KPVI-DT

KPVI-DT
Pocatello/Idaho Falls, Idaho
United States
Branding KPVI News 6
Slogan Your News Source For East Idaho
Channels Digital: 23 (UHF)
Virtual: 6 (PSIP)
Subchannels 6.1 NBC
6.3 Cozi TV
Affiliations NBC (1996-present)
Owner Frontier Radio Management
(Idaho Broadcast Partners)
First air date April 26, 1974
Call letters' meaning Pocatello
VI = Roman numeral 6
Former callsigns KPVI (1974-2009)
Former channel number(s) Analog:
6 (VHF, 1974-2009)
Former affiliations ABC (1974-1996)
Transmitter power 505 kW
Height 398.4 m
Facility ID 1270
Transmitter coordinates 42°55′12.8″N 112°20′44.6″W / 42.920222°N 112.345722°W
Licensing authority FCC
Public license information: Profile
CDBS
Website www.kpvi.com

KPVI-DT is the local NBC-affiliated television station for Idaho Falls and Pocatello, Idaho. Licensed to Pocatello, it broadcasts a digital signal on channel 23. The station is owned by Frontier Radio Management.

KPVI's transmitter is located on a mountain top about four miles (7 km) ENE of the Pocatello city limits. This location was chosen because of possible interference from KIVI-TV in Boise, which also broadcast its analog signal on channel 6. At one time, KPVI and KIVI were sister stations (hence the Roman numerals) with the same affiliation (ABC, until 1996). KPVI broadcast its analog signal at 100 kW.

History

KPVI signed on in 1974 as an ABC affiliate. Previously, ABC had been carried on a shared basis by both CBS affiliate KID-TV (now KIDK) and NBC affiliate KIFI-TV. In November 1995, Sunbelt Communications Company, now known as Intermountain West Communications Company (owner of NBC stations KVBC (now KSNV-DT) in Las Vegas, KRNV in Reno and KYMA in Yuma, Arizona) purchased KPVI and satellite stations KJVI (now KJWP) in Jackson, Wyoming and KKVI (now KXTF) in Twin Falls.

The three stations remained with ABC until January 1996 when KPVI and KJVI switched to NBC, swapping affiliations with KIFI. Since NBC programming in Twin Falls was provided by Boise NBC affiliate KTVB via translator, KKVI switched from ABC to Fox. KJVI, which became KJWY several months later, remained a semi-satellite of KPVI until it was sold to PMCM TV, LLC in 2009. As a result of the sale to Sunbelt, the station moved in the mid-1990s from a smaller downtown facility to a newly remodeled facility on East Sherman Street. Saturday Night Live star Molly Shannon was the guest of honor at the official grand opening of the facility.

Intermountain West Communications Company reached a deal to sell KPVI and KXTF to Idaho Broadcast Partners in June 2013; Idaho Broadcast Partners is a subsidiary of Frontier Radio Management.[1][2] The sale was completed on May 13, 2014.[3]

Digital television

Digital channels

The station's digital signal is multiplexed:

Channel Video Aspect PSIP Short Name Programming[4]
6.1 1080i 16:9 KPVI-HD Main KPVI-DT programming / NBC
6.3 480i 4:3 KPVI-TH Cozi TV

On January 1, 2012, Antenna TV replaced Universal Sports when it ceased to be available to over-the-air broadcast stations in order to become a cable and satellite-only channel.[5]

Analog-to-digital conversion

KPVI shut down its analog signal, over VHF channel 6, on June 12, 2009, the official date in which full-power television stations in the United States transitioned from analog to digital broadcasts under federal mandate. The station's digital signal remained on its pre-transition UHF channel 23.[6][7] Through the use of PSIP, digital television receivers display the station's virtual channel as its former VHF analog channel 6.

News operation

Due to an ailing economy in January 2011, KPVI announced significant layoffs affecting people in every department at the station, including twelve members of the station's news department. In addition to personnel cuts, the station also eliminated all weekend newscasts. The announcement of layoffs came nearly a week after former news director and main anchor, Brenda Baumgartner announced her resignation. Baumgartner's co-anchor and assistant news director, Todd Blackinton took over as the new news director at the station. The changes at KPVI came less than a month after CBS affiliate KIDK said they would lay off 27 of its 43 employees as they entered a staff-sharing agreement with ABC affiliate KIFI-TV.

KPVI produced KPVI on Fox News at 9, a weeknight 9PM newscast seen on local Fox affiliate KFXP and its sister station, KXTF in Twin Falls. However, the newscast was discontinued on July 1, 2012, when KFXP and KXTF's Fox affiliations ended.[8][9] The news broadcast for KFXP moved to 5:30 pm effective on Monday, July 2, 2012.

Translators

KPVI's network of 23 translators covers eastern Idaho, a portion of western Wyoming, and also West Yellowstone, Montana.

These translators are either owned and operated by KPVI or by local governments or television associations.

References

  1. ↑ Seyler, Dave (June 14, 2013). "Intermountain sells two more TVs". Television Business Report. Retrieved June 14, 2013.
  2. ↑ "Application For Consent To Assignment Of Broadcast Station Construction Permit Or Licensse". CDBS Public Access. Federal Communications Commission. June 14, 2013. Retrieved June 17, 2013.
  3. ↑ Consummation Notice CDBS Public Access, Federal Communications Commission, Retrieved 15 May 2014.
  4. ↑ RabbitEars TV Query for KPVI
  5. ↑ "Antenna TV Affiliation Map". Retrieved 3 December 2011.
  6. ↑ "DTV Tentative Channel Designations for the First and the Second Rounds" (PDF). Retrieved 2012-03-24.
  7. ↑ http://www.kpvi.com/Global/story.asp?S=9801764&nav=menu546_1
  8. ↑ "Eastern Idaho to Lose Fox Network Affiliate". KPVI News 6. May 17, 2012. Retrieved May 21, 2012.
  9. ↑ Malone, Michael (May 22, 2012). "KTXF Staffers Moving on After Fox Split". Broadcasting & Cable. Retrieved May 22, 2012.

External links