WDAZ-TV
Encyclopedia
WDAZ-TV, channel 8, is an ABC
affiliate located in Grand Forks, North Dakota
. The station serves the northern half of the Fargo-Grand Forks television market. The station also has significant viewership in southern Manitoba
, Canada
including Winnipeg
and Steinbach
as it is carried on cable
. WDAZ is offered on cable channel 8 in most areas including Grand Forks and Devils Lake
. It can be seen on Shaw
cable channel 7 in Winnipeg, Steinbach, Portage la Prairie
, and most other areas of southern Manitoba. The station broadcasts on MTS TV
cable channel 13 in Winnipeg and most areas of southern Manitoba.
The station is owned by Forum Communications
of Fargo, North Dakota
, which also owns the Grand Forks Herald
. WDAZ also operates a news bureau and sales office in Devils Lake, North Dakota; its city of license
. The station broadcasts from a 1400 feet (426.7 m) tower located near Dahlen, North Dakota
, which is roughly between Grand Forks and Devils Lake.
While WDAZ identifies as a station in its own right, it is generally considered to be a semi-satellite of WDAY-TV
in Fargo, North Dakota
. It produces its own newscasts, and airs its own commercials. However, it rebroadcasts most of WDAY-TV's syndicated programming, and the two stations often share news stories. Master control and some internal operations are based at the facilities of WDAY in Fargo. WDAZ serves the northern portion of the Fargo-Grand Forks market, while WDAY-TV serves the southern portion. The two stations are counted as a single unit for Nielsen ratings
purposes.
WDAZ is noted for being nationally honored with the prestigious Edward R. Murrow Award for Continuing Coverage during the Red River Flood of 1997. In February of 2007, the station also received exposure on YouTube
for its report on the emo
music and clothing trend.
WDAZ has broadcast exclusively in digital since February 17, 2009.
Fargo CW, a CW
affiliate is carried on a digital subchannel
of WDAY (channel 6.2 PSIP) and WDAZ (channel 8.2 PSIP). Fargo CW is offered on CableOne cable channel 8 in the Fargo-Moorhead
area. It can be seen on Midcontinent
cable channel 14 in Fargo, Moorhead, and most other areas. It can be seen on Midcontinent cable channel 7 in the Grand Forks area.
WDAZ went on the air for the first time on January 29, 1967 as a semi-satellite of WDAY-TV. Unlike the other Fargo stations, WDAY-TV does not put a strong signal into Grand Forks and the northern part of the market. It must conform its signal to protect CBC Television
station CBWT
of Winnipeg, which is also on channel 6. Originally an NBC
affiliate, it switched to ABC along with sister station WDAY-TV in May 1983; KTHI-TV (now KVLY-TV
) became the new NBC affiliate. As a result, KTHI was removed from the terrestrial cable television
service in southwestern Manitoba (which already had an NBC affiliate in KMOT
, Minot
), and Saskatchewan
(which carried NBC via KUMV, Williston
), and WDAZ continues to be carried on Canadian cable along with the PBS
affiliated Prairie Public Television
network (via KGFE, Grand Forks) in southern Manitoba, while other North Dakota broadcasts were replaced with Detroit and/or Toledo, Ohio
stations.
The station won the Edward R. Murrow Award for continuing coverage in 1997 for staying on-the-air providing coverage of the 1997 flood
while Grand Forks was evacuated. In 2007, WDAZ began broadcasting in high-definition
.
WDAZ is one of the few stations in the country that still signs off at night. It goes off the air after its 12:06 a.m. airing of Jimmy Kimmel Live
and does not show World News Now
. It is also known for pre-empting most airings of NBA Countdown on Sunday mornings during the NBA season in favor of paid programming.
, called Sioux Sports Extra, plays highlights and analysis for the school's football and basketball teams, along with interviews and previews. WDAZ formerly broadcast a political talk show called Agenda, which was primarily on local and regional issues. WDAY-TV produces a local outdoors show called Great Outdoors, seen occasionally on WDAZ.
meteorologists. Chuck Bundlie was the station's first news director and anchor, serving from 1967-1992. Unlike most ABC affiliates, WDAZ does not air midday news during the week.
As a whole, KVLY-TV
has been the historic ratings leader, with WDAY/WDAZ being the runner-up; WDAY and WDAZ counted as one station for ratings and regulatory purposes (Fargo and Grand Forks are in the same Nielsen
TV market). However, WDAZ has historically been well ahead of KVLY in the ratings for the northern part of the market. This is largely because it is the only station airing local news for Grand Forks and the northern part of the market. The station has claimed to have more people in Grand Forks watching its newscasts than its competitors (KVLY/KXJB
and KBRR
) combined.
Fighting Sioux
athletics. WDAZ airs a weekly sports program, Sioux Sports Extra with Jody Norstedt for Fighting Sioux football and basketball,featuring interviews, highlights, and previews. The station also produces telecasts in conjunction with the University of North Dakota
both for its own airwaves and a cable network known as the Fighting Sioux Sports Network
. This network, also known as FSSN, broadcasts Fighting Sioux hockey, football, and basketball games which are distributed on cable television by Midcontinent Communications and other cable systems in North Dakota, Minnesota, and South Dakota. The Fighting Sioux Sports Network is also available all across the North American continent via Free-To-Air
satellite. WDAZ Sports Director Pat Sweeney handles play-by-play commentating on FSSN.
and MTS TV
in southern Manitoba
, including the Winnipeg
area, reaching an additional 256,000 homes. Winnipeg is the center of a market with over 1 million people—more than three times the entire population of WDAZ's American coverage area (and indeed double the entire population of the Fargo/Grand Forks market).
WDAZ and Prairie Public Television
are the only stations from this region that still air in Manitoba, after KVLY-TV
(formerly KTHI) and KXJB were replaced with other network affiliates in March 1986. This was due to a Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission decision that allowed the Winnipeg cable companies to replace the CBS and NBC affiliates with Detroit stations because of complaints about poor reception, but denied them the ability to replace WDAZ with WXYZ
or PPTV with WTVS
(although this station would later be added as a second PBS
station to cable customers). http://www.crtc.gc.ca/archive/eng/notices/1999/..%5C..%5CDecisions%5C1986%5CDB86-184.htm Shaw Cable airs WDAZ on cable channel 7 and MTS TV airs WDAZ on cable channel 13.
WDAZ can also be seen over the air in extreme southern Manitoba, and in southern parts of Winnipeg, with a rooftop antenna. WDAZ's over-the-air signal is spotty at best in Manitoba, as its transmitter is more than 100 miles (160 kilometers) from Winnipeg.
Advertising from Winnipeg businesses sometimes air on the station, although this is sometimes ineffective due to simultaneous substitution
. This practice requires Shaw and MTS to replace WDAZ's signal with that of a Winnipeg station (usually either CKY-TV
or CKND-TV
) whenever the same program and episode airs at the same time. Because WDAZ is carried on cable in southern Manitoba, it has become somewhat of a regional superstation
.
Some areas that carry WDAZ on cable in western Minnesota
are actually in the northwestern part of the Minneapolis/St. Paul television market.
Digital channels>
RF Channel
Subchannel
Video Programming
Audio Programming
8.5
8.1
ABC HD
8.6
8.2
The CW
8.7
8.3
Storm Tracker
WDAY AM 970
WDAY-TV
and KXJB-TV tower
. The tower is located in Dahlen, North Dakota
, roughly located between Grand Forks and Devils Lake
. The tower was also used by KGFE of Grand Forks
until an ice storm damaged equipment in 2004.
}
}
}
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...
affiliate located in Grand Forks, North Dakota
Grand Forks, North Dakota
Grand Forks is the third-largest city in the U.S. state of North Dakota and the county seat of Grand Forks County. According to the 2010 census, the city's population was 52,838, while that of the city and surrounding metropolitan area was 98,461...
. The station serves the northern half of the Fargo-Grand Forks television market. The station also has significant viewership in southern Manitoba
Manitoba
Manitoba is a Canadian prairie province with an area of . The province has over 110,000 lakes and has a largely continental climate because of its flat topography. Agriculture, mostly concentrated in the fertile southern and western parts of the province, is vital to the province's economy; other...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
including Winnipeg
Winnipeg
Winnipeg is the capital and largest city of Manitoba, Canada, and is the primary municipality of the Winnipeg Capital Region, with more than half of Manitoba's population. It is located near the longitudinal centre of North America, at the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine Rivers .The name...
and Steinbach
Steinbach, Manitoba
Steinbach is a city of approx. 13,500 people in the southeast corner of the province of Manitoba, Canada, a short distance from the capital Winnipeg. Steinbach is the largest community in the Eastman region of Manitoba. The city is located in the R.M. of Hanover and bordered to the east by the R.M...
as it is carried on cable
Cable television
Cable television is a system of providing television programs to consumers via radio frequency signals transmitted to televisions through coaxial cables or digital light pulses through fixed optical fibers located on the subscriber's property, much like the over-the-air method used in traditional...
. WDAZ is offered on cable channel 8 in most areas including Grand Forks and Devils Lake
Devils Lake, North Dakota
As of the 2000 Census, there were 7,222 people, 3,127 households, and 1,773 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 3,508 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 89.23% White, 0.22% African American, 7.84% Native American, 0.28%...
. It can be seen on Shaw
Shaw Communications
Shaw Communications is Canada's largest telecommunications company that provides telephone, Canada's fastest Internet and television services as well as broadcasting and soon Wifi. Shaw is headquartered in Calgary, Alberta...
cable channel 7 in Winnipeg, Steinbach, Portage la Prairie
Portage la Prairie, Manitoba
-Transportation:Portage la Prairie railway station is served by Via Rail with both The Canadian and Winnipeg – Churchill trains calling at the station....
, and most other areas of southern Manitoba. The station broadcasts on MTS TV
MTS TV
MTS TV is a digital cable service available only within Manitoba, Canada and distributed by Manitoba Telecom Services in 2003. This service, which was first available only in portions of Winnipeg, gave customers access to 200 television channels, plus radio, and an interactive feature that let...
cable channel 13 in Winnipeg and most areas of southern Manitoba.
The station is owned by Forum Communications
Forum Communications
Forum Communications Company is a media firm based in Fargo, North Dakota. The company prints a number of newspapers in North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota, and Wisconsin, including The Forum of Fargo-Moorhead....
of Fargo, North Dakota
Fargo, North Dakota
Fargo is the largest city in the U.S. state of North Dakota and the county seat of Cass County. In 2010, its population was 105,549, and it had an estimated metropolitan population of 208,777...
, which also owns the Grand Forks Herald
Grand Forks Herald
The Grand Forks Herald is a daily broadsheet newspaper, begun in 1879, published in Grand Forks, North Dakota. It is the primary daily paper for northeast North Dakota and northwest Minnesota. Its average daily circulation is 34,763 on Sundays and 31,524 on weekdays...
. WDAZ also operates a news bureau and sales office in Devils Lake, North Dakota; its 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....
. The station broadcasts from a 1400 feet (426.7 m) tower located near Dahlen, North Dakota
Dahlen, North Dakota
Dahlen is a census-designated place in Nelson County, North Dakota in the United States. An unincorporated community, it was designated as part of the U.S. Census Bureau's Participant Statistical Areas Program on March 31, 2010...
, which is roughly between Grand Forks and Devils Lake.
While WDAZ identifies as a station in its own right, it is generally considered to be a semi-satellite of WDAY-TV
WDAY-TV
WDAY-TV, digital channel 21 , is the ABC affiliate television station for Fargo, North Dakota. The station serves the southern half of the Fargo-Grand Forks television market, with WDAZ-TV in Grand Forks serving the northern half. The two stations are counted as a single unit for Nielsen ratings...
in Fargo, North Dakota
Fargo, North Dakota
Fargo is the largest city in the U.S. state of North Dakota and the county seat of Cass County. In 2010, its population was 105,549, and it had an estimated metropolitan population of 208,777...
. It produces its own newscasts, and airs its own commercials. However, it rebroadcasts most of WDAY-TV's syndicated programming, and the two stations often share news stories. Master control and some internal operations are based at the facilities of WDAY in Fargo. WDAZ serves the northern portion of the Fargo-Grand Forks market, while WDAY-TV serves the southern portion. The two stations are counted as a single unit for Nielsen ratings
Nielsen Media Research
Nielsen Media Research is an American firm that measures media audiences, including television, radio, theatre films and newspapers...
purposes.
WDAZ is noted for being nationally honored with the prestigious Edward R. Murrow Award for Continuing Coverage during the Red River Flood of 1997. In February of 2007, the station also received exposure on YouTube
YouTube
YouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
for its report on the emo
Emo
Emo is a style of rock music and its associated subcultureEmo may also refer to:- Businesses :* Emo , an Irish oil company and filling station chain* Emo Speedway, a racetrack in Emo, Ontario...
music and clothing trend.
WDAZ has broadcast exclusively in digital since February 17, 2009.
Fargo CW, a CW
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 is carried on a 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...
of WDAY (channel 6.2 PSIP) and WDAZ (channel 8.2 PSIP). Fargo CW is offered on CableOne cable channel 8 in the Fargo-Moorhead
Moorhead, Minnesota
Moorhead is a city in Clay County, Minnesota, United States, and the largest city in northwest Minnesota. The population was 38,065 at the 2010 Census. It is the county seat of Clay County....
area. It can be seen on Midcontinent
Midcontinent Communications
Midcontinent Communications is a regional cable provider, providing a triple play service of cable television, cable modem Internet service, and cable telephone service for both North Dakota and South Dakota, along with several communities in western Minnesota...
cable channel 14 in Fargo, Moorhead, and most other areas. It can be seen on Midcontinent cable channel 7 in the Grand Forks area.
History
CBC Television
CBC Television is a Canadian television network owned by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, the national public broadcaster.Although the CBC is supported by public funding, the television network supplements this funding with commercial advertising revenue, in contrast to CBC Radio which are...
station CBWT
CBWT
CBWT is the CBC's television station in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. It is the only CBC station in Manitoba, since Brandon's CKX-TV closed on October 2, 2009....
of Winnipeg, which is also on channel 6. Originally an 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, it switched to ABC along with sister station WDAY-TV in May 1983; KTHI-TV (now KVLY-TV
KVLY-TV
KVLY-TV, is an NBC affiliated television station in Fargo, North Dakota, USA, serving Eastern North Dakota and Northwestern Minnesota. It broadcasts on ATSC channel 44, which redirects to former NTSC channel 11 via PSIP. In addition to its main studio in Fargo, it operates a satellite studio in...
) became the new NBC affiliate. As a result, KTHI was removed from the terrestrial cable television
Cable television
Cable television is a system of providing television programs to consumers via radio frequency signals transmitted to televisions through coaxial cables or digital light pulses through fixed optical fibers located on the subscriber's property, much like the over-the-air method used in traditional...
service in southwestern Manitoba (which already had an NBC affiliate in KMOT
KMOT
KMOT, channel 10, is an NBC affiliate located in Minot, North Dakota. The station serves the northern half of the Western North Dakota television market...
, Minot
Minot, North Dakota
Minot is a city located in north central North Dakota in the United States. It is most widely known for the Air Force base located approximately 15 miles north of the city. With a population of 40,888 at the 2010 census, Minot is the fourth largest city in the state...
), and Saskatchewan
Saskatchewan
Saskatchewan is a prairie province in Canada, which has an area of . Saskatchewan is bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, and on the south by the U.S. states of Montana and North Dakota....
(which carried NBC via KUMV, Williston
Williston, North Dakota
-Demographics:Preliminary data from a 2010 housing study indicates that population has grown by nearly 22 percent over the past decade; the actual increase might be much higher. Williston is in western North Dakota's booming oil patch, and adequate, affordable housing has become a concern. The...
), and WDAZ continues to be carried on Canadian cable along with the PBS
Public Broadcasting Service
The Public Broadcasting Service is an American non-profit public broadcasting television network with 354 member TV stations in the United States which hold collective ownership. Its headquarters is in Arlington, Virginia....
affiliated Prairie Public Television
Prairie Public Television
Prairie Public Television is the Public Broadcasting Service member state network for the U.S. state of North Dakota. Along with its state radio network Prairie Public, the state network currently has nine digital stations covering all of North Dakota, plus portions of Minnesota, Montana, South...
network (via KGFE, Grand Forks) in southern Manitoba, while other North Dakota broadcasts were replaced with Detroit and/or Toledo, Ohio
Toledo, Ohio
Toledo is the fourth most populous city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Lucas County. Toledo is in northwest Ohio, on the western end of Lake Erie, and borders the State of Michigan...
stations.
Red River Flood, 1997
The Red River Flood of 1997 was a major flood that occurred in April and May 1997, along the Red River of the North in North Dakota, Minnesota, and Southern Manitoba. It was the most severe flood of the river since 1826...
while Grand Forks was evacuated. In 2007, WDAZ began broadcasting 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...
.
Jimmy Kimmel Live
Jimmy Kimmel Live! is an American late-night talk show, created and hosted by Jimmy Kimmel and broadcast on ABC.The nightly hour-long show made its debut on January 26, 2003, following Super Bowl XXXVII. Jimmy Kimmel Live! is produced by Jackhole Productions in association with ABC Studios...
and does not show World News Now
World News Now
World News Now is an American overnight news program broadcast on American Broadcasting Company's television network. Its tone is often lighthearted, irreverent and humorous...
. It is also known for pre-empting most airings of NBA Countdown on Sunday mornings during the NBA season in favor of paid programming.
Locally-produced programs
A weekly program based on the athletics of the University of North DakotaUniversity of North Dakota
The University of North Dakota is a public university in Grand Forks, North Dakota, USA. Established by the Dakota Territorial Assembly in 1883, six years before the establishment of the state of North Dakota, UND is the oldest and largest university in the state and enrolls over 14,000 students. ...
, called Sioux Sports Extra, plays highlights and analysis for the school's football and basketball teams, along with interviews and previews. WDAZ formerly broadcast a political talk show called Agenda, which was primarily on local and regional issues. WDAY-TV produces a local outdoors show called Great Outdoors, seen occasionally on WDAZ.
Personnel
- Rob Horken Station Manager
- Mike Derman Operations Director
- Molly Thorvilson Anchor/Producer
- Charley Johnson Anchor/Producer
- Chastity Walberg First News Anchor/Producer
- Pat Sweeney Sports Director
- Scott Grodsky Assistant Sports Director
- Brian Gendreau Sports Photographer
- Chris Regimbal Assignment Editor
- Lezlie Johnson News Reporter
- David Schwab News Reporter
- Rick Abbott Web Producer
- Nate Millard Engineer
- Scott Gingerich Engineer
- Jeff Awes Engineer
- Jim Johnson Production Director
- Darren Lien Production Director
News
WDAZ produces local newscasts during Monday through Friday at 5:00 p.m., 6:00 p.m., and 10:00 p.m., Saturdays at 6:00 p.m. and 10:00 p.m., and a Sunday newscast at 10:00 p.m. The morning newscast, First News, at 6:00 a.m. Monday through Fridays, is simulcast with WDAY-TV. Longtime WDAZ personalities include news anchors Milo Smith and Terry Dullum, and sports anchor Pat Sweeney. Local weather forecasts are pre-recorded from WDAY-TVWDAY-TV
WDAY-TV, digital channel 21 , is the ABC affiliate television station for Fargo, North Dakota. The station serves the southern half of the Fargo-Grand Forks television market, with WDAZ-TV in Grand Forks serving the northern half. The two stations are counted as a single unit for Nielsen ratings...
meteorologists. Chuck Bundlie was the station's first news director and anchor, serving from 1967-1992. Unlike most ABC affiliates, WDAZ does not air midday news during the week.
As a whole, KVLY-TV
KVLY-TV
KVLY-TV, is an NBC affiliated television station in Fargo, North Dakota, USA, serving Eastern North Dakota and Northwestern Minnesota. It broadcasts on ATSC channel 44, which redirects to former NTSC channel 11 via PSIP. In addition to its main studio in Fargo, it operates a satellite studio in...
has been the historic ratings leader, with WDAY/WDAZ being the runner-up; WDAY and WDAZ counted as one station for ratings and regulatory purposes (Fargo and Grand Forks are in the same Nielsen
Nielsen Media Research
Nielsen Media Research is an American firm that measures media audiences, including television, radio, theatre films and newspapers...
TV market). However, WDAZ has historically been well ahead of KVLY in the ratings for the northern part of the market. This is largely because it is the only station airing local news for Grand Forks and the northern part of the market. The station has claimed to have more people in Grand Forks watching its newscasts than its competitors (KVLY/KXJB
KXJB-TV
KXJB-TV is a CBS affiliated television station in Fargo, North Dakota, USA, serving Eastern North Dakota and Northwestern Minnesota. It broadcasts on ATSC channel 38, which redirects to former NTSC channel 4 via PSIP. It is licensed to nearby Valley City...
and KBRR
KVRR
KVRR, is a Fox affiliated television station in Fargo, North Dakota, USA, serving Eastern North Dakota, Northwestern Minnesota, and a portion of Southern Manitoba. It broadcasts on ATSC channel 19, which redirects to former NTSC channel 15 via PSIP...
) combined.
Sports
WDAZ is also known for its coverage of University of North DakotaUniversity of North Dakota
The University of North Dakota is a public university in Grand Forks, North Dakota, USA. Established by the Dakota Territorial Assembly in 1883, six years before the establishment of the state of North Dakota, UND is the oldest and largest university in the state and enrolls over 14,000 students. ...
Fighting Sioux
North Dakota Fighting Sioux
The North Dakota Fighting Sioux are the athletic teams of the University of North Dakota , which is located in the city of Grand Forks, North Dakota, in the United States. The logo is a Native American figure. The logo was designed by Bennett Brien, a local artist and UND graduate of Ojibwa...
athletics. WDAZ airs a weekly sports program, Sioux Sports Extra with Jody Norstedt for Fighting Sioux football and basketball,featuring interviews, highlights, and previews. The station also produces telecasts in conjunction with the University of North Dakota
University of North Dakota
The University of North Dakota is a public university in Grand Forks, North Dakota, USA. Established by the Dakota Territorial Assembly in 1883, six years before the establishment of the state of North Dakota, UND is the oldest and largest university in the state and enrolls over 14,000 students. ...
both for its own airwaves and a cable network known as the Fighting Sioux Sports Network
Fighting Sioux Sports Network
The Fighting Sioux Sports Network is a local cable channel operated in Grand Forks, North Dakota by the University of North Dakota in conjunction with WDAZ-TV also based in Grand Forks...
. This network, also known as FSSN, broadcasts Fighting Sioux hockey, football, and basketball games which are distributed on cable television by Midcontinent Communications and other cable systems in North Dakota, Minnesota, and South Dakota. The Fighting Sioux Sports Network is also available all across the North American continent via Free-To-Air
Free-to-air
Free-to-air describes television and radio services broadcast in clear form, allowing any person with the appropriate receiving equipment to receive the signal and view or listen to the content without requiring a subscription or one-off fee...
satellite. WDAZ Sports Director Pat Sweeney handles play-by-play commentating on FSSN.
News/station presentation
Newscast titles
- The 10:00 Report (1980s)
- WDAZ NewsCenter 8 (1986–1999)
- WDAZ News (1999–2010)
- WDAZ 8 News (2010–present)
Coverage area
Although WDAZ broadcasts in a small market that reaches only 82,000 television households, the station is also carried on Shaw CommunicationsShaw Communications
Shaw Communications is Canada's largest telecommunications company that provides telephone, Canada's fastest Internet and television services as well as broadcasting and soon Wifi. Shaw is headquartered in Calgary, Alberta...
and MTS TV
Manitoba Telecom Services
Manitoba Telecom Services Inc. , or MTS , formerly Manitoba Telephone System, is the primary telecommunications carrier in the Canadian province of Manitoba and the fourth largest telecommunications provider in Canada with 7000 employees...
in southern Manitoba
Manitoba
Manitoba is a Canadian prairie province with an area of . The province has over 110,000 lakes and has a largely continental climate because of its flat topography. Agriculture, mostly concentrated in the fertile southern and western parts of the province, is vital to the province's economy; other...
, including the Winnipeg
Winnipeg
Winnipeg is the capital and largest city of Manitoba, Canada, and is the primary municipality of the Winnipeg Capital Region, with more than half of Manitoba's population. It is located near the longitudinal centre of North America, at the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine Rivers .The name...
area, reaching an additional 256,000 homes. Winnipeg is the center of a market with over 1 million people—more than three times the entire population of WDAZ's American coverage area (and indeed double the entire population of the Fargo/Grand Forks market).
WDAZ and Prairie Public Television
Prairie Public Television
Prairie Public Television is the Public Broadcasting Service member state network for the U.S. state of North Dakota. Along with its state radio network Prairie Public, the state network currently has nine digital stations covering all of North Dakota, plus portions of Minnesota, Montana, South...
are the only stations from this region that still air in Manitoba, after KVLY-TV
KVLY-TV
KVLY-TV, is an NBC affiliated television station in Fargo, North Dakota, USA, serving Eastern North Dakota and Northwestern Minnesota. It broadcasts on ATSC channel 44, which redirects to former NTSC channel 11 via PSIP. In addition to its main studio in Fargo, it operates a satellite studio in...
(formerly KTHI) and KXJB were replaced with other network affiliates in March 1986. This was due to a Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission decision that allowed the Winnipeg cable companies to replace the CBS and NBC affiliates with Detroit stations because of complaints about poor reception, but denied them the ability to replace WDAZ with WXYZ
WXYZ-TV
WXYZ-TV, channel 7, is an ABC-affiliated television station in Detroit, Michigan, USA. WXYZ-TV is owned by the E.W. Scripps Company, and is the media company's largest-market TV station property...
or PPTV with WTVS
WTVS
WTVS, branded as Detroit Public TV, is the Public Broadcasting Service member Public television station in Detroit, Michigan. Broadcasting since 1955, its vision statement is "educate, entertain and inspire — in partnership with our community." The viewer supported station produces many local...
(although this station would later be added as a second PBS
Public Broadcasting Service
The Public Broadcasting Service is an American non-profit public broadcasting television network with 354 member TV stations in the United States which hold collective ownership. Its headquarters is in Arlington, Virginia....
station to cable customers). http://www.crtc.gc.ca/archive/eng/notices/1999/..%5C..%5CDecisions%5C1986%5CDB86-184.htm Shaw Cable airs WDAZ on cable channel 7 and MTS TV airs WDAZ on cable channel 13.
WDAZ can also be seen over the air in extreme southern Manitoba, and in southern parts of Winnipeg, with a rooftop antenna. WDAZ's over-the-air signal is spotty at best in Manitoba, as its transmitter is more than 100 miles (160 kilometers) from Winnipeg.
Advertising from Winnipeg businesses sometimes air on the station, although this is sometimes ineffective due to simultaneous substitution
Simultaneous substitution
Simultaneous substitution is a practice mandated by the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission requiring Canadian cable, direct broadcast satellite and multichannel multipoint distribution service television distribution companies to substitute the signal of a foreign or...
. This practice requires Shaw and MTS to replace WDAZ's signal with that of a Winnipeg station (usually either CKY-TV
CKY-TV
CKY-DT is a television station based in Winnipeg, Manitoba and owned by Bell Media. It is part of the CTV Television Network....
or CKND-TV
CKND-TV
CKND-DT is a television station that broadcasts from Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. It is the Manitoba outlet for the Global Television Network.-History:...
) whenever the same program and episode airs at the same time. Because WDAZ is carried on cable in southern Manitoba, it has become somewhat of a regional superstation
Superstation
Superstation in United States television can have several meanings. In its most precise meaning, a superstation is defined by the Federal Communications Commission as "A television broadcast station, other than a network station, licensed by the FCC that is secondarily transmitted by a satellite...
.
Some areas that carry WDAZ on cable in western Minnesota
Minnesota
Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
are actually in the northwestern part of the Minneapolis/St. Paul television market.
Digital television
The station's digital signal is multiplexed:Multichannel television sound
Multichannel television sound, better known as MTS , is the method of encoding three additional channels of audio into an NTSC-format audio carrier.- History :...
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...
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...
WDAY-TV
WDAY-TV
WDAY-TV, digital channel 21 , is the ABC affiliate television station for Fargo, North Dakota. The station serves the southern half of the Fargo-Grand Forks television market, with WDAZ-TV in Grand Forks serving the northern half. The two stations are counted as a single unit for Nielsen ratings...
Translators
WDAZ rebroadcasts on the following translators (low power rebroadcasters):- K48CQ 48 Roseau, MinnesotaRoseau, MinnesotaAs of the census of 2000, there were 2,756 people, 1,157 households, and 713 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,153.6 people per square mile . There were 1,229 housing units at an average density of 514.4 per square mile...
- K57AR 57 Baudette, MinnesotaBaudette, Minnesota-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 1,104 people, 490 households, and 271 families residing in the city. The population density was 334.1 people per square mile . There were 540 housing units at an average density of 163.4 per square mile...
- K61AR 61 Williams, MinnesotaWilliams, MinnesotaWilliams is a city in Lake of the Woods County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 191 at the 2010 census.Williams was burned in the Baudette Fire of 1910.-Geography:...
WDAZ-TV tower
WDAZ-TV broadcasts from a 445.2 meter (1,460.2 feet) high guy-wired aerial mast, making it the third tallest tower in North Dakota after the KVLY-TV towerKVLY-TV mast
The KVLY-TV mast is a tall television-transmitting mast in Blanchard, Traill County, North Dakota, United States, used by Fargo station KVLY-TV channel 11...
and KXJB-TV tower
KXJB-TV mast
The KXJB-TV mast is a television transmitting tower in Traill County, North Dakota, United States. At 2060 ft , it is the fourth-tallest artificial structure in the world, shorter by 3 ft than the KVLY-TV mast which stands a few miles away.Located 3.5 miles northeast of Galesburg,...
. The tower is located in Dahlen, North Dakota
Dahlen, North Dakota
Dahlen is a census-designated place in Nelson County, North Dakota in the United States. An unincorporated community, it was designated as part of the U.S. Census Bureau's Participant Statistical Areas Program on March 31, 2010...
, roughly located between Grand Forks and Devils Lake
Devils Lake, North Dakota
As of the 2000 Census, there were 7,222 people, 3,127 households, and 1,773 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 3,508 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 89.23% White, 0.22% African American, 7.84% Native American, 0.28%...
. The tower was also used by KGFE of Grand Forks
Grand Forks, North Dakota
Grand Forks is the third-largest city in the U.S. state of North Dakota and the county seat of Grand Forks County. According to the 2010 census, the city's population was 52,838, while that of the city and surrounding metropolitan area was 98,461...
until an ice storm damaged equipment in 2004.
External links
- WDAZ website
- Fargo CW
- Tower site photos on endmilled.com
- http://www.lyngsat-address.com/uz/WDAZ-TV.html
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