KWCM-TV

KWCM-TV, virtual and VHF digital channel 10, is a Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) member television station licensed to Appleton, Minnesota, United States. The station is owned by the West Central Minnesota Educational TV Corp. KWCM-TV's studios are located on West Schlieman Avenue in Appleton, and its transmitter is located southeast of the city.

KWCM-TV
Appleton, Minnesota
United States
ChannelsDigital: 10 (VHF)
Virtual: 10 (PSIP)
BrandingPioneer PBS
SloganProudly Serving (area/town)
Programming
Affiliations10.1: PBS
10.2: Create
10.3: Minnesota Channel
10.4: World
10.5: PBS Kids
Ownership
OwnerWest Central Minnesota Educational TV Corp.
History
First air dateJanuary 21, 1966 (1966-01-21)
Former channel number(s)Analog:
10 (VHF, 1966–2009)
Digital:
31 (UHF, 2009)
Former affiliationsNET (via KTCA, 1966–1970)
Call sign meaningWest
Central
Minnesota
Technical information
Licensing authorityFCC
Facility ID71549
ERP50 kW
HAAT381 m (1,250 ft)
Transmitter coordinates45°10′3″N 96°0′2″W
Translator(s)See below
Links
Public license informationProfile
LMS
Websitewww.pioneer.org
KSMN
(satellite of KWCM-TV)
Worthington, Minnesota
United States
ChannelsDigital: 15 (UHF)
Virtual: 20 (PSIP)
Brandingsee KWCM-TV infobox
Slogansee KWCM-TV infobox
Programming
Affiliations20.1 PBS
20.2: Create
20.3: Minnesota Channel
20.4: World
20.5: PBS Kids
Ownership
OwnerWest Central Minnesota Educational TV Corp.
History
First air dateFebruary 3, 1997 (1997-02-03)
Former channel number(s)Analog: 20 (UHF, 1997–2009)
Call sign meaningSouthern
MiNnesota
Technical information
Licensing authorityFCC
Facility ID71558
ERP200 kW
HAAT290.1 m (952 ft)
Transmitter coordinates43°53′52″N 95°56′51″W
Links
Public license information
(satellite of KWCM-TV) Profile
LMS

KSMN (virtual channel 20, UHF digital channel 15) in Worthington operates as a full-time satellite of KWCM-TV; this station's transmitter is located near Chandler, Minnesota. KSMN covers areas of southwestern Minnesota that receive a marginal to non-existent over-the-air signal from KWCM, although there is significant overlap between the two stations' contours otherwise. KSMN is a straight simulcast of KWCM; on-air references to KSMN are limited to Federal Communications Commission (FCC)-mandated hourly station identifications during programming. Aside from the transmitter, KSMN does not maintain any physical presence locally in Worthington.

The two stations are collectively branded as Pioneer PBS. Their combined signal can also be received in parts of Iowa, South Dakota and North Dakota. Several other translators carry the signal into other communities.

History
Logo used from mid-2000s until November 3, 2019

KWCM went on the air for the first time on February 7, 1966. In the early years, it repeated the signal of KTCA-TV in the Twin Cities. It adopted the Pioneer Public Television name in 1982, and added KSMN in 1997.

The station is available on the DirecTV and Dish Network feeds for the Twin Cities and Sioux Falls markets. Appleton is part of the Twin Cities market, while Worthington is in the Sioux Falls market. This gives Pioneer a potential audience of 4.8 million people in Minnesota, Iowa, South Dakota, North Dakota and Wisconsin. As of November 3, 2019, the station became Pioneer PBS due to PBS' overhaul.

KWCM and KSMN's broadcasts are now digital-only, effective June 12, 2009.[1]

Digital channels

The stations' digital signals are multiplexed:

ChannelVideoAspectPSIP short nameProgramming
xx.1720p16:9KWCM-HD/KSMN-HDMain programming / PBS
xx.2480iCreateCreate
xx.3KWCM-MN/KSMN-MNMinnesota Channel
xx.4KWCM-WD/KSMN-WDWorld
xx.5PTVKidsPBS Kids

Pioneer-produced shows

Some locally produced shows include Postcards, Prairie Sportsman, Funtime Polka, Your Legislators, Country Spires and programs produced with the University of Minnesota Morris, Prairie Yard and Garden, Academic Challenge, Echoes of Cry of the Marsh and Minnesota Rivers and Fields. Some of these shows have also been shown on the Minnesota Channel, a statewide network originated at KTCI-TV in the Twin Cities which carries local programs on Saturday and Sunday evenings.

Broadcast translators

A network of digital translators in western Minnesota extends the reach of the primary KWCM and KSMN signals.

References
  1. http://www.morrissuntribune.com/articles/index.cfm?id=16452&section=News
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