KFYR-TV

KFYR-TV / KQCD-TV

KFYR: Bismarck, North Dakota KQCD: Dickinson, North Dakota
Branding	KFYR-TV/KQCD-TV NBC North Dakota
Slogan	Your News Leader
Channels	Digital: KFYR: 31 (UHF) Virtual: 5 (PSIP) Digital: KQCD: 7 (VHF) Virtual: 7 (PSIP)
Subchannels	5.1/7.1 NBC (HDTV) 5.2/7.2 Me-TV
Translators	KO7FG Lemmon K09EZ Beulah (both repeating KFYR-TV)
Affiliations	NBC Me-TV (DT2)
Owner	Hoak Media Corporation (Sale to Gray Television pending) (Hoak Media of Dakota License, LLC)
First air date	KFYR: December 19, 1953 KQCD: July 28, 1980
Call letters' meaning	KFYR: inherited from KFYR radio KQCD: Queen City Dickinson
Former channel number(s)	Analog: KFYR: 5 (VHF, 1953-2009) KQCD: 7 (VHF, 1980-2009)
Former affiliations	Secondary: ABC (1953-1986)
Transmitter power	KFYR: 500 kW KQCD: 11.3 kW
Height	KFYR: 389 m KQCD: 205 m
Facility ID	KFYR: 41427 KQCD: 41430
Transmitter coordinates	KFYR: 46°36′20″N 100°48′22″W / 46.60556°N 100.80611°W / 46.60556; -100.80611 KQCD: 46°56′53″N 102°59′25″W / 46.94806°N 102.99028°W / 46.94806; -102.99028 (KQCD-TV)
Website	www.kfyrtv.com www.kqcd.com

KFYR-TV, channel 5, is the NBC-affiliated television station for Bismarck, North Dakota. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on UHF channel 31 (or virtual channel 5.1 via PSIP) from a transmitter near St. Anthony. The station can also be seen on Midcontinent cable channel 7 in the Bismarck-Mandan and cable channel 5 in most other areas.

There is a high definition feed provided on Midcontinent digital channel 607. Owned by Hoak Media Corporation of Dallas, Texas, it has studios at the intersection North 4th Street and East Broadway Avenue in downtown Bismarck. KFYR is the flagship station of NBC North Dakota, a network of four NBC affiliates that reach most of central and western North Dakota, along with parts of South Dakota and Montana.

Syndicated programming on KFYR/KQCD include Access Hollywood, The Dr. Oz Show, The Doctors, The Insider, Jeopardy!, Live! with Kelly and Michael, Wheel of Fortune and Who Wants to Be a Millionaire, among others.

KQCD-TV, channel 7, in Dickinson, North Dakota operates as a semi-satellite of KFYR. This outlet broadcasts a high definition digital signal on VHF channel 7 (or virtual channel 7.1 via PSIP) from a transmitter near South Heart. KQCD identifies itself as a station in its own right, but simulcasts all programming from KFYR. However, KQCD airs separate commercials and station identifications. The station maintains a news bureau and advertising sales office on 21st Street East in Dickinson. Much of KQCD's viewing area is within the Mountain time zone, and the station airs 6 p.m. starts to primetime rather than the usual 7 p.m. for the time zone. The station can also be seen on Consolidated Telcom cable channel 5 in Dickinson, and cable channel 7 in most other areas. There is a high definition feed provided on Consolidated Telcom digital channel 305.

Although operated as a separate station in its own right, KMOT in Minot (and its semi-satellite KUMV-TV in Williston) is also considered a semi-satellite of KFYR. It clears all network and syndicated programming as provided through its parent but airs separate newscasts, station identifications, and commercial inserts. KFYR and KQCD serve the southern portion of the Bismarck/Minot market while KMOT and KUMV serve the northern portion. The stations along with sister NBC affiliate KVLY-TV and CBS affiliate KXJB-TV in Fargo often share news stories. Master control and some internal operations for KMOT and KUMV are based at KFYR's facilities in Bismarck. The four stations are counted as a single unit for ratings purposes.

Digital television

Analog-to-digital conversion

The entire NBC North Dakota network began broadcasting digital-only on February 16, 2009.^[1][2]

History

KFYR-TV, signed on December 19, 1953 as the third television station in North Dakota and the first in Bismarck. It was owned by Marietta Meyer Ekberg along with KFYR radio (550 AM). Marietta's parents, Phillip Meyer and Etta Hoskins Meyer, had founded KFYR radio in 1925. It carried programming from all four networks of the time – NBC, CBS, ABC and DuMont, but has always been a primary NBC affiliate owing to KFYR radio's long affiliation with NBC radio. Marietta Ekberg was one of three female station owners in the NBC network, along with Dorothy Bullitt of KING-TV in Seattle and Georgia Davidson of KIDO-TV (now KTVB) in Boise.

KFYR-TV's transmitting antenna was originally set up temporarily atop the 19-story North Dakota State Capitol building, and operated from that location for just over a year. In the interim, a new tower (approximately 580 feet high) was erected adjacent to the KFYR-AM radio transmitting site near Menoken. It currently operates from a 1,246-foot tower in St. Anthony, overlooking the Missouri River.

In 1966, KFYR-AM and KFYR-TV were joined by KFYR-FM on 92.9 (now KYYY). The stations all broadcast from the Hoskins-Meyer building on Fourth and Broadway in downtown Bismarck; KFYR-TV is still headquartered there today.

In the mid-1950s the Federal Communications Commission collapsed all of central and western North Dakota into one large television market. Accordingly, the Meyers opened three other stations. KUMV-TV in Williston signed on in 1957, followed by KMOT in Minot in 1958 and KQCD-TV in Dickinson in 1980. These stations became known as the "Meyer Television Network," with KFYR-TV as the flagship station.

KQCD was the last of the four stations to sign on when it debuted on January 25, 1980. It has always been a semi-satellite of KFYR-TV. The station dropped CBS when KBMB-TV (now KXMB-TV) signed on in 1955, and lost DuMont when that network shut down a few months later. It shared ABC with KXMB until full-time ABC affiliate KBMY signed on in 1985.

The Meyers sold their broadcast holdings in 1997, with the television stations going to Sunrise Television Corporation. Sunrise sold them to The Wicks Group of Companies of New York City.

Hoak bought KFYR and its satellites in July 2006, as well as KVLY-TV and KXJB-TV (operated through a local marketing agreement with Catamount Broadcasting) of Fargo and KSFY-TV of Sioux Falls and its satellite stations. On November 17, 2006, the sale was approved by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC).

KFYR and KQCD picked up Me-TV in April 2013, with an official launch date of May 1, 2013.^[3]

On November 20, 2013, Gray Television announced it would purchase Hoak Media in a $335 million deal. Gray will also, through Excalibur Broadcasting, acquire Fox affiliate KNDX/KXND for $7.5 million and operate them under a local marketing agreement.^[4]

News operation

KFYR's newscasts have led the ratings in western North Dakota for as long as records have been kept. Early on, the Meyers devoted significant resources to KFYR's news department, resulting in a higher-quality product than conventional wisdom would suggest for such a small market. This tradition has continued today. The station broadcasts local newscasts at 5:30 a.m., noon, 5 p.m., 6 p.m. and 10 p.m. Central Time Monday through Friday; 6 p.m. and 10 p.m. on Saturday, and 5 p.m. and 10 p.m. on Sunday. KFYR-TV anchors include Monica Hannan and Alan Miller. Country Morning Today and First News at 5:00 are simulcast across the entire four-station network, along with all weekend newscasts.

While KFYR still dominates the television news scene, its dominance is not as absolute as it once was. In recent years, KX Television's "KX News Morning" has consistently beaten "Country Morning Today," often by wide margins. It is the only time in recent memory that NBC North Dakota has lost any time slot for more than one ratings period.

KQCD once had its own news department consisting of bureau chief Brian Howell and reporter Cebe Schneider, whose stories aired on KFYR-TV's newscasts. They were the only reporters based in southwestern North Dakota. However, they were let go in 2012 due to budget cutbacks.

The stations occasionally share stories with co-owned KVLY. The five stations simulcast major North Dakota sporting events under the NBC North Dakota brand name and share certain equipment, such as remote broadcasting vehicles. On April 30, 2012, NBC North Dakota began broadcasting its local newscasts in high definition.^[5]

KFYR-TV received international^[6] attention when newly hired weekend co-anchor A.J. Clemente uttered several obscenities during his first broadcast on April 21, 2013. Even though he was unaware he was on air, Clemente was immediately suspended from KFYR following that evening's 5 p.m. newscast, according to a statement released by news director/anchor Monica Hannan. That night, coanchor Van Tieu apologized on-air on behalf of the station.^[7] The station dismissed Clemente the following day, according to a post from his Twitter account.^[8] Clemente was mocked by David Letterman on the Late Show's Top 10 List on April 23, 2013 (then appeared as a guest the following day).^[9] On April 24, 2013, Clemente appeared on Today to discuss the incident (seeking to redeem himself and hopeful for a second chance somewhere in addition to acknowledging he had no 'animosity' about being fired by KFYR).^[10] The same day, he sought that "second chance" with an opportunity to speak on Inside Edition.^[11]

News/station presentation

Newscast titles

• Meyer Television News (1970s-1996)
• NBC North Dakota News (1996–present)^[12]

Station slogans

• "The Area's News and Information Leader" (1992–1996)
• "(The/Your) News Leader" (1996–present)^[13]

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Newscasts

KFYR-TV produces over 4 1/2 hours of local news each day during the week.

• Country Morning Today: weekdays 5:30-7:00 a.m.
• North Dakota Today: weekdays 9:00-10:00 a.m.
• Noon Report: weekdays 12:00-12:30 p.m.
• First News at 5:00: weekdays 5:00-5:30 p.m.
• Evening Report at 6:00: weekdays 6:00-6:30 p.m.
• Night Report at 10:00: daily 10:00-10:35 p.m.
• Saturday Evening Report: Saturdays 6:00-6:30 p.m.
• Sunday Evening Report: Sundays 5:00-5:30 p.m.

On-air staff

Current on-air staff^[14]

Anchors

• J.R. Havens - weekday mornings (6-7 a.m.)
• Monica Hannan - North Dakota Today co-anchor; weeknights at 5 and 6 p.m.; also news director
• Kevin Stanfield - North Dakota Today co-anchor; weeknights at 5:00
• Mary Cate Mannion - weeknights at 10 p.m.
• Alyssa Marino - weekday mornings (5:30-7 a.m.)
• Alan Miller - weeknights at 6 and 10 p.m.
• Jessica Roose - weekdays at Noon
• Mark Charter - Saturdays at 6, Sundays at 5 and weekends at 10 p.m.
• Nina Carter - Saturdays at 6, Sundays at 5 and weekends at 10 p.m.

First Warn Weather Team

• Kevin Lawrence (AMS Certified Broadcast Meteorologist and NWA Seals of Approval) - chief meteorologist; weeknights at 5, 6 and 10 p.m.
• Henry Blakes - meteorologist; Wednesday-Friday mornings, Wednesday-Fridays at noon, Saturdays at 6, Sundays at 5 and weekends at 10 p.m.
• Cliff Naylor - weather anchor; Monday and Tuesday mornings, and Mondays and Tuesdays at noon; also feature reporter and special projects director

Sports team

• Lee Timmerman - sports director; weeknights at 6 and 10 p.m.
• Jason Dumas - sports anchor; Saturdays at 6 and 10 p.m., Sundays at 5
• Alec Ausmus - sports anchor and University of Mary reporter; Sundays at 10 p.m.

Reporters

• J.R. Havens - assistant news director
• TaTiana Cash - education reporter
• Mary Cate Mannion - energy reporter
• Krista Harju - technology reporter
• Jessica Roose - political reporter
• Marisa DeCandido - Dickinson reporter
• Nina Carter - city beat and business reporter
• Mark Charter - medical reporter

Translators

In addition to KQCD, KFYR-TV's programming is simulcast on two low-powered translators:

• K07FG Lemmon, South Dakota
• K09EZ Beulah, North Dakota

See also

• KMOT

References

External links

• KFYR-TV website
• KQCD website
• Query the FCC's TV station database for KFYR
• Query the FCC's TV station database for KQCD
• BIAfn's Media Web Database -- Information on KFYR-TV
• BIAfn's Media Web Database -- Information on KQCD-TV
• Program Information for KFYR at TitanTV.com
• Program Information for KQCD at TitanTV.com