KVRR
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|
 | |
| |
|---|---|
| City | Fargo, North Dakota |
| Channels | |
| Branding | KVRR;KVRR Local News |
| Programming | |
| Affiliations |
|
| Ownership | |
| Owner | |
| KQDS-TV | |
| History | |
First air date | February 14, 1983 |
Former call signs | KVNJ-TV (1983–1985) |
Former channel number(s) | Analog:15 (UHF, 1983–2009) |
| Independent(1983–1986) | |
Call signmeaning | Valley of the Red River(coverage area) |
| Technical information[2] | |
Licensing authority | FCC |
| Facility ID | 55372 |
| ERP | 1,000kW |
| HAAT | 379 m (1,243 ft) |
| Transmitter coordinates | 46°40′29″N96°13′40″W/ 46.67472°N 96.22778°W |
| Translator(s) | see§ Satellite stationsand§ Translators |
| Links | |
Public license information | |
| Website | www |
KVRR(channel 15) is atelevision stationinFargo, North Dakota,United States, affiliated with theFoxnetwork. Owned by Coastal Television Broadcasting Company, the station maintains studios on South 40th Street and South 9th Avenue in Fargo, and its transmitter is located nearTansem, Minnesota.KVRR also handlesmaster controland some internal operations forsister stationand fellow Fox affiliateKQDS-TVinDuluth, Minnesota.
KVRR's programming is simulcast on three full-powersatellite stations:KJRR(channel 7) inJamestown, North Dakota,KBRR(channel 10) inThief River Falls, Minnesota(serving theGrand Forksarea), andKNRR(channel 12) inPembina, North Dakota(which also covers parts ofsouthern Manitoba,Canada, includingWinnipeg).
KVRR was theflagshiptelevision property of previous ownerRed River Broadcasting,which owned the station from its inception until its sale to Coastal in 2024.
History
[edit]
The station first signed on the air on February 14, 1983, under the callsign KVNJ-TV. It was the firstindependent stationinthe Dakotas,as well as the first new standalone full-power commercial station to sign on in the Fargo–Grand Forks market in 29 years.WDAZ-TV(channel 8) in Grand Forks had signed on in 1967, but is co-owned with Fargo'sWDAY-TV(channel 6).
The station changed its call letters to KVRR in 1985; that year, KBRR signed on from Thief River Falls as a satellite station serving Grand Forks. Satellite station KNRR signed on from Pembina in 1986, with intentions to target Winnipeg and southern Manitoba. Shortly afterward, on October 6, 1986, the three-station network became a charter affiliate of the upstart Fox network. However, like most early Fox affiliates, the stations still programmed themselves as independents, since Fox carried only one program at the time (The Late ShowStarringJoan Rivers). KJRR in Jamestown joined KVRR's regional network in 1988. KJRR served as the network's affiliate for the eastern portion of the Bismarck television market (excluding the city of Bismarck itself) until November 1999, whenKNDXsigned on as Fox's first affiliate in central North Dakota.
In December 1988, KVRR partnered with three other independent stations serving Minnesota—KTMA (nowCWaffiliateWUCW) inMinneapolis–Saint Paul,KXLI (nowIon Televisionowned-and-operated stationKPXM) inSt. CloudandKXLT-TV(now a Fox affiliate) inRochester—to create a new regional television network called theMinnesota Independent Network(MIN). Despite good intentions, the network never got off the ground.
The stations also carried programming from the United Paramount Network (UPN) on atape delayfrom the network's debut on January 16, 1995, until its programming was dropped in 1998, due to the presence of Minneapolis UPN affiliateKMSP-TVon cable providers in most of KVRR's viewing area (when KMSP became a Fox owned-and-operated station in September 2002,KCPMin Grand Forks signed on as a full-time UPN station in 2003).
From the mid-1990s until March 2015, KVRR did not include any regional, channel, or call letter branding on-air outside ofFederal Communications Commission(FCC)-requiredstation identifications,a rarity among American television stations. The four stations were collectively branded as "Your Fox Station" or simply "Fox". When the station began a news department in 2000, it was branded asFox News.The station began phasing out the "Fox" branding in favor of simply branding by the KVRR call letters in March 2015. Station management stated that the rebrand was done to bring its branding in line with the Fargo market's other major network stations, all but one of which (CBSaffiliateKXJB-LD,which brands by its former channel number as "KX4", now occupied byKRDK-TV) has long branded with their call letters. The move was also intended to distinguish the station fromFox News Channel;KVRR is one of only a handful of Fox affiliates that omits network references in their branding. KVRR launched a website on September 15, 2011.
In the summer of 2015, Red River Broadcasting announced thatAntenna TVwould be carried on the digital subchannels of all of its owned TV stations and satellite stations on January 1, 2016, including KVRR (relayed on KBRR, KJRR, and KNRR),KQDS-TVinDuluth,andKDLT-TVinSioux Falls, South Dakota(relayed on KDLV inMitchell);[citation needed]KDLT/KDLV would soon be sold toGray Televisionin 2018, though continuing to broadcast Antenna TV on its own.
On November 30, 2021,Forum Communications(owner of WDAY/WDAZ) announced its intent to purchase KVRR and its satellites, as well as KQDS, from Red River Broadcasting for $24 million. Forum had sought a waiver from the FCC allowing it to own a second top–four ranked full-power station in the Fargo–Grand Forks market, though it would not consolidate the newsrooms of WDAY and KVRR.[3][4]In the absence of FCC action, the deal was terminated in June 2023.[5]On December 1, 2023, it was announced that Red River would sell the stations to the Coastal Television Broadcasting Group;[1]the sale was completed on April 5, 2024.[6][7]
KNRR and the old KCND
[edit]KNRR(channel 12) operates on a channel frequency previously occupied byKCND-TV,a station formerly owned byGordon McLendon.In September 1975,Izzy Asperacquired the station and relocated it to Winnipeg, relaunching asCKND-TVon VHF channel 9 (now an owned-and-operated station of theGlobal Television Network). Ten years later, in 1986, channel 12 returned to the air as a semi-satellite of KVRR.
The coverage area of KNRR's analog signal included Winnipeg, which has almost double the population of KVRR's entire primary service area in North Dakota and western Minnesota. However, theCanadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission(CRTC) barred Winnipeg-area cable systems from carrying KNRR due to concerns that local advertisers would purchase time on KNRR rather than on television stations in the Winnipegmarket.[8][9]As a result,Rogers Cablesystems in the Winnipeg area carryWUHFinRochester, New York,as the Fox station available in the market, whileMTS TVcarries Fox's owned-and-operated station in Minneapolis–Saint Paul, KMSP-TV.
Even during the analog television era, when the northern fringe of KNRR's grade B signal contour encompassed Winnipeg, KNRR was all but impossible to receive in theRiver HeightsandNorth Endneighborhoods of the city, and was also subject to interference from hydro lines and telephone relay stations.[10]Over time, KNRR's transmitter degraded and was not replaced, further reducing the signal quality.[11]
KNRR shut down its signal on June 12, 2009, when thedigital television transitiontook place. KNRR had not installed a digital transmitter, and its post-transition digital allotment on UHF channel 15 had already been reassigned toPBSmember stationKGFEas that station's post-transition allocation.[12]Although it easily could have ceased operations permanently, the station's digital signal resumed operation in late October 2009, albeit operating at a very low power.[13][14]
Although it can be received in several rural counties in North Dakota and Minnesota, the station's largest potential audience lies in the urban centers of southern Manitoba, includingAltona,MordenandWinkler,and fringe coverage of Winnipeg.[15]
News operation
[edit]
KVRR presently broadcasts18+1⁄2hours of locally produced newscasts each week (with3+1⁄2hours each weekday and one hour on Sundays; the station does not air newscasts on Saturdays). As with most programming, KVRR's newscasts are simulcast on satellite stations KJRR, KBRR and KNRR, with separate Grand Forks area commercials occasionally inserted on KBRR/KNRR.
KVRR launched its news department in July 2000, when it debuted a half-hour nightly newscast at 9 p.m., becoming the first prime time newscast in the Fargo market. In 2009, the station debuted a half-hour weeknight-only newscast at 6 p.m. On September 19, 2011, the 9 p.m. newscast was expanded from 35 minutes to one hour. On February 5, 2014, KVRR became the third and last television news operation in the Fargo–Grand Forks market (after KXJB-TV 4/KVLY 11 and WDAY 6/WDAZ 8) to begin broadcasting its local newscasts in high definition.[16]
Technical information
[edit]
Subchannels
[edit]The station's signal ismultiplexed:
| Channel | Res. | Aspect | Short name | Programming |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15.1 | 720p | 16:9 | KVRR-DT | Fox |
| 15.2 | 480i | 4:3 | ANTENNA | Antenna TV[18] |
Analog-to-digital conversion
[edit]In the early 2000s[when?],KVRR became the first commercial television station (the first being Prairie Public Television member stations KFME (channel 13), KGFE in Grand Forks and KCGE-DT inCrookston, Minnesota) in eastern North Dakota to transmit a digital signal.
KVRR shut down its analog signal, overUHFchannel 15, on February 1, 2009. The station's digital signal remained on its pre-transition UHF channel 19,[19]usingvirtual channel15.
KVRR and KJRR were the only stations in KVRR's regional network to broadcast programming inhigh definitionuntil March 2011, when KBRR and KNRR upgraded their digital signals to transmit programming in HD. On March 18, 2011,Midcontinent Communicationsadded KBRR's HD feed on its systems in Grand Forks andDevils Lakeas it became available.[20]
Satellite stations
[edit]KVRR operates three full-power satellite stations: KJRR, KBRR, and KNRR. These stations fullysimulcastKVRR, but KBRR and KNRR occasionally air separate commercials for Grand Forks and the northern portion of the viewing area. Aside from their transmitters, the satellite stations do not maintain any physical presence in their cities of license.
| Station | City of license (other locations served) |
Channel | First air date | Second letter of callsign meaning | ERP | HAAT | Facility ID | Transmitter coordinates | Public license information |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| KJRR | Jamestown (Valley City) |
Digital:7 (VHF) Virtual:7 |
February 8, 1988 | Jamestown, North Dakota | 21.3 kW | 135 m (443 ft) | 55364 | 46°55′25.5″N98°46′20.2″W/ 46.923750°N 98.772278°W | |
| KBRR | Thief River Falls, MN (Grand Forks) |
Digital: 10 (VHF) Virtual: 10 |
September 1985 | Red River Broadcasting Company | 9.3 kW | 198.1 m (650 ft) | 55370 | 47°58′38″N96°36′18″W/ 47.97722°N 96.60500°W | |
| KNRR | Pembina (Southern Manitoba/Winnipeg) |
Digital: 12 (VHF) Virtual: 12 |
January 1, 1986 | Northern North Dakota | 4.4 kW | 427 m (1,401 ft) | 55362 | 48°59′44″N97°24′28″W/ 48.99556°N 97.40778°W |
Translators
[edit]KVRR serves its large coverage area with threetranslators.All are owned by local municipalities and relay satellite station KBRR.
KVRR and its satellite stations originally relayed its programming on a large network of translators throughout eastern North Dakota and west-central Minnesota. However, only one remains relaying KBRR and two more relaying KBRR inLake of the Woods Countywere added as multiplexeddigital subchannelsafter their transition to digital broadcasts in 2011. K26OH-D/Roseau is owned byRoseau Countyand K16KE/Baudette and K36LW/Williams are owned by Lake of the Woods County.
K61BJ inDonnelly, Minnesota,K54AT inBrainerd, Minnesota,K33HB in Devils Lake, North Dakota (relaying KNRR), and K05IV inPark Rapids, Minnesota,are no longer actively used as translators of KVRR. K61BJ was thought to be in operation by KVRR, but due to lack of communication it was found that the translator was damaged beyond repair by a lightning strike in 2005. K54AT was taken off the air in mid-April 2008, never to return. This was due to several reasons, the most significant being that the Brainerd was already served by a translator of Twin Cities Fox O&O KMSP-TV. K33HB, which relayed KNRR, was knocked off-the-air due to a tower collapse. K05IV's license was surrendered to the FCC on June 12, 2013.
KVRR originally maintained translators in north-centralAlexandria,Bemidji,Grand Rapids,Red Lake(relaying KBRR), andWalker, Minnesota.However, the Bemidji translator was forced off the air by the sign on ofWFTCsatellite station KFTC, which was affiliated with Fox at the time, and is now also a satellite station of current Fox affiliate KMSP-TV. The Grand Rapids translator now carries sister station KQDS-TV in Duluth, whosemaster controland non-news programming originates from Fargo. The Alexandria, Red Lake and Walker translators, owned by private groups, now carry stations from the Twin Cities.
References
[edit]- ^ab"Coastal Television reaches agreement to acquire Red River Broadcast".KVRR.December 1, 2023.RetrievedDecember 2,2023.
- ^"Facility Technical Data for KVRR".Licensing and Management System.Federal Communications Commission.
- ^Ellis, Jon (November 30, 2021)."Forum Buys Fargo, Duluth FOX Affiliates".Northpine.RetrievedJanuary 23,2022.
- ^Ellis, Jon (January 22, 2022)."Forum Seeks Waiver for Purchase of Fargo, Duluth FOX Stations".Northpine.RetrievedJanuary 23,2022.
- ^Evanella, Thomas (June 6, 2023)."Forum Communications' planned purchase of KVRR-TV in Fargo, KQDS-TV in Duluth falls through".Inforum.RetrievedJune 7,2023.
- ^"Notification of Consummation".Licensing and Management System.Federal Communications Commission.April 5, 2024.RetrievedApril 8,2024.
- ^Ellis, Jon (April 8, 2024)."FCC Monitor: Duluth, Fargo TV Sale Closes; Two New LPFM's OK'd".Northpine.RetrievedApril 8,2024.
- ^ARCHIVED – Decision CRTC 86-1006
- ^ARCHIVED – Decision CRTC 94-793
- ^Prokosh, Kevin (January 10, 1986). "KNRR reception depends on where viewers live". Winnipeg Free Press.
- ^"Archived copy".Archived fromthe originalon March 26, 2014.RetrievedApril 4,2013.
{{cite web}}:CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ^"Application For Extension Of Time To Construct A Digital Television Broadcast Station".fcc.gov.August 6, 2009.RetrievedNovember 8,2019.
- ^"Resurrected Pembina station to provide Winnipeg's first over-the-air digital signal".The View from Seven.October 15, 2009.RetrievedNovember 9,2019.
- ^"June 2009".Northpine.RetrievedNovember 8,2019.
- ^RabbitEars coverage map for KNRR
- ^"KVRR broadcasts first high-definition newscast".Prairie Business Magazine.Forum News Service.February 6, 2014. Archived fromthe originalon September 24, 2015.
- ^RabbitEars TV Query for KVRR
- ^"Antenna TV".KVRR.RetrievedDecember 24,2015.
- ^"DTV Tentative Channel Designations for the First and the Second Rounds"(PDF).Archived fromthe original(PDF)on August 29, 2013.RetrievedMarch 24,2012.
- ^http:// grandforksherald /event/article/id/197301/group/homepage/[permanent dead link]