KGWN-TV
Encyclopedia
KGWN-TV is the CBS
-affiliated television station
for Cheyenne, Wyoming
. It broadcasts a high definition
digital signal on UHF channel 30 (virtual channel
5.1 via PSIP) from a transmitter in unincorporated
Laramie County
, west of Cheyenne, between I-80/US 30
and WYO 225
. The station can also be seen on Bresnan Communications
channel 5 and in high definition on digital channel 705. Owned by SagamoreHill Broadcasting
, KGWN has studios on East Lincolnway
/East 14th Street/I-80 Business/US 30 in Cheyenne. Syndicated
programming on the station includes Who Wants to Be a Millionaire
, Wheel of Fortune
, Judge Judy
, and Dr. Phil
among others.
, KGWN can also be seen over-the-air on repeater K19FX channel 19 in Laramie
from a transmitter in unincorporated Albany County near the northwestern boundary of Medicine Bow National Forest. This analog signal has a construction permit
to perform a "flash-cut
" to a low-powered digital signal. KGWN operates the area's cable-exclusive CW affiliate "KCHW" (call sign used unofficially). Known on-air as Cheyenne CW, it receives all programming through The CW Plus
. "KCHW" can only be seen on Bresnan Communications channel 2 and in Nebraska
on Charter
channel 18. KGWN provides sales and promotional duties for the station.
KSTF in Scottsbluff, Nebraska
operates as a semi-satellite of KGWN. It is a full-time simulcast except for separate local commercials. The station broadcasts a standard definition digital signal on UHF channel 29 (virtual channel 10.1 via PSIP) from a transmitter along N-71
at the Scotts Bluff
and Sioux County
line. The station can also be seen in Nebraska on Charter channel 6. Although master control and most internal operations are based out of KGWN's facilities, KSTF maintains a sales office on North 10th Street/N-17 Business
in Gering, Nebraska
. There is no separate web address for the station, but Nebraska-specific coverage is provided through KGWN's website.
Since KGWN's transmitter is close to the Colorado
border, it provides city-grade coverage of much of Northern Colorado
including Fort Collins, Loveland
, and Greeley
. It also provides grade B coverage as far south as Longmont
and Boulder
. KGWN has long claimed Northern Colorado as part of its primary coverage area even though the region is part of the Denver market. It is been carried on cable systems in Fort Collins, Loveland, and Greeley alongside Denver's KCNC-TV
. Additionally, many cable systems on the Wyoming side of the Denver market carry both stations.
is another standard definition semi-satellite serving Northern Colorado
. Known on-air as Northern Colorado 5, this can also be seen on US Cable
digital channel 5 as well as Comcast
digital channel 8 (in Fort Collins/Loveland) and digital channel 14 (in Greeley).
Although identified as a separate outlet in its own right, KGWN-DT2 clears all network programming as provided through its parent. All syndicated shows are also seen although some are seen at a different time. The station airs separate on-air identifications and local commercials. Even though KGWN-DT2 maintains its own studios on East Mountain Avenue in Downtown Fort Collins, master control and some internal operations are based out of KGWN's facilities.
) and KFBC
radio. It is Wyoming's oldest television station. For over 30 years, it was the only commercial station in eastern Wyoming. As such, it carried programming from all four major networks of the time (CBS, NBC
, ABC
, and DuMont
). However, it was initially a primary ABC affiliate. This may have seemed unusual as Cheyenne has always been a rather small market
. In most other small DMAs, ABC was usually relegated to secondary status due to being the smallest and weakest network. However, KFBC-AM had been an ABC Radio
affiliate for many years. Additionally, there had been some speculation Cheyenne would eventually be collapsed into the Denver market since the area is only a few miles from the Colorado border.
In 1975, the Federal Communications Commission
(FCC) ruled if a city had only one newspaper, one television station, one AM radio station, and one FM radio station they could not be owned by the same person. The McCrakens' media holdings were one of only a few covered by this ruling. They opted to keep the newspapers and KFBC-TV, and sold KFBC radio. The radio side kept the KFBC calls, while the television station became KYCU-TV. Shortly afterward, it switched primary affiliation to CBS. The McCrakens sold KYCU to Stauffer Communications
in 1987, who switched its call sign
to the current KGWN-TV.
The station began phasing out NBC programming in the early-1980s, dropping the network entirely in 1987 when KKTU (now KQCK
) signed-on as a satellite of KTWO-TV
in Casper
. ABC programming disappeared from the schedule by 1988. However, Cheyenne viewers were still able to view the full schedules of all the three major networks
because, for many years, cable systems supplemented the area with Denver stations. When Stauffer and Morris Communications merged in 1996, KGWN and most of the rest of Stauffer's television holdings went to Benedek Broadcasting
. That company went bankrupt in 2001 (it merged with Gray Television
a year later) and KGWN was sold to Chelsey Broadcasting. In 2003, the station was acquired by current owner SagamoreHill.
in Rapid City, South Dakota
put its own satellite station on-the-air in Scottsbluff, KDUH. During the next eighteen years, there was a great amount of confusion among Scottsbluff viewers especially when the two stations aired the same program simultaneously. Both had unusual "joint primary" affiliations with ABC and CBS from 1965 onwards. Although KFBC/KSTF slightly favored ABC and KOTA/KDUH slightly favored CBS, it did not help the duplication problem. Finally on July 11, 1976, KEVN signed-on in Rapid City and took over that market's CBS affiliation. KYCU/KSTF took advantage of the situation and devoted more of its time to CBS programming until becoming a full affiliate with the network in 1988.
On December 28, 1963, KTVS in Sterling, Colorado
signed-on as another semi-satellite serving Northeastern Colorado. In September 1999, Benedek sold that station to the Newsweb Corporation
which made it a satellite of Denver's KTVD
. In 2000, Benedek ended most local operations at KGWC-TV
in Casper and its two satellites: KGWR-TV (in Rock Springs
) and KGWL-TV (in Lander
). The three stations became semi-satellites of KGWN. In 2003, Chelsey Broadcasting agreed to sell all three to Mark III Media (a group that included former KTWO-TV
General Manager Mark Nalbone). After the FCC dismissed several objections to the sale, Mark III consummated the agreement to buy the stations on May 31, 2006.
. On April 29, 2009, the carriage contract of KGWN and "Cheyenne CW" expired. This led to SagamoreHill Broadcasting making the demand Bresnan Cable remove the two channels, resulting in approximately 30,000 customers (reported as 80% of their viewership) losing access to local CBS and CW programming. The dispute hinged on the amount SagamoreHill wanted to charge Bresnan for the rights to carry the stations. KGWN waged a propaganda
campaign in the days leading up to the end of the contract attempting to change Bresnan Cable customers to Dish Network
. KGWN refused to post any comments on its site regarding customers who did not wish to see the contract renewed despite news coverage of the dispute having elicited numerous such comments. On May 8, 2009, the stations were restored to the Bresnan system.
affiliate "KCHW" offers the nationally syndicated morning show The Daily Buzz
on weekdays from 5 until 8. KGWN does not air a full two-hour weekday morning show. It also does not offer local news weeknights at 5 and 6. On weekends, the station only airs news at 10.
Weekends
Storm Tracker 5 Meteorologists
Sports
Reporters
.
KGWN-DT2 maintains local reporters based in Fort Collins who contribute Northern Colorado-specific content to the show. Monday through Thursday mornings from 6 to 6:30, the station simulcasts local radio station KCOL-AM 600. Weekday mornings at 6:30, there is a local weather forecast segment which repeats several times during the half hour. KGWN-DT2 does not simulcast any newscasts from its parent station.
Anchors
Reporters
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...
-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 Cheyenne, Wyoming
Cheyenne, Wyoming
Cheyenne is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Wyoming and the county seat of Laramie County. It is the principal city of the Cheyenne, Wyoming, Metropolitan Statistical Area which encompasses all of Laramie County. The population is 59,466 at the 2010 census. Cheyenne is the...
. 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 30 (virtual channel
Virtual channel
In telecommunications, a logical channel number , also known as virtual channel, is a channel designation which differs from that of the actual radio channel on which the signal travels....
5.1 via PSIP) from a transmitter in unincorporated
Unincorporated area
In law, an unincorporated area is a region of land that is not a part of any municipality.To "incorporate" in this context means to form a municipal corporation, a city, town, or village with its own government. An unincorporated community is usually not subject to or taxed by a municipal government...
Laramie County
Laramie County, Wyoming
Laramie County is the most populous of the 23 counties of the U.S. state of Wyoming. The county is located in the southeastern corner of the state. The county's population was 91,738 at the 2010 census. The county seat is Cheyenne, the state capital...
, west of Cheyenne, between I-80/US 30
U.S. Route 30
U.S. Route 30 is an east–west main route of the system of United States Numbered Highways, with the highway traveling across the northern tier of the country. It is the third longest U.S. route, after U.S. Route 20 and U.S. Route 6. The western end of the highway is at Astoria, Oregon; the...
and WYO 225
Wyoming Highway 225
Wyoming Highway 225 is a Wyoming state road, named Otto Road, located in southwestern Laramie County west of Cheyenne.-Route description:...
. The station can also be seen on Bresnan Communications
Bresnan Communications
Optimum West is a division of Cablevision that operates in the Rocky Mountain area, servicing Montana, Wyoming, Utah and Colorado. It offers digital cable, high speed internet, and digital voice services to over 300,000 subscribers....
channel 5 and in high definition on digital channel 705. Owned by SagamoreHill Broadcasting
SagamoreHill Broadcasting
SagamoreHill Broadcasting is a privately held American holding company that owns eleven television stations largely based in the southern United States...
, KGWN has studios on East Lincolnway
Lincoln Highway
The Lincoln Highway was the first road across the United States of America.Conceived and promoted by entrepreneur Carl G. Fisher, the Lincoln Highway spanned coast-to-coast from Times Square in New York City to Lincoln Park in San Francisco, originally through 13 states: New York, New Jersey,...
/East 14th Street/I-80 Business/US 30 in Cheyenne. 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...
programming on the station includes Who Wants to Be a Millionaire
Who Wants to Be a Millionaire (US game show)
Who Wants to Be a Millionaire is an American television quiz show which offers a maximum prize of $1,000,000 for correctly answering 14 consecutive multiple-choice questions of random difficulty. Until 2010, the format required contestants to correctly answer 15 consecutive questions of increasing...
, 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...
, 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...
among others.
Overview
In WyomingWyoming
Wyoming is a state in the mountain region of the Western United States. The western two thirds of the state is covered mostly with the mountain ranges and rangelands in the foothills of the Eastern Rocky Mountains, while the eastern third of the state is high elevation prairie known as the High...
, KGWN can also be seen over-the-air on repeater K19FX channel 19 in Laramie
Laramie, Wyoming
Laramie is a city in and the county seat of Albany County, Wyoming, United States. The population was 30,816 at the . Located on the Laramie River in southeastern Wyoming, the city is west of Cheyenne, at the junction of Interstate 80 and U.S. Route 287....
from a transmitter in unincorporated Albany County near the northwestern boundary of Medicine Bow National Forest. This analog signal has a construction permit
Construction permit
A construction permit or building permit is a permit required in most jurisdictions for new construction, or adding on to pre-existing structures, and in some cases for major renovations. Generally, the new construction must be inspected during construction and after completion to ensure compliance...
to perform 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...
" to a low-powered digital signal. KGWN operates the area's cable-exclusive CW affiliate "KCHW" (call sign used unofficially). Known on-air as Cheyenne CW, it receives all programming through 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....
. "KCHW" can only be seen on Bresnan Communications channel 2 and in Nebraska
Nebraska
Nebraska is a state on the Great Plains of the Midwestern United States. The state's capital is Lincoln and its largest city is Omaha, on the Missouri River....
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 18. KGWN provides sales and promotional duties for the station.
KSTF in Scottsbluff, Nebraska
Scottsbluff, Nebraska
Scottsbluff is a city in Scotts Bluff County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 15,039 at the 2010 census. Scottsbluff is the largest city in the Nebraska Panhandle, and the 13th largest city in Nebraska....
operates as a semi-satellite of KGWN. It is a full-time simulcast except for separate local commercials. The station broadcasts a standard definition digital signal on UHF channel 29 (virtual channel 10.1 via PSIP) from a transmitter along N-71
Nebraska Highway 71
Nebraska Highway 71 is a highway in western Nebraska. Its southern terminus is at the Colorado border south of Kimball, as a continuation of Colorado State Highway 71...
at the Scotts Bluff
Scotts Bluff County, Nebraska
-National protected area:* North Platte National Wildlife Refuge* Scotts Bluff National Monument-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 36,951 people, 14,887 households, and 10,167 families residing in the county. The population density was 50 people per square mile . There were 16,119...
and Sioux County
Sioux County, Nebraska
-National protected areas:* Agate Fossil Beds National Monument* Nebraska National Forest * Oglala National Grassland -Demographics:...
line. The station can also be seen in Nebraska on Charter channel 6. Although master control and most internal operations are based out of KGWN's facilities, KSTF maintains a sales office on North 10th Street/N-17 Business
Nebraska Highway 71
Nebraska Highway 71 is a highway in western Nebraska. Its southern terminus is at the Colorado border south of Kimball, as a continuation of Colorado State Highway 71...
in Gering, Nebraska
Gering, Nebraska
Gering is a city in Scotts Bluff County, Nebraska, United States. It is part of the Scottsbluff, Nebraska Micropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 7,751 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Scotts Bluff County....
. There is no separate web address for the station, but Nebraska-specific coverage is provided through KGWN's website.
Since KGWN's transmitter is close to the Colorado
Colorado
Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...
border, it provides city-grade coverage of much of Northern Colorado
Northern Colorado
Northern Colorado is a region in the northern portion of Colorado. It borders Northwestern Colorado, Northeastern Colorado, the north portion of Central Colorado, and the northwest state of Wyoming. Northern Colorado receives over 300 days of sunshine per year, and has a Semi-arid climate...
including Fort Collins, Loveland
Loveland, Colorado
Loveland is a Home Rule Municipality that is the second most populous city in Larimer County, Colorado, United States. Loveland is situated north of the Colorado State Capitol in Denver. Loveland is the 14th most populous city in Colorado. The United States Census Bureau that in 2010 the...
, and Greeley
Greeley, Colorado
The City of Greeley is a Home Rule Municipality that is the county seat and the most populous city of Weld County, Colorado, United States. Greeley is located in the region known as Northern Colorado. Greeley is situated north-northeast of the Colorado State Capitol in Denver. According to the...
. It also provides grade B coverage as far south as Longmont
Longmont, Colorado
Longmont is a Home Rule Municipality in Boulder and Weld counties in the U.S. state of Colorado. Longmont is located in Northern Colorado. Longmont is the 13th most populous city in the State of Colorado. The word "Longmont" comes from Longs Peak, a prominent mountain named for explorer Stephen H....
and Boulder
Boulder, Colorado
Boulder is the county seat and most populous city of Boulder County and the 11th most populous city in the U.S. state of Colorado. Boulder is located at the base of the foothills of the Rocky Mountains at an elevation of...
. KGWN has long claimed Northern Colorado as part of its primary coverage area even though the region is part of the Denver market. It is been carried on cable systems in Fort Collins, Loveland, and Greeley alongside Denver's KCNC-TV
KCNC-TV
KCNC-TV, virtual channel 4, is a CBS owned-and-operated station television station in Denver, Colorado, owned by CBS Television Stations, Inc. KCNC broadcasts on UHF channel 35 from Lookout Mountain near Golden, Colorado.- Digital programming :...
. Additionally, many cable systems on the Wyoming side of the Denver market carry both stations.
Digital programming
KSTF does not air its digital signal in high definition. There is, however, an HD feed of KGWN offered on Charter digital channel 785 in Nebraska. On KGWN-DT2KGWN-DT2
KGWN-DT2 is the CBS-affiliated television station for Northern Colorado. Over-the-air, it broadcasts a standard definition digital signal on UHF channel 30.2 from a transmitter in unincorporated Laramie County, Wyoming between I-80/US 30 and WY 225...
is another standard definition semi-satellite serving Northern Colorado
Northern Colorado
Northern Colorado is a region in the northern portion of Colorado. It borders Northwestern Colorado, Northeastern Colorado, the north portion of Central Colorado, and the northwest state of Wyoming. Northern Colorado receives over 300 days of sunshine per year, and has a Semi-arid climate...
. Known on-air as Northern Colorado 5, this can also be seen on US Cable
US Cable
The US Cable Group is a cable television provider that serves about 100,000 subscribers in ten states. It is among the top 35 cable providers in the nation and has cable systems in Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Minnesota, Missouri, New Mexico, South Carolina, Texas and Wisconsin.- History :US Cable...
digital channel 5 as well as Comcast
Comcast
Comcast Corporation is the largest cable operator, home Internet service provider, and fourth largest home telephone service provider in the United States, providing cable television, broadband Internet, and telephone service to both residential and commercial customers in 39 states and the...
digital channel 8 (in Fort Collins/Loveland) and digital channel 14 (in Greeley).
Although identified as a separate outlet in its own right, KGWN-DT2 clears all network programming as provided through its parent. All syndicated shows are also seen although some are seen at a different time. The station airs separate on-air identifications and local commercials. Even though KGWN-DT2 maintains its own studios on East Mountain Avenue in Downtown Fort Collins, master control and some internal operations are based out of KGWN's facilities.
| Channels (virtual/physical) | Video | Aspect Aspect ratio The aspect ratio of a shape is the ratio of its longer dimension to its shorter dimension. It may be applied to two characteristic dimensions of a three-dimensional shape, such as the ratio of the longest and shortest axis, or for symmetrical objects that are described by just two measurements,... |
Programming |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5.1/30.1 10.1/29.1 |
720p 720p 720p is the shorthand name for 1280x720, a category of High-definition television video modes having a resolution of 1080 or 720p and a progressive scan... (480i 480i 480i is the shorthand name for a video mode, namely the US NTSC television system or digital television systems with the same characteristics. The i, which is sometimes uppercase, stands for interlaced, the 480 for a vertical frame resolution of 480 lines containing picture information; while NTSC... on KSTF) |
16:9 16:9 16:9 is an aspect ratio with a width of 16 units and height of 9. Since 2009, it has become the most common aspect ratio for sold televisions and computer monitors and is also the international standard format of HDTV, Full HD, non-HD digital television and analog widescreen television ... (4:3 on KSTF) |
main KGWN/KSTF programming |
| 5.2/30.2 | 480i | 4:3 | KGWN-DT2 "Northern Colorado 5" |
KGWN
The station signed-on March 22, 1954 as KFBC-TV airing an analog signal on VHF channel 5. It was owned by the McCraken family along with the Wyoming Tribune and Wyoming Eagle (later merged as Wyoming Tribune EagleWyoming Tribune Eagle
The Wyoming Tribune Eagle is a daily newspaper published in Cheyenne and distributed primarily in Laramie County, Wyoming. It is the state's second largest newspaper in terms of circulation, behind the Casper Star Tribune. The Tribune Eagle is also one of several newspapers serving the Front Range...
) and KFBC
KFBC
KFBC is a commercial radio station that broadcasts a news talk information format. Licensed to Cheyenne, Wyoming, USA, it serves southeastern Wyoming, far western Nebraska and northern Colorado. The station is owned and operated by Montgomery Broadcasting LLC.KFBC is the flagship station of the...
radio. It is Wyoming's oldest television station. For over 30 years, it was the only commercial station in eastern Wyoming. As such, it carried programming from all four major networks of the time (CBS, 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...
, 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...
, and DuMont
DuMont Television Network
The DuMont Television Network, also known as the DuMont Network, DuMont, Du Mont, or Dumont was one of the world's pioneer commercial television networks, rivalling NBC for the distinction of being first overall. It began operation in the United States in 1946. It was owned by DuMont...
). However, it was initially a primary ABC affiliate. This may have seemed unusual as Cheyenne has always been a rather small 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...
. In most other small DMAs, ABC was usually relegated to secondary status due to being the smallest and weakest network. However, KFBC-AM had been an ABC Radio
ABC News Radio
ABC News Radio is the radio service of ABC News, a division of the ABC Television Network. Formerly known as ABC Radio News, ABC News Radio feeds, through Cumulus Media Networks, newscasts on the hour to its more than 2,000 affiliates...
affiliate for many years. Additionally, there had been some speculation Cheyenne would eventually be collapsed into the Denver market since the area is only a few miles from the Colorado border.
In 1975, 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...
(FCC) ruled if a city had only one newspaper, one television station, one AM radio station, and one FM radio station they could not be owned by the same person. The McCrakens' media holdings were one of only a few covered by this ruling. They opted to keep the newspapers and KFBC-TV, and sold KFBC radio. The radio side kept the KFBC calls, while the television station became KYCU-TV. Shortly afterward, it switched primary affiliation to CBS. The McCrakens sold KYCU to Stauffer Communications
Stauffer Communications
Stauffer Communications was a corporation which until 1995 owned many media and other companies in Topeka, Kansas including the Topeka Capital-Journal and WIBW, WIBW-FM, and WIBW-TV....
in 1987, who switched its call sign
Call sign
In broadcasting and radio communications, a call sign is a unique designation for a transmitting station. In North America they are used as names for broadcasting stations...
to the current KGWN-TV.
The station began phasing out NBC programming in the early-1980s, dropping the network entirely in 1987 when KKTU (now KQCK
KQCK
KQCK, channel 33, is a television station licensed to Cheyenne, Wyoming. It is currently owned by Fusion Communications and is a VasalloVision affiliate, serving both the Aurora and Denver markets...
) signed-on as a satellite of KTWO-TV
KTWO-TV
KTWO-TV is the ABC affiliate television station for most of the state of Wyoming. It is licensed to Casper owned by Silverton Broadcasting. The station broadcasts on digital channel 17, which redirects to former analog channel 2 via PSIP...
in Casper
Casper, Wyoming
Casper is the county seat of Natrona County, Wyoming, United States.. Casper is the second-largest city in Wyoming , according to the 2010 census, with a population of 55,316...
. ABC programming disappeared from the schedule by 1988. However, Cheyenne viewers were still able to view the full schedules of all the three major networks
Big Three Television Networks
The Big Three Television Networks are the three traditional commercial broadcast television networks in the United States: ABC, CBS and NBC...
because, for many years, cable systems supplemented the area with Denver stations. When Stauffer and Morris Communications merged in 1996, KGWN and most of the rest of Stauffer's television holdings went to Benedek Broadcasting
Benedek Broadcasting
Benedek Broadcasting is a former television broadcaster, who owned and operated 22 network-affiliated television stations throughout the United States, all affiliated with major television networks, serving mainly small and medium-size markets. The company was founded in the late 1970s by A...
. That company went bankrupt in 2001 (it merged with Gray Television
Gray Television
Gray Television, Inc. is a communications company headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, with administrative offices in Albany, Georgia.Established in 1946 by James H...
a year later) and KGWN was sold to Chelsey Broadcasting. In 2003, the station was acquired by current owner SagamoreHill.
Semi-satellites
KSTF signed-on August 7, 1955 as a semi-satellite of what was then KFBC-TV. In 1958, KOTA-TVKOTA-TV
KOTA-TV, channel 3, is an ABC television affiliate based in Rapid City, South Dakota, USA. The station is owned by the Duhamel family of Rapid City...
in Rapid City, South Dakota
Rapid City, South Dakota
Rapid City is the second-largest city in the U.S. state of South Dakota, and the county seat of Pennington County. Named after Rapid Creek on which the city is established, it is set against the eastern slope of the Black Hills mountain range. The population was 67,956 as of the 2010 Census. Rapid...
put its own satellite station on-the-air in Scottsbluff, KDUH. During the next eighteen years, there was a great amount of confusion among Scottsbluff viewers especially when the two stations aired the same program simultaneously. Both had unusual "joint primary" affiliations with ABC and CBS from 1965 onwards. Although KFBC/KSTF slightly favored ABC and KOTA/KDUH slightly favored CBS, it did not help the duplication problem. Finally on July 11, 1976, KEVN signed-on in Rapid City and took over that market's CBS affiliation. KYCU/KSTF took advantage of the situation and devoted more of its time to CBS programming until becoming a full affiliate with the network in 1988.
On December 28, 1963, KTVS in Sterling, Colorado
Sterling, Colorado
The City of Sterling is a Home Rule Municipality that is the county seat and the most populous city of Logan County, Colorado, United States. The city population was 14,777 at the 2010 census.-Geography:Sterling is located at...
signed-on as another semi-satellite serving Northeastern Colorado. In September 1999, Benedek sold that station to the Newsweb Corporation
Newsweb Corporation
Newsweb Corporation is a publisher of ethnic and alternative newspapers in the United States, based in Chicago, Illinois. The company also owns several radio stations in the Chicago area and a television station in Sterling, Colorado....
which made it a satellite of Denver's KTVD
KTVD
KTVD, virtual channel 20 is a MyNetworkTV-affiliated television station based in Denver, Colorado, and is owned by the Gannett Company. The station is a sister to KUSA, Denver's NBC affiliate and is housed and operated out of KUSA's high definition studios...
. In 2000, Benedek ended most local operations at KGWC-TV
KGWC-TV
KGWC-TV channel 14 is the local CBS affiliate for Casper, Wyoming, owned by Mark III Media. Programming is repeated on its satellite stations, KGWL-TV digital channel 7 in Lander, and KGWR-TV channel 13 in Rock Springs...
in Casper and its two satellites: KGWR-TV (in Rock Springs
Rock Springs, Wyoming
Rock Springs is a city in Sweetwater County, Wyoming, United States. The population was 18,708 at the 2000 census. Rock Springs is the principal city of the Rock Springs micropolitan statistical area, which has a population of 37,975....
) and KGWL-TV (in Lander
Lander, Wyoming
Lander is a city in, and the county seat of, Fremont County, Wyoming, United States. Named for transcontinental explorer Frederick W. Lander, Lander is located in central Wyoming, along the Middle Fork of the Popo Agie River. A tourism center with several dude ranches nearby, Lander is located just...
). The three stations became semi-satellites of KGWN. In 2003, Chelsey Broadcasting agreed to sell all three to Mark III Media (a group that included former KTWO-TV
KTWO-TV
KTWO-TV is the ABC affiliate television station for most of the state of Wyoming. It is licensed to Casper owned by Silverton Broadcasting. The station broadcasts on digital channel 17, which redirects to former analog channel 2 via PSIP...
General Manager Mark Nalbone). After the FCC dismissed several objections to the sale, Mark III consummated the agreement to buy the stations on May 31, 2006.
Recent changes
On September 18, 2006, KGWN began carrying programming from The CW on a new second digital subchannel. This was dropped in September 2008 in favor of a standard definition simulcast of the main signal targeted towards Northern Colorado. Programming from The CW continues to be seen exclusively on area cable systemsCable 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...
. On April 29, 2009, the carriage contract of KGWN and "Cheyenne CW" expired. This led to SagamoreHill Broadcasting making the demand Bresnan Cable remove the two channels, resulting in approximately 30,000 customers (reported as 80% of their viewership) losing access to local CBS and CW programming. The dispute hinged on the amount SagamoreHill wanted to charge Bresnan for the rights to carry the stations. KGWN waged a propaganda
Propaganda
Propaganda is a form of communication that is aimed at influencing the attitude of a community toward some cause or position so as to benefit oneself or one's group....
campaign in the days leading up to the end of the contract attempting to change Bresnan Cable customers to Dish Network
Dish Network
Dish Network Corporation is the second largest pay TV provider in the United States, providing direct broadcast satellite service—including satellite television, audio programming, and interactive television services—to 14.337 million commercial and residential customers in the United States. Dish...
. KGWN refused to post any comments on its site regarding customers who did not wish to see the contract renewed despite news coverage of the dispute having elicited numerous such comments. On May 8, 2009, the stations were restored to the Bresnan system.
News operation
KGWN is the only television station based in Cheyenne. Although KTWO and KCWY are based in Casper, both feature reporters who focus their coverage on Cheyenne and the surrounding areas. For many years, KSTF aired its own local newscasts and separate programs covering Scottsbluff. However, its local operations were progressively cut back from the 1990s until late-2004 when SagamoreHill shut down KSTF's news department entirely. CW PlusThe 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....
affiliate "KCHW" offers the nationally syndicated morning show The Daily Buzz
The Daily Buzz
The Daily Buzz is a nationally syndicated breakfast television news and infotainment program. The show is produced by Fisher Communications and is owned and distributed by ACME Communications; it is broadcast every weekday morning from studios at Full Sail University in Winter Park, Florida...
on weekdays from 5 until 8. KGWN does not air a full two-hour weekday morning show. It also does not offer local news weeknights at 5 and 6. On weekends, the station only airs news at 10.
Newscast titles
- Five Star News (late 1950s-1965)
- TV 5 News (1965–1974)
- NewsCenter 5 (1974–1978)
- Action 5 News (1978–1986)
- NewsSource 5 (1986–1997)
- CBS NewsChannel 5 (1997–present)
Station slogans
- "Wyoming's News Leader" (1980s-2000)
- "The Tri-State's News Leader" (2000–?, news)
- "Your Station" (2004–present, general)
News team
Anchors- Robert Geha - weeknights and producer at 10 (also stocks and politics reporter)
- Kerri Hayden - weekdays at noon and producer
- Jade Cunningham - weekday mornings and producer
- Rylee DeGood - weeknights and producer
Weekends
- Jenna Browder - weekend anchor
- Travis Knudsen - weekend anchor and weather
- Kara Hammer - weekend sports
Storm Tracker 5 Meteorologists
- Chris Yates - weeknights
- Kim Insana - weekday mornings and noon
- Travis Knudsen - weekends
Sports
- Gary Striewski - weeknights
- Kara Hammer - weekends and sports reporter
Reporters
- Kyle Markley - reporter
- Jenna Browder - reporter
- Travis Knudsen - reporter
KGWN-DT2
In 2005, KGWN established a Northern Colorado Bureau in Fort Collins. This provided another source of local news coverage in the area in addition to stations based in DenverDenver, Colorado
The City and County of Denver is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Denver is a consolidated city-county, located in the South Platte River Valley on the western edge of the High Plains just east of the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains...
.
KGWN-DT2 maintains local reporters based in Fort Collins who contribute Northern Colorado-specific content to the show. Monday through Thursday mornings from 6 to 6:30, the station simulcasts local radio station KCOL-AM 600. Weekday mornings at 6:30, there is a local weather forecast segment which repeats several times during the half hour. KGWN-DT2 does not simulcast any newscasts from its parent station.
Anchors
- Don Day - 600 KCOL Mornings and Northern Colorado 5 Morning Weather host
- Al Malmberg - 600 KCOL Mornings host
- Gail Fallen - 600 KCOL Mornings host
Reporters
- Anthony Keith - sports and producer (also RamsColorado State RamsColorado State University competes in 16 sponsored intercollegiate sports, including 10 for women and six for men...
Sports Magazine Show host) - Tom Livingston - Senior
- Erin Fry - producer