KASY-TV

"KASY" redirects here. For the airport serving Ashley, North Dakota assigned the ICAO code KASY, see Ashley Municipal Airport. For the radio personality, see Casey Kasem. For the Dutch singer with the artist name Kasy Davis, see Georgie Davis.
KASY-TV
Albuquerque, New Mexico
United States
Branding My50TV
Channels Digital: 45 (UHF)
Virtual: 50 (PSIP)
Subchannels 50.1 MyNetworkTV
50.2 Escape
Affiliations MyNetworkTV (2006-present)
Owner Tamer Media, LLC
(KASY-TV Licensee LLC)
Operator Media General
First air date October 6, 1995 (1995-10-06)
Sister station(s) KWBQ
Former channel number(s) Analog:
50 (UHF, 1995-2009)
Former affiliations Primary:
UPN (1995-1999, 2000-2006)
independent (1999-2000)
Secondary:
The WB (1995-1997)
Transmitter power 245 kW
Height 1287 m
Facility ID 55049
Transmitter coordinates 35°12′50.2″N 106°27′1.7″W / 35.213944°N 106.450472°W / 35.213944; -106.450472
Licensing authority FCC
Public license information: Profile
CDBS
Website kwbq.com

KASY-TV is the MyNetworkTV-affiliated television station in Albuquerque, New Mexico. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on UHF channel 45 (virtual channel 50.1 via PSIP) from a transmitter atop Sandia Crest. Owned by Tamer Media, KASY is sister to CW affiliate KWBQ and both stations share studios on Washington Street in northeastern Albuquerque. Media General provides technical, engineering and accounting services for KASY through a shared services agreement, though the station is otherwise operated separately from KASA-TV and KRQE as Tamer handles master control, programming and advertising services. Syndicated programs seen on KASY include Jerry Springer, The Steve Wilkos Show, Cops Reloaded, Family Guy and King of the Hill. The station can also be seen on Comcast Xfinity channel 12 and in high definition on digital channel 215.

History

KASY-TV first signed on the air on October 6, 1995, owned by Ramar Communications and managed by Lee Enterprises (then-owners of CBS affiliate KRQE) under a local marketing agreement. The station was primarily a UPN affiliate, but had a secondary affiliation with The WB; this was easy to do as neither network had more than a couple nights a week of programming at that time. Initially, KASY ran cartoons (such as Highlander: The Animated Series, The Flintstones, Mutant League and Mighty Max), old movies, talk shows, classic sitcoms (such as Gilligan's Island, I Love Lucy and The Andy Griffith Show), recent off-network sitcoms (such as Harry and the Hendersons). In the Fall of 1997, KASY dropped the WB network programming and became an exclusive UPN affiliate, The WB would return to the market when upstart KWBQ signed on in March 1999 with a similar general entertainment format.

KASY's logo when it reunited with UPN (c. 2000)

In June 1999, ACME Communications, KWBQ's owner, bought KASY from Ramar and terminated the local marketing agreement with Lee Enterprises, resulting in the creation of the first major television duopoly in the Albuquerque market. Most of the programming inventory airing on KASY was also acquired by ACME, while some of the shows that aired on KASY under the LMA remained with Lee to be broadcast on KRQE. After the sale to ACME was completed, KASY stopped rebroadcasting certain local newscasts from KRQE.

That fall, KASY dropped its UPN affiliation due to contract disputes between the network and ACME Communications (which was closely associated with UPN's rival The WB) and became an independent station. In the interim, UPN programming was brought in out-of-market from KCOP in Los Angeles on Albuquerque area cable providers, while over-the-air viewers were unable to view UPN programming. While the station was an independent (during which it was branded as "Superstation 50"), KASY broadcast movies and syndicated programming during primetime hours to replace UPN programs. By February 2000, the UPN affiliation was returned to KASY, rebranding as "UPN 50;" KCOP was then pulled from area cable systems at KASY's request.

On January 24, 2006, Time Warner and CBS Corporation announced that The WB and UPN would merge to create The CW Television Network.[1] One month later on February 22, 2006, News Corporation announced the creation of MyNetworkTV.[2] KASY affiliated with MyNetworkTV on September 5, 2006, with KWBQ joining The CW two weeks later on September 18; the station was also rebranded as "My50TV" (KASY was the only ACME-owned station that was not affiliated with The CW; ACME was the third company, after Capitol Broadcasting Company and Weigel Broadcasting, to own both CW and MyNetworkTV affiliates in the same market).

KASY-TV broadcast games from the Colorado Rockies during the 2008 Major League Baseball season. Starting in the Fall of 2008, KASY-TV began broadcasting several University of New Mexico Lobos college basketball games, the contract was renewed for the 2009 and 2010 basketball season. On April 30, 2008, KASY-TV broadcast their first program in true high definition, the MyNetworkTV sitcom Under One Roof. On June 4, 2010, ACME Communications announced that it would enter into a shared services agreement with LIN Media; as a result, LIN's own duopoly of KASA-TV and KRQE would provide technical, engineering and accounting services for KWBQ and KASY, with the mutual operating costs shared in order to help reduce overall costs for ACME.[3]

On September 10, 2012, ACME announced a proposed sale of KASY-TV as well as KWBQ (and its Roswell repeater, KRWB-TV) to Tamer Media, a company founded by broadcast industry veteran John S. Viall, Jr. The $17.3 million sale, which the FCC approved on November 21, [4] and was completed on December 11, gives Tamer Media its first TV properties, while ACME makes its exit from the station ownership business (the three stations were the last portions of ACME's TV station portfolio). The stations' shared services agreement with LIN Media continued with new ownership.[5][6] On March 21, 2014, Media General announced that it would purchase LIN Media and its stations, including KRQE, KASA-TV, and the SSA with KASY-TV and KWBQ/KRWB-TV, in a $1.6 billion merger.[7] The merger was completed on December 19.[8]

Digital television

Digital channel

Channel Video Aspect PSIP Short Name Programming[9]
50.1 720p 16:9 KASY-TV Main KASY-TV programming / MyNetworkTV
50.2 480i 4:3 Escape Escape

KASY has not carried any subchannels in past years but on January 11, 2016 the station added the suspense channel Escape from Katz Broadcasting.[10]

Analog-to-digital conversion

KASY-TV shut down its analog signal, over UHF channel 50, 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 45.[11] Through the use of PSIP, digital television receivers display the station's virtual channel as its former UHF analog channel 50.

As part of the SAFER Act,[12] KASY-TV kept its analog signal on the air until June 26 to inform viewers of the digital television transition through the loop of public service announcements from the National Association of Broadcasters.

"My50TV VJ"

Starting in March 2008, KASY-TV incorporated the VJ element to the station, having a host for the station's evening MyNetworkTV and syndicated programming from 7-11 p.m. weeknights. The "My50TV VJ" appears on-air approximately twice each hour to introduce shows, tease promotional events and conduct prize giveaways. The reigning Miss New Mexico at the time, Jenny Marlowe, was the station's first VJ; she was succeeded by Casey Messer in April 2009, Britaña Campos in March 2010 and then by Leah Black, former radio DJ for KKOB-FM and defunct alternative rock station KTZO in March 2011. Amber Pohl was the station's VJ until March 2013 followed by Shannon McVey. Throughout 2014 the VJ was ReShea Kelly who was also the "CW Star" for sister station KWBQ. The current VJ is Rachel Jordan.

References

  1. ↑ UPN and WB to Combine, Forming New TV Network, The New York Times, January 24, 2006.
  2. ↑ News Corp. Unveils My Network TV, Broadcasting & Cable, February 22, 2006.
  3. ↑ ACME Communications and LIN Media Announce Shared Services Arrangement in the Albuquerque-Santa Fe, Dayton, and Green Bay-Appleton Markets, GlobeNewswire, June 4, 2010.
  4. ↑ http://licensing.fcc.gov/prod/cdbs/pubacc/Auth_Files/1515123.pdf
  5. ↑ "ACME Communications Announces Sale of Its Albuquerque-Santa Fe Stations to Tamer Media, LLC," press release via GlobeNewswire, announced 9/10/2012
  6. ↑ http://licensing.fcc.gov/cgi-bin/ws.exe/prod/cdbs/pubacc/prod/app_det.pl?Application_id=1533689
  7. ↑ Reid Blackwell, John (March 21, 2014). "MG will combine with LIN TV chain". Richmond Times-Dispatch. Retrieved March 22, 2014.
  8. ↑ Media General Completes Merger With LIN Media, Press Release, Media General, Retrieved 19 December, 2014
  9. ↑ RabbitEars TV Query for KASY
  10. ↑ http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/katz-broadcasting-announces-major-distribution-agreements-with-media-general-and-tribune-media-300179251.html
  11. ↑ "DTV Tentative Channel Designations for the First and the Second Rounds" (PDF). Retrieved 2012-03-24.
  12. ↑ "UPDATED List of Participants in the Analog Nightlight Program" (PDF). Federal Communications Commission. June 12, 2009. Retrieved June 4, 2012.

External links

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