KQTV

St. Joseph, Missouri
Branding	KQ2 (general) KQ2 News (news)
Slogan	That's My Station (general) Your Hometown News (news)
Channels	Digital: 7 (VHF) Virtual: 2 (PSIP)
Subchannels	2.1 ABC
Owner	Nexstar Broadcasting Group (Nexstar Broadcasting, Inc.)
First air date	September 27, 1953[1]
Call letters' meaning	KFEQ-TV (reflecting former call letters)
Former callsigns	KFEQ-TV (1953-1969)
Former channel number(s)	Analog: 2 (VHF; 1953-2009) Digital: 53 (UHF; 2003-2009)
Former affiliations	Primary: CBS (1953-1967) Secondary: ABC (1956-1957) DuMont (1953-1955)
Transmitter power	40 kW (digital)
Height	179 m (digital)
Facility ID	20427
Transmitter coordinates	39°46′12″N 94°47′53.4″W / 39.77°N 94.798167°W / 39.77; -94.798167
Website	www.stjoechannel.com

  Studios and tower

KQTV is the ABC-affiliated television station for northwestern Missouri and northeastern Kansas that is licensed to Saint Joseph. Owned by the Nexstar Broadcasting Group, it broadcasts a high definition digital signal on VHF channel 7 (or virtual channel 2.1 via PSIP) from a transmitter located at its studios near the intersection of Faraon Street and Woodbine Road on the east side of Saint Joseph. This station can also be seen on Suddenlink channel 10 in and in high definition on digital channel 610.

Syndicated programming featured on this station includes Live! with Kelly, Dr. Phil, Jeopardy!, Wheel of Fortune and Friends. KQTV runs the entire ABC network schedule, with the exception of overnight news program World News Now, as it is one of the few remaining American television stations that continues to sign off during the overnight hours, it does so nightly from 1:35 to 5 a.m.

Although KQTV serves as the primary ABC affiliate for the Saint Joseph market, the network's Kansas City affiliate KMBC-TV is considered an alternate ABC affiliate for the area as its transmitter provides a city-grade off-air signal in Saint Joseph proper, and it is available carried KQTV on cable and satellite in the area (available on Suddenlink channel 9 and in high definition on digital channel 609). It was the only local commercial television station serving Saint Joseph until Fox affiliate KNPN-LD signed on the air on June 2, 2012.

  Digital television

KQTV began broadcasting its digital signal at 1000 kW on channel 53. However, since the high UHF band was located on a band of UHF which was due to be removed from the broadcast spectrum, it seemed likely that KQTV would return its digital signal to channel 2. However, low-band VHF signals are more prone to interference from atmospheric conditions than higher channel numbers. For this reason, KQTV switched to channel 7 that was vacated by KMBC-TV on February 18, 2009.

  History

This section requires expansion with: further information on the history of KQTV. (May 2012)

KQTV was founded in 1953 as KFEQ-TV. It was owned by local businessman Barton Pitts along with KFEQ radio. The station began as a primary CBS affiliate, and also carried programming from the DuMont Television Network. Shortly after DuMont shut down, the station picked up a secondary affiliation with ABC. It became a sole ABC affiliate in 1967. During the late 1950s, the station was also briefly affiliated with the NTA Film Network.^[2]

  KQTV logo, used from 2000 to 2009.

Its landmark lattice steel transmission tower which also opened in 1953 is 750 feet (228.6 m) high and is often compared to the 1,042 foot (317.6 m) KCTV tower in Kansas City. Both towers were built at the same time and both stations began broadcasting on September 27, 1953. In the conversion to digital, its tower was truncated to 587 feet (179 m) on January 19, 2009.

Pitts sold KFEQ-AM-TV to a group headed by Bing Crosby in 1955. The Bradley family bought the stations in 1957. Panax Corporation bought the stations in 1963. The calls were changed to KQTV in 1969, after the two stations were sold off to separate owners.

Since 1990, the station has periodically used the marketing slogan "KQ2: That's My Station!" Nexstar acquired the station in April 1997.

  Market status

St. Joseph ranks 201st out of 210 media markets ranked by Nielsen Media Research; it serves several rural parts of northeastern Kansas and northwestern Missouri. However during the analog era, KQTV provided at least grade B coverage to much of Kansas City and Topeka. The channel 2 signal traveled a very long distance under normal conditions; however its digital signal still has considerable penetration in Kansas City and Topeka.

Two other stations are licensed to St. Joseph: TBN partner station KTAJ-TV (channel 16), which primarily serves as the de facto TBN station for the Kansas City market and Fox affiliate KNPN-LD, which serves as the television flagship of St. Joseph News-Press owner News-Press & Gazette Company and carries CW and Telemundo programming and a simulcast of local news and weather channel News-Press 3 NOW on three separate digital subchannels. A second license is also assigned to NPG, under the callsign K16KF-D, though its launch date and network affiliation is unknown.^[3][4][5]

Stations from Kansas City, Topeka and Omaha serve portions of the St. Joseph market over-the-air and are also available on some cable and satellite providers: Suddenlink, DirecTV and Dish Network carry Kansas City's KCTV and KSHB-TV as the area's respective default affiliates of CBS and NBC; The CW is covered by Suddenlink-operated CW Plus affiliate "WBJO", while Omaha's KXVO is the default CW affiliate for area DirecTV subscribers. Kansas City's WDAF-TV will continue to serve as The Fox affiliate for DirecTV until June 30, 2012 when KNPN will become the Fox affiliate on DirecTV. KNPN is already seen on Suddenlink and Dish Network.

  News operation

KQTV broadcasts a total of 16 hours of local news per week (with three hours on weekdays, and 30 minutes each on Saturdays and Sundays); unlike most ABC affiliates in the Central time zone, it does not carry a midday newscast or a full two-hour long morning newscast on weekdays, or an early evening newscast on weekends. The station has a high turnover of broadcaster personnel, with most going on to bigger markets. Gordie Hershiser, brother of former Cy Young Award winner Orel Hershiser, was a sportscaster at this station; he followed longtime sports director John Baccala.

On August 24, 2007 KQTV marked long-time meteorologist Mike Bracciano's twentieth anniversary with the station. Current and former station personnel paid tribute to Bracciano during an hour-long broadcast originating from East Hills Mall. Among those appearing in person or via taped message were former news anchors John Bassford and Nancy Lewis and former sports director John Baccala. Lewis and Bracciano were the original hosts of the station's "Live at Five" which premiered in the early 1990s.

  News/station presentation

  Newscast titles

• KFEQ-TV News (1953–1962)
• The Midland Empire Report (6 p.m. newscast)/News Final (10 p.m. newscast; 1963–1972)
• KQ2 Newswatch (1972–1988)
• NewsTeam 2 (1988–1994)
• KQ2 News (1994–2000 and 2009–present)
• KQ2, Your Hometown News (2000–2009)

  Station slogans

• "Your Hometown News" (2000–2009; news slogan)
• "That's My Station" (2008–present; general slogan)

This film, television or video-related list is incomplete; you can help by expanding it with reliably sourced additions.

  On-air staff

  Current on-air staff^[6]

Anchors

• Bridget Blevins - weeknights at 5 and 6 p.m.
• Robert Lowrey - weeknights at 5, 6 and 10 p.m.; also reporter
• Bob Cervera - weekday mornings Hometown This Morning (5:30-7 a.m.)
• Samantha Frontera - weekday mornings Hometown This Morning (5:30-7 a.m.); also producer
• Safiya Songhai - weekends at 10 p.m.; also reporter

Weather team

• Mike Bracciano - chief mteorologist; weeknights at 5, 6 and 10 p.m.
• William Seay - meteorologist; weekday mornings Hometown This Morning (5:30-7 a.m.); also reporter
• Lauren Rauth - weather anchor; weekends at 10 p.m., also assignment editor

Sports team

• Lance Snow - sports director; weeknights at 6 and 10 p.m.
• Matt Tritten - sports anchor; weekends at 10 p.m.

Reporters

• Melinda Barrett - general assignment reporter
• Alex Hassel - multimedia journalist
• Sarah Hatten - general assignment reporter

  References

TV Guide 1970-1972

  External links

• StJoeChannel.com (Official Website)
• Query the FCC's TV station database for KQTV
• BIAfn's Media Web Database -- Information on KQTV-TV