K15CZ-D

K15CZ-D
Springfield, Missouri
United States
Branding Ozarks CW (primary)
KCZ (secondary)
Channels Digital: 15 (UHF) (K15CZ-D)
19.2 (UHF) (KSPR-DT)
Virtual: 15 (PSIP) (K15CZ-D)
33.2 (KSPR-DT)
Subchannels 33.2 The CW
Affiliations The CW
Owner Schurz Communications
(sale to Gray Television pending)
(KY3, Inc.)
First air date March 15, 1990
Sister station(s) KYTV, KSPR
Former callsigns K15CZ (1990-2015)
Former channel number(s) Analog:
15 (UHF, 1990–2015)
K17DL 17 (UHF) Branson
Former affiliations Independent (1990–1995)
UPN (1995–2006)
Transmitter power 3.9 kW
1,000 kW (KSPR-DT2)
Height 151 m
575 m (KSPR-DT2)
Class LPTV
Facility ID 49186
35630 (KSPR-DT2)
Transmitter coordinates 37°14′23.0″N 92°17′7.0″W / 37.239722°N 92.285278°W / 37.239722; -92.285278
37°10′26″N 92°56′27″W / 37.17389°N 92.94083°W / 37.17389; -92.94083 (KSPR) (KSPR-DT2)
Licensing authority FCC
Public license information: Profile
CDBS
Website www.theozarkscw.com

K15CZ-D, UHF digital channel 15, is a CW-affiliated television station located in Springfield, Missouri, United States. The station is owned by Schurz Communications, and is a sister station to NBC affiliate KYTV (channel 3); Schurz also operates ABC affiliate KSPR (channel 33) under a shared services agreement with owner Perkin Media, LLC. All three stations share studio facilities located on West Sunshine Street in Springfield; K15CZ maintains transmitter facilities located on East Kearney Street (MO 744), near Doling Park. Syndicated programs broadcast by K15CZ include Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, 30 Rock, Family Feud, Castle, Family Guy, The Arsenio Hall Show, The Andy Griffith Show and Steve Harvey.

K15CZ-D's low-powered digital broadcasting radius does not reach the entire market. Therefore, the station is simulcast over KSPR's second digital subchannel in order to reach the entire market. This signal can be seen on UHF channel 19.2 (or virtual channel 33.2 via PSIP) from a transmitter on Switchgrass Road, north of Fordland. The station uses the modified callsign "KCZ" (removing the channel number from the numbered-lettered calls) for station identification purposes (this is also used as the station identifier on DirecTV's program guide, while Dish Network identifies it as "KDL").

History

The station first signed on the air on March 15, 1990; it originally operated as an independent station. K15CZ formerly operated a repeater station, K17DL in Branson; in 2009, that station was transferred to Branson Visitors TV, LLC (a company in which Schurz holds a 50.1-percent interest) and now airs tourist information for the Branson area. The station became a charter affiliate of the United Paramount Network (UPN) when the network launched on January 16, 1995; the station changed its on-air branding to "UPN 15". In the late 1990s, K15CZ entered into a local marketing agreement with South Bend, Indiana-based Schurz Communications, owners of NBC affiliate KYTV (channel 3); Schurz eventually bought the station outright in 2002.

K15CZ logo as a UPN affiliate from September 2002 to September 2006.

On January 24, 2006, the Warner Bros. unit of Time Warner and CBS Corporation announced that the two companies would shut down The WB and UPN and combine the networks' respective programming to create a new "fifth" network called The CW.[1][2] K15CZ became the Springfield market's CW affiliate when the network launched on September 18, 2006; Harrison, Arkansas-licensed KWBM (channel 31) became a charter affiliate of MyNetworkTV, which launched two weeks earlier on September 5 as a secondary replacement for The WB and UPN.

In May 2006, the station obtained the website domain name, theozarkscw.com; this web address redirected to The CW's network website for a time until the station's website officially launched.

Schurz announced on September 14, 2015 that it would exit broadcasting and sell its television and radio stations, including K15CZ-D, KYTV, and the SSA with KSPR, to Gray Television for $442.5 million.[3][4]

Digital television

Channel Video Aspect PSIP Short Name Programming[5]
33.2 720p 16:9 KCZ CW KSPR-DT2 / The CW programming

Analog-to-digital conversion

Since the station was licensed as a low-powered translator, it did not originally offer a digital signal of its own. In 2006, KYTV began carrying a standard definition simulcast of the station on its second digital subchannel; in 2009, the simulcast moved to KSPR digital subchannel 33.2. The Federal Communications Commission granted a construction permit for K15CZ to build digital transmitter facilities, with the digital signal being "flash-cut" into operation on its former analog UHF channel 15 when the transmitter was completed; the digital license was issued on January 23, 2015.

Newscasts

KYTV produces 11½ hours of locally produced newscasts each week (with two hours on weekdays, a half-hour on Saturdays and one hour on Sundays) for K15CZ-D; in addition, the station produces the half-hour sports highlight program O-Zone Sports, which airs Saturdays at 9:30 p.m.

On August 22, 2011, KYTV – despite the fact that ABC-affiliated sister station KSPR simulcasts K15CZ on its second digital subchannel – began producing an hour-long extension of its weekday morning newscast (from 7:00 to 8:00 a.m.) and a nightly half-hour 9:00 p.m. newscast for K15CZ.[6] The 9:00 p.m. newscast was expanded to one hour in June 2013.

References

  1. ↑ 'Gilmore Girls' meet 'Smackdown'; CW Network to combine WB, UPN in CBS-Warner venture beginning in September, CNNMoney.com, January 24, 2006.
  2. ↑ UPN and WB to Combine, Forming New TV Network, The New York Times, January 24, 2006.
  3. ↑ "Schurz Communications to sell WSBT and other TV, radio stations". South Bend Tribune. September 14, 2015. Retrieved September 14, 2015.
  4. ↑ Kuperberg, Jonathan (September 14, 2015). "Gray Acquiring TV, Radio Stations from Schurz for $442.5 Million". Broadcasting & Cable. Retrieved September 14, 2015.
  5. ↑ RabbitEars TV Query for KSPR
  6. ↑ KY3 News will add 7 a.m. and 9 p.m. newscasts on The Ozarks CW

External links

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Sunday, November 29, 2015. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.