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KXLY-TV

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Coordinates:47°55′18″N117°6′52″W/ 47.92167°N 117.11444°W/47.92167; -117.11444
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KXLY-TV
CitySpokane, Washington
Channels
Branding
  • 4 News Now
  • MeTV Spokane–Coeur d'Alene(on DT2)
Programming
Affiliations
Ownership
Owner
KXMN-LD,KEZE,KHTQ,KXLX,KXLY,KXLY-FM,KVNI,KZZU-FM
History
First air date
February 22, 1953(71 years ago)(1953-02-22)[a]
Former channel number(s)
Analog:4 (VHF, 1953–2009)
  • CBS(1953–1976)
  • ABC (secondary, 1953–1954 and February–July 1976)
  • DuMont(secondary, 1953–1955)[1]
  • UPN(secondary, January–September 2006)
  • MyNetworkTV(DT2, 2009–2012)
Call signmeaning
The XL Network (KXLY (AM)was a flagship station for a regional network)
Technical information[2]
Licensing authority
FCC
Facility ID61978
ERP23.3kW
HAAT936 m (3,071 ft)
Transmitter coordinates47°55′18″N117°6′52″W/ 47.92167°N 117.11444°W/47.92167; -117.11444
Translator(s)
Links
Public license information
Websitewww.kxly.com

KXLY-TV(channel 4) is atelevision stationinSpokane, Washington,United States, affiliated withABCand owned byMorgan Murphy Media.Its studios are located on West Boone Avenue in Spokane, and its transmitter is located onMount Spokane.The station'sMeTV-affiliated seconddigital subchannelis also seen in theYakima–Tri-Citiesmarket onsister stationsand fellow ABC affiliatesKAPP(channel 35.2) andKVEW(channel 42.2).

KXLY-TV is also carried on cable systems inCalgaryandEdmonton, Alberta,Canada, both of which are double the size of the station's American coverage area. One result of this is that stations in Calgary and Edmonton air American shows onPacific Time,even though Calgary and Edmonton are both onMountain Time.KXLY-TV is one of five local Spokane area television stations seen in Canada on theShaw Directsatellite service. It can also been seen on local cable systems in easternBritish Columbia.

History

[edit]
KXLY-TV logo (1966)

AlthoughKHQand KXLY were both granted authorization by theFederal Communications Commission(FCC) to build television stations on July 11, 1952,[3]KXLY was the second to sign on, going on the air with broadcast tests on January 16, 1953,[4]with regular programming beginning on February 22.[5]KXLY had initially hoped to have its television station on the air by Christmas of 1952,[6]but adverse weather conditions onMount Spokanedelayed the launch.[7]It was owned by northwestern broadcast pioneerEd Craneyalong with Spokane's oldest radio station,KXLY(AM 920). Just a few months after signing on, Craney sold KXLY-AM-TV to Northern Pacific Radio and Television Corporation.

KXLY-TV was a primaryCBSaffiliate owing to its sister radio station's long affiliation withCBS Radio[8]sharing ABC with KHQ-TV. Channel 4 also carried some programming fromDuMont[9]until as late as April 1955.[1]ABC programming,[10]along with partial DuMont shows that KXLY-TV did not carry, moved toKREMwhen it signed on in 1954.

At first, channel 4 enjoyed a good partnership with CBS. The network worked well with early KXLY executives Dick Jones,Bob Struble,and James Agostino to help the station become a dominant player in the Spokane television market in the 1950s and 1960s. Morgan Murphy bought the station in 1961.[11]

However, the station's relationship with CBS faltered in later years when it started airing several network shows out of pattern. On February 19, 1976, CBS sent KXLY-TV a "notice of termination",[12]with CBS spokesman Barry Richardson stating that the network was ending its 23-year association with KXLY-TV "because we made a business judgment that we could get wider exposure for our programs with another station". This would become a rare first in which a major television network would strip a station of its affiliation without first announcing a new affiliate.[13]On August 8, the affiliation switch went into full effect,[14]with CBS programming moving to KREM (KREM wanted to wait until ABC finished airing the network's coverage of the1976 Summer Olympicsto make the switch).[15]KXLY then picked up KREM's old ABC affiliation,[16]although it began the transition in February 1976 when it began airing the then-newGood Morning Americawhile airing CBS shows throughout the day. The affiliation change coincided with ABC's rise to number one in the ratings, where it would remain for the next several years. This meant KXLY ended up broadcasting the highest-rated networks (first CBS, then ABC) throughout the 1970s. Its radio sister remained with CBS for another 22 years until September 1998, at which time it became anABC Radio Networkaffiliate, like its TV cousin.

KXLY Broadcast Center on Boone Avenue

KXLY-TV is the only station in the Spokane market to broadcast from Mount Spokane, to the northeast of the city. The site (located in a state park) was originally developed with the expectation that Spokane's other TV stations would want to follow suit. When this did not occur, KXLY built atranslator(K09FZ on channel 9, later becoming K11VT Channel 11, then KUUP-LP) to serve non-antenna-rotator-equipped households from the mountain ridge south of Spokane used by the other stations. On May 24, 2006, it becameKXMN-LPand from September 5, 2006, until the national DTV transition in February 2009, it broadcast MyNetworkTV programming. From the digital transition date forward, the South Hill transmitter rebroadcasts KXLY ABC 4—both in analog on VHF Channel 11 and as 4.1 (ABC HD) and 4.2 (MyNetworkTV/MeTV) over a VHF channel 9 HD digital translator. In June 2017, KXLY-TV added Channel 22, a 15,000 watt fill-in transmitter atop Krell Ridge on Spokane's South Hill. This new digital signal adds stronger service for Spokane's Downtown, Northside, South Hill and Spokane River Valley antenna household locations.

Programming fromMeTVwas added on September 3, 2012.[17]KXLY-DT2 stopped carrying MyNetworkTV on October 1 and has since carried MeTV exclusively.

HD race

[edit]

On March 11, 1999, KXLY-DT signed on the air as Eastern Washington's first digital television signal on VHF Channel 13. Much like the first black and white television broadcasters, this initial effort was launched utilizing a low power digital transmitter and antenna co-located at the Boone Avenue studio location in downtown Spokane. The station's first authentic telecasts began with its 5 p.m. and 6 p.m. newscasts March 26, 1999.

Later behind the scenes that year, engineers assembled the new ABC High Definition satellite equipment to ready the station for ABC's foray into HD withMonday Night Football.By September 27, 1999, KXLY-DT had permanently moved its digital transmissions to the top of Mount Spokane and increased its power to the FCC maximum of 23,300 watts. That evening marked the region's first broadcast of HD pictures with the airing ofMonday Night Football.

On April 20, 2006, the race to HD live local newscasts in the Spokane television market began when KXLY-TV became the first station in Eastern Washington to broadcast a local news segment in HD, an experiment the station continued to explore by showing one pre-taped news segment in HD each Tuesday night during its 6 p.m. broadcast until it switched to showing full HD newscasts on August 3, 2008.

On May 16, 2008, KHQ announced that it would leap ahead of KXLY in becoming the first station to produce HD newscasts beginning August 8, 2008. After months of KHQ marketing this milestone, on August 1, 2008, KXLY shocked KHQ when it made a surprise announcement that starting on August 3, 2008, a mere two days later, it would begin producing all news broadcasts in HD.[18]The date was chosen to beat KHQ to the milestone of being the first station in Eastern Washington to broadcast HD local news.

News operation

[edit]
Logo for "4 News Now", featuring aplay buttonmotif similar to that of KXLY's sister stationsWISC-TVandWKBT-DT

KXLY broadcasts 33 hours of news a week, with a two-hour morning program,Good Morning Northwest,from 5 to 7 a.m., and its evening newscasts at 5, 6, 6:30 and 11 p.m. Unlike most ABC affiliates in the Pacific time zone, KXLY does not produce an 11 p.m. newscast on Saturdays, leaving the 5 and 6 p.m. newscasts as KXLY 4's only news offerings on that day. In 2024, KXLY added midday and 4 p.m newscasts from "KXLY+" on the main channel.

On December 22, 2008, KXLY began producing high-resolution weather segments for sister stationsKAPPinYakimaandKVEWinKennewick.Both stations discontinued their 6 p.m. newscasts, the 11 p.m. newscasts were reduced to five minutes and weekend newscasts are now produced at KXLY. This includes all weather and sports reports for weekdays and weekends. In addition to these moves, 17 employees from KVEW and KAPP werelaid off.[19][20]

On July 1, 2019, KXLY switched its logo and title from "KXLY 4" to "4 News Now". In the move, KXLY received a new studio, replacing the one that had been used for two decades.[21]

Notable former on-air staff

[edit]
Former Spokane mayorNadine Woodward(right) once anchored KXLY 4 News

Technical information

[edit]

Subchannels

[edit]

The station's signal ismultiplexed:

Subchannels of KXLY-TV[29][30][31]
Channel Res. Aspect Short name Programming
4.1 720p 16:9 KXLY-HD ABC
4.2 KXLY4.2 MeTV
4.3 480i KXLY4.3 Heroes & Icons
4.4 KXLY4.4 Start TV
4.5 KXLY4.5 Dabl
4.6 KXLY4.6 QVC
4.7 KXLY4.7 HSN

Analog-to-digital conversion

[edit]

KXLY-TV discontinued regular programming on its analog signal, overVHFchannel 4, on February 17, 2009, the original target date when full-power television stations in the United States were totransition from analog to digital broadcastsunder federal mandate (which was later pushed back to June 12, 2009). The station's digital signal remained on its pre-transition VHF channel 13,[32][33]usingvirtual channel4.

Translators

[edit]

Notes

[edit]
  1. ^TheBroadcasting and Cable Yearbooksays February 22, while theTelevision and Cable Factbooksays January 16.

References

[edit]
  1. ^ab"KXLY-TV (Channel 4 – CBS Du Mont) Today's Program".Daily Interlake.Kalispell, MT. May 30, 1955. p. 7.
  2. ^"Facility Technical Data for KXLY-TV".Licensing and Management System.Federal Communications Commission.
  3. ^"Television Closer in City; KHQ and KXLY Get Go-Ahead"ArchivedSeptember 12, 2015, at theWayback MachineThe Spokesman-Review,July 12, 1952. Retrieved: May 20, 2012.
  4. ^"KXLY-TV Tries Test Pattern, Film"ArchivedMarch 16, 2016, at theWayback MachineSpokane Daily Chronicle,January 17, 1953. Retrieved: May 20, 2012.
  5. ^"KXLY Schedules Sunday Telecast"ArchivedMarch 17, 2016, at theWayback MachineSpokane Daily Chronicle,February 16, 1953. Retrieved: May 20, 2012.
  6. ^"TV Possible by Christmas, Craney of KXLY believes"ArchivedMarch 12, 2016, at theWayback MachineSpokane Daily Chronicle,July 21, 1952. Retrieved May 20, 2012.
  7. ^"KXLY-TV Abandons Video Objective"ArchivedNovember 7, 2017, at theWayback MachineThe Spokesman-Review,December 25, 1952. Retrieved: May 20, 2012.
  8. ^"Network TV Shows Arrive in Spokane With Little Delay"ArchivedMarch 23, 2016, at theWayback MachineSpokane Daily Chronicle,January 14, 1953. Retrieved: May 20, 2012.
  9. ^"KXLY-TV Plans DuMont Shows"ArchivedMarch 22, 2016, at theWayback MachineSpokane Daily Chronicle,January 9, 1953. Retrieved: May 20, 2012.
  10. ^"KREM to Relay ABC Telecasts"ArchivedFebruary 2, 2017, at theWayback MachineSpokane Daily Chronicle,December 22, 1954. Retrieved: May 20, 2012.
  11. ^"Firm Buys KXLY-TV | Spokane Television History".August 15, 1961.Archivedfrom the original on November 7, 2017.RetrievedMay 24,2017.
  12. ^"CBS Plans to Terminate KXLY-TV Affiliation"ArchivedMarch 14, 2016, at theWayback MachineSpokane Daily Chronicle,March 3, 1976. Retrieved: May 20, 2012.
  13. ^"KREM-TV to Join CBS Chain"ArchivedMarch 14, 2016, at theWayback MachineSpokane Daily Chronicle,March 29, 1976. Retrieved: May 20, 2012.
  14. ^"On Sunday: TV Stations Switching"ArchivedMay 9, 2013, at theWayback MachineSpokane Daily Chronicle,August 6, 1976. Retrieved: May 20, 2012.
  15. ^"Timing decided for TV shift"ArchivedMarch 14, 2016, at theWayback MachineThe Spokesman-Review,March 30, 1976. Retrieved: May 20, 2012.
  16. ^"“Early Summer” – KXLY Set to Join ABC "ArchivedMarch 14, 2016, at theWayback MachineSpokane Daily Chronicle,May 6, 1976. Retrieved: May 20, 2012.
  17. ^Where to Watch Me-TV
  18. ^http://www.kxly.com/global/story.asp?s=8776270ArchivedNovember 7, 2017, at theWayback MachineKXLY 4 News flips the switch on full HD
  19. ^http://www.tri-cityherald.com/915/story/376215.html[permanent dead link]
  20. ^"KAPP-TV to cut 6 p.m. Broadcast, 17 jobs | Yakima Herald-Republic".Archived fromthe originalon July 18, 2011.RetrievedNovember 8,2008.
  21. ^"Spokane station gets new branding, new set".NewscastStudio.com.RetrievedJuly 3,2019.
  22. ^"Off-the-air with Richard Brown".spokesman.com. December 3, 2007.Archivedfrom the original on August 31, 2015.RetrievedAugust 29,2015.
  23. ^"Richard Brown, Chief Communications Officer for the Mayor, shows off a souvenir while the judges panel is introduced during Swinging with the Stars at TCU Place in Saskatoon, January 24, 2015".theprovince.com. January 26, 2015.RetrievedAugust 29,2015.[permanent dead link]
  24. ^"Donna Kelley".sohoftp.nascom.nasa.gov. January 1, 1997.RetrievedNovember 19,2015.
  25. ^"1983 KXLY TV News Segment with Donna Kelley".YouTube.com. November 26, 2014.Archivedfrom the original on March 12, 2016.RetrievedNovember 19,2015.
  26. ^"Donna Kelley – KBZK evening anchor".KBZK.com. February 13, 2015. Archived fromthe originalon November 20, 2015.RetrievedNovember 19,2015.
  27. ^Shanks, Adam."Spokane's Next Mayor".The Spokesman-Review.RetrievedNovember 9,2019.
  28. ^Robinson, Erin (November 6, 2019)."'It's about people who want change': Nadine Woodward to be Spokane's next mayor ".KXLY.RetrievedNovember 7,2019.
  29. ^"RabbitEars TV Query for KXLY".Archivedfrom the original on February 22, 2014.RetrievedFebruary 6,2014.
  30. ^"RabbitEars TV Query for KXMN-LD".Archivedfrom the original on July 26, 2018.RetrievedJuly 25,2018.
  31. ^"RabbitEars TV Query for KXLY-LD".Archivedfrom the original on July 26, 2018.RetrievedJuly 25,2018.
  32. ^"DTV Tentative Channel Designations for the First and the Second Rounds"(PDF).Archived fromthe original(PDF)on August 29, 2013.RetrievedMarch 24,2012.
  33. ^CDBS Print
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