KDSM-TV is a
television stationA television station is a type of broadcast station that broadcasts video and possibly audio to television receivers in a particular area. Traditionally, TV stations made their broadcasts by sending specially-encoded radio signals over the air, called terrestrial television...
that broadcasts on channel 17 in
Des Moines, IowaDes Moines is the capital and the most populous city in the U.S. state of Iowa. It is also the county seat of Polk County. A small portion of the city extends into Warren County. It was incorporated on September 22, 1851, as Fort Des Moines which was shortened to "Des Moines" in 1857...
. It is an affiliate of the
Fox Broadcasting CompanyThe Fox Broadcasting Company , commonly referred to as Fox , is an American television network owned by Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. Launched on October 9, 1986, from 2004 to 2009 Fox was the highest-rated broadcast network in the 18–49 demographic...
and serves most of central
IowaIowa is a state located in the Midwestern region of the United States of America, an area often referred to as the "American Heartland." It derives its name from the Ioway people, one of the many American Indian tribes that occupied the state at the time of European exploration. Iowa was a part of...
. Its transmitter is located near
Alleman, IowaAlleman is a city in Polk County, Iowa, United States. The population was 439 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Des Moines–West Des Moines Metropolitan Statistical Area.-History:...
.
Des Moines' first television station, KGTV, signed on channel 17 in 1953. (
WOI-TVWOI-DT is the ABC affiliate licensed to Ames in the Des Moines, Iowa market. Its studios are in West Des Moines. Its transmission tower is located near Alleman.-History:...
in
AmesAmes is a city located in the central part of the U.S. state of Iowa in Story County, and approximately north of Des Moines. It is the principal city of the Ames, Iowa...
was the only television station serving central Iowa at that point, as
WHO-TVWHO-DT is a television station that broadcasts on Channel 13 in Des Moines, Iowa. It is affiliated with the NBC television network and serves most of central Iowa. The station transmits from the WOI Tower in Alleman, Iowa, which is actually owned by WHO-DT's owners.Programming on WHO-DT is repeated...
and KRNT-TV, now
KCCIKCCI is a television station that broadcasts on channel 8 in Des Moines, Iowa. It is affiliated with the CBS television network and serves most of central Iowa. Owned by Hearst Television, KCCI has studios in downtown Des Moines. The station's transmitter is located in Alleman, Iowa, about midway...
, had yet to sign on.) Financial problems, coupled with the fact that very few television sets were able to get
UHFUltra high frequency designates a range of electromagnetic waves with frequencies between 300 MHz and 3 GHz . Also known as the decimetre band or decimetre wave as the wavelengths range from one to ten decimetres...
signals at the time, forced KGTV off the air after less than a year.
KDSM-TV is a
television stationA television station is a type of broadcast station that broadcasts video and possibly audio to television receivers in a particular area. Traditionally, TV stations made their broadcasts by sending specially-encoded radio signals over the air, called terrestrial television...
that broadcasts on channel 17 in
Des Moines, IowaDes Moines is the capital and the most populous city in the U.S. state of Iowa. It is also the county seat of Polk County. A small portion of the city extends into Warren County. It was incorporated on September 22, 1851, as Fort Des Moines which was shortened to "Des Moines" in 1857...
. It is an affiliate of the
Fox Broadcasting CompanyThe Fox Broadcasting Company , commonly referred to as Fox , is an American television network owned by Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. Launched on October 9, 1986, from 2004 to 2009 Fox was the highest-rated broadcast network in the 18–49 demographic...
and serves most of central
IowaIowa is a state located in the Midwestern region of the United States of America, an area often referred to as the "American Heartland." It derives its name from the Ioway people, one of the many American Indian tribes that occupied the state at the time of European exploration. Iowa was a part of...
. Its transmitter is located near
Alleman, IowaAlleman is a city in Polk County, Iowa, United States. The population was 439 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Des Moines–West Des Moines Metropolitan Statistical Area.-History:...
.
History
Des Moines' first television station, KGTV, signed on channel 17 in 1953. (
WOI-TVWOI-DT is the ABC affiliate licensed to Ames in the Des Moines, Iowa market. Its studios are in West Des Moines. Its transmission tower is located near Alleman.-History:...
in
AmesAmes is a city located in the central part of the U.S. state of Iowa in Story County, and approximately north of Des Moines. It is the principal city of the Ames, Iowa...
was the only television station serving central Iowa at that point, as
WHO-TVWHO-DT is a television station that broadcasts on Channel 13 in Des Moines, Iowa. It is affiliated with the NBC television network and serves most of central Iowa. The station transmits from the WOI Tower in Alleman, Iowa, which is actually owned by WHO-DT's owners.Programming on WHO-DT is repeated...
and KRNT-TV, now
KCCIKCCI is a television station that broadcasts on channel 8 in Des Moines, Iowa. It is affiliated with the CBS television network and serves most of central Iowa. Owned by Hearst Television, KCCI has studios in downtown Des Moines. The station's transmitter is located in Alleman, Iowa, about midway...
, had yet to sign on.) Financial problems, coupled with the fact that very few television sets were able to get
UHFUltra high frequency designates a range of electromagnetic waves with frequencies between 300 MHz and 3 GHz . Also known as the decimetre band or decimetre wave as the wavelengths range from one to ten decimetres...
signals at the time, forced KGTV off the air after less than a year. The
KGTVKGTV is the ABC television affiliate in San Diego, California. It broadcasts as a digital only station on VHF channel 10 also using VHF channel 10 as its virtual channel through the use of PSIP . The station can be seen on Cox Communications, Time Warner Cable, and AT&T U-verse on cable channel 10...
calls now reside on the
ABCThe American Broadcasting Company is an American 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. It first broadcast on television in 1948...
affiliate in
San Diego, CaliforniaSan Diego , named after Saint Didacus , is the second-largest city in California and the ninth largest city in the United States, located along the Pacific Ocean on the west coast of the United States. The US Census Bureau estimates the city's population at 1,279,329 as of 2008...
, broadcasting on channel 10.
Channel 17 remained silent for nearly 30 years until September 13 1982, when KCBR, "The Great Entertainer," signed on. It was Iowa's first independent television station, as well as the first new commercial station in central Iowa since KRNT/KCCI signed on 28 years earlier. KCBR's call letters were changed to KDSM ("DSM" is the
IATA airport codeAn IATA airport code, also known an IATA location identifier, IATA station code or simply a location identifier, is a three-letter code designating many airports around the world, defined by the International Air Transport Association...
for the
Des Moines International AirportDes Moines International Airport is a small hub primary located three miles southwest of the central business district of Des Moines, a city in Polk County, Iowa, United States. This airport is publicly owned by the City of Des Moines...
) on January 17, 1986, and later that year KDSM became one of the charter affiliates of the Fox Network.
KDSM came under the ownership of
River City BroadcastingRiver City Broadcasting L.P. is a major television and radio station operator in mid-sized markets in the United States, based out of St. Louis, Missouri.Sinclair Broadcast Group later acquired River City Broadcasting for $1.2 billion.-Television stations:...
in 1991. In 1996, Sinclair acquired the station as part of its purchase of River City.
Sinclair and Fox cut a six-year affiliation contract extension for Sinclair's 19 Fox affiliates; thus, Fox will remain on KDSM at least through March 2012.
At midnight on January 6, 2007, Sinclair pulled KDSM from
MediacomMediacom Communications is a cable television and communications provider in the United States.Founded as an analog network in 1995, Mediacom is the 8th largest cable company in the United States by number of basic video subscribers. The company employs over 4,500 people and provides cable access...
cable systems in central Iowa, including those in Des Moines and Ames, as part of Mediacom's ongoing retransmission dispute with Sinclair. KDSM began offering $150 rebates (payable as $10 monthly bill credits) for Mediacom subscribers to switch to
DirecTVDirecTV is a direct broadcast satellite service based in El Segundo, California, which transmits digital satellite television and audio to households in the United States. Its primary competitors are Dish Network and cable providers. DirecTV currently has 18 million subscribers...
during that time period. Mediacom offered free
dipole antennaA dipole antenna, created by Heinrich Rudolph Hertz around 1886, is an antenna that can be made by a simple wire, with a center-fed driven element for transmitting or receiving radio frequency energy...
s to subscribers and aired programming from other cable networks in KDSM's place during the
impasse
A bargaining impasse occurs when the two sides negotiating an agreement are unable to reach an agreement and become deadlocked...
. The impasse, which attracted attention from lawmakers in Iowa and in
Washington, D.C.Washington, D.C. , formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, the District, or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States, founded on July 16, 1790...
, ended on February 2 when Mediacom announced that it had signed a retransmission consent agreement with Sinclair. KDSM was restored to Mediacom systems shortly after the announcement.
Programming
KDSM carries all Fox Network programs, including the
Weekend MarketplaceWeekend Marketplace is a two hour Saturday morning block on Fox that started January 3, 2009, replacing 4Kids TV. The block consists of infomercials, which usually air on networks and stations during late night hours; such programming, however, has not previously been scheduled on a regular basis...
lineup.
SyndicatedIn broadcasting, syndication is the sale of the right to broadcast radio shows and television shows to multiple individual stations, without going through a broadcast network. It is common in countries where television is scheduled by networks with local affiliates, particularly in the United States...
programs on KDSM's current schedule include
MauryMaurice Richard "Maury" Povich is an American TV talk show personality, who currently hosts his self-titled talk show Maury...
,
The Jerry Springer ShowThe Jerry Springer Show is a syndicated television tabloid talk show hosted by Jerry Springer, a former politician, broadcast in the United States and other countries...
, and
rerunA rerun or repeat is a re-airing of an episode of a radio or television broadcast. The invention of the rerun is generally credited to Desi Arnaz. Some viewers find reruns annoying, although many viewers appreciate the opportunity to re-watch a program they enjoyed or watch one they missed the...
s of
The SimpsonsThe Simpsons is an American animated television sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical parody of a middle class American lifestyle epitomized by its eponymous family, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa, and Maggie...
,
Two and a Half MenTwo and a Half Men is an Emmy Award-winning and Golden Globe Award-nominated American television comedy series, which premiered on CBS on September 22, 2003. The sitcom stars Charlie Sheen, Jon Cryer and Angus T. Jones. The show is about a hedonistic jingle writer, Charlie; his uptight brother,...
,
SeinfeldSeinfeld 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. The eponymous series was created by Larry David and Jerry Seinfeld, with the latter starring as a fictionalized version of himself...
,
My Name Is EarlMy Name Is Earl is an American comedy 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. It was produced by 20th Century Fox Television.-Overview:...
,
That '70s ShowThat '70s Show is an American television sitcom that centered on the lives of a group of teenagers living in the fictional suburban town of Point Place, Wisconsin, from May 1976 to 12:00 AM, January 1, 1980. It debuted on the FOX television network on August 23, 1998 and ran for eight consecutive...
,
FrasierFrasier is an American sitcom broadcast on NBC for eleven seasons, from September 16, 1993 to May 13, 2004. The program was created and produced by David Angell, Peter Casey, and David Lee in association with Paramount Television.A spin-off from Cheers, Frasier stars Kelsey Grammer as psychiatrist...
, and
Everybody Loves RaymondEverybody Loves Raymond is an American television sitcom that originally ran on CBS from September 13, 1996 to May 16, 2005.Many of the situations from the show are based on the real-life experiences of lead actor Ray Romano, creator/producer Phil Rosenthal and the show's writing staff...
.
Newscasts
On March 4, 2001, KDSM debuted
Fox 17 News at Nine. The newscast was produced by KGAN-TV in
Cedar RapidsCedar Rapids is the second largest city in the U.S. state of Iowa and is the county seat of Linn County. The city lies on both banks of the Cedar River, north of Iowa City and east of Des Moines, the largest city and state's capital. City Hall and the County Courthouse are located on Mays...
, from 2001 until September 2, 2008, when
WHO-TVWHO-DT is a television station that broadcasts on Channel 13 in Des Moines, Iowa. It is affiliated with the NBC television network and serves most of central Iowa. The station transmits from the WOI Tower in Alleman, Iowa, which is actually owned by WHO-DT's owners.Programming on WHO-DT is repeated...
in Des Moines took over production. While partnered with KGAN, the newscast featured that station's anchors and reporters.
Partnered with WHO, the newscast is titled
Channel 13 News at Nine on Fox 17, and now airs for an hour weeknights, and a half hour on the weekends.
Channel 13 News at Nine on Fox 17
(Weeknights 9 to 10 P.M.)
(Weekends 9 to 9:30 P.M.)
KDSM features additional news personnel from WHO-TV. See that articleWHO-DT is a television station that broadcasts on Channel 13 in Des Moines, Iowa. It is affiliated with the NBC television network and serves most of central Iowa. The station transmits from the WOI Tower in Alleman, Iowa, which is actually owned by WHO-DT's owners.Programming on WHO-DT is repeated...
for a complete listing.
Newscast Titles
- FOX17 News at Nine (2001-2008; under the production of KGAN)
- Channel 13 News at Nine on Fox 17 (2008-present; under the production of WHO-TV)
External links