KTTC

KTTC, virtual and VHF digital channel 10, is a dual NBC/CW+-affiliated television station licensed to Rochester, Minnesota, United States, serving Southeastern Minnesota and Northeastern Iowa. The station is owned by Quincy Media, which also operates Fox affiliate KXLT-TV (channel 47, also licensed to Rochester) under a shared services agreement (SSA) with owner SagamoreHill Broadcasting. The two stations share studios in Rochester on Bandel Road Northwest along US 52, and also maintain an advertising sales office on Lakeview Drive in Clear Lake, Iowa, that serves Mason City.[2] KTTC's transmitter is located south of Ostrander, Minnesota, near the Fillmore–Mower county line.

This article is about the television station. For the educational institute, see Kenya Technical Trainers College.
Not to be confused with KTTZ-TV.
KTTC
Rochester/Austin/Albert Lea, Minnesota/
Mason City, Iowa
United States
CityRochester, Minnesota
ChannelsDigital: 10 (VHF)
Virtual: 10 (PSIP)
BrandingKTTC (general)
KTTC News
Rochester CW (on DT2)
SloganYour Weather Authority
Dare to Defy (on DT2)
Programming
Affiliations10.1: NBC
10.2: CW+
10.3: Heroes & Icons
10.4: Court TV
10.5: True Crime Network
10.6: Dabl
Ownership
OwnerQuincy Media
(KTTC License, LLC)
Sister stationsKXLT-TV, WKOW, WXOW/WQOW, WAOW/WYOW/WMOW
History
First air dateJuly 14, 1953 (1953-07-14)
Former call signsKROC-TV (1953–1976)
Former channel number(s)Analog:
10 (VHF, 1953–2009)
Digital:
36 (UHF, 2000–2009)
Translators:
50 W50DR La Crosse, WI
62 K62EV Winona, MN
67 W67CH La Crosse, WI
70 K70DR Blue Earth, MN
Former affiliationsDuMont (1953–1955)
CBS (1953)
ABC (1953–1954)
all secondary [1]
Call sign meaningTotal Tri-State Coverage
Technical information
Licensing authorityFCC
Facility ID35678
ClassDT
ERP43.1 kW
HAAT381 m (1,250 ft)
Transmitter coordinates43°34′15″N 92°25′38″W
Translator(s)W34FC-D (UHF) La Crosse, WI
Links
Public license informationProfile
LMS
Websitekttc.com
"Rochester CW" (DT2)

History

The station launched on July 14, 1953, under the call sign KROC-TV, making it the first station in Southern Minnesota and third in the state after KSTP-TV and WTCN-TV in the Twin Cities. It was owned by the Gentling family and their Southern Minnesota Broadcasting Company, it was sister to KROC radio (AM 1340 and FM 106.9). The station's original studios and transmitter were located on Hennessey Hill, two miles (3.2 km) west of Rochester. The station carried programming from all four commercial networks of the 1950s: ABC, CBS, and DuMont but was a primary NBC affiliate.[3] The station was launched by G. David Gentling, son of family patriarch Gregory P. Gentling. In November 1966, the station moved to a new building on First Avenue Southwest in Downtown Rochester.

In 1976, due to Federal Communications Commission (FCC) restrictions on ownership of multiple stations in a single market, the station was purchased by Quincy Newspapers from Southern Minnesota Broadcasting. The Gentlings would hold onto the radio stations until 2003. In accordance with an FCC regulation in place then that prohibited TV and radio stations in the same market, but with different ownership groups from sharing the same callsign, channel 10's callsign became KTTC that July. KTTC-DT began broadcasting on UHF channel 36 in September 2000.[4] The station has been digital-only since February 17, 2009.[5][6] The station's pre-transition digital facility on channel 36 became the final post-transition facility for ABC affiliate KAAL.[7]

In 2001, Quincy bought Shockley Communications (then owner of KXLT). However, Quincy could not buy KXLT due to FCC rules governing duopolies. The FCC does not allow two of the four highest-rated stations to be owned by one company. Additionally, Rochester–Austin–Mason City has only six full-power stations, not enough to legally permit a duopoly in any case. Nevertheless, Quincy took over KXLT's operations under a shared services agreement. In 2002, KTTC relocated from its longtime studios on First Avenue Southwest in Downtown Rochester to its current location on Bandel Road in North Rochester, the then-current offices for KXLT. Shockley would later sell the Fox station to SagamoreHill Broadcasting in 2005 which continued the operational agreement with Quincy.[8]

In November 2011, the former KTTC studio on First Avenue SW was demolished to clear the way for the University of Minnesota Rochester's future campus.[9] The City of Rochester sold that property and the Fourth Street Boxing Gym and a small halal market were included in the deal. They were also demolished.

KTTC-DT2

KTTC-DT2 is the CW+-affiliated second digital subchannel of KTTC, broadcasting in 720p high definition on virtual and VHF channel 10.2.

History

What is now KTTC-DT2 began on September 21, 1998 after KTTC entered into a partnership with The WB 100+, a national programming service operated by The WB for television markets ranked greater than 100, and cable systems in the Rochester area. Prior to 1998, The WB's programming was available in Rochester via WGN-TV's national feed or local WB affiliate KMWB (now WUCW) in Minneapolis–Saint Paul. It was a cable-exclusive station, and as a result, used the call sign "KWBR" (standing for "The WB Rochester") in a fictional manner for identification purposes. KTTC provided local advertisement opportunities and performed promotional duties for the outlet.

On January 24, 2006, CBS Corporation (which became separate from Viacom after 2005) and Warner Bros. Television (the company which owned The WB) announced they then would cease operating the UPN and WB networks and combine their resources to create a programming service entitled The CW. The letters would represent the first initial of the new network's respective corporate parents.

On September 18 of that year, The CW officially launched nationwide at which point KTTC added a new second digital subchannel to simulcast "KWBR" and allowing non-cable subscribers access to the new network. With its over-their-air launch, "KWBR" began using KTTC-DT2 as its official calls and became part of The CW Plus, a successor to The WB 100+.

Digital channels

The station's digital signal is multiplexed:

Channel Video Aspect PSIP short name Programming [10]
10.11080i16:9KTTCNBCMain KTTC programming / NBC
10.2720pKTTCCWCW Rochester
10.3480iHandIHeroes & Icons
10.4CourtTVCourt TV
10.5CrimeTrue Crime Network
10.6BlankDabl (soon)

KTTC offered Minnesota's first full-power digital signal in 2000.

Translator

In the La Crosse, Wisconsin area, KTTC can be seen over-the-air through low-powered digital translator W34FC-D, which broadcasts on UHF channel 34 (or virtual channel 10 via PSIP) from a transmitter at the studios of sister outlet and ABC affiliate WXOW on County Highway 25 in La Crescent, Minnesota. It provides over-the-air service of NBC to viewers in La Crosse unable to receive Gray Television's WEAU (based in Eau Claire, Wisconsin) due to area topography.

W34FC-D does not carry KTTC channel 10.2, presumably because The CW Plus is available to the area on WXOW channel 19.2. However, W34FC-D does carry KTTC channels 10.4 and 10.5, despite Court TV and Justice Network also being available to the area on WXOW channels 19.4 and 19.5, respectively.

Former translators

In the La Crosse area, KTTC's analog translator W67CH channel 67 ceased broadcasting on November 4, 2009.[11] It was replaced with digital translator station W50DR-D which went on-the-air at 2:10 in the afternoon on October 14.[12] W50DR was subsequently replaced with W34FC in August 2018. KTTC's other two analog translators, in Winona (K62EV channel 62) and Blue Earth (K70DR channel 70), both left the air on December 29, 2011, due to the end of broadcasting on channels above 51 (K70DR in particular was one of the few remaining stations still operating on channel 70, which was phased out starting in 1983).[13]

Programming

Syndicated programming on KTTC includes Inside Edition, Judge Judy, and The Doctors, among others.

News operation

In addition to its main studios, KTTC operates an Austin Bureau, within the Riverland Community College campus, on 8th Avenue Northwest.

Through a news share agreement in place since 2001, KTTC produces a half-hour prime time newscast on KXLT seen Sunday through Thursday nights. Known as Fox 47 News at Nine, the program originates from a secondary set at the Bandel Road Northwest studios. It features a unique graphics package and news music theme that is different from KTTC. KXLT uses most of this NBC outlet's on-air personnel but maintains separate news anchors who can report for KTTC. At some point in 2009, KIMT added the market's second prime time local news show at 9 to its MyNetworkTV-affiliated second digital subchannel. This newscast could be seen for a half hour competing with KXLT's broadcast. Eventually, the effort would be reduced to a five-minute weather cut-in featuring an updated forecast.

On June 12, 2009, KIMT became the market's first television station to upgrade local newscast production to 16:9 enhanced definition widescreen (with some portions in full high definition). Although not truly HD, the aspect ratio matched that of high definition television screens. Video reports from the field were still seen in pillarboxed 4:3 standard definition. It would not be until March 20, 2011 when KTTC performed an upgrade to full high definition newscasts. With the launch to HD came a brand new set and high definition graphics.

On July 28, 2014, KXLT debuted a weekday morning show known as Fox in the Morning (that is produced by KTTC). Airing for thirty minutes at 8 a.m., the program is formatted like a magazine with lifestyle, cooking, and style segments although there are local weather updates featured in the show. Eventually, this broadcast may be extended into the 7 o'clock hour to offer a true local alternative to the national morning programs seen on the big three affiliates. Like the prime time news at 9, the morning program on KXLT maintains separate anchors from KTTC (except for weather segments) and its own graphics scheme.[14]

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References
  1. http://www.ellwanger.tv/collect/tvg/eds/old/nw.html
  2. "KXLT - TV FOX 47". clearlakeiowa.com.
  4. http://www.kttc.com/Global/story.asp?S=9790528&nav=menu1348_2
  5. TV's digital conversion begins in Rochester, Post-Bulletin, Feb 17/2009
  6. "KTTC-TV has ended its analog signal. Call 800-288-1656 or 888-CALL-FCC with questions or click here for more information". kttc.com. 4 February 2009.
  7. Congress postpones DTV transition, but KTTC-TV, KXLT will end analog broadcasting Feb. 17, KTTC-TV, Feb 4 2009
  8. "Shockley Communications Corporation - Television". sccweb.com. Archived from the original on 5 December 2000.
  9. https://www.postbulletin.com/gallery/photos-demolished-rochester-buildings/collection_fff6b4b4-443e-11e9-a727-0fdb5fbdf432.html#3
  10. http://www.rabbitears.info/market.php?request=station_search&callsign=KTTC#station
  11. "LaCrosse / Wausau, WI - HDTV - Page 47 - AVS - Home Theater Discussions And Reviews". avsforum.com.
  12. "LaCrosse / Wausau, WI - HDTV - Page 47 - AVS - Home Theater Discussions And Reviews". avsforum.com.
  13. "Re: K62EV, Winona, Minnesota…K70DR, Blue Earth, Minnesota…". CDBS Public Access. Federal Communications Commission. Retrieved January 7, 2011.
  14. "New Fox show seeks morning viewers". PostBulletin.com.
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