News Now 53
Encyclopedia
News 9 Now and News on 6 Now are digital broadcast television networks
owned and operated by Griffin Communications
, owner of CBS
affiliates KWTV-DT (channel 9) in Oklahoma City
and KOTV-DT (channel 6) in Tulsa
serving the two largest media markets in Oklahoma. The services were developed out of News Now 53, a regional cable news channel that operated from December 1996 to April 2011, exclusively on Cox Communications
systems (who operated the channel in a partnership with Griffin Communications).
News 9 Now is broadcast on Cox cable channel 53 in the Oklahoma City metropolitan area, while News on 6 Now is broadcast on Cox cable channel 53 in the Tulsa metropolitan area. The channels carry news rebroadcasts from both Griffin-owned CBS affiliates as well as live simulcasts of the two station's newscasts in their respective markets.
News Now 53 first launched on December 3, 1996 in Oklahoma City airing newscasts from KWTV, running that station's morning, weekday midday, and nightly evening newscasts. In 2000, following KOTV's sale to Griffin from Belo Corporation, News Now 53 launched on Cox's Tulsa system carrying KOTV's newscasts weekday morning and midday, and nightly evening newscasts.
Until the mid-2000s, News Now 53 would carry live telecasts of KWTV and later KOTV's newscasts whenever one of the evening newscasts on those stations was scheduled to be preempted by CBS sports programming. In 2008, the channel underwent a graphical revamp, with a new logo and the creation of a new "L" bar that displays the forecast for the next five days, supplied by either KOTV or KWTV, and included banner advertisements for local area businesses and for Cox Communications. This "L" bar only appears during rebroadcasts of KWTV/KOTV newscasts and is removed for commercial breaks and live broadcasts, though for unknown reasons it does not appear during some news rebroadcasts.
, a digital broadcast network carrying movies and some classic television series and children's programming, to be relocated to digital channel 19.2 of KOTV's sister station and primary CW affiliate KQCW
. KWTV and KOTV may also use the channels to provide additional coverage during severe weather emergencies, though this has yet to occur; the services, however, have served as backup CBS affiliates, carrying CBS network programming normally seen on the main channel during breaking news and severe weather emergencies.
The channels broadcast KOTV and KWTV's newscasts in 16:9
widescreen
, as both KWTV and KOTV broadcast their newscasts in that format (KOTV broadcasts its newscasts in widescreen
enhanced definition, while newscasts on KWTV are broadcast in high definition
); however, news rebroadcasts on News 9 Now (which for both channels are broadcast in a smaller widescreen format to allow current weather and forecasts for individual cities in the respective station's viewing area, and advertisements for local businesses on the bottom quarter of the screen) are shown in a streched center cut 4:3 portion to fit the widescreen box.
Effective April 12, 2011, Cox discontinued access to the channels via analog-only cable; customers in the Oklahoma City and Tulsa markets with analog-only cable service are required to rent a CableCARD or digital cable converter, or purchase a TV set with a digital cable-ready QAM tuner to continue to receive News 9 Now and News on 6 Now programming. Although News 9 and News on 6 Now are intended as news rebroadcast channels, the two channels also carry a three-hour block of E/I children's programs on Saturday mornings (for News 9 Now, the block runs following the live simulcast of the Saturday edition of KWTV's morning newscast), in order to comply with FCC E/I
rules requiring digital subchannels to carry additional educational children's programming, regardless of the subchannel's intended programming format.
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...
owned and operated by Griffin Communications
Griffin Communications
Griffin Communications is a media company based in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, founded in 1953 by John T. Griffin; the company operates television and radio broadcast stations and internet properties....
, 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...
affiliates KWTV-DT (channel 9) in Oklahoma City
Oklahoma city
Oklahoma City is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Oklahoma.Oklahoma City may also refer to:*Oklahoma City metropolitan area*Downtown Oklahoma City*Uptown Oklahoma City*Oklahoma City bombing*Oklahoma City National Memorial...
and KOTV-DT (channel 6) in Tulsa
Tulsa, Oklahoma
Tulsa is the second-largest city in the state of Oklahoma and 46th-largest city in the United States. With a population of 391,906 as of the 2010 census, it is the principal municipality of the Tulsa Metropolitan Area, a region with 937,478 residents in the MSA and 988,454 in the CSA. Tulsa's...
serving the two largest media markets in Oklahoma. The services were developed out of News Now 53, a regional cable news channel that operated from December 1996 to April 2011, exclusively 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...
systems (who operated the channel in a partnership with Griffin Communications).
News 9 Now is broadcast on Cox cable channel 53 in the Oklahoma City metropolitan area, while News on 6 Now is broadcast on Cox cable channel 53 in the Tulsa metropolitan area. The channels carry news rebroadcasts from both Griffin-owned CBS affiliates as well as live simulcasts of the two station's newscasts in their respective markets.
News Now 53
The concept of the channel dates back to a retransmission consent agreement extension made between KWTV and Oklahoma City area cable providers Cox Cable and Multimedia Cablevision to continue to carry the station's signal in August 1993, in which KWTV also announced that it would create a locally-originated cable channel providing news, sports and weather information for the two providers.News Now 53 first launched on December 3, 1996 in Oklahoma City airing newscasts from KWTV, running that station's morning, weekday midday, and nightly evening newscasts. In 2000, following KOTV's sale to Griffin from Belo Corporation, News Now 53 launched on Cox's Tulsa system carrying KOTV's newscasts weekday morning and midday, and nightly evening newscasts.
Until the mid-2000s, News Now 53 would carry live telecasts of KWTV and later KOTV's newscasts whenever one of the evening newscasts on those stations was scheduled to be preempted by CBS sports programming. In 2008, the channel underwent a graphical revamp, with a new logo and the creation of a new "L" bar that displays the forecast for the next five days, supplied by either KOTV or KWTV, and included banner advertisements for local area businesses and for Cox Communications. This "L" bar only appears during rebroadcasts of KWTV/KOTV newscasts and is removed for commercial breaks and live broadcasts, though for unknown reasons it does not appear during some news rebroadcasts.
News 9 Now / News on 6 Now
On April 1, 2011 Griffin Communications took over the operations of News Now 53 from Cox Communications, and both the Oklahoma City and Tulsa area feeds of News Now 53 were reformatted into two separate services: News 9 Now and The News on 6 Now; both feeds were also broadcast for the first time over-the-air as multicast channels of KWTV and KOTV's digital signals, in addition to cable television, allowing other cable operators in the state to carry the channel. In the Tulsa area, the launch of News on 6 Now on KOTV digital channel 6.3, resulted in This TVThis TV
This TV is a United States general entertainment television network, with a large emphasis in its programming on movies....
, a digital broadcast network carrying movies and some classic television series and children's programming, to be relocated to digital channel 19.2 of KOTV's sister station and primary CW affiliate KQCW
KQCW
KQCW-DT, virtual channel 19 , is The CW-affiliated television station in the Tulsa, Oklahoma DMA, licensed to Muskogee. The station is owned by Oklahoma City-based Griffin Communications, in a duopoly with CBS affiliate KOTV-DT...
. KWTV and KOTV may also use the channels to provide additional coverage during severe weather emergencies, though this has yet to occur; the services, however, have served as backup CBS affiliates, carrying CBS network programming normally seen on the main channel during breaking news and severe weather emergencies.
The channels broadcast KOTV and KWTV's newscasts in 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 ...
widescreen
Widescreen
Widescreen images are a variety of aspect ratios used in film, television and computer screens. In film, a widescreen film is any film image with a width-to-height aspect ratio greater than the standard 1.37:1 Academy aspect ratio provided by 35mm film....
, as both KWTV and KOTV broadcast their newscasts in that format (KOTV broadcasts its newscasts in widescreen
Widescreen
Widescreen images are a variety of aspect ratios used in film, television and computer screens. In film, a widescreen film is any film image with a width-to-height aspect ratio greater than the standard 1.37:1 Academy aspect ratio provided by 35mm film....
enhanced definition, while newscasts on KWTV are broadcast 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...
); however, news rebroadcasts on News 9 Now (which for both channels are broadcast in a smaller widescreen format to allow current weather and forecasts for individual cities in the respective station's viewing area, and advertisements for local businesses on the bottom quarter of the screen) are shown in a streched center cut 4:3 portion to fit the widescreen box.
Effective April 12, 2011, Cox discontinued access to the channels via analog-only cable; customers in the Oklahoma City and Tulsa markets with analog-only cable service are required to rent a CableCARD or digital cable converter, or purchase a TV set with a digital cable-ready QAM tuner to continue to receive News 9 Now and News on 6 Now programming. Although News 9 and News on 6 Now are intended as news rebroadcast channels, the two channels also carry a three-hour block of E/I children's programs on Saturday mornings (for News 9 Now, the block runs following the live simulcast of the Saturday edition of KWTV's morning newscast), in order to comply with FCC E/I
E/I
E/I, which stands for "educational and informative," refers to a type of children's television programming shown in the United States. The Federal Communications Commission requires that every full-service Terrestrial television station in the U.S. show at least three hours of these television...
rules requiring digital subchannels to carry additional educational children's programming, regardless of the subchannel's intended programming format.