KWCH-TV
Encyclopedia
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 (virtual channel 12) from a transmitter in Colwich
. The station can be seen on Cox
cable channel 12 and in high definition on digital channel 2012. Owned by Schurz Communications
of South Bend, Indiana
, KWCH is sister to The CW Television Network
affiliate KSCW
and Univision
/TeleFutura
affiliate KDCU-DT
(the latter owned by Entravision Communications
but operated by Schurz through a joint sales agreement
).
KWCH-DT also serves as the flagship of the Kansas Broadcasting System, a statewide network
of four full-power stations relaying CBS network programming across central and western Kansas. The two stations share studios on East 37th Street North in Wichita, which also houses the master controls for KDCU. Syndicated
programming on KWCH includes: Inside Edition
, The Ellen DeGeneres Show
, and Dr. Phil
.
On its second digital subchannel, there is a 24-hour local weather channel known as "Always On Storm Team 12". The doppler weather radar
and regional forecasts are displayed in the top right-hand corner, city and town forecasts across the state are on the bottom of the screen, and a second doppler radar constantly showing is in the top left-hand corner. When applicable, weather closings are displayed on the bottom of the screen below the city forecasts. The weather channel can also seen on Cox digital cable channel 675 and online through live streaming video.
digital stations granted a power increase later that month after stations experienced signal problems as a result of changing their digital channel from UHF
to VHF. Since reception problems continue, the FCC granted KWCH special permission to switch transmitting facilities with KSCW-DT. On September 29, 2009, KWCH-DT moved its digital signal back to channel 19 (their pre-transition UHF channel) and moved its sister station KSCW-DT to VHF channel 12.
of three full-power stations covering Central and Western Kansas. The KBS network is the only commercial statewide relay network in the 70-county Wichita-Hutchinson Plus television market whose repeaters consist entirely of full-power satellite stations and one radio staion until 2009, KBSD-FM repeating KBSD-DT(repeaters of KSNW
's Kansas State Network, KSAS-TV
's Fox Kansas network and KAKE
's KAKEland Television Network consist of both full-power satellite and low-power translator stations).
A special feed of KWCH-DT with local news, weather, and commercials is broadcast on Cox cable systems in Salina
with the ability to locally insert news, weather, and commercials. All satellite stations shut down their analog signal on June 12, 2009, except for KBSH which shut down on February 17, 2009. In the 1970s, KWCH operated a translator in Arkansas City
on channel 70.
which operated a transmitter in Overland Park
for less than a year in 1953 and 1954. That station went on the air in June 1953 just prior to KTVH's sign-on. Channel 12 broadcasted from studios in Hutchinson and carried programming from all four networks of the time (CBS, NBC
, ABC
, and DuMont
). In 1954, it lost NBC when KAKE-TV
signed on but continued to air some ABC programming until KARD-TV (now KSNW
) signed on in 1955 and took over the NBC affiliation. The first NBC affiliate in Wichita was with KEDD-TV which operated as an independent station
for a short time before shutting down after losing its network affiliation to KAKE.b Also in 1954, KTVH opened satellite studios on 37th Street North in Wichita.
In 1955, the station was bought by Cowles Communications of Des Moines, Iowa
. In 1956, the station boosted its signal to cover all of the Wichita metropolitan area. It also moved its main studios to the KEDD facility, where it is today, though it still identifies itself as serving "Hutchinson / Wichita". The power boost brought CBS color programming to Wichita for the first time. KEDD did not have the capability to broadcast in color. In 1962, the Federal Communications Commission
(FCC) ruled that central and western Kansas were part of the Wichita market. As a result, Cowles bought KTVC in Dodge City (now KBSD-DT), KAYS-TV in Hays (now KBSH-DT), and KLOE-TV in Goodland (now KBSL-DT) and merged them into the Kansas Broadcasting System with KTVH as the flagship station.
In 1963, channel 12 activated its current tower north of Burrton just east of Hutchinson which is the tallest in the state. Combined with its three satellites, it boosted channel 12's signal to cover almost two-thirds of Kansas. In 1983, the Cowles family began selling off its vast media holdings. KTVH and its sister stations were sold to the Kansas Broadcasting System Corporation owned by a pair of businessmen from Hays, Ross Beach and Bob Schmidt. They changed the call letters to the current KWCH-TV.
In 1989, the Kansas Broadcasting System Corporation was purchased by Smith Broadcasting which included, as an owner, longtime Wichita television executive Sandy DiPasquale
(now the CEO of Newport Television
). Smith sold the station to Spartan Communications of Spartanburg, South Carolina
in 1994. Spartan merged with Media General
in 2000. Until late-1999, all shows produced by King World
aired on KWCH. Since then, Jeopardy!
and Wheel of Fortune have moved from channel 12 to KSNW. In 2005, KWCH received the "Large Market
Television Station of the Year" award from the Kansas Association of Broadcasters
. On April 6, 2006, Media General announced that it would sell KWCH and its satellites (which all count as one station) and four other stations as a result of its purchase of four former NBC owned-and-operated-stations. Schurz eventually emerged as the winner and took over on September 25, at which time Schurz formed a new company known as "Sunflower Broadcasting, Inc." which became the licensee for its Kansas broadcasting properties. However, KWCH still uses the same logo from the Media General era. In July 2007, KSCW became a sister station to KWCH after Schurz bought the station. On February 17, 2009,, the station became digital exclusive and moved back to channel 12. On June 24, 2009, KWCH-TV and satellites KBSL-TV and KSBH-TV replaced "-TV" in their callsigns with "-DT". KBSD-TV did so on June 25, 2009.
In the spring of 2010, Schurz entered into a long-term website management agreement with the Tribune Company
's Tribune Interactive division. Schurz's Kansas properties were the first to launch new Tribune-run websites in late June 2010.
. In the May 2007 ratings period, its newscasts attracted more viewers than KAKE and KSNW combined. KBSH in Hays provided daily news coverage from its Hall Street studios through much of the late 1980s and 1990s. The full daily newscast continued until the late-1990s when new ownership brought consolidation to the Kansas Broadcasting System. KBSH's evening newscasts were reduced to a short insert that aired during the main newscasts on KWCH in Wichita. In 2001, these news inserts came to an end. The two reporter / photographers stationed at KBSH began sending their stories to Wichita to be incorporated into the Eyewitness News
programs seen simultaneously in Wichita, Hays, Goodland, Dodge City, and Ensign. Today, KBSH maintains a full time anchor / reporter at a news bureau in the same location in Hays that it has occupied since the beginning.
There is also a Salina Bureau that provides a short news and weather insert during the main broadcasts and online. It is identified as "KWCH 12 Eyewitness News Salina". KBSD in Dodge City produced a full local newscast for many years in addition to carry the newscasts from KWCH. More recently, this station has been downsized to contribution reports to the Wichita newscasts and web content supplied through KWCH's website. In October 2008, the station became the first in the market to broadcast their local news in high definition. In order to make the change, KWCH upgraded their studios. The KSAS and KSCW broadcasts were included in the switch. Its weather segments upgraded to high definition level in March 2009, also a first in the market.
KWCH produces a nightly 9 p.m. newscast for Fox
affiliate KSAS-TV
called Fox Kansas Eyewitness News at 9. On weekday mornings at 7, KWCH also produces a two-hour long newscast for KSCW
called Eyewitness News This Morning on Kansas CW. KWCH continued production of the KSAS 9 p.m. newscast despite Schurz Communications' purchase of KSCW in 2008. In addition, KWCH also produces a weeknightly Spanish-language 10 p.m. newscast for Univision
affiliate KDCU-DT
; as a result, KWCH has the unusual distinction of being the only station in the United States to produce newscasts for more than one other station in the same market in addition to its own newscasts. 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 9 p.m. newscast that KWCH produces for KSAS will continue through the end of 2011, with KSAS and KSCW carrying simultaneous KWCH-produced primetime newscasts in the intervening months.During weather segments, the station uses live NOAA National Weather Service
radar data from sites located in Goodland, Dodge City, Wichita, and central Wabaunsee County
. This radar data is known on-air as "Live Storm Team 12 High Definition Super Doppler Radar" or as it is commonly referred to as "HD Super Doppler".
Storm Team 12
Sports team
Reporters
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...
-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...
that is licensed to Hutchinson
Hutchinson, Kansas
Hutchinson is the largest city in and the county seat of Reno County, Kansas, United States, northwest of Wichita, on the Arkansas River. It has been home to salt mines since 1887, thus its nickname of "Salt City", but locals call it "Hutch"...
. 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 19 (virtual channel 12) 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 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...
cable channel 12 and in high definition on digital channel 2012. Owned by Schurz Communications
Schurz Communications
Schurz Communications is a South Bend, Indiana-based radio, television, cable tv and newspaper media group.-Cable Television Systems:*Antietam Cable, Hagerstown, Maryland *Advanced Cable Communications, Coral Springs, Florida...
of South Bend, Indiana
South Bend, Indiana
The city of South Bend is the county seat of St. Joseph County, Indiana, United States, on the St. Joseph River near its southernmost bend, from which it derives its name. As of the 2010 Census, the city had a total of 101,168 residents; its Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 316,663...
, KWCH is sister to The CW Television Network
The CW Television Network
The CW Television Network is a television network in the United States launched at the beginning of the 2006–2007 television season. It is a joint venture between CBS Corporation, the former owners of United Paramount Network , and Time Warner's Warner Bros., former majority owner of The WB...
affiliate 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...
and Univision
Univision
Univision is a Spanish-language television network in the United States. It has the largest audience of Spanish language television viewers according to Nielsen ratings. Randy Falco, COO, has been in charge of the company since the departure of Univision Communications president and CEO Joe Uva...
/TeleFutura
TeleFutura
TeleFutura is a U.S. Spanish-language broadcast television network owned by Univision with headquarters in Miami, Florida.-Overview:TeleFutura Is America’s #2 Spanish-Language Network in prime time...
affiliate KDCU-DT
KDCU-DT
KDCU-DT is a digital TV station in Wichita, Kansas. The station, which signed on August 20, 2009, is owned by Entravision Communications Corporation. It is an affiliate of the Univision network, making it the first full-power Spanish-language television station in Kansas...
(the latter owned by Entravision Communications
Entravision Communications
Entravision Communications Corporation is a media company based in Santa Monica, California. Entravision primarily caters to the Spanish-speaking Hispanic community and owns television and radio stations and outdoor media, in several of the top Hispanic markets. They are the largest affiliate...
but operated by Schurz through a joint sales 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...
).
KWCH-DT also serves as the flagship of the Kansas Broadcasting System, a statewide network
State 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 four full-power stations relaying CBS network programming across central and western Kansas. The two stations share studios on East 37th Street North in Wichita, which also houses the master controls for KDCU. 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 KWCH includes: Inside Edition
Inside Edition
Inside Edition is a thirty-minute American television syndicated news program, first aired on CBS on October 9, 1988. It was originally similar to the programs Hard Copy and A Current Affair, but now more closely resembles a condensed version of breakfast television, exclusively with pre-recorded...
, The Ellen DeGeneres Show
The Ellen DeGeneres Show
The Ellen DeGeneres Show, often shortened to Ellen, is an American television talk show hosted by comedian/actress Ellen DeGeneres. Debuting on September 8, 2003, it is produced by Telepictures and airs in syndication, including stations owned by NBC Universal. For its first five seasons, the show...
, and Dr. Phil
Dr. Phil (TV series)
Dr. Phil is a reality/talk television show hosted by Phil McGraw. After McGraw's success with his segments on The Oprah Winfrey Show, Dr. Phil debuted on September 16, 2002...
.
KWCH-DT
KWCH-DT broadcasts on digital channel 19.| 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,... |
Programming |
|---|---|---|---|
| 12.1 | 1080i 1080i 1080i is the shorthand name for a high-definition television mode. The i means interlaced video; 1080i differs from 1080p, in which the p stands for progressive scan. The term 1080i assumes a widescreen aspect ratio of 16:9, implying a frame size of 1920×1080 pixels... |
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 ... |
Main KWCH programming / CBS HD |
| 12.2 | 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 | Always On Storm Team 12; local weather information |
On its second digital subchannel, there is a 24-hour local weather channel known as "Always On Storm Team 12". The doppler weather radar
Weather radar
Weather radar, also called weather surveillance radar and Doppler weather radar, is a type of radar used to locate precipitation, calculate its motion, estimate its type . Modern weather radars are mostly pulse-Doppler radars, capable of detecting the motion of rain droplets in addition to the...
and regional forecasts are displayed in the top right-hand corner, city and town forecasts across the state are on the bottom of the screen, and a second doppler radar constantly showing is in the top left-hand corner. When applicable, weather closings are displayed on the bottom of the screen below the city forecasts. The weather channel can also seen on Cox digital cable channel 675 and online through live streaming video.
Analog-to-digital conversion
On June 12, 2009, KWCH abandoned its previous pre-transition digital assignment of channel 19, and moved its digital signal to its former analog channel 12. However, digital television receivers would continue to display KWCH's virtual digital channel as 12. After the June 12, 2009 transition, KWCH was one of four VHFVery high frequency
Very high frequency is the radio frequency range from 30 MHz to 300 MHz. Frequencies immediately below VHF are denoted High frequency , and the next higher frequencies are known as Ultra high frequency...
digital stations granted a power increase later that month after stations experienced signal problems as a result of changing their digital channel from UHF
Ultra high frequency
Ultra-High Frequency designates the ITU Radio frequency range of electromagnetic waves between 300 MHz and 3 GHz , also known as the decimetre band or decimetre wave as the wavelengths range from one to ten decimetres...
to VHF. Since reception problems continue, the FCC granted KWCH special permission to switch transmitting facilities with KSCW-DT. On September 29, 2009, KWCH-DT moved its digital signal back to channel 19 (their pre-transition UHF channel) and moved its sister station KSCW-DT to VHF channel 12.
Kansas Broadcasting System
KWCH 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 three full-power stations covering Central and Western Kansas. The KBS network is the only commercial statewide relay network in the 70-county Wichita-Hutchinson Plus television market whose repeaters consist entirely of full-power satellite stations and one radio staion until 2009, KBSD-FM repeating KBSD-DT(repeaters of 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...
's Kansas State Network, KSAS-TV
KSAS-TV
KSAS-TV is the Fox-affiliated television station for Wichita, Kansas. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on UHF channel 26 from a transmitter in Colwich. The station can also be seen on Cox channel 4 and in high definition on digital channel 2004...
's Fox Kansas network and KAKE
Kake
Kake may refer to:* Kake, Alaska* Kake, Ethiopia* Kake, Hiroshima* Kake, a character created by Tom of Finland* Kake , the actual execution of a technique* KAKE-TV, channel 10 serving Wichita, Kansas...
's KAKEland Television Network consist of both full-power satellite and low-power translator stations).
A special feed of KWCH-DT with local news, weather, and commercials is broadcast on Cox cable systems in 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...
with the ability to locally insert news, weather, and commercials. All satellite stations shut down their analog signal on June 12, 2009, except for KBSH which shut down on February 17, 2009. In the 1970s, KWCH operated a translator in Arkansas City
Arkansas City, Kansas
Arkansas City is a city situated at the confluence of the Arkansas and Walnut rivers in the southwestern part of Cowley County, located in south-central Kansas, in the central United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 12,415....
on channel 70.
| Station | Locations served | 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... (Analog Analog television Analog television is the analog transmission that involves the broadcasting of encoded analog audio and analog video signal: one in which the message conveyed by the broadcast signal is a function of deliberate variations in the amplitude and/or frequency of the signal... / Digital Digital terrestrial television Digital terrestrial television is the technological evolution of broadcast television and advance from analog television, which broadcasts land-based signals... ) |
First air date | Fourth letter meaning Call sign In broadcasting and radio communications, a call sign is a unique designation for a transmitting station. In North America they are used as names for broadcasting stations... |
Former callsigns Call sign In broadcasting and radio communications, a call sign is a unique designation for a transmitting station. In North America they are used as names for broadcasting stations... |
Former affiliations Affiliate An affiliate is a commercial entity with a relationship with a peer or a larger entity.- Corporate structure :A corporation may be referred to as an affiliate of another when it is related to it but not strictly controlled by it, as with a subsidiary relationship, or when it is desired to avoid... |
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... (Digital) |
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... (Digital) |
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 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| KBSD-DT | Ensign Ensign, Kansas Ensign is a city in Gray County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 187.-Geography:Ensign is located at . According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , all of it land.... /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... /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... |
6 (VHF Very high frequency Very high frequency is the radio frequency range from 30 MHz to 300 MHz. Frequencies immediately below VHF are denoted High frequency , and the next higher frequencies are known as Ultra high frequency... ) |
July 24, 1957 1957 in television The year 1957 in television involved some significant events.Below is a list of television-related events in 1957.-Events:*January 6 – Elvis Presley makes final appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show.... |
Dodge City | KTVC (1957-1989) | KBSD-TV (1989-2009) | none | 31 kW | 219 m | 66414 | 37°38′28.3"N 100°20′40.8"W |
| KBSH-DT | 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... /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:... /Salina |
7 (VHF) | September 2, 1958 1958 in television The year 1958 in television involved some significant events.Below is a list of television-related events in 1958.-Events:*January 14 – TWW, the first ITV franchise for South Wales and West of England, went on the air.... |
Hays | KAYS-TV (1958-1989) | KBSH-TV (1989-2009) | ABC American Broadcasting Company The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948... (secondary) |
38.8 kW | 216 m | 66415 | 38°53′0.9"N 99°20′15.7"W |
| KBSL-DT | Goodland Goodland, Kansas Goodland is a city in and the county seat of Sherman County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 4,489.-History:... |
10 (VHF) | April 26, 1959 1959 in television The year 1959 in television involved some significant events.Below is a list of television-related events in 1959:For the American TV schedule, see: 1959-60 American network television schedule.-Events:... |
GoodLand | KLOE-TV (1959-1989) | KBSL-TV (1989-2009) | none | 89.6 kW | 299 m | 66416 | 39°28′9.7"N 101°33′20.8"W |
History
Channel 12 debuted July 1, 1953 as KTVH. It is Kansas' oldest surviving station. The first station to sign on in Kansas was KCTYKCTY (defunct)
KCTY operated on channel 25 in the Kansas City market from June 9, 1953 to February 28, 1954. The studio for channel 25 was located in the Pickwick Hotel in downtown Kansas City, Missouri but the transmitter was located in a rural area of Overland Park, Kansas.The station was the second...
which operated a transmitter in Overland Park
Overland Park, Kansas
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 149,080 people, 59,703 households, and 39,702 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,627.0 people per square mile . There were 62,586 housing units at an average density of 1,102.9 per square mile...
for less than a year in 1953 and 1954. That station went on the air in June 1953 just prior to KTVH's sign-on. Channel 12 broadcasted from studios in Hutchinson and carried programming from all four networks of the time (CBS, NBC
NBC
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...
, ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
, and DuMont
DuMont Television Network
The DuMont Television Network, also known as the DuMont Network, DuMont, Du Mont, or Dumont was one of the world's pioneer commercial television networks, rivalling NBC for the distinction of being first overall. It began operation in the United States in 1946. It was owned by DuMont...
). In 1954, it lost NBC when KAKE-TV
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...
signed on but continued to air some ABC programming until KARD-TV (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 and took over the NBC affiliation. The first NBC affiliate in Wichita was with KEDD-TV which operated as an independent station
Independent 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....
for a short time before shutting down after losing its network affiliation to KAKE.b Also in 1954, KTVH opened satellite studios on 37th Street North in Wichita.
In 1955, the station was bought by Cowles Communications of Des Moines, Iowa
Des Moines, Iowa
Des Moines is the capital and the most populous city in the US state of Iowa. It is also the county seat of Polk County. A small portion of the city extends into Warren County. It was incorporated on September 22, 1851, as Fort Des Moines which was shortened to "Des Moines" in 1857...
. In 1956, the station boosted its signal to cover all of the Wichita metropolitan area. It also moved its main studios to the KEDD facility, where it is today, though it still identifies itself as serving "Hutchinson / Wichita". The power boost brought CBS color programming to Wichita for the first time. KEDD did not have the capability to broadcast in color. In 1962, 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) ruled that central and western Kansas were part of the Wichita market. As a result, Cowles bought KTVC in Dodge City (now KBSD-DT), KAYS-TV in Hays (now KBSH-DT), and KLOE-TV in Goodland (now KBSL-DT) and merged them into the Kansas Broadcasting System with KTVH as the flagship station.
In 1963, channel 12 activated its current tower north of Burrton just east of Hutchinson which is the tallest in the state. Combined with its three satellites, it boosted channel 12's signal to cover almost two-thirds of Kansas. In 1983, the Cowles family began selling off its vast media holdings. KTVH and its sister stations were sold to the Kansas Broadcasting System Corporation owned by a pair of businessmen from Hays, Ross Beach and Bob Schmidt. They changed the call letters to the current KWCH-TV.
In 1989, the Kansas Broadcasting System Corporation was purchased by Smith Broadcasting which included, as an owner, longtime Wichita television executive 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,...
(now the CEO of 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...
). Smith sold the station to Spartan Communications of Spartanburg, South Carolina
Spartanburg, South Carolina
thgSpartanburg is the largest city in and the county seat of Spartanburg County, South Carolina, United States. It is the second-largest city of the three primary cities in the Upstate region of South Carolina, and is located northwest of Columbia, west of Charlotte, and about northeast of...
in 1994. Spartan merged with 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...
in 2000. Until late-1999, all shows produced by King World
King World Productions
King World Productions, Inc. was a production company and a syndicator of television programming in the United States until its eventual 2007 incorporation into CBS Television Distribution...
aired on KWCH. Since then, Jeopardy!
Jeopardy!
Griffin's first conception of the game used a board comprising ten categories with ten clues each, but after finding that this board could not be shown on camera easily, he reduced it to two rounds of thirty clues each, with five clues in each of six categories...
and Wheel of Fortune have moved from channel 12 to KSNW. In 2005, KWCH received the "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...
Television Station of the Year" 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:...
. On April 6, 2006, Media General announced that it would sell KWCH and its satellites (which all count as one station) and four other stations as a result of its purchase of four former NBC owned-and-operated-stations. Schurz eventually emerged as the winner and took over on September 25, at which time Schurz formed a new company known as "Sunflower Broadcasting, Inc." which became the licensee for its Kansas broadcasting properties. However, KWCH still uses the same logo from the Media General era. In July 2007, KSCW became a sister station to KWCH after Schurz bought the station. On February 17, 2009,, the station became digital exclusive and moved back to channel 12. On June 24, 2009, KWCH-TV and satellites KBSL-TV and KSBH-TV replaced "-TV" in their callsigns with "-DT". KBSD-TV did so on June 25, 2009.
In the spring of 2010, Schurz entered into a long-term website management agreement with the Tribune Company
Tribune Company
The Tribune Company is a large American multimedia corporation based in Chicago, Illinois. It is the nation's second-largest newspaper publisher, with ten daily newspapers and commuter tabloids including Chicago Tribune, Los Angeles Times, Hartford Courant, Orlando Sentinel, South Florida...
's Tribune Interactive division. Schurz's Kansas properties were the first to launch new Tribune-run websites in late June 2010.
News operation
Since 1985, KWCH has led the news ratings in the Wichita marketMedia 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...
. In the May 2007 ratings period, its newscasts attracted more viewers than KAKE and KSNW combined. KBSH in Hays provided daily news coverage from its Hall Street studios through much of the late 1980s and 1990s. The full daily newscast continued until the late-1990s when new ownership brought consolidation to the Kansas Broadcasting System. KBSH's evening newscasts were reduced to a short insert that aired during the main newscasts on KWCH in Wichita. In 2001, these news inserts came to an end. The two reporter / photographers stationed at KBSH began sending their stories to Wichita to be incorporated into the 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...
programs seen simultaneously in Wichita, Hays, Goodland, Dodge City, and Ensign. Today, KBSH maintains a full time anchor / reporter at a news bureau in the same location in Hays that it has occupied since the beginning.
There is also a Salina Bureau that provides a short news and weather insert during the main broadcasts and online. It is identified as "KWCH 12 Eyewitness News Salina". KBSD in Dodge City produced a full local newscast for many years in addition to carry the newscasts from KWCH. More recently, this station has been downsized to contribution reports to the Wichita newscasts and web content supplied through KWCH's website. In October 2008, the station became the first in the market to broadcast their local news in high definition. In order to make the change, KWCH upgraded their studios. The KSAS and KSCW broadcasts were included in the switch. Its weather segments upgraded to high definition level in March 2009, also a first in the market.
KWCH produces a nightly 9 p.m. newscast for Fox
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...
affiliate KSAS-TV
KSAS-TV
KSAS-TV is the Fox-affiliated television station for Wichita, Kansas. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on UHF channel 26 from a transmitter in Colwich. The station can also be seen on Cox channel 4 and in high definition on digital channel 2004...
called Fox Kansas Eyewitness News at 9. On weekday mornings at 7, KWCH also produces a two-hour long newscast for 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...
called Eyewitness News This Morning on Kansas CW. KWCH continued production of the KSAS 9 p.m. newscast despite Schurz Communications' purchase of KSCW in 2008. In addition, KWCH also produces a weeknightly Spanish-language 10 p.m. newscast for Univision
Univision
Univision is a Spanish-language television network in the United States. It has the largest audience of Spanish language television viewers according to Nielsen ratings. Randy Falco, COO, has been in charge of the company since the departure of Univision Communications president and CEO Joe Uva...
affiliate KDCU-DT
KDCU-DT
KDCU-DT is a digital TV station in Wichita, Kansas. The station, which signed on August 20, 2009, is owned by Entravision Communications Corporation. It is an affiliate of the Univision network, making it the first full-power Spanish-language television station in Kansas...
; as a result, KWCH has the unusual distinction of being the only station in the United States to produce newscasts for more than one other station in the same market in addition to its own newscasts. 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 9 p.m. newscast that KWCH produces for KSAS will continue through the end of 2011, with KSAS and KSCW carrying simultaneous KWCH-produced primetime newscasts in the intervening months.During weather segments, the station uses live NOAA National Weather Service
National Weather Service
The National Weather Service , once known as the Weather Bureau, is one of the six scientific agencies that make up the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration of the United States government...
radar data from sites located in Goodland, Dodge City, Wichita, and central Wabaunsee County
Wabaunsee County, Kansas
Wabaunsee County is a county located in the U.S. state of Kansas. As of the 2010 census, the county population was 7,053. Its county seat is Alma. It is part of the Topeka, Kansas Metropolitan Statistical Area...
. This radar data is known on-air as "Live Storm Team 12 High Definition Super Doppler Radar" or as it is commonly referred to as "HD Super Doppler".
Newscast titles
- 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...
(1969–1976) - The News (1976–1980)
- News 12 (1980–1983)
- 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...
(1983–1995) - Channel 12 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...
(1995–2001) - KWCH 12 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...
(2001–present) - KWCH 12 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...
HD (2009–present)
Station slogans
- The Look of a Leader (Late 1980s-Early 1990s)
- Kansas' #1 News Source (1995–2001)
- Coverage You Can Count On/People You Can Count On (2001–2009)
- Expect More (2009–present)
Current on-air staff (as of August 2011)
Anchors- Roger Cornish - weeknights at 6, 9 (on KSCW) and 10 p.m.
- Brian Heap - weekday mornings; also investigative reporter
- Denise Hnytka - Saturdays at 6, Sundays at 5:30 and weekends at 10 p.m.; also weeknight reporter
- Cindy Klose - weekdays at 4 p.m. (on KSCW) and weeknights at 5, 6 and 10 p.m.; also reporter
- Felicia Rolfe - weekday mornings
- Michael Schwanke - weeknights at 5 p.m.; also 6 and 10 p.m. reporter
- Kim Setty - weekdays at noon; also "Does It Work?" segment producer
- Kara Sewell - Saturday mornings; also weekday reporter
Storm Team 12
- 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 5, 6 and 10 p.m.; also weekdays at 4 p.m. (on KSCW) and weeknights at 9 p.m. (on KSAS and KSCW) - 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; Saturday mornings and 6 p.m., Sundays at 5:30 and weekends at 10 p.m. - Mark Larson (AMS Seal of Approval) - meteorologist; weekday mornings
- Rodney Price (AMS and NWA Seals of Approval) - meteorologist; fill-in
Sports team
- Bruce Haertl - sports director; weeknights at 6, 9 (on KSAS and KSCW) and 10 p.m.
- Jenn Bates - sports anchor; Saturday mornings and 6 p.m., Sundays at 5:30 and weekends at 10 p.m., also sports reporter
- Grant Meech - sports reporter
- Danilynn Welniak - KBSD sports reporter
- Heather Williams - KBSH sports reporter
Reporters
- Kim Hynes - general assignment reporter
- Karl Man - KBSH reporter
- Melody Pettit - KBSH general assignment and sports reporter
- Dave Roberts - general assignment reporter
- Megan Strader - general assignment reporter
- Kim Wilhelm - general assignment reporter
Past on-air staff
- David BloomDavid BloomDavid Bloom was an NBC journalist until his sudden death in 2003 at the age of 39 from deep vein thrombosis...
- reporter (1988–1989; deceased) - Cheryl BurtonCheryl BurtonCheryl Burton is a news anchor at WLS-TV in Chicago. She anchors the station's 5 p.m. newscast alongside Ron Magers and is a contributor on the 10 p.m. newscast.-Education and Personal Life:...
- anchor (now at WLS-TVWLS-TVWLS-TV, virtual channel 7, is an owned-and-operated television station of the Walt Disney Company-owned American Broadcasting Company, located in Chicago, Illinois, USA. The station operates their full power digital operations on UHF channel 44, with their digital fill-in translator on VHF channel...
in Chicago) - Shon GablesShon GablesShon Gables is the host of Black Enterprise Business Report.With more than 13 years in broadcast journalism, Shon Gables brings credibility and experience to her role as host of Black Enterprise Magazine’s new nationally syndicated program Black Enterprise Business Report...
- anchor/reporter (now at WFAA in Dallas-Fort Worth) - Susan PetersSusan Peters (TV anchor)Susan Peters is a main anchor on KAKE-TV, the ABC affiliate in Wichita, Kansas.Susan graduated from Western Illinois University with a B.A. in Communications.-Career history:...
- anchor (1983–1991; now at KAKE-TVKAKE-TVKAKE, channel 10, is an ABC-affiliated television station based in Wichita, Kansas. The station is owned by Atlanta, Georgia-based Gray Television...
)