KBJR-TV
Encyclopedia
KBJR-TV is the NBC
-affiliated television station
for Northeastern Minnesota
and Northwestern Wisconsin
that is licensed to Superior, Wisconsin
. It broadcasts a high definition
digital signal on UHF channel 19 from a transmitter west of Downtown Duluth
in Hilltop Park. Owned by the Granite Broadcasting Corporation
, the station operates CBS
affiliate KDLH
(owned by the Malara Broadcast Group
) through a local marketing agreement
(a.k.a. LMA). The two share studios on South Lake Avenue in Duluth. Syndicated
programing on KBJR includes: Wheel of Fortune
, Inside Edition
, Judge Judy
and Dr. Phil
.
KRII (Range 11), ATSC
channel 11 in Chisholm
/Hibbing
operates as a semi-satellite and has a bureau on East Howard Street in Hibbing
. KRII serves the northern portion of the market, including the Iron Range
area, Grand Rapids
and International Falls
. Although it identifies as a station in its own right, it is considered a semi-satellite of sister station KBJR in Duluth
. This station simulcast
s KBJR except during commercials and station identifications. Master control and internal operations of KRII are based at KBJR's facilities on on South Lake Avenue in Duluth. It also acts as a full-power translator station of all of the various channels and subchannels of KBJR and KDLH. In terms of coverage, KRII serves the northern portion of the Duluth market
while KBJR serves the southern.
It operates the area's MyNetworkTV
station on a second
digital subchannel of KBJR. Known on-air as My 9, it is offered on Charter
channel 9 (hence the branding). This can also be seen on KRII's ninth digital subchannel from a transmitter in Meadow Brook
. Syndicated programing on KBJR-DT2 includes: Family Guy
, My Name Is Earl
, Swift Justice.
. It was owned by Ridder Newspapers, owner of the Duluth Herald (now part of the Duluth News Tribune
), along with WDSM-AM 710. WDSM was the first VHF television station in Duluth, signing-on days before KDAL-TV (now KDLH). In October 1955, the station switched affiliations with KDAL and became an NBC affiliate. It began local color broadcasts in November 1965. It also aired some ABC
programs, sharing them with KDAL, until WDIO-TV
signed-on in 1966. Ridder merged with Knight Newspapers in 1974 to form Knight Ridder
. However, the merged company was not allowed to keep the WDSM stations. It was grandfathered under Federal Communications Commission
(FCC) rules forbidding common ownership of newspapers and broadcasting outlets. The FCC considered the Knight-Ridder merger to be an ownership change, and as a result, the WDSM stations lost their grandfathered protection. The television station was spun-off to RJR Communications in the fall of that year. On December 6, the call letters were changed to the current "KBJR-TV". Channel 6 is one of the few stations in the country whose call sign begins with "K" despite being licensed to a city east of the Mississippi River
. However, its studios have long been located in Duluth.
Current owner Granite acquired KBJR at the end of October 1988 making it one of the company's earliest acquisitions. In March 2005, the Malara Broadcast Group purchased KDLH from New Vision Television
and outsourced most of that station's functions to KBJR.
Under this agreement, KDLH laid off most of its staff, and KBJR began to handle nearly all of channel 3's operations. Filings with the FCC showed Malara could operate KDLH with as few as two people on the payroll.
On January 24, 2006, The WB and UPN
announced that they would cease broadcasting and merge. The new combined network would be called The CW. The letters would represent the first initial of its corporate parents, CBS (the parent company of UPN) and the Warner Bros.
unit of Time Warner
. On February 22, News Corporation
announced that it would start up another new broadcast television network called MyNetworkTV. This new network, which would be sister to Fox, would be operated by Fox Television Stations and its syndication division Twentieth Television. MyNetworkTV was created to give UPN and WB stations, not mentioned as becoming CW affiliates, another option besides becoming independent
. It was also created to compete with that network. KDLH operated the area's cable-only WB affiliate, "KWBD", which was part of The WB 100+
. Area access to UPN was offered in two ways. KBJR operated an affiliate known on-air as "Northland's UPN" and later "UPN 9" (based on its Charter channel location) on its second digital subchannel. This was also available over-the-air in Ashland, Wisconsin
on WAST-LP
which was an over-the-air, low-powered semi-satellite of the digital subchannel. WAST was owned by a separate entity from KBJR.
At some point in time, it was announced that KDLH would carry The CW on a new second
digital subchannel as part of The CW Plus
which would be simulcasted on "KWBD". That service would be a similar operation to The WB 100+. It was later announced that "UPN 9" would become an independent station known as "Northland's 9" complete with new logo and graphics. In March 2006, it was made public that KBJR-DT2 would become an affiliate of MyNetworkTV. In July ahead of the launch of the network, "Northland 9" became known as "My 9" while WAST was shut down in August. MyNetworkTV began broadcasting on September 5 while "KWBD" began broadcasting The CW on September 18. On that date, that station officially started using the KDLH-DT2 call sign.
KBJR, along with WDIO and KQDS-TV
, terminated analog broadcasts on February 17, 2009—the date originally mandated by the FCC to switch to digital. KDLH waited until the new date of June 12 to become digital exclusive. On April 5, 2010, KBJR and KRII re-branded their look introducing new graphics and a new logo combining the branding with "Range 11". The stations also reverted back to their pre-NewsCenter slogan, "In Touch". The stylized 6 was phased out after twenty years.
to International Falls but was changed to Chisholm, which is closer to Duluth, before signing-on. It was granted an original construction permit after the Federal Communications Commission
finalized the DTV allotment plan
on April 21, 1997. As a result, it did not receive a companion channel for a digital television station. Instead on January 6, 2009 over a month before the end of the digital television conversion period for full-service stations, KRII turned-off its analog signal and turned on its digital signal (an action called a "flash-cut
"). After shutting-off analog broadcasts to switch over to digital television
, KRII began multi-casting programming on digital subchannel
s. Its bureau is home to a reporter who contributes Iron Range coverage (identified as "Range 11") to the KBJR and KDLH news broadcasts.
affiliate WDSE and sales and business operations moved to open office space at the U.S. Bank
building in Downtown Duluth while master control remained at the transmitter. In June 1999, it relocated to its current location in Canal Park.
On April 11, 2008, a blizzard swept through the area. Winds over 50 miles per hour, and heavy, wet snow caused power outages in Duluth which caused KBJR, KDLH, and WDIO to lose their signals at times. Weekday morning anchor Dan Hanger was on the air live from 5 until 9. At times, he and meteorologist Shannon Murphy were in the dark but were able to broadcast audio. By late morning when KBJR returned to the air, Barbara Reyelts and George Kessler anchored nonstop using a newsroom setup with one microphone and one camera. By Noon, KDLH anchor Pat Kelly was reporting from outside the studios. Also, any phone interviews were done through a cell phone by holding a microphone up to the speaker of the cell phone.
, Northland's NewsCenter
puts on a parade in downtown Duluth called the "Christmas City of the North Parade". It is broadcast live on KBJR and streamed live on its website. In recent years, the parade also has been replayed numerous times on the networks of Northland's NewsCenter in the weeks and days before Christmas
. According to this station, the parade dates back to 1958 when KBJR (then WDSM) started the event as a way to kick off the holiday shopping season in the area. However, it does not seem to have any evidence to corroborate that starting date. Articles and the station's own ads in the Duluth News Tribune over the years indicate that 1961 was the actual date of the first parade.
It has been held every year since except in 1963 when the event was canceled following the assassination of President John F. Kennedy
. In the early 1960s, the station commissioned Merv Griffin
to produce a song especially for the parade. The "Christmas City Song" has been used for the parade every year and also has been the closing music for all Northland's NewsCenter newscasts from Thanksgiving until Christmas. In 2006, Barbara Reyelts, Mark Mallory, Michelle Lee, and Pat Kelly anchored the parade. 2008 marked the 50th anniversary of the parade. It was hosted by Michelle Lee, George Kessler, and Barbara Reyelts. The pacer car was driven by Shannon Murphy, Dave Anderson, and Kevin Jacobsen.
stations in Duluth to have a weeknight 5 o'clock broadcast. It aired Judge Judy
in the time slot instead. In 2004, it debuted a 5 p.m. show that featured anchor Amy Rutledge and meteorologist Phil Johnson. This was replaced along with its 6 o'clock show with the current one at 5:30 when KDLH merged with KBJR in March 2005. Judge Judy has since reclaimed the 5 o'clock spot on that channel and the CBS Evening News
airs at 6. After the KDLH buyout, that station had its news department closed and merged with KBJR. To maintain a separate identity, there were some personalities on this channel that were also seen on KDLH. However, due to KBJR's existing newscasts not all of this station's personnel were seen on that station. More recently, the news teams of both stations have been downsized.
Currently, KDLH's weekday morning show is known as KDLH 3 Morning Plus and is essentially a simulcast of the second hour of KBJR's morning show, KBJR 6 and Range 11 News Today. Originally, KDLH had aired a separate ninety minute broadcast before being dropped in favor of a ninety minute simulcast of KBJR. KDLH's Northland's NewsCenter at 5:30 had been anchored by Pat Kelly who was the only news team member remaining after the KDLH sellout. Its weeknight 10 o'clock newscast, which continues to be a separate production, was known as Northland's NewsCenter Express and consisted of a ten minute news "capsule". The other 25 minutes was a Seinfeld
rerun. After thirteen months of mediocre ratings, KDLH changed its 10 o'clock show to the traditional 35 minutes and re-branded it to Northland's NewsCenter Tonight. On Sunday nights at 10, there continues to be a ten minute Northland's NewsCenter Express update followed by a Judge Judy rerun. Otherwise, there are no weekend newscasts on KDLH. Saturday nights at 10, there is a local sports highlight show that airs on that channel known as Sports Zone.
As part of its schedule, KBJR-DT2
"My 9" offers several newscasts. This includes a simulcast of the first hour of the weekday morning show and a re-airing of the second hour at 7. There is a simulcast of KBJR's Noon and weeknight 5 o'clock broadcasts. Weeknights at 9, the channel airs a live newscast (known as Northland's NewsCenter Tonight at 9) that had been simulcasted on KDLH-DT2 "Northland CW 2" but was dropped. This competes with Fox affiliate KQDS. Finally, KBJR-DT2 re-airs the main channel's 10 o'clock show early the next morning.
Until its shut down in late-December 2008, KBJR offered NBC Weather Plus
with local inserts on a third digital subchannel and Charter
digital
channel 391. When the national service ended, KBJR-DT3 became part of NBC Plus which featured a computer-updated loop of regional satellite/radar images, current weather conditions and temperatures, and daily forecasts. A new forth digital subchannel was created featuring news and weather updated and the "L-Bar" that is a remnant of the former NBC Weather Plus service. This was known on-air as "Northand's NewsCenter Now" and can also be seen on KRII's forth digital subchannel. KBJR-DT3 eventually became vacant. KBJR-DT4 and KRII-DT4 has since become part of The Local AccuWeather
Channel known as "Weather Now".
KBJR, KRII, and KDLH began broadcasting their local newscasts in 16x9 widescreen
on May 4, 2009. They were the first television stations in the market to do so. Although not true high definition
, the format matches the ratio of HD television screens. As of November, KDLH began to brand its separate weeknight shows as KDLH 3 News which air from a secondary set. That station continues to use the Northland's NewsCenter branding when simulcasting KBJR's newscasts. On January 11, 2010, KDLH starting airing the area's only weeknight 6:30 newscast.
Weather Now Meteorologists
Sports (both seen on Sports Zone)
Multimedia journalists
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...
-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...
for Northeastern 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...
and Northwestern Wisconsin
Wisconsin
Wisconsin is a U.S. state located in the north-central United States and is part of the Midwest. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michigan to the northeast, and Lake Superior to the north. Wisconsin's capital is...
that is licensed to Superior, Wisconsin
Superior, Wisconsin
Superior is a city in and the county seat of Douglas County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 26,960 at the 2010 census. Located at the junction of U.S. Highways 2 and 53, it is north of and adjacent to both the Village of Superior and the Town of Superior.Superior is at the western...
. It broadcasts a 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...
digital signal on UHF channel 19 from a transmitter west of Downtown Duluth
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,...
in Hilltop Park. Owned by the Granite Broadcasting Corporation
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...
, the station operates 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...
affiliate KDLH
KDLH
KDLH is the CBS-affiliated television station for the Iron Range area of Northeastern Minnesota that is licensed to Duluth. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on UHF channel 33 from a transmitter west of downtown in Hilltop Park. Owned by the Malara Broadcast Group, the station is...
(owned by the Malara Broadcast Group
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...
) through a 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...
(a.k.a. LMA). The two share studios on South Lake Avenue in Duluth. Syndicated
Television syndication
In broadcasting, syndication is the sale of the right to broadcast radio shows and television shows by multiple radio stations and television stations, without going through a broadcast network, though the process of syndication may conjure up structures like those of a network itself, by its very...
programing on KBJR includes: Wheel of Fortune
Wheel of Fortune (U.S. game show)
Wheel of Fortune is an American television game show created by Merv Griffin, which premiered in 1975. Contestants compete to solve word puzzles, similar to those used in Hangman, to win cash and prizes determined by spinning a large wheel. The title refers to the show's giant carnival wheel that...
, Inside Edition
Inside Edition
Inside Edition is a thirty-minute American television syndicated news program, first aired on CBS on October 9, 1988. It was originally similar to the programs Hard Copy and A Current Affair, but now more closely resembles a condensed version of breakfast television, exclusively with pre-recorded...
, Judge Judy
Judge Judy
Judge Judy is an American court show featuring former family court judge Judith Sheindlin arbitrating over small claims cases in small claims court...
and Dr. Phil
Dr. Phil (TV series)
Dr. Phil is a reality/talk television show hosted by Phil McGraw. After McGraw's success with his segments on The Oprah Winfrey Show, Dr. Phil debuted on September 16, 2002...
.
KRII (Range 11), ATSC
ATSC
ATSC standards are a set of standards developed by the Advanced Television Systems Committee for digital television transmission over terrestrial, cable, and satellite networks....
channel 11 in Chisholm
Chisholm, Minnesota
As of the census of 2000, there were 4,960 people, 2,178 households, and 1,287 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,129 people per square mile . There were 2,375 housing units at an average density of 540/sq mi...
/Hibbing
Hibbing, Minnesota
Hibbing is a city in Saint Louis County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 16,361 at the 2010 census. The city was built on the rich iron ore of the Mesabi Iron Range. At the edge of town is the largest open-pit iron mine in the world. U.S...
operates as a semi-satellite and has a bureau on East Howard Street in Hibbing
Hibbing, Minnesota
Hibbing is a city in Saint Louis County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 16,361 at the 2010 census. The city was built on the rich iron ore of the Mesabi Iron Range. At the edge of town is the largest open-pit iron mine in the world. U.S...
. KRII serves the northern portion of the market, including the Iron Range
Iron Range
The Iron Range is a region that makes up the northeastern section of Minnesota in the United States. "The Range", as it is known by locals, is a region with multiple distinct bands of iron ore...
area, Grand Rapids
Grand Rapids, Minnesota
As of the census of 2000, there were 7,764 people, 3,446 households, and 1,943 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,057.8 people per square mile . There were 3,621 housing units at an average density of 493.3 per square mile...
and International Falls
International Falls, Minnesota
International Falls is a city in and the county seat of Koochiching County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 6,424 at the 2010 census....
. Although it identifies as a station in its own right, it is considered a semi-satellite of sister station KBJR in Duluth
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,...
. This station simulcast
Simulcast
Simulcast, shorthand for "simultaneous broadcast", refers to programs or events broadcast across more than one medium, or more than one service on the same medium, at the same time. For example, Absolute Radio is simulcast on both AM and on satellite radio, and the BBC's Prom concerts are often...
s KBJR except during commercials and station identifications. Master control and internal operations of KRII are based at KBJR's facilities on on South Lake Avenue in Duluth. It also acts as a full-power translator station of all of the various channels and subchannels of KBJR and KDLH. In terms of coverage, KRII serves the northern portion of the Duluth market
Media market
A media market, broadcast market, media region, designated market area , Television Market Area , or simply market is a region where the population can receive the same television and radio station offerings, and may also include other types of media including newspapers and Internet content...
while KBJR serves the southern.
It operates the area's MyNetworkTV
MyNetworkTV
MyNetworkTV is a television broadcast syndication service in the United States, owned by the Fox Entertainment Group, a division of News Corporation...
station on a second
KBJR-DT2
KBJR-DT2 is the MyNetworkTV-affiliated television station for the Iron Range of northeastern Minnesota. The station is a second digital subchannel of NBC affiliate KBJR which is owned by the Granite Broadcasting Corporation. Over-the-air, it broadcasts a digital signal on UHF channel 19.2 from...
digital subchannel of KBJR. Known on-air as My 9, it is offered on Charter
Charter Communications
Charter Communications is an American company providing cable television, high-speed Internet, and telephone services to more than 4.7 million customers in 25 states. By revenues, it is the fourth-largest cable operator in the United States, behind Comcast, Time Warner Cable, and Cox Communications...
channel 9 (hence the branding). This can also be seen on KRII's ninth digital subchannel from a transmitter in Meadow Brook
Meadow Brook, Minnesota
Meadow Brook is an unincorporated community in Linden Grove Township, St. Louis County, Minnesota, United States.The community is located west of Cook at the junction of Minnesota Highway 1 and County Road 139 ....
. Syndicated programing on KBJR-DT2 includes: Family Guy
Family Guy
Family Guy is an American animated television series created by Seth MacFarlane for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series centers on the Griffins, a dysfunctional family consisting of parents Peter and Lois; their children Meg, Chris, and Stewie; and their anthropomorphic pet dog Brian...
, My Name Is Earl
My Name Is Earl
My Name Is Earl is an American television comedy series created by Greg Garcia that was originally broadcast on the NBC television network from September 20, 2005, to May 14, 2009, in the United States...
, Swift Justice.
Digital programming
Its signal is multiplexed.| Channel | Programming |
|---|---|
| 6.1 | main KBJR programming / NBC |
| 6.2 | KBJR-DT2 "My 9" |
| Channel | Programming |
|---|---|
| 11.1 | main KRII programming / NBC |
| 11.2 | KDLH-DT2 KDLH-DT2 KDLH-DT2 is the CW-affiliated television station for the Iron Range of Northeastern Minnesota. The station is part of The CW Plus, a special CW feed that broadcasts on cable and/or over-the-air on a digital signal... "Northland CW 2" |
| 11.3 | KDLH (CBS) |
| 11.9 | KBJR-DT2 KBJR-DT2 KBJR-DT2 is the MyNetworkTV-affiliated television station for the Iron Range of northeastern Minnesota. The station is a second digital subchannel of NBC affiliate KBJR which is owned by the Granite Broadcasting Corporation. Over-the-air, it broadcasts a digital signal on UHF channel 19.2 from... "My 9" |
Outlying repeaters
In addition to the main signal, KBJR/KRII can be seen on several outlying repeaters.| Call sign | Channel | City of license | Licensee | Transmitter location | Displacement application channel |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| K57BK-D | 57 | Northome Northome, Minnesota Northome is a city located in the southwestern corner of Koochiching County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 200 at the 2010 census. The county seat is International Falls, about away.U.S... |
Koochiching County Koochiching County, Minnesota Koochiching County is a county located in the U.S. state of Minnesota. As of 2010, the population was 13,311. Its county seat is International Falls. A portion of the Bois Forte Indian Reservation is in the county. A small part of Voyageurs National Park extends into its northeast... |
south of Orth | 18 |
| K60BO-D | 60 | Big Falls Big Falls, Minnesota Big Falls is a city in Koochiching County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 236 at the 2010 census.-Geography:According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , all land.U.S... |
Koochiching County | center of city | 27 |
| K60BT-D | 60 | Birchdale Birchdale, Minnesota Birchdale is an unincorporated community in Koochiching County, Minnesota, United States.The community is located between International Falls and Baudette on Minnesota Highway 11.Franz Jevne State Park is nearby.... |
Koochiching County | southwest of Lowman | 42 |
| K63DV | 63 | Orr Orr, Minnesota Orr is a city in Saint Louis County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 267 at the 2010 census.U.S. Highway 53 serves as a main arterial route in the city.Orr is best known as an entry point for the Boundary Waters and Voyageurs National Park.... |
Orr Area Minneonto II | south of city along U.S. 53 U.S. Route 53 U.S. Route 53 is a north–south U.S. highway that runs for 403 miles from La Crosse, Wisconsin to northern Minnesota. It is the primary north–south route in northwestern Wisconsin, serving as a vital link between I-94 at Eau Claire, Wisconsin and the city of Duluth, Minnesota... |
28 |
| K67EH | 67 | Kabetogama Kabetogama, Minnesota Kabetogama is an unincorporated community in St. Louis County, Minnesota, United States.The community is located southeast of International Falls on County Road 122.U.S. Highway 53 is nearby.Kabetogama is located within Kabetogama Township.-Notes:... |
Koochiching County | between Koochiching County line and U.S. 53 in St Louis County | 34 |
| K69CR-D | 69 | Bigfork Bigfork, Minnesota Bigfork is a city in Itasca County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 446 at the 2010 census. Scenic State Park is nearby.Minnesota State Highway 38 serves as a main route in the community... / Marcell Marcell, Minnesota Marcell is an unincorporated community in Marcell Township, Itasca County, Minnesota, United States. Despite its unincorporated status, it appears on most more detailed maps of Minnesota due to the presence of several locally important businesses and the lack of larger towns in the surrounding... |
EZ-TV, Inc. | south of Bigfork along MN 38 Minnesota State Highway 38 Minnesota State Highway 38 is a highway in north-central Minnesota, which runs from its intersection with U.S. Highway 2 in Grand Rapids and continues north to its northern terminus at its intersection with State Highway 1 in Effie.... |
23 |
History
The station began on March 1, 1954 known as WDSM-TV and was affiliated with 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...
. It was owned by Ridder Newspapers, owner of the Duluth Herald (now part of the Duluth News Tribune
Duluth News Tribune
The Duluth News Tribune is a newspaper in Duluth, Minnesota. It is published by Forum Communications, which bought it in 2006 after The McClatchy Company acquired the News Tribunes previous owner, Knight Ridder.The present incarnation of the newspaper is the outcome of the merger and takeover of...
), along with WDSM-AM 710. WDSM was the first VHF television station in Duluth, signing-on days before KDAL-TV (now KDLH). In October 1955, the station switched affiliations with KDAL and became an NBC affiliate. It began local color broadcasts in November 1965. It also aired some ABC
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...
programs, sharing them with KDAL, until WDIO-TV
WDIO-TV
WDIO-DT and WIRT-DT are the ABC and Me-TV-affiliated television stations for North Central and Northeastern Minnesota, and Northwestern Wisconsin...
signed-on in 1966. Ridder merged with Knight Newspapers in 1974 to form Knight Ridder
Knight Ridder
Knight Ridder was an American media company, specializing in newspaper and Internet publishing. Until it was bought by The McClatchy Company on June 27, 2006, it was the second-largest newspaper publisher in the United States, with 32 daily newspapers sold.- History :The corporate ancestors of...
. However, the merged company was not allowed to keep the WDSM stations. It was grandfathered under Federal Communications Commission
Federal Communications Commission
The Federal Communications Commission is an independent agency of the United States government, created, Congressional statute , and with the majority of its commissioners appointed by the current President. The FCC works towards six goals in the areas of broadband, competition, the spectrum, the...
(FCC) rules forbidding common ownership of newspapers and broadcasting outlets. The FCC considered the Knight-Ridder merger to be an ownership change, and as a result, the WDSM stations lost their grandfathered protection. The television station was spun-off to RJR Communications in the fall of that year. On December 6, the call letters were changed to the current "KBJR-TV". Channel 6 is one of the few stations in the country whose call sign begins with "K" despite being licensed to a city east of the Mississippi River
Mississippi River
The Mississippi River is the largest river system in North America. Flowing entirely in the United States, this river rises in western Minnesota and meanders slowly southwards for to the Mississippi River Delta at the Gulf of Mexico. With its many tributaries, the Mississippi's watershed drains...
. However, its studios have long been located in Duluth.
Current owner Granite acquired KBJR at the end of October 1988 making it one of the company's earliest acquisitions. In March 2005, the Malara Broadcast Group purchased KDLH from 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:...
and outsourced most of that station's functions to KBJR.
Under this agreement, KDLH laid off most of its staff, and KBJR began to handle nearly all of channel 3's operations. Filings with the FCC showed Malara could operate KDLH with as few as two people on the payroll.
On January 24, 2006, The WB and UPN
UPN
United Paramount Network was a television network that was broadcast in over 200 markets in the United States from 1995 to 2006. UPN was originally owned by Viacom/Paramount and Chris-Craft Industries, the former of which, through the Paramount Television Group, produced most of the network's...
announced that they would cease broadcasting and merge. The new combined network would be called The CW. The letters would represent the first initial of its corporate parents, CBS (the parent company of UPN) and the Warner Bros.
Warner Bros.
Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc., also known as Warner Bros. Pictures or simply Warner Bros. , is an American producer of film and television entertainment.One of the major film studios, it is a subsidiary of Time Warner, with its headquarters in Burbank,...
unit of Time Warner
Time Warner
Time Warner is one of the world's largest media companies, headquartered in the Time Warner Center in New York City. Formerly two separate companies, Warner Communications, Inc...
. On February 22, News Corporation
News Corporation
News Corporation or News Corp. is an American multinational media conglomerate. It is the world's second-largest media conglomerate as of 2011 in terms of revenue, and the world's third largest in entertainment as of 2009, although the BBC remains the world's largest broadcaster...
announced that it would start up another new broadcast television network called MyNetworkTV. This new network, which would be sister to Fox, would be operated by Fox Television Stations and its syndication division Twentieth Television. MyNetworkTV was created to give UPN and WB stations, not mentioned as becoming CW affiliates, another option besides becoming independent
Independent station
An independent station is in the category of television terminology used to describe a television station broadcasting in the United States or Canada that is not affiliated with any television network....
. It was also created to compete with that network. KDLH operated the area's cable-only WB affiliate, "KWBD", which was part of The WB 100+
The WB 100+ Station Group
The WB 100+ Station Group was a group of primarily non-broadcast local cable television outlets for The WB Television Network, for markets below the top 100 television media markets in the United States. Dayparts with no WB programming were programmed by the network...
. Area access to UPN was offered in two ways. KBJR operated an affiliate known on-air as "Northland's UPN" and later "UPN 9" (based on its Charter channel location) on its second digital subchannel. This was also available over-the-air in Ashland, Wisconsin
Ashland, Wisconsin
Ashland is a city in Ashland and Bayfield counties in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. The city is a port on Lake Superior, near the head of Chequamegon Bay. The population was 8,695 at the 2010 census....
on WAST-LP
WAST-LP
WAST-LP was a low-power television station in Ashland, Wisconsin, broadcasting locally on UHF channel 25 and cable channel 9 as a UPN affiliate...
which was an over-the-air, low-powered semi-satellite of the digital subchannel. WAST was owned by a separate entity from KBJR.
At some point in time, it was announced that KDLH would carry The CW on a new second
KDLH-DT2
KDLH-DT2 is the CW-affiliated television station for the Iron Range of Northeastern Minnesota. The station is part of The CW Plus, a special CW feed that broadcasts on cable and/or over-the-air on a digital signal...
digital subchannel as part of The CW Plus
The CW Plus
The CW Plus is a group of primarily digital sub-channels, analog, and non-broadcast cable television outlets for the CW Television Network, for markets below the top 99 television media markets in the United States....
which would be simulcasted on "KWBD". That service would be a similar operation to The WB 100+. It was later announced that "UPN 9" would become an independent station known as "Northland's 9" complete with new logo and graphics. In March 2006, it was made public that KBJR-DT2 would become an affiliate of MyNetworkTV. In July ahead of the launch of the network, "Northland 9" became known as "My 9" while WAST was shut down in August. MyNetworkTV began broadcasting on September 5 while "KWBD" began broadcasting The CW on September 18. On that date, that station officially started using the KDLH-DT2 call sign.
KBJR, along with WDIO and KQDS-TV
KQDS-TV
KQDS-TV is the Fox-affiliated television station for the Twin Ports and Iron Range areas of Northeastern Minnesota that is licensed to Duluth. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on UHF channel 17 from a transmitter west of downtown in Hilltop Park. Owned by Red River Broadcasting, the...
, terminated analog broadcasts on February 17, 2009—the date originally mandated by the FCC to switch to digital. KDLH waited until the new date of June 12 to become digital exclusive. On April 5, 2010, KBJR and KRII re-branded their look introducing new graphics and a new logo combining the branding with "Range 11". The stations also reverted back to their pre-NewsCenter slogan, "In Touch". The stylized 6 was phased out after twenty years.
KRII history
KRII signed-on for the first time on December 18, 2002 as a semi-satellite of KBJR. It was originally licensedCity 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....
to International Falls but was changed to Chisholm, which is closer to Duluth, before signing-on. It was granted an original construction permit after the Federal Communications Commission
Federal Communications Commission
The Federal Communications Commission is an independent agency of the United States government, created, Congressional statute , and with the majority of its commissioners appointed by the current President. The FCC works towards six goals in the areas of broadband, competition, the spectrum, the...
finalized the DTV allotment plan
Digital television transition
The digital television transition is the process in which analog television broadcasting is converted to and replaced by digital television. This primarily involves both TV stations and over-the-air viewers; however it also involves content providers like TV networks, and cable television...
on April 21, 1997. As a result, it did not receive a companion channel for a digital television station. Instead on January 6, 2009 over a month before the end of the digital television conversion period for full-service stations, KRII turned-off its analog signal and turned on its digital signal (an action called a "flash-cut
Flash-cut
A flash-cut, also called flash-cutover, is an immediate change in a complex system, with no phase-in period.Some telephone area codes were split immediately, rather than being phased in with a permissive dialing period. An example is telephone area code 213, which was split into 213 and 714 all at...
"). After shutting-off analog broadcasts to switch over to digital television
Digital television
Digital television is the transmission of audio and video by digital signals, in contrast to the analog signals used by analog TV...
, KRII began multi-casting programming on 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...
s. Its bureau is home to a reporter who contributes Iron Range coverage (identified as "Range 11") to the KBJR and KDLH news broadcasts.
1997 studio fire
On December 14, 1997, KBJR's studios were destroyed in a fire late that evening. It left the air temporarily but managed to get back on-the-air the next morning cobbling together a makeshift workspace at its transmitter building. Two days later, the news operation moved in with PBSPublic 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....
affiliate WDSE and sales and business operations moved to open office space at the U.S. Bank
U.S. Bancorp
U.S. Bancorp is a diversified financial services holding company, headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota. It is the parent company of U.S. Bank, the fifth largest commercial bank in the United States based on $330 billion in assets. U.S. Bank ranks as the sixth largest bank in the U.S. based on...
building in Downtown Duluth while master control remained at the transmitter. In June 1999, it relocated to its current location in Canal Park.
Winter transmitter and production difficulties
In April 1999, a spring ice storm swept through Duluth. The heavy accumulation of ice severely damaged KBJR's transmitting tower and, as the melting ice started falling off the tower, large ice chunks broke through the roof of the transmitter building flooding it with water and damaging much of the equipment inside. Master control operations were moved again using a temporary transmitter on WDIO's tower while KBJR's own tower and transmitter were replaced.On April 11, 2008, a blizzard swept through the area. Winds over 50 miles per hour, and heavy, wet snow caused power outages in Duluth which caused KBJR, KDLH, and WDIO to lose their signals at times. Weekday morning anchor Dan Hanger was on the air live from 5 until 9. At times, he and meteorologist Shannon Murphy were in the dark but were able to broadcast audio. By late morning when KBJR returned to the air, Barbara Reyelts and George Kessler anchored nonstop using a newsroom setup with one microphone and one camera. By Noon, KDLH anchor Pat Kelly was reporting from outside the studios. Also, any phone interviews were done through a cell phone by holding a microphone up to the speaker of the cell phone.
Christmas City of the North Parade
Each November on the Friday before ThanksgivingThanksgiving
Thanksgiving Day is a holiday celebrated primarily in the United States and Canada. Thanksgiving is celebrated each year on the second Monday of October in Canada and on the fourth Thursday of November in the United States. In Canada, Thanksgiving falls on the same day as Columbus Day in the...
, 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...
puts on a parade in downtown Duluth called the "Christmas City of the North Parade". It is broadcast live on KBJR and streamed live on its website. In recent years, the parade also has been replayed numerous times on the networks of Northland's NewsCenter in the weeks and days before Christmas
Christmas
Christmas or Christmas Day is an annual holiday generally celebrated on December 25 by billions of people around the world. It is a Christian feast that commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ, liturgically closing the Advent season and initiating the season of Christmastide, which lasts twelve days...
. According to this station, the parade dates back to 1958 when KBJR (then WDSM) started the event as a way to kick off the holiday shopping season in the area. However, it does not seem to have any evidence to corroborate that starting date. Articles and the station's own ads in the Duluth News Tribune over the years indicate that 1961 was the actual date of the first parade.
It has been held every year since except in 1963 when the event was canceled following the assassination of President John F. Kennedy
John F. Kennedy
John Fitzgerald "Jack" Kennedy , often referred to by his initials JFK, was the 35th President of the United States, serving from 1961 until his assassination in 1963....
. In the early 1960s, the station commissioned Merv Griffin
Merv Griffin
Mervyn Edward "Merv" Griffin, Jr. was an American television host, musician, actor, and media mogul. He began his career as a radio and big band singer who went on to appear in movies and on Broadway. From 1965 to 1986 Griffin hosted his own talk show, The Merv Griffin Show on Group W Broadcasting...
to produce a song especially for the parade. The "Christmas City Song" has been used for the parade every year and also has been the closing music for all Northland's NewsCenter newscasts from Thanksgiving until Christmas. In 2006, Barbara Reyelts, Mark Mallory, Michelle Lee, and Pat Kelly anchored the parade. 2008 marked the 50th anniversary of the parade. It was hosted by Michelle Lee, George Kessler, and Barbara Reyelts. The pacer car was driven by Shannon Murphy, Dave Anderson, and Kevin Jacobsen.
News operation
While operating its own news department, KDLH was the last of the big threeBig Three Television Networks
The Big Three Television Networks are the three traditional commercial broadcast television networks in the United States: ABC, CBS and NBC...
stations in Duluth to have a weeknight 5 o'clock broadcast. It aired Judge Judy
Judge Judy
Judge Judy is an American court show featuring former family court judge Judith Sheindlin arbitrating over small claims cases in small claims court...
in the time slot instead. In 2004, it debuted a 5 p.m. show that featured anchor Amy Rutledge and meteorologist Phil Johnson. This was replaced along with its 6 o'clock show with the current one at 5:30 when KDLH merged with KBJR in March 2005. Judge Judy has since reclaimed the 5 o'clock spot on that channel and the CBS Evening News
CBS Evening News
CBS Evening News is the flagship nightly television news program of the American television network CBS. The network has broadcast this program since 1948, and has used the CBS Evening News title since 1963....
airs at 6. After the KDLH buyout, that station had its news department closed and merged with KBJR. To maintain a separate identity, there were some personalities on this channel that were also seen on KDLH. However, due to KBJR's existing newscasts not all of this station's personnel were seen on that station. More recently, the news teams of both stations have been downsized.
Currently, KDLH's weekday morning show is known as KDLH 3 Morning Plus and is essentially a simulcast of the second hour of KBJR's morning show, KBJR 6 and Range 11 News Today. Originally, KDLH had aired a separate ninety minute broadcast before being dropped in favor of a ninety minute simulcast of KBJR. KDLH's Northland's NewsCenter at 5:30 had been anchored by Pat Kelly who was the only news team member remaining after the KDLH sellout. Its weeknight 10 o'clock newscast, which continues to be a separate production, was known as Northland's NewsCenter Express and consisted of a ten minute news "capsule". The other 25 minutes was a Seinfeld
Seinfeld
Seinfeld is an American television sitcom that originally aired on NBC from July 5, 1989, to May 14, 1998, lasting nine seasons, and is now in syndication. It was created by Larry David and Jerry Seinfeld, the latter starring as a fictionalized version of himself...
rerun. After thirteen months of mediocre ratings, KDLH changed its 10 o'clock show to the traditional 35 minutes and re-branded it to Northland's NewsCenter Tonight. On Sunday nights at 10, there continues to be a ten minute Northland's NewsCenter Express update followed by a Judge Judy rerun. Otherwise, there are no weekend newscasts on KDLH. Saturday nights at 10, there is a local sports highlight show that airs on that channel known as Sports Zone.
As part of its schedule, KBJR-DT2
KBJR-DT2
KBJR-DT2 is the MyNetworkTV-affiliated television station for the Iron Range of northeastern Minnesota. The station is a second digital subchannel of NBC affiliate KBJR which is owned by the Granite Broadcasting Corporation. Over-the-air, it broadcasts a digital signal on UHF channel 19.2 from...
"My 9" offers several newscasts. This includes a simulcast of the first hour of the weekday morning show and a re-airing of the second hour at 7. There is a simulcast of KBJR's Noon and weeknight 5 o'clock broadcasts. Weeknights at 9, the channel airs a live newscast (known as Northland's NewsCenter Tonight at 9) that had been simulcasted on KDLH-DT2 "Northland CW 2" but was dropped. This competes with Fox affiliate KQDS. Finally, KBJR-DT2 re-airs the main channel's 10 o'clock show early the next morning.
Until its shut down in late-December 2008, KBJR offered NBC Weather Plus
NBC Weather Plus
NBC Weather Plus was a 24-hour, commercially sponsored, weather-oriented broadcast/cable television network jointly owned by NBC Universal and the local affiliates of the NBC network. It debuted on November 15, 2004 and shut down on December 31, 2008...
with local inserts on a third digital subchannel and Charter
Charter Communications
Charter Communications is an American company providing cable television, high-speed Internet, and telephone services to more than 4.7 million customers in 25 states. By revenues, it is the fourth-largest cable operator in the United States, behind Comcast, Time Warner Cable, and Cox Communications...
digital
Digital cable
Digital cable is a generic term for any type of cable television distribution using digital video compression or distribution. The technology was originally developed by Motorola.-Background:...
channel 391. When the national service ended, KBJR-DT3 became part of NBC Plus which featured a computer-updated loop of regional satellite/radar images, current weather conditions and temperatures, and daily forecasts. A new forth digital subchannel was created featuring news and weather updated and the "L-Bar" that is a remnant of the former NBC Weather Plus service. This was known on-air as "Northand's NewsCenter Now" and can also be seen on KRII's forth digital subchannel. KBJR-DT3 eventually became vacant. KBJR-DT4 and KRII-DT4 has since become part of The Local AccuWeather
AccuWeather
AccuWeather is an American media company that provides for-profit weather forecasting services worldwide.AccuWeather was founded in 1962 by Joel N. Myers, then a Penn State graduate student working on degrees in meteorology. His first customer was a gas company in Pennsylvania. While running the...
Channel known as "Weather Now".
KBJR, KRII, and KDLH began broadcasting their local newscasts in 16x9 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....
on May 4, 2009. They were the first television stations in the market to do so. Although not true 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...
, the format matches the ratio of HD television screens. As of November, KDLH began to brand its separate weeknight shows as KDLH 3 News which air from a secondary set. That station continues to use the Northland's NewsCenter branding when simulcasting KBJR's newscasts. On January 11, 2010, KDLH starting airing the area's only weeknight 6:30 newscast.
Newscast titles
- News Picture/News Final (1954-1960)
- The Twin Ports News Report (1960-1966)
- Big 6 News (1966-1975)
- NewsCenter 6 (1975-1980)
- Channel 6 News (1980-1987)
- Metro News 6 (1981-1987 concurrently with Channel 6 News)
- News 6 (1987-2006)
- Northland's NewsCenterNorthland's NewsCenterThe 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...
(2006-April 2010) - KBJR 6 and Range 11 News (April 2010–present)
Station slogans
- "KBJR-TV 6, The Station of The Twin Ports Area" (1976-1978; Localized Version of NBC ad campaign)
- "NBSeeUs-TV 6 Us!" (1978-1979; Localized Version of NBC ad campaign)
- "TV-6, Proud As A Peacock!" (1979-1981; localized version of NBC ad campaign)
- "TV-6, Our Pride is Showing" (1981-1982; localized version of NBC ad campaign)
- "We're TV-6, Just Watch Us Now!" (1982-1983; localized version of NBC ad campaign)
- "TV-6 There, Be There!" (1983-1984; localized version of NBC ad campaign)
- "TV-6, Let's All Be There!" (1984–1986; localized version of NBC ad campaign)
- "Come Home To Channel 6" (1986-1987; localized version of NBC ad campaign)
- "Come On Home To Channel 6" (1987-1988; localized version of NBC ad campaign)
- "Come Home To The Best, Only on Channel 6" (1988–1990; localized version of NBC ad campaign)
- "Channel 6 is The Plac To Be" (1990-1991; Localized Version of NBC ad Campaign)
- "Your NewsChannel" (1991–1999)
- "In Touch" (1999–2008 and 2010–present)
- "We Give You More" (2006–2009)
News team
Anchors- Courtney Godfrey - weekday mornings and multimedia journalist
- Michelle Lee - weeknights and "Heart Healthy" segment producer
- Kevin Jacobsen - weeknights at 10PM (also early evening anchor at sister station KDLH-TV)
- Barbara Reyelts - News Manager seen weekdays at noon and investigative reporter
- TBD - weekends and multimedia journalist
Weather Now Meteorologists
- Adam Clark - Chief seen weeknights
- Jeff Edmondson - weekday mornings and Noon; also "Your Green Life" segment producer and multimedia journalist
- heard on KLDJKLDJKLDJ is a radio station in Duluth, Minnesota, owned by Townsquare Media, airing a Classic Hits music format.The studios and offices are with its three other sister stations at 14 E. Central Entrance, on the west side of Duluth. These are Kool 101.7, Mix 108, and WEBC-560 ESPN.-External links:*...
-FM 101.7, KKCBKKCBKKCB is a radio station in Duluth, Minnesota, owned by Townsquare Media, airing a country music format. The studios and offices are with its three other sister stations at 14 E. Central Entrance, on the west side of Duluth. The station was WAVC during the 1980s.-External links:*...
-FM 105.1, and KBMXKBMXKBMX is an Adult CHR radio station serving Duluth, Minnesota, and Superior, Wisconsin. It is owned by Townsquare Media.The studios and offices are with its three other sister stations at 14 E...
-FM 107.7
- heard on KLDJ
- Dave Anderson - weekends and multimedia journalist
Sports (both seen on Sports Zone)
- Tom Hansen - Director seen weeknights at 6, 9, and 10 p.m.
- Zach Schneider - weekends and multimedia journalist
Multimedia journalists
- Elayne Crecelius - Range 11 reporter
- Danyel Piecek
- Jena Pike
- Chris Axelson
Notable former staff
- Rob StaffordRob StaffordRob Stafford is a Chicago television anchor and a former correspondent for NBC's Dateline NBC newsmagazine.- Early life and education :...
- later correspondent for Dateline NBCDateline NBCDateline NBC, or Dateline, is a U.S. weekly television newsmagazine broadcast by NBC. It previously was NBC's flagship news magazine, but now focuses on true crime stories. It airs Friday at 9 p.m. EST and after football season on Sunday at 7 p.m. EST.-History:Dateline is historically notable for...
and now at WMAQ-TVWMAQ-TVWMAQ-TV, channel 5, is an owned-and-operated television station of the NBC Television Network, located in Chicago, Illinois. WMAQ-TV's main studios and offices are located within the NBC Tower in the Streeterville neighborhood, with an auxiliary street-level studio on the Magnificent Mile at 401... - Jane SkinnerJane SkinnerJane Skinner is a former daytime news anchor who worked for Fox News Channel, co-hosting Happening Now with Jon Scott from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. ET...
- political correspondent, now at Fox News ChannelFox News ChannelFox News Channel , often called Fox News, is a cable and satellite television news channel owned by the Fox Entertainment Group, a subsidiary of News Corporation...