KTKA-TV
Encyclopedia
KTKA-TV, channel 49, is the ABC
-affiliated television station
in Topeka, Kansas
. Owned by PBC Broadcasting, the station is operated by New Vision Television
though a shared services
agreement with NBC
affiliate KSNT
and low-powered
Fox affiliate KTMJ-CA
. Its studios are located on Northwest 27th Street (U.S. 24) near the Kiro section of Topeka, while its transmitter is located west of the city.
The station operates its digital signal on UHF channel 49. In the Topeka area, KTKA is available on Cox Communications
analog cable channel 9 in standard definition and on digital cable channel 2009 in high definition
; KTKA digital channel 49.2, a local weather channel, is carried on Cox digital cable channel 675.
On June 2, 2009, KTKA added CW network
programming on digital subchannel 49.3.
affiliate WIBW-TV
(channel 13) and NBC
affiliate KTSB (channel 27, now KSNT
). Channel 49's sign-on made Topeka one of the last markets in the country with full service from all three networks. Most of the area, however, could get the full ABC schedule from KMBC-TV
in Kansas City
or KQTV
in St. Joseph, and KMBC had been available on cable in Topeka for decades.
KLDH was plagued by technical problems during its first two years on-air, including a transmitter fire that knocked it off the air for a few weeks. It changed its calls to the current KTKA-TV in 1987.
In 1998, KTKA moved its studios from downtown Topeka to southwest Topeka; the current studio facilities are also used by radio station KTPK
. On August 29, 2005, KTKA was purchased by the World Company, publisher of the Lawrence Journal-World
.
On February 4, 2011, KTKA announced that Free State Communications will sell the station to PBC Broadcasting. PBC Broadcasting also owns stations in Youngstown, OH
and Savannah, GA
. Both operations are part of shared service
and local marketing agreement
s with stations owned by New Vision Television
in their markets, suggesting that KTKA would be structured under the same sort of arrangement with New Vision-owned KSNT
. Despite objections to the sale by the American Cable Association that the sale could give the virtual triopoly too much leverage in retransmission consent
negotiations, the FCC approved the sale of KTKA to PBC Broadcasting for $1.5 million on July 21, 2011.
.
At one time, KTKA offered newscasts on weekday mornings (branded as Good Morning Kansas) and a weekday midday newscast at 11 a.m., but they were canceled on November 6, 2008 as part of cutbacks that resulted in nine employees being let go. On July 29, 2011, the station aired its final newscast as a standalone news operation; a shared newscast produced in conjunction with KSNT debuted on July 30, under the banner of Kansas First News. The arrangement is similar to other virtual triopoly joint news operations such as Raycom Media
/MCG Capital's Hawaii News Now
in Honolulu, Hawaii
and Granite
/Malara
's Indiana's NewsCenter
in Fort Wayne, Indiana
and Northland's NewsCenter
in Duluth, Minnesota
.
First Warning Weather
Sports team
Reporters
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...
-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...
in Topeka, Kansas
Topeka, Kansas
Topeka |Kansa]]: Tó Pee Kuh) is the capital city of the U.S. state of Kansas and the county seat of Shawnee County. It is situated along the Kansas River in the central part of Shawnee County, located in northeast Kansas, in the Central United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was...
. Owned by PBC Broadcasting, the station is operated by New Vision Television
New Vision Television
New Vision Television is a broadcast company based in Los Angeles, California. The company owns or manages 18 television stations in medium sized markets.-New Vision I:...
though a shared services
Shared services
Shared services refers to the provision of a service by one part of an organization or group where that service had previously been found in more than one part of the organization or group. Thus the funding and resourcing of the service is shared and the providing department effectively becomes an...
agreement with 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...
affiliate KSNT
KSNT
KSNT is the NBC-affiliated television station for Topeka, Kansas. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on UHF channel 27 from a transmitter at its studios on Northwest 27th Street near the Kiro section of Topeka...
and low-powered
Low-power broadcasting
Low-power broadcasting is electronic broadcasting at very low power and low cost, to a small community area.The terms "low-power broadcasting" and "micropower broadcasting" should not be used interchangeably, because the markets are not the same...
Fox affiliate KTMJ-CA
KTMJ-CA
KTMJ-CA is the Class A Fox-affiliated television station for Topeka, Kansas. It broadcasts an analog signal on UHF channel 43 from a transmitter in the city between the Kansas River and I-70/U.S. 40/U.S. 75/KS 4...
. Its studios are located on Northwest 27th Street (U.S. 24) near the Kiro section of Topeka, while its transmitter is located west of the city.
The station operates its digital signal on UHF channel 49. In the Topeka area, KTKA is available on Cox Communications
Cox Communications
Cox Communications is a privately owned subsidiary of Cox Enterprises providing digital cable television, telecommunications and wireless services in the United States...
analog cable channel 9 in standard definition and on digital cable channel 2009 in 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...
; KTKA digital channel 49.2, a local weather channel, is carried on Cox digital cable channel 675.
Digital programming
This station's digital signal is multiplexed:| 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 49.1 | 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 ... |
KTKA-DT | Main KTKA-TV / ABC HD programming |
| 49.2 | 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 | KTKA-DT2 | Local and regional weather information |
| 49.3 | 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 | Northeast Kansas' CW5 | CW network and syndicated programming |
On June 2, 2009, KTKA added CW 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...
programming on digital subchannel 49.3.
Analog-to-digital conversion
KTKA's broadcasts are digital-only, effective 12:01 a.m. on February 17, 2009. Originally, the station aired its digital signal on channel 48 and remained there after the analog shutdown. However, through the use of PSIP, its signal redirected to channel 49. In mid-2010, the station moved its digital broadcasts back to channel 49.History
KTKA originally signed on the air as KLDH in June 1983, immediately taking the ABC affiliation. Previously, ABC had been relegated to off-hours clearances on CBSCBS
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 WIBW-TV
WIBW-TV
WIBW-TV is the CBS-affiliated television station for Topeka, Kansas. It broadcasts a digital signal on VHF channel 13 and its digital translator on UHF channel 44. Both operating frequencies are transmitted in Maple Hill. Owned by Gray Television, the station has studios at Southwest Commerce Place...
(channel 13) and 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...
affiliate KTSB (channel 27, now KSNT
KSNT
KSNT is the NBC-affiliated television station for Topeka, Kansas. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on UHF channel 27 from a transmitter at its studios on Northwest 27th Street near the Kiro section of Topeka...
). Channel 49's sign-on made Topeka one of the last markets in the country with full service from all three networks. Most of the area, however, could get the full ABC schedule from KMBC-TV
KMBC-TV
KMBC-TV virtual channel 9 is a television station affiliated with the ABC television network, located in Kansas City, Missouri. KMBC-TV is owned by Hearst Television and its studios are located on Winchester Ave. near Swope Park in Kansas City, Missouri. The station's high guyed mast broadcast...
in 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...
or KQTV
KQTV
KQTV, digital channel 7 , is the ABC-affiliated television station in St. Joseph, Missouri. Owned by the Nexstar Broadcasting Group, it is the only local commercial broadcast television station serving the St. Joseph area; though TBN affiliate KTAJ , which primarily serves the northern portion of...
in St. Joseph, and KMBC had been available on cable in Topeka for decades.
In 1998, KTKA moved its studios from downtown Topeka to southwest Topeka; the current studio facilities are also used by radio station KTPK
KTPK
KTPK is a radio station broadcasting a classic country format, now operating as "Country Legends 106.9". The station is licensed to Topeka, Kansas, USA, the station is currently owned by JMJ Broadcasting Company, Inc.-History:...
. On August 29, 2005, KTKA was purchased by the World Company, publisher of the Lawrence Journal-World
Lawrence Journal-World
The Lawrence Journal-World is a daily newspaper published in Lawrence, Kansas by The World Company.-History:Though the Journal-World title only came into existence in 1911, according to the volume number of the current masthead of the paper, the paper dates itself back to 1858.The Simons family...
.
On February 4, 2011, KTKA announced that Free State Communications will sell the station to PBC Broadcasting. PBC Broadcasting also owns stations in Youngstown, OH
WYTV
WYTV is the ABC-affiliated television station for the Mahoning Valley of Northeastern Ohio and Northwestern Pennsylvania that is licensed to Youngstown. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on UHF channel 36 from a transmitter on Shady Run Road in Boardman Township...
and Savannah, GA
WTGS
WTGS is the Fox-affiliated television station for South Carolina's Lowcountry and Southeastern Georgia's Coastal Empire. Licensed to Hardeeville, South Carolina, it broadcasts a high definition digital signal on UHF channel 27 from a transmitter in unincorporated Western Chatham County, Georgia...
. Both operations are part of shared service
Shared services
Shared services refers to the provision of a service by one part of an organization or group where that service had previously been found in more than one part of the organization or group. Thus the funding and resourcing of the service is shared and the providing department effectively becomes an...
and 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...
s with stations owned by New Vision Television
New Vision Television
New Vision Television is a broadcast company based in Los Angeles, California. The company owns or manages 18 television stations in medium sized markets.-New Vision I:...
in their markets, suggesting that KTKA would be structured under the same sort of arrangement with New Vision-owned KSNT
KSNT
KSNT is the NBC-affiliated television station for Topeka, Kansas. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on UHF channel 27 from a transmitter at its studios on Northwest 27th Street near the Kiro section of Topeka...
. Despite objections to the sale by the American Cable Association that the sale could give the virtual triopoly too much leverage in retransmission consent
Retransmission consent
Retransmission consent is an option granted to US television stations as part of the law that granted such stations the option to elect must-carry rights. Under retransmission consent, a full-power US television station may elect to negotiate with a cable system operator for carriage of its...
negotiations, the FCC approved the sale of KTKA to PBC Broadcasting for $1.5 million on July 21, 2011.
News operation
KTKA began airing newscasts after it signed on, but never gained much traction against WIBW-TV and KSNT. It phased out news programming in 2002. After the World Company acquired the station, KTKA received new software and hardware for the re-development of a news division. On February 5, 2006, KTKA launched 49 News at 10 immediately following Super Bowl XLSuper Bowl XL
Super Bowl XL was an American football game pitting the American Football Conference champion Pittsburgh Steelers against the National Football Conference champion Seattle Seahawks to decide the National Football League champion for the 2005 season...
.
At one time, KTKA offered newscasts on weekday mornings (branded as Good Morning Kansas) and a weekday midday newscast at 11 a.m., but they were canceled on November 6, 2008 as part of cutbacks that resulted in nine employees being let go. On July 29, 2011, the station aired its final newscast as a standalone news operation; a shared newscast produced in conjunction with KSNT debuted on July 30, under the banner of Kansas First News. The arrangement is similar to other virtual triopoly joint news operations such as Raycom Media
Raycom Media
- History :Although Raycom Media dates its birth to 1996, the core of the company was formed in 1992 when Atlanta native Bert Ellis formed Ellis Communications. He eventually controlled 13 television stations and two radio stations....
/MCG Capital's Hawaii News Now
Hawaii News Now
Hawaii News Now is the name of the news department shared by three Honolulu, Hawaii television outlets, KGMB, KFVE and KHNL. The newscasts are produced by Raycom Media, which owns and operates KGMB and KHNL and shares studios with KFVE through a local marketing agreement.-Background:The origins of...
in Honolulu, Hawaii
Honolulu, Hawaii
Honolulu is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Hawaii. Honolulu is the southernmost major U.S. city. Although the name "Honolulu" refers to the urban area on the southeastern shore of the island of Oahu, the city and county government are consolidated as the City and...
and Granite
Granite Broadcasting Corporation
Granite Broadcasting Corporation, founded by W. Don Cornwell and Stuart Beck in 1988 , is a broadcasting holding company which owns or operates 14 television stations in the United States, largely centered in the midwest with a cluster in New York state...
/Malara
Malara Broadcast Group
Malara Broadcast Group of Sarasota, Florida, a Delaware corporation, also known as Malara Broadcasting, is a broadcasting holding company. Malara Broadcasting was founded in 2004 by Tony Malara, former president of affiliate relations for CBS...
's Indiana's NewsCenter
Indiana's NewsCenter
Indiana's NewsCenter is the collective brand name of the television and news operations in Fort Wayne, Indiana owned and/or managed by Granite Broadcasting Corporation and Malara Broadcast Group under a local marketing agreement....
in Fort Wayne, Indiana
Fort Wayne, Indiana
Fort Wayne is a city in the US state of Indiana and the county seat of Allen County. The population was 253,691 at the 2010 Census making it the 74th largest city in the United States and the second largest in Indiana...
and Northland's NewsCenter
Northland's NewsCenter
The Northland's NewsCenter, began in 2005 but not completed until early 2006, is a collective name for news for the Duluth, Minnesota area's NBC, CBS, MyNetworkTV and The CW stations all operated or owned by Granite Broadcasting. It was originated from KBJR-TV's newscasts but now provides content...
in Duluth, Minnesota
Duluth, Minnesota
Duluth is a port city in the U.S. state of Minnesota and is the county seat of Saint Louis County. The fourth largest city in Minnesota, Duluth had a total population of 86,265 in the 2010 census. Duluth is also the second largest city that is located on Lake Superior after Thunder Bay, Ontario,...
.
Newscast titles
- Newsline 49 (1983–1989)
- 49 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...
(1989–1995) - News Source 49 (1995–2002)
- 49 News (2006–2011)
- Kansas First News (2011–present)
Station slogans
- Kansas' Most Powerful Television Station (1989–early 1990s)
- Fast. Focused. Always Local. (2006–2011)
News team (as of August 2011)
Current anchors- Ben Bauman – weeknights at 6 and 10 p.m.
- Hillary Mullin – weekday mornings (6-7 a.m.)
- Gina Ninemire – weekends at 10 p.m.; also reporter and news producer
- Kelli Stegeman – weeknights at 6 and 10 p.m.; also "Kelli's Cameo" segment producer
First Warning Weather
- Matt Miller – chief meteorologist; weeknights at 6 and 10 p.m.
- Tom Hagen (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...
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,...
Seal of Approval) – meteorologist; weekday mornings (6-7 a.m.) - Aaron Reeves (member, AMS) – meteorologist; weekends at 10 p.m.
Sports team
- Johnny Kane – sports director; weeknights at 6 and 10 p.m.
- Alex Wiebel – sports anchor; weekends at 10 p.m., also sports reporter
Reporters
- Bob Beatty – political analyst
- Monica Castro – general assignment reporter
- Mecca Rayne – general assignment reporter
- Lauren Seabrook – Emporia and education reporter
- Kent Wallace – general assignment reporter