. newscast produced by NBC affiliate KBJR. It was broadcast out of KBJR's studios and anchored by KBJR's Mark Mallory (news), Paul Heggen (weather) and Tom Hansen (sports). The newscast was cancelled after about nine months due to low ratings, and was replaced by a half-hour simulcast of CNN Headline News. KBJR's 9 p.m. newscast resurfaced in September 2002, when that station launched "UPN9".
KQDS-TV currently produces Fox 21 News at 9, a live 35-minute newscast airing Sunday through Friday. The weekday newscasts debuted March 12, 2007, with co-anchors Amy Rutledge and Nick LaFave, the only dual anchor team in the market. Rutledge co-anchored at KDLH until the station was combined with KBJR in March 2005. The Fox 21 News staff includes veterans of every commercial station in the market. The Sunday newscast was added on August 26, 2007; it was the first such newscast at 9 p.m. in the market.
In its first ratings period in May 2007, KQDS was third among all evening newscasts. Fox 21 News at 9 drew more viewers than KDLH's 10 p.m. newscast and KBJR's NewsCenter @ 9 on My9, which essentially succeeded KQDS's original newscast.
In August of 2007, after just six months on the air, Fox 21 News was nominated for three Upper Midwest Emmy Awards, in the categories of Best Newscast, Best News Special, and Investigative Series.
KQDS provides weather for the Red Rock-owned radio stations in the market. They also maintain a partnership with the Duluth News Tribune in which they share news reports and Todd Nelson's weather blog is printed.
[edit] News team
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Anchors
Weather
Sports
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Reporters
Photojournalists
News Directors
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[edit] Past personnel
- Randy Howe
- Lisa Waldrup
- Chris Misun
- Jenn O'Neil
[edit] Translators
- K39GG/K47IG, Aitkin, Minnesota
- W45CI, Ashland, Wisconsin
- K29EB, Grand Rapids, Minnesota
- K31GH, Hayward, Wisconsin
- K15GT, Hibbing, Minnesota
- K45JD, International Falls, Minnesota
- W32CV, Ironwood, Michigan
- K47IR, Virginia, Minnesota
[edit] External links
- KQDS Website (Currently under construction)
- Query the FCC's TV station database for KQDS
- BIAfn's Media Web Database -- Information on KQDS-TV
- KQDS-TV screengrabs from NorthPine.com
- Press release announcing the hiring of Nick LaFave and Amy Rutledge
- a website created by a former employee criticizing KQDS and Red River Broadcasting
- 1998 FCC order approving the sale of KNLD-TV
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