KTVQ

KTVQ

Billings, Montana
Branding	Q2 (general) Q2 News (newscasts)
Slogan	Fair. Accurate. To The Point.
Channels	Digital: 10 (VHF) Virtual: 2 (PSIP)
Subchannels	2.1 CBS 2.2 The CW
Affiliations	CBS
Network	Montana Television Network
Owner	Cordillera Communications (KTVQ Communications, Inc.)
First air date	November 9, 1953
Former callsigns	KOOK-TV (1953-1973)
Former channel number(s)	Analog: 2 (VHF, 1953-2009)
Former affiliations	DuMont (1953-1955/6) NBC (secondary, 1953-1958 and 1968-1980) ABC (secondary, 1953-1968) PBS (per program, 1970-1984)
Transmitter power	26.1 kW
Height	180 m
Facility ID	35694
Transmitter coordinates	45°46′0.9″N 108°27′28.8″W / 45.766917°N 108.458000°W / 45.766917; -108.458000
Website	www.ktvq.com

KTVQ, virtual channel 2, is the CBS-affiliated television station in Billings, Montana, and it is owned by the Evening Post Industries; the station is part of the Montana Television Network, a statewide network of CBS-affiliated stations. It broadcasts its digital signal on UHF channel 10 (remapped to former analog channel 2); on cable, it is carried on Comcast channel 5.

Digital television

Digital channels

Analog-to-digital conversion

In February 2009, KULR, KTVQ and two other stations in the Billings market were refused Federal Communications Commission permission to end analogue broadcasts and operate as digital-only effective on the originally-scheduled February 17, 2009 date.^[1]

History

The station began broadcasting on November 9, 1953, as KOOK-TV, Montana's second television station; Butte's KXLF-TV had begun in August. It was owned by Montana broadcasting pioneer Joe Sample and his Garryowen Corporation along with KOOK radio (AM 970, now KBUL). The station carried programming from all four major networks of the time — CBS, NBC, ABC and DuMont Television Network--^[2] but has always been a primary CBS affiliate. It lost DuMont when that network shut down in 1956 and lost NBC when KGHL-TV (now KULR-TV) began in 1958. The station changed its callsign to KTVQ in 1973.

In 1968, channel 2 picked up a secondary affiliation with NBC after KULR opted to take a primary affiliation with ABC. This was very unusual for a two-station market, especially one as small as Billings. It shared NBC with KULR until KOUS (now KHMT) began in 1980.

In 1970, channel 2 picked up a secondary affiliation with PBS, mainly for Sesame Street. It was standard practice at the time for PBS to offer its programming to any interested commercial outlet in areas where no PBS station was available. Channel 2's secondary PBS affiliation lasted until Montana PBS finally started in 1984.

Sample owned the station until 1984, when he sold it to SJL Broadcasting. Evening Post bought it in 1994. The station remains the only Billings television station that has not changed its affiliation. In January 2010, KTVQ.com made the switch to a continuous news format.

News operation

National news comes from several sources; CBS News and AP give their nationwide and international news to the station for its local newscasts. The Northern AG Network provides farm and ranch reports during Montana This Morning and The Noon News.^{[citation needed]}

News team

Current staff^[3]

Anchors

• Jay Kohn - weeknights at 5:30 and 10:00 p.m.; also assistant news director (1998)
• Jeanelle Slade - weeknights at 5:30 and 10:00 p.m.; also health reporter (2011)
• Lisa Hart - weekdays during Montana this Morning (5:30-7:00 a.m.); also reporter (2012)
• Simone DeAlba - weekdays at noon; also reporter (2013)
• Dustin Klemann - weekends at 5:30 and 10:00 p.m.; also reporter (2012)

Reporters

• David Jay - general assignment reporter (2004)
• Victoria Fregoso - general assignment reporter (2012)
• Stan Parker - general assignment reporter (2012)
• Jon Arneson - "Road Watch Montana" traffic reporter (2005)
• Sanjay Talwani - state political reporter

STORMTracker Weather Team

• Bob McGuire - chief meteorologist; weeknights at 5:30 and 10:00 p.m. (1992)
• Ed McIntosh - meteorologist; weekday mornings Montana This Morning (5:30-7:00 a.m.) and weekdays at noon (2010)
• Jason Laird - Saturday forecaster at 5:30 and 10:00 p.m.; also reporter (2012)
• Rob Griggs - Sunday forecaster at 5:30 and 10:00 p.m. (2007)

Sports team

• Scott Breen - sports director; weeknights at 5:30 and 10:00 p.m. (2005)
• Casey Conlon - sports anchor; weekends at 5:30 and 10:00 p.m., also sports reporter (2007)

Northern Ag Network

• Russel Nemetz - weekdays during Montana This Morning (5:30-7:00 a.m.) and The Noon News
• Haylie Schipp - fill-in anchor; also reporter

Photographers

• Paul Humphrey - chief photographer
• Justin Hosa - photographer; weekday director
• Rob Monaco - photographer; "Montana This Morning" director

Notable former on-air staff

• Dianne Baker - anchor/reporter (2004-2008)
• Courtney Carlmark (Hanson) - Montana This Morning and noon anchor (2006-2010; now at KNXV-TV in Phoenix, AZ)
• Dan Cimmino - sports reporter until August, 2012; currently at KPAX-TV
• Jim Connors - sports anchor
• Angela Douglas - Statewide noon anchor until August, 2013.
• Callie Eike - general assignment reporter; currently with Kinetic Marketing Group
• Joe Gehl - fill-in meteorologist and anchor (now at KEYT-TV in Palm Springs, CA)
• Becky Hillier - 5:30 & 10pm news anchor (2010-2011; currently working at Rocky Mountain Hospice)
• Gus Koernig - news anchor
• Heather Jennings - 5:30 and 10 p.m. anchor (1995-1996)
• Nikki Laurenzo - Montana this Morning anchor/reporter; currently the weeknight 5, 6, and 10p.m. at KCEN-TV (2007-2012)
• Julie Lovell - weeknight 5:30 and 10 p.m. news anchor (moved to Atlanta, Georgia, in 2010).
• Vic Miller - served at KTVQ for 60 years. Famous for his commentaries but notably as a reporter, radio show host, news anchor, and general manager over KTVQ
• Marc Moraniec - morning and statewide noon meteorologist until August 2010
• Jay Olstad - reporter (now at WTMJ-TV in Milwaukee, WI)
• Jennifer Rohrer - Montana This Morning/statewide noon anchor until August 2008 (formerly at KHQ-TV in Spokane, WA)
• Laura Thornquist - News anchor/reporter until 1995; currently in Dallas, TX
• Amanda Venegas - weekend 5:30 and 10pm news anchor/reporter until July, 2012; currently at KFSN-TV
• Kathy Weber - anchor/reporter (currently working for Senator Max Baucus)
• Kelly Werthmann - morning reporter (now at KCNC-TV in Denver, CO)
• Matt Winer (currently with Turner Sports)
• Jeff Womack - Weekend meteorologist; currently a weekend meteorologist at KXRM-TV (2009-2012)

References

External links

• KTVQ.com - Official KTVQ-TV Website
• CWBillings.com - Official CW Billings Website
• Antenna Information
• Query the FCC's TV station database for KTVQ
• BIAfn's Media Web Database -- Information on KTVQ-TV