KQDS-TV

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

KQDS-TV
Duluth, Minnesota/ Superior, Wisconsin

Branding	Fox 21 (general) Fox 21 News
Channels	Digital: 17 (UHF) Virtual: 21 (PSIP)
Subchannels	21.1 Fox
Owner	Red River Broadcasting (KQDS Acquisition Corporation)
First air date	September 20, 1994
Call letters' meaning	Quality Duluth/Superior
Sister station(s)	KQDS, KQDS-FM, KZIO, WWAX
Former callsigns	KNLD (1994-1999)
Former channel number(s)	21 (UHF analog, 1994-2009)
Former affiliations	Independent (1994-1999)
Transmitter power	1000 kW
Height	299.0 m
Facility ID	35525
Transmitter coordinates	46°47′37″N 92°7′3″W / 46.79361°N 92.11750°W / 46.79361; -92.11750
Website	www.fox21online.com

KQDS-TV is the Fox-affiliated television station for the Twin Ports and Iron Range areas of Northeastern Minnesota that is licensed to Duluth. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on UHF channel 17 from a transmitter west of downtown in Hilltop Park. Owned by Red River Broadcasting, the station has studios on London Road in Duluth along I-35. However, master control and some internal operations are based at the facilities of sister station and fellow Fox affiliate KVRR in Fargo, North Dakota. Syndicated programming on KQDS includes: Two and a Half Men, Frasier, Everybody Loves Raymond, Family Feud and According to Jim.

Outlying translators

Red River Broadcasting owns and operates eight analog translators that serve to increase the coverage area of KQDS-TV. All of the translators except K31GH and K39GG had construction permits to air low-powered digital signals, but the permits expired without any of the stations converting from analog to digital broadcasting. To comply with the digital television transition in the United States all of the stations must get new permits and convert to digital by September 1, 2015 in order to remain on the air.^[1]

Call letters	Channel	City of license	Transmitter location
K15GT	15	Hibbing, Minnesota	southwest of downtown
K29EB	29	Grand Rapids, Minnesota	northwest of Taconite
K31GH	31	Hayward, Wisconsin	east of city
W32CV	32	Ironwood, Michigan	Hurley, Wisconsin
K39GG	39	Aitkin, Minnesota	east of Rabbit Lake Township along the Crow Wing and Aitkin County line
K45JD	45	International Falls, Minnesota	east of city
W45CI	45	Ashland, Wisconsin
K47IR	47	Virginia, Minnesota	Midway

History

The station signed-on as KNLD on September 20, 1994 airing an analog signal on UHF channel 21. However, very few people knew the station was actually on-the-air at this time as it aired at low power with an extremely limited schedule of usually only a few hours in the morning to meet minimum Federal Communications Commission (FCC) requirements for keeping its license. The station was Duluth's first independent station, 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 and several area radio stations, and later changed the TV station's call sign to KQDS-TV. The new owners found some controversy as they tried to upgrade the station. It was attempting to construct a new tower to replace its old one adjacent to Duluth Central High School, which would give it a coverage area comparable to the other Duluth stations. However, some school and city officials expressed concern about the danger of ice falling from the tower onto the school parking lot. Although the new tower had already been approved by city officials, KQDS agreed to build it further from the parking lot than initially planned.

On September 1, 1999, it became the area's first-ever Fox affiliate. Previously, area cable systems had provided Fox programming through either Foxnet or Twin Cities stations--KMSP-TV from 1986 to 1988 and WFTC from 1988 onward. On the same day, it activated its new tower along with eight translators. On February 1, 2009, this station ceased analog transmissions and now broadcasts only in digital.

News operation

Nightly news open.

Early in KQDS's Fox affiliation, it experimented with a 9 p.m. newscast produced by NBC affiliate KBJR. It was broadcast out of that station's studios on South Lake Avenue in Duluth and was anchored by Mark Mallory with meteorologist Paul Heggen and sports from Tom Hansen. The broadcast was canceled after about nine months due to low ratings and was replaced by a half-hour simulcast of CNN Headline News. KBJR's 9 o'clock broadcast resurfaced in September 2002 when that station launched a UPN affiliate on its second digital subchannel.

KQDS currently produces a live newscast twice nightly during the week at 6 and 9 p.m., and once per evening on the weekends at 9. The weeknight show debuted on March 12, 2007 with co-anchors Amy Rutledge and Nick LaFave (the only dual anchor team in the market). Rutledge co-anchored at CBS affiliate KDLH until it was combined with KBJR in March 2005. The Fox 21 News staff at one time included veterans of every commercial station in the area. The Sunday newscast was added on August 26, 2007 and was the first one in the area. The Saturday production was added on November 29, 2008 and also holds that distinction. At some point in October 2013, KQDS launched its first ever weekday morning show (known as Sunrise at Seven) which can be seen for an hour until 8.

In its first ratings period in May 2007, KQDS was third among all evening newscasts. It drew more viewers than KBJR's Northland's NewsCenter Tonight at 9 and KDLH's 10 p.m. shows. In August, after just six months on-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 forecasts for the Red Rock Radio-owned stations in the market. July 2009 showed to be this station's best ratings period to date. It came in third place with about 8,650 viewers just about 2,000 less than KBJR's 10 o'clock show. In Fall 2009, this station was the winner of two regional Emmys for "Best Newscast" and "Overall Station Excellence". On June 28, 2010, KQDS debuted a half-hour weeknight newscast at 6 p.m.^[2]

The station found itself in the midst of controversy in August 2012 after news director Jason Vincent posted a racially-offensive comment on his Facebook account on August 1, after discovering a Native American man (whom Vincent described as a "drunk, homeless... animal") in his yard that evening. After protests calling for his resignation, Vincent resigned as the station's news director on August 6, 2012, to accept the lead anchor position at KGAN.^[3]

News team ^[4]

Anchors

Dana Thayer - weekday mornings at 7 a.m.; also reporter
Diane Alexander - weeknights at 6 and 9 p.m.; also reporter
Dan Hanger - weeknights at 6 and 9 p.m.; also reporter
Kim Soyoung - weekends at 9 p.m.

Fox 21 Storm Tracker Weather

Jason Sydejko - chief meteorologist; weeknights at 6 and 9 p.m.
John Ziegler - meteorologist; weekday mornings at 7 a.m.
Morgan Kolkmeyer - meteorologist; weekends at 9 p.m.

Sports team

Greg Chandler - sports director; weeknights at 6 and 9 p.m., also sports reporter
Eric Gullickson - sports anchor; weekends at 9 p.m., also sports reporter

Reporters

Harry Baker - Chief Photojournalist
Nathaniel LeCapitaine - photojournalist
Adam Jagunich - photojournalist
Kathryn White - photojournalist
Devin Elmore - photojournalist
Maya Holmes - general assignment reporter

Former on-air staff

Melissa Ganje - reporter
Makenzi Henderson - anchor/reporter
Randy Howe (now sports reporter at KRNV in Reno, NV)
Beth Jett - anchor/reporter (now anchor/reporter at WHNT in Huntsville, AL)
Nick LaFave - anchor/reporter (now weeknight anchor at KTAL-TV in Shreveport, LA)
Bonnie McLaughlin - health reporter/weekend meteorologist
Todd Nelson (now with WeatherNation)
Chris Nettleton - sports director
Joy Redmond (now anchor at WDBD in Jackson, MS)
Amy Rutledge (now with Minnesota Power)
Sam Ryan - weekend meteorologist (now weekday morning meteorologist at WSAW in Wausau, WI)
Chris Snider - chief meteorologist
Karl Spring (Sales representative Kolar Chevrolet, Duluth MN (weather personality WWJC))
Tracee Tolentino - weekend anchor/reporter (now reporter at WKRN in Nashville, TN)
Lisa Waldrup (now with Minnesota Dept. of Revenue)

Production and management

Dan Clouse- news director
Melissa Burlaga - assignment manager/producer
Brett Adkins- weekend producer
Bob Pfeilsticker - production manager/director
Jake Rowe - Assistant production manager/director
Kyle Wanek - weekend director
Jesse Gangi - web manager
Anne Kunkel Christianson - production assistant
Joe Mann - production assistant
Hannah Miller - production assistant/editor
Jarrod Nelson - production assistant
Jessica Prihoda - production assistant/editor
Jeff Schwarten - production assistant
Josh Terwey - production assistant/editor
Jessie Wagner - production assistant

Photojournalists

Harry Baker - chief photojournalist
Jace Christenson
Adam Jagunich
Nathaniel LeCapitaine
Kaela Rannikar

References

↑ FCC Sets Deadlines for LPTV, TV Translator and Class A Stations To Convert to Digital - And Gives Hints When Television Spectrum May Be Reclaimed for Broadband Broadcast Law Blog July 19, 2011
↑ "Fox 21 News adding 6 p.m. newscast". Duluth News Tribune. April 7, 2010. Retrieved April 7, 2010.
↑ Duluth's Fox 21 news director resigns over Facebook flap, Duluth News Tribune, August 7, 2012.
↑ FOX 21 Staff

External links

v t e Broadcast television in Northeast Minnesota and Northwest Wisconsin, including the Twin Ports (Duluth-Superior)

Reception may vary by location and some stations may only be viewable with cable television

Duluth-Superior	KDLH (3.1 CBS, 3.2 CW) KBJR (6.1 NBC, 6.2 MNTV) WDSE (8.1 PBS, 8.2 PBS, 8.3 Create, 8.4 MN) WDIO (10.1 ABC, 10.2 Me-TV) KQDS (21.1 Fox) KCWV (27.1 My Family TV)

Iron Range	KRII (11.1 NBC, 11.2 CW, 11.3 CBS, 11.9 MNTV) WIRT (13.1 ABC, 13.2 Me-TV) K15GT 15 (Fox) K29EB 29 (Fox) WRPT (31.1 PBS, 31.2 PBS, 31.3 Create, 31.4 MN) K47IR 47 (Fox)

International Falls	K53CQ-D (11.1 NBC, 11.2 CW, 11.3 CBS, 11.9 MNTV) K49BU-D (13.1 ABC, 13.2 Me-TV) K51CM-D (31.1 PBS, 31.2 HD, 31.3 Create, 31.4 MN) K38MM-D 38 (3ABN) K45JD 45 (Fox)

Adjacent locals	CKPR (2.1 CBC, Thunder Bay) CBMT (6.1 CBC, Montréal) WLEF 36 (PBS/WPT, Park Falls)

Defunct	KDUL-LP 12 (UPN, AIN) WAST-LP 25 (UPN) WFTV 38 (ABC/NBC/CBS/DuMont) K58CM 58 (TBN)

See also Twin Cities TV Red River Valley TV Eau Claire-La Crosse TV Wausau TV Marquette TV Ontario TV

v t e Fox Network Affiliates in the state of Minnesota

KMSP 9.1 (Minneapolis) KBRR 10.1 (Thief River Falls / Grand Forks, ND) KEYC 12.2 (Mankato) KQDS 21.1 (Duluth) KXLT 47.1 (Rochester)

See also ABC CBS CW Fox ION MyNetworkTV NBC PBS Other stations in Minnesota

v t e Fox Network Affiliates in the state of Michigan

WJBK 2 (Detroit) WLUC 6.2 (Marquette) WBKB 11.2 (Alpena) WXMI 17 (Grand Rapids) W32CV 32 ¹ (Ironwood) WFQX 32 / WFUP 45 (Cadillac / Vanderbilt) W40AN 40 ² (Escanaba) WSYM 47 (Lansing) WSMH 66 (Flint) ¹ W32CV is a repeater of KQDS-TV Duluth, Minnesota; ² W40AN is a repeater of WLUK-TV Green Bay, Wisconsin.

See also ABC CBS CW Fox ION MyNetworkTV NBC PBS Other stations in Michigan

This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike; additional terms may apply for the media files.