KSAS-TV
Encyclopedia
KSAS-TV is the Fox
-affiliated television station
for Wichita, Kansas
. It broadcasts a high definition
digital signal on UHF channel 26 (or virtual channel
24.1 via PSIP) from a transmitter in Colwich
. The station can also be seen on Cox
channel 4 and in high definition on digital channel 2004. Owned by Newport Television
, the station operates MyNetworkTV
affiliate KMTW
(owned by the Mercury Broadcasting Company, Inc.) through a local marketing agreement
(LMA). The two outlets share studios on North West Street in Nortwestern Wichita. Syndicated
programming on KSAS includes Everybody Loves Raymond
, Two and a Half Men
, The Dr. Oz Show
, and Maury
among others.
KSAS-DT2 carries TheCoolTV
, which can not seen on Cox
digital systems at the current time.
of two full and two low-powered stations covering Central and Western Kansas
. The full-powered outlets also offer TheCoolTV on second digital subchannel
s. These stations air virtually the exact programming as KSAS, apart from local advertisements.
Because it was granted an original construction permit
after the Federal Communications Commission
(FCC) finalized the digital television
(DTV) allotment plan on April 21, 1997, KOCW did not receive a companion channel for a digital television station
. Instead on June 12, 2009, the station turned-off its analog signal
and turned on its digital signal
(an action called a "flash-cut
"). Due to their low-powered status, both KSAS-LP and KAAS-LP were exempt from the digital transition.
licensed in Kansas
. It was also the first new commercial station to sign-on in Wichita since KARD-TV (channel 3, now KSNW
) signed-on in 1955. It aired an analog signal on UHF channel 24. On October 9, 1986, the station picked up Fox as a charter affiliate. On April 3, 1988, KAAS-TV in Salina signed-on as a full-time satellite of KSAS. The signal was extended to Western Kansas in 1995 with the addition of low-powered KSAS-LP in Dodge City and KAAS-LP in Garden City. The station was founded by a limited partnership known as "Columbia-Kansas TV Ltd." who restructured into "Channel 24 Ltd." before its first sign-on. Channel 24 Ltd. filed for bankruptcy in the late 1980s and was eventually bought out by Clear Channel Communications
in August 1990.
In 1998, per the suggestion of then-Program Director Michael Hochman, KSAS began branding as "Fox Kansas". This was to help position KSAS and its satellites as a regional "network" along the lines of the other major stations in the market (such as the Kansas State Network
, Kansas Broadcasting System
, and KAKEland Television Network
). The Big Four stations in Wichita all require at least three full-power transmitters to cover this unusually large market
, which covers over 70 counties stretching from the Flint Hills
to the Colorado
border (almost three-fourths of the state). It is the largest Designated Market Area (DMA) by number of counties in the United States
. The network was completed in 2000, when KBDK in Hoisington was added as another full power satellite to cover Great Bend and Hays
.
In January 2001, KSAS launched UPN
station KSCC (now MyNetworkTV-affiliated KMTW) through an LMA with Viacom's television stations group (now CBS Corporation
's CBS Television Stations
division), who held KSCC's license at the time. Viacom's ownership of that station would be short-lived as Viacom sold the station's license to the Mercury Broadcasting Company just five months after it signed on.
In 2005, KSAS became a crucial location in the search for and apprehension of infamous Wichita serial killer
Dennis Rader
known for decades as the anonymous BTK Killer. Rader's last known communication with the media
and police was a padded envelope which arrived at KSAS' Wichita studios (one of many stations in the market which Rader had contacted over the years) on February 16, 2005. A purple, 1.44-MB Memorex
floppy disk
was enclosed in the package. Also enclosed were a letter, photocopy of the cover of a 1989 novel about a serial killer (Rules of Prey) and a gold-colored necklace with a large medallion. Police found metadata
embedded in a Microsoft Word
document on the disk that pointed to Wichita's Christ Lutheran Church
and the document was marked as last modified by "Dennis". A search of the church website turned up Dennis Rader as president of the congregation council.
In 2006, KBDK changed its call sign to KOCW. On April 20, 2007, Clear Channel entered into an agreement to sell its entire television stations group (including KSAS and its LMA with KMTW) to Providence Equity Partners
; the deal closed on March 14, 2008. Newport's President and CEO is longtime Wichita television broadcaster Sandy DiPasquale
. He was the last local owner of CBS
affiliate KWCH-TV
(channel 12), which was sold in 1994. DiPasquale moved Newport's headquarters to Kansas City
in 2008 from his longtime base in Wichita.
affiliate KSNW
(then owned by Lee Enterprises
) produced a 9 p.m. newscast on KSAS called Fox News at Nine (originally called Fox First News, prior to its launch), along with hourly local news updates during early evening and primetime programming; the launch was delayed from its original date of September 15, 1997, due to a delay in construction of a secondary news set for that newscast at the KSNW studios. The broadcast was terminated due to poor ratings,
Another news outsourcing agreement was established in 2003 with CBS affiliate KWCH (then owned by Media General
), resulting in the market's second nightly primetime newscast, which made its debut on January 19, 2004. Known as Fox Kansas Eyewitness News
at 9, the half-hour show originates from a secondary set (designed by FX Group
) at KWCH's facility on East 37th Street North in Northeastern Wichita. In 2005, the newscast received the "Best Large Market
Newscast in Kansas" award from the Kansas Association of Broadcasters
. KWCH continued production of the 9 p.m. newscast despite Schurz Communications' purchase of KSCW
in 2008. KWCH now currently produces a weekday morning newscast for KSCW in addition to the KSAS 9 p.m. broadcast. In October 2008, KWCH became the first station in the market to upgrade its local newscasts to high definition, with the KSAS broadcasts included in the switch; although not initially included in the change, KWCH added HD weather forecast segments in March 2009.
On September 12, 2011, KWCH began producing half-hour newscasts weekdays at 4 and seven nights a week at 9 p.m. on KSCW; the latter newscast directly competes with KWCH's newscast on KSAS, whose news share agreement will expire on December 31. In theory, KWCH could simultaneously broadcast two 9 p.m. newscasts until the expiration of the news share agreement, because KSAS' newscast originates from a secondary set at KWCH's studio facility; however on October 5, 2011, KSAS filed a lawsuit against KWCH in Sedgwick County District Court claiming that in violation of the news share agreement, KWCH began taping the KSAS newscasts in advance, while KWCH is producing its newscast for KSCW as a live telecast; District Judge Jeff Goering signed an order requiring KWCH to restore the live newscast on KSAS while the suit is pending. Two days later, the two stations reached an agreement, ending the suit, and allowing KWCH to produce its newscast for KSAS live until the expiration of its news share agreement with the station, after which the live broadcasts will be moved back over to KSCW. After the outsourced news broadcasts are discontinued, the production of the 9 p.m. newscast will be turned back over to KSNW starting on January 2, 2012. At that point, the newscasts on KSAS will revert to 16:9 enhanced definition widescreen unless KSNW upgrades to full high definition before then.
Fox Kansas Storm Team
Sports team
Reporters
Fox Broadcasting Company
Fox Broadcasting Company, commonly referred to as Fox Network or simply Fox , is an American commercial broadcasting television network owned by Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. Launched on October 9, 1986, Fox was the highest-rated broadcast network in the...
-affiliated television station
Television station
A television station is a business, organisation or other such as an amateur television operator that transmits content over terrestrial television. A television transmission can be by analog television signals or, more recently, by digital television. Broadcast television systems standards are...
for Wichita, Kansas
Wichita, Kansas
Wichita is the largest city in the U.S. state of Kansas.As of the 2010 census, the city population was 382,368. Located in south-central Kansas on the Arkansas River, Wichita is the county seat of Sedgwick County and the principal city of the Wichita metropolitan area...
. It broadcasts a high definition
High-definition television
High-definition television is video that has resolution substantially higher than that of traditional television systems . HDTV has one or two million pixels per frame, roughly five times that of SD...
digital signal on UHF channel 26 (or virtual channel
Virtual channel
In telecommunications, a logical channel number , also known as virtual channel, is a channel designation which differs from that of the actual radio channel on which the signal travels....
24.1 via PSIP) from a transmitter in Colwich
Colwich, Kansas
Colwich is a city in Sedgwick County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 1,327.-Geography:Colwich is located at...
. The station can also be seen on Cox
Cox Communications
Cox Communications is a privately owned subsidiary of Cox Enterprises providing digital cable television, telecommunications and wireless services in the United States...
channel 4 and in high definition on digital channel 2004. Owned by Newport Television
Newport Television
Newport Television, LLC is a television station holding company founded by Providence Equity Partners and Sandy DiPasquale in 2007 to acquire the television stations owned by Clear Channel Communications. In September 2007, Newport agreed to sell KFTY and KVOS-TV to LK Station Group LLC for $26.6...
, the station operates MyNetworkTV
MyNetworkTV
MyNetworkTV is a television broadcast syndication service in the United States, owned by the Fox Entertainment Group, a division of News Corporation...
affiliate KMTW
KMTW
KMTW is the MyNetworkTV-affiliated television station for Wichita, Kansas licensed to Hutchinson. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on UHF channel 35 from a transmitter in Sedgwick...
(owned by the Mercury Broadcasting Company, Inc.) through a local marketing agreement
Local marketing agreement
In U.S. and Canadian broadcasting, a local marketing agreement is an agreement in which one company agrees to operate a radio or television station owned by another licensee...
(LMA). The two outlets share studios on North West Street in Nortwestern Wichita. Syndicated
Television syndication
In broadcasting, syndication is the sale of the right to broadcast radio shows and television shows by multiple radio stations and television stations, without going through a broadcast network, though the process of syndication may conjure up structures like those of a network itself, by its very...
programming on KSAS includes Everybody Loves Raymond
Everybody Loves Raymond
Everybody Loves Raymond is an American television sitcom that originally ran on CBS from September 13, 1996, to May 16, 2005. Many of the situations from the show are based on the real-life experiences of lead actor Ray Romano, creator/producer Phil Rosenthal and the show's writing staff...
, Two and a Half Men
Two and a Half Men
Two and a Half Men is an American television sitcom that premiered on CBS on September 22, 2003. Starring Charlie Sheen, Jon Cryer, and Angus T. Jones, the show was originally about a hedonistic jingle writer, Charlie Harper; his uptight brother, Alan; and Alan's growing son, Jake...
, The Dr. Oz Show
The Dr. Oz Show
The Dr. Oz Show is an American syndicated television talk show, hosted by Dr. Mehmet Oz, a cardiothoracic surgeon and teaching professor at Columbia University who became famous for his appearances on The Oprah Winfrey Show from 2004 until 2009....
, and Maury
Maury (TV series)
Maury is a syndicated American tabloid talk show hosted by Maury Povich.When the series first aired in 1991, the show was called The Maury Povich Show and was produced by MoPo Productions in association with Paramount Domestic Television...
among others.
KSAS-DT
KSAS-DT broadcasts on digital channel 26.| Virtual channel |
Physical channel |
Video | Aspect Aspect ratio The aspect ratio of a shape is the ratio of its longer dimension to its shorter dimension. It may be applied to two characteristic dimensions of a three-dimensional shape, such as the ratio of the longest and shortest axis, or for symmetrical objects that are described by just two measurements,... |
Name | Programming |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 24.1 | 26.1 | 720p 720p 720p is the shorthand name for 1280x720, a category of High-definition television video modes having a resolution of 1080 or 720p and a progressive scan... |
16:9 16:9 16:9 is an aspect ratio with a width of 16 units and height of 9. Since 2009, it has become the most common aspect ratio for sold televisions and computer monitors and is also the international standard format of HDTV, Full HD, non-HD digital television and analog widescreen television ... |
KSAS-DT | Main KSAS programming / Fox HD |
| 24.2 | 26.2 | 480i 480i 480i is the shorthand name for a video mode, namely the US NTSC television system or digital television systems with the same characteristics. The i, which is sometimes uppercase, stands for interlaced, the 480 for a vertical frame resolution of 480 lines containing picture information; while NTSC... |
4:3 | TheCoolTV TheCoolTV THECOOLTV is a United States over-the-air digital subchannel launched in March 2009. The network's current program schedule consists of an all-music video lineup that can be customized to meet an affiliate's preference, along with the three hours per week of E/I programming as required by the... |
Recent and classic music videos |
KSAS-DT2 carries TheCoolTV
TheCoolTV
THECOOLTV is a United States over-the-air digital subchannel launched in March 2009. The network's current program schedule consists of an all-music video lineup that can be customized to meet an affiliate's preference, along with the three hours per week of E/I programming as required by the...
, which can not seen on Cox
Cox Communications
Cox Communications is a privately owned subsidiary of Cox Enterprises providing digital cable television, telecommunications and wireless services in the United States...
digital systems at the current time.
Analog-to-digital conversion
On February 17, 2009, KSAS abandoned its previous analog channel assignment of channel 24, and moved its digital channel assignment to channel 26. However, digital television receivers will continue to display KSAS's virtual digital channel as 24.Satellites
KSAS operates a networkState network
A State Network in the United States broadcasting industry is a term which refers to a miniature television network serving an entire state or multiple states...
of two full and two low-powered stations covering Central and Western Kansas
Kansas
Kansas is a US state located in the Midwestern United States. It is named after the Kansas River which flows through it, which in turn was named after the Kansa Native American tribe, which inhabited the area. The tribe's name is often said to mean "people of the wind" or "people of the south...
. The full-powered outlets also offer TheCoolTV on second digital subchannel
Digital subchannel
In broadcasting, digital subchannels are a means to transmit more than one independent program at the same time from the same digital radio or digital television station on the same radio frequency channel. This is done by using data compression techniques to reduce the size of each individual...
s. These stations air virtually the exact programming as KSAS, apart from local advertisements.
| Station | City of license City of license A city of license or community of license, in American and Canadian broadcasting, is the community that a radio station or television station is officially licensed to serve by that country's broadcast regulator.... |
Channels Channel (broadcasting) In broadcasting, a channel is a range of frequencies assigned by a government for the operation of a particular radio station, television station or television channel. In common usage, the term also may be used to refer to the station operating on a particular frequency.-See also:*Broadcast... |
First air date | ERP Effective radiated power In radio telecommunications, effective radiated power or equivalent radiated power is a standardized theoretical measurement of radio frequency energy using the SI unit watts, and is determined by subtracting system losses and adding system gains... |
HAAT Height above average terrain Height above average terrain is used extensively in FM radio and television, as it is actually much more important than effective radiated power in determining the range of broadcasts... |
Facility ID Facility ID The facility ID number or FIN is a unique positive integer assigned by the United States Federal Communications Commission to each domestic and international broadcast station in its Common Database System . Licensees are required to provide the relevant station's FIN when filing reports and... |
Transmitter coordinates | Transmitter location |
| KAAS-TV | Salina Salina, Kansas Salina is a city in and the county seat of Saline County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 47,707. Located in one of the world's largest wheat-producing areas, Salina is a regional trade center for north-central Kansas... |
17 (UHF) | April 3, 1988 | 65 kW | 314 m | 11912 | 39°6′16"N 97°23′15.9"W | west of Manchester Manchester, Kansas Manchester is a city in Dickinson County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 95.-History:In 1887, Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway built a branch line from Neva through Manchester to Superior, Nebraska... along Ottawa Ottawa County, Kansas Ottawa County is a county located in the U.S. state of Kansas. As of the 2010 census, the county population was 6,091. The largest city and county seat is Minneapolis... and Dickinson Dickinson County, Kansas Dickinson County is a county located in Central Kansas, in the Central United States. As of the 2010 census, the county population was 19,754. Its county seat and most populous city is Abilene. It was named in honor of Daniel S. Dickinson.-19th century:In 1887, Mr. Herington successfully got... County line |
| KOCW | Hoisington Hoisington, Kansas Hoisington is a city in Barton County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 2,706.-History:In 1886, a group of Barton County businessmen formed the Central Kansas Town Company and founded the town of Hoisington to attract the Kansas and Colorado Railroad to the... /Great Bend Great Bend, Kansas Great Bend, named for its location at the historic big bend of the Arkansas River, is the most populous city in and the county seat of Barton County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 15,995.-History:... |
14 (UHF) | 2000 | 40 kW | 163 m | 83181 | 38°37′53.2"N 98°50′53.3"W | along U.S. 281 U.S. Route 281 U.S. Route 281 is a north–south United States highway. At 1,872 miles long it is the longest continuous three-digit U.S. Route.... in Northern Barton Barton County, Kansas Barton County is a county located in Western Kansas, in the Central United States. As of the 2010 census, the county population was 27,674. Its county seat and most populous city is Great Bend. The county is named in honor of Clara Barton, responsible for the founding of the American Red Cross... County |
| KSAS-LP | Dodge City Dodge City, Kansas Dodge City is a city in, and the county seat of, Ford County, Kansas, United States. Named after nearby Fort Dodge, the city is famous in American culture for its history as a wild frontier town of the Old West. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 27,340.-History:The first settlement of... |
29 (UHF) | 1995 | 15 kW | 907 m | 11967 | 37°46′47"N 100°3′39"W | northwest of city |
| KAAS-LP | Garden City Garden City, Kansas Garden City is a city in and the county seat of Finney County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 26,658. The city is home to Garden City Community College and the Lee Richardson Zoo, the largest zoological park in western Kansas.-History:In February 1878, James... |
31 (UHF) | 1995 | 14.6 kW | 129 m | 11968 | 37°52′25"N 100°50′44"W | south of city |
Because it was granted an original construction permit
Construction permit
A construction permit or building permit is a permit required in most jurisdictions for new construction, or adding on to pre-existing structures, and in some cases for major renovations. Generally, the new construction must be inspected during construction and after completion to ensure compliance...
after the Federal Communications Commission
Federal Communications Commission
The Federal Communications Commission is an independent agency of the United States government, created, Congressional statute , and with the majority of its commissioners appointed by the current President. The FCC works towards six goals in the areas of broadband, competition, the spectrum, the...
(FCC) finalized the digital television
Digital television
Digital television is the transmission of audio and video by digital signals, in contrast to the analog signals used by analog TV...
(DTV) allotment plan on April 21, 1997, KOCW did not receive a companion channel for a digital television station
Television station
A television station is a business, organisation or other such as an amateur television operator that transmits content over terrestrial television. A television transmission can be by analog television signals or, more recently, by digital television. Broadcast television systems standards are...
. Instead on June 12, 2009, the station turned-off its analog signal
Analog signal
An analog or analogue signal is any continuous signal for which the time varying feature of the signal is a representation of some other time varying quantity, i.e., analogous to another time varying signal. It differs from a digital signal in terms of small fluctuations in the signal which are...
and turned on its digital signal
Digital signal
A digital signal is a physical signal that is a representation of a sequence of discrete values , for example of an arbitrary bit stream, or of a digitized analog signal...
(an action called a "flash-cut
Flash-cut
A flash-cut, also called flash-cutover, is an immediate change in a complex system, with no phase-in period.Some telephone area codes were split immediately, rather than being phased in with a permissive dialing period. An example is telephone area code 213, which was split into 213 and 714 all at...
"). Due to their low-powered status, both KSAS-LP and KAAS-LP were exempt from the digital transition.
History
KSAS began broadcasting on August 24, 1985 as the first independent stationIndependent station
An independent station is in the category of television terminology used to describe a television station broadcasting in the United States or Canada that is not affiliated with any television network....
licensed in Kansas
Kansas
Kansas is a US state located in the Midwestern United States. It is named after the Kansas River which flows through it, which in turn was named after the Kansa Native American tribe, which inhabited the area. The tribe's name is often said to mean "people of the wind" or "people of the south...
. It was also the first new commercial station to sign-on in Wichita since KARD-TV (channel 3, now KSNW
KSNW
KSNW, digital channel 45 , is a NBC affiliate television station based in Wichita, Kansas. It is owned by the New Vision Television group. KSNW is also the flagship station of the Kansas State Network , a chain of NBC affiliates serving the western three-fourths of the state. KSNW's transmitter is...
) signed-on in 1955. It aired an analog signal on UHF channel 24. On October 9, 1986, the station picked up Fox as a charter affiliate. On April 3, 1988, KAAS-TV in Salina signed-on as a full-time satellite of KSAS. The signal was extended to Western Kansas in 1995 with the addition of low-powered KSAS-LP in Dodge City and KAAS-LP in Garden City. The station was founded by a limited partnership known as "Columbia-Kansas TV Ltd." who restructured into "Channel 24 Ltd." before its first sign-on. Channel 24 Ltd. filed for bankruptcy in the late 1980s and was eventually bought out by Clear Channel Communications
Clear Channel Communications
Clear Channel Communications, Inc. is an American media conglomerate company headquartered in San Antonio, Texas. It was founded in 1972 by Lowry Mays and Red McCombs, and was taken private by Bain Capital LLC and Thomas H. Lee Partners LP in a leveraged buyout in 2008...
in August 1990.
In 1998, per the suggestion of then-Program Director Michael Hochman, KSAS began branding as "Fox Kansas". This was to help position KSAS and its satellites as a regional "network" along the lines of the other major stations in the market (such as the Kansas State Network
KSNW
KSNW, digital channel 45 , is a NBC affiliate television station based in Wichita, Kansas. It is owned by the New Vision Television group. KSNW is also the flagship station of the Kansas State Network , a chain of NBC affiliates serving the western three-fourths of the state. KSNW's transmitter is...
, Kansas Broadcasting System
KWCH-TV
KWCH-DT is the CBS-affiliated television station for Wichita, Kansas that is licensed to Hutchinson. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on UHF channel 19 from a transmitter in Colwich. The station can be seen on Cox cable channel 12 and in high definition on digital channel 2012...
, and KAKEland Television Network
KAKE-TV
KAKE, channel 10, is an ABC-affiliated television station based in Wichita, Kansas. The station is owned by Atlanta, Georgia-based Gray Television...
). The Big Four stations in Wichita all require at least three full-power transmitters to cover this unusually large market
Media market
A media market, broadcast market, media region, designated market area , Television Market Area , or simply market is a region where the population can receive the same television and radio station offerings, and may also include other types of media including newspapers and Internet content...
, which covers over 70 counties stretching from the Flint Hills
Flint Hills
The Flint Hills, historically known as Bluestem Pastures or Blue Stem Hills, are a band of hills in eastern Kansas stretching into north-central Oklahoma, extending from Marshall County, Kansas and Washington County, Kansas in the north to Cowley County, Kansas and Osage County, Oklahoma in the south...
to the Colorado
Colorado
Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...
border (almost three-fourths of the state). It is the largest Designated Market Area (DMA) by number of counties in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The network was completed in 2000, when KBDK in Hoisington was added as another full power satellite to cover Great Bend and Hays
Hays, Kansas
Hays is a city in and the county seat of Ellis County, Kansas, United States. The largest city in northwestern Kansas, it is the economic and cultural center of the region. It is also a college town, home to Fort Hays State University...
.
In January 2001, KSAS launched UPN
UPN
United Paramount Network was a television network that was broadcast in over 200 markets in the United States from 1995 to 2006. UPN was originally owned by Viacom/Paramount and Chris-Craft Industries, the former of which, through the Paramount Television Group, produced most of the network's...
station KSCC (now MyNetworkTV-affiliated KMTW) through an LMA with Viacom's television stations group (now CBS Corporation
CBS Corporation
CBS Corporation is an American media conglomerate focused on commercial broadcasting, publishing, billboards and television production, with most of its operations in the United States. The President and CEO of the company is Leslie Moonves. Sumner Redstone, owner of National Amusements, is CBS's...
's CBS Television Stations
CBS Television Stations
The CBS Television Stations are a group of television stations owned by CBS Corporation. As of 2009, CBS Corporation owns 28 stations, broken down as follows: 14 are the key stations of the CBS Television Network ; nine are aligned with the CW Television Network, which is co-owned by CBS with Time...
division), who held KSCC's license at the time. Viacom's ownership of that station would be short-lived as Viacom sold the station's license to the Mercury Broadcasting Company just five months after it signed on.
In 2005, KSAS became a crucial location in the search for and apprehension of infamous Wichita serial killer
Serial killer
A serial killer, as typically defined, is an individual who has murdered three or more people over a period of more than a month, with down time between the murders, and whose motivation for killing is usually based on psychological gratification...
Dennis Rader
Dennis Rader
Dennis Lynn Rader is an American serial killer who murdered ten people in Sedgwick County , between 1974 and 1991....
known for decades as the anonymous BTK Killer. Rader's last known communication with the media
News media
The news media are those elements of the mass media that focus on delivering news to the general public or a target public.These include print media , broadcast news , and more recently the Internet .-Etymology:A medium is a carrier of something...
and police was a padded envelope which arrived at KSAS' Wichita studios (one of many stations in the market which Rader had contacted over the years) on February 16, 2005. A purple, 1.44-MB Memorex
Memorex
Memorex began as a computer tape producer and expanded to become a major IBM plug compatible peripheral supplier. It is now a consumer electronics brand of Imation specializing in disk recordable media for CD and DVD drives, flash memory, computer accessories and other electronics.Established in...
floppy disk
Floppy disk
A floppy disk is a disk storage medium composed of a disk of thin and flexible magnetic storage medium, sealed in a rectangular plastic carrier lined with fabric that removes dust particles...
was enclosed in the package. Also enclosed were a letter, photocopy of the cover of a 1989 novel about a serial killer (Rules of Prey) and a gold-colored necklace with a large medallion. Police found metadata
Metadata
The term metadata is an ambiguous term which is used for two fundamentally different concepts . Although the expression "data about data" is often used, it does not apply to both in the same way. Structural metadata, the design and specification of data structures, cannot be about data, because at...
embedded in a Microsoft Word
Microsoft Word
Microsoft Word is a word processor designed by Microsoft. It was first released in 1983 under the name Multi-Tool Word for Xenix systems. Subsequent versions were later written for several other platforms including IBM PCs running DOS , the Apple Macintosh , the AT&T Unix PC , Atari ST , SCO UNIX,...
document on the disk that pointed to Wichita's Christ Lutheran Church
Christ Lutheran Church (Wichita, Kansas)
Christ Lutheran Church is a congregation in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. It is located at 5356 N. Hillside, Wichita, Kansas. The current pastor is Michael Clark.- Controversy :...
and the document was marked as last modified by "Dennis". A search of the church website turned up Dennis Rader as president of the congregation council.
In 2006, KBDK changed its call sign to KOCW. On April 20, 2007, Clear Channel entered into an agreement to sell its entire television stations group (including KSAS and its LMA with KMTW) to Providence Equity Partners
Providence Equity Partners
Providence Equity Partners is a global private equity investment firm focused on media, entertainment, communications and information investments...
; the deal closed on March 14, 2008. Newport's President and CEO is longtime Wichita television broadcaster Sandy DiPasquale
Sandy DiPasquale
Sandy DiPasquale is the owner of Newport Television. DiPasquale has also held ownership positions in such broadcast companies as WGRZ Acquisition Group, Smith Broadcasting , Sunrise Television and BlueStone Television. A native of Buffalo, New York, DiPasquale spent almost 20 years in Wichita,...
. He was the last local owner of CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
affiliate KWCH-TV
KWCH-TV
KWCH-DT is the CBS-affiliated television station for Wichita, Kansas that is licensed to Hutchinson. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on UHF channel 19 from a transmitter in Colwich. The station can be seen on Cox cable channel 12 and in high definition on digital channel 2012...
(channel 12), which was sold in 1994. DiPasquale moved Newport's headquarters to Kansas City
Kansas City, Missouri
Kansas City, Missouri is the largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri and is the anchor city of the Kansas City Metropolitan Area, the second largest metropolitan area in Missouri. It encompasses in parts of Jackson, Clay, Cass, and Platte counties...
in 2008 from his longtime base in Wichita.
Newscasts
KSAS' current studios on North West Street have always been not large enough to house a full news department, so its newscasts have been outsourced to other stations in the market. From September 29, 1997 until December 31, 1998 through a news share agreement, NBCNBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
affiliate KSNW
KSNW
KSNW, digital channel 45 , is a NBC affiliate television station based in Wichita, Kansas. It is owned by the New Vision Television group. KSNW is also the flagship station of the Kansas State Network , a chain of NBC affiliates serving the western three-fourths of the state. KSNW's transmitter is...
(then owned by Lee Enterprises
Lee Enterprises
Lee Enterprises is a publicly traded American media company. It publishes 54 daily newspapers in 23 states, and more than 300 weekly, classified, and specialty publications. Lee Enterprises was founded in 1890 by A.W. Lee and is based in Davenport, Iowa....
) produced a 9 p.m. newscast on KSAS called Fox News at Nine (originally called Fox First News, prior to its launch), along with hourly local news updates during early evening and primetime programming; the launch was delayed from its original date of September 15, 1997, due to a delay in construction of a secondary news set for that newscast at the KSNW studios. The broadcast was terminated due to poor ratings,
Another news outsourcing agreement was established in 2003 with CBS affiliate KWCH (then owned by Media General
Media General
Media General, Inc. is a media company based in the Southeastern United States. Its major properties include newspapers such as The Tampa Tribune, the Winston-Salem Journal, and the Richmond Times-Dispatch, as well as numerous television stations, such as flagship station WFLA-TV.The company was...
), resulting in the market's second nightly primetime newscast, which made its debut on January 19, 2004. Known as Fox Kansas Eyewitness News
Eyewitness News
Eyewitness News is a style of news broadcasting used by local television stations in different markets across the United States. It refers to a particular style of television newscast with an emphasis on visual elements and action video...
at 9, the half-hour show originates from a secondary set (designed by FX Group
FX Group
FX Group is a set design, fabrication and lighting design company based in Ocoee, Florida.FX Group has designed and built sets for broadcast programs across the country, mostly in the area of live news...
) at KWCH's facility on East 37th Street North in Northeastern Wichita. In 2005, the newscast received the "Best Large Market
Media market
A media market, broadcast market, media region, designated market area , Television Market Area , or simply market is a region where the population can receive the same television and radio station offerings, and may also include other types of media including newspapers and Internet content...
Newscast in Kansas" award from the Kansas Association of Broadcasters
Kansas Association of Broadcasters
The Kansas Association of Broadcasters is a group supporting broadcasters in Kansas, United States, primarily through lobbying and coordination.-Mission:...
. KWCH continued production of the 9 p.m. newscast despite Schurz Communications' purchase of KSCW
KSCW
KSCW-DT is the CW-affiliated television station for Wichita, Kansas. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on VHF channel 12 or virtual channel 33 through PSIP. The station can also be seen on Cox channel 5 and in high definition on digital channel 2005...
in 2008. KWCH now currently produces a weekday morning newscast for KSCW in addition to the KSAS 9 p.m. broadcast. In October 2008, KWCH became the first station in the market to upgrade its local newscasts to high definition, with the KSAS broadcasts included in the switch; although not initially included in the change, KWCH added HD weather forecast segments in March 2009.
On September 12, 2011, KWCH began producing half-hour newscasts weekdays at 4 and seven nights a week at 9 p.m. on KSCW; the latter newscast directly competes with KWCH's newscast on KSAS, whose news share agreement will expire on December 31. In theory, KWCH could simultaneously broadcast two 9 p.m. newscasts until the expiration of the news share agreement, because KSAS' newscast originates from a secondary set at KWCH's studio facility; however on October 5, 2011, KSAS filed a lawsuit against KWCH in Sedgwick County District Court claiming that in violation of the news share agreement, KWCH began taping the KSAS newscasts in advance, while KWCH is producing its newscast for KSCW as a live telecast; District Judge Jeff Goering signed an order requiring KWCH to restore the live newscast on KSAS while the suit is pending. Two days later, the two stations reached an agreement, ending the suit, and allowing KWCH to produce its newscast for KSAS live until the expiration of its news share agreement with the station, after which the live broadcasts will be moved back over to KSCW. After the outsourced news broadcasts are discontinued, the production of the 9 p.m. newscast will be turned back over to KSNW starting on January 2, 2012. At that point, the newscasts on KSAS will revert to 16:9 enhanced definition widescreen unless KSNW upgrades to full high definition before then.
Newscast titles
- Fox News at Nine (1997–1998; KSNW-produced newscast)
- Fox Kansas Eyewitness NewsEyewitness NewsEyewitness News is a style of news broadcasting used by local television stations in different markets across the United States. It refers to a particular style of television newscast with an emphasis on visual elements and action video...
at Nine (2004–present; KWCH-produced newscast)
Station slogans
- Everybody Loves Fox Kansas (2004–2008)
- Your News. Your Time. (2007–present; newscast slogan)
News team
Anchors- Rebecca Gannon - weeknights at 9 p.m.; also reporter
- Denise Hnytka - weekends at 9 p.m.; also weeknight reporter
Fox Kansas Storm Team
- Merril Teller (member; AMSAmerican Meteorological SocietyThe American Meteorological Society promotes the development and dissemination of information and education on the atmospheric and related oceanic and hydrologic sciences and the advancement of their professional applications. Founded in 1919, the American Meteorological Society has a membership...
) - chief meteorologist; weeknights at 9 p.m. - Ross Janssen (AMS Certified Broadcast MeteorologistCertified Broadcast MeteorologistCertified Broadcast Meteorologist is a rating for meteorologists given by the American Meteorological Society.The Certified Broadcast Meteorologist program was established to raise the professional standard in broadcast meteorology and encourage a broader range of scientific understanding,...
and NWANational Weather AssociationThe National Weather Association is an American professional association with a mission to support and promote excellence in operational meteorology and related activities...
Seals of Approval) - meteorologist; weekends at 9 p.m. - Rodney Price (AMS Certified Broadcast Meteorologist and NWA Seals of Approval) - meteorologist; fill-in
Sports team
- Bruce Haertl - sports directorSports DirectorA sports director is an individual at a television or radio station who is in charge of the sports department. In local news, the sports director is typically the station's primary sportscaster, and often anchors the primetime newscasts on weekdays. They are in charge of sports programming and...
; weeknights at 9 p.m., also heard on KFH-AMKFH (AM)KFH is a sports radio station licensed to Wichita, Kansas. The station is currently owned by Entercom.The station started in March 1922 as WEAH, owned by the Lander Radio Company, and was originally intended to broadcast market reports. It began actual broadcasts on April 1, 1922. On June 23,...
-FMKFH-FMKFH-FM FM is a radio station broadcasting sports format in Wichita, Kansas. The station is licensed to Clearwater, Kansas and is currently owned by Entercom.-History:... - Jenn Bates - sports anchor; weekends at 9 p.m., also sports reporter
- Danilynn Welniak - Dodge City sports reporter
- Heather Williams - Hays sports reporter
Reporters
- Kim Hynes - city and county government reporter
- Karl Man - Salina bureau reporter
- Melody Pettit
- Dave Roberts
- Michael Schwanke - investigative reporter
- Kim Setty - also "Does it Work?" segment producer
- Kara Sewell - education reporter
- Megan Strader - aviation reporter
- Kim Wilhelm - managing editorManaging editorA managing editor is a senior member of a publication's management team.In the United States, a managing editor oversees and coordinates the publication's editorial activities...
and chief investigative reporter