KSFL-TV

KSFL-TV
Channels
BrandingSioux Falls Live
Programming
Affiliations36.1: Independent
Ownership
OwnerForum Communications Company[1]
KNBN, KWBH-LD, KCWS-LD
History
FoundedApril 11, 1997
First air date
November 8, 2000 (24 years ago) (2000-11-08)
Former call signs
  • KAUN (1997–2003)
  • KWSD (2003–2023)
Former channel number(s)
  • Analog: 36 (UHF, 2000–2009)
  • Digital: 51 (UHF, 2002–2009)
Call sign meaning
The station's planned news operation and website is known as "Sioux Falls Live"
Technical information[2]
Licensing authority
FCC
Facility ID29121
ERP
HAAT230 m (755 ft)
Transmitter coordinates
Links
Public license information
Websitesiouxfallslive.com

KSFL-TV (channel 36) is a television station in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, United States. It is owned by Forum Communications Company alongside low-power station KCWS-LD (channel 27). KSFL-TV's studios are located on West 57th Street in Sioux Falls, and its transmitter is located in Rowena.

History

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Originally, the station had the call sign KAUN and it was the local Pax TV affiliate, while The WB was carried on a cable-only channel known by the fictitious call sign KWJB. On October 1, 2003, channel 36 acquired the WB affiliation and it became KWSD, and Pax TV was moved to then-sister station KAUN-LP. The programming on KWSD was provided by The WB 100+ Station Group, a predecessor to The CW Plus. In September 2006, The WB and UPN merged to become The CW. KWSD became the CW affiliate for Sioux Falls, and UPN affiliate "UTV", a digital subchannel of KELO-TV, became an affiliate of MyNetworkTV.

At one point in the past decade, KWSD/KAUN had a 9 p.m. newscast that served the Sioux Falls Metro Area and the KWSD viewing area. That newscast was pulled, and reports were that there were plans in the works to bring back a 9 p.m. newscast to the Sioux Falls market.

KWSD's CW affiliation ended on September 10, 2012; at that time, the affiliation moved to a subchannel of KSFY-TV.[3] KWSD switched its affiliation to MeTV on that date.[4] As of September 2015, the MeTV affiliation also moved to KSFY, on their third subchannel; KWSD then became a Retro TV affiliate.

As of June 2020, KWSD ended its affiliation with Retro TV and affiliated with YTA TV, solely to keep its cable positions and broadcasting license active in anticipation of a sale partner, with little local programming otherwise.

On November 23, 2022, it was reported that Fargo, North Dakota–based Forum Communications Company would purchase KWSD and sister station KCWS-LD from Jim Simpson, then-owner of KNBN and KWBH-LD in Rapid City, for $1.4 million;[5] the sale was completed on February 21, 2023.[6] Forum intends to create a third television news operation in the Sioux Falls market.[1]

On February 24, 2023, the station changed its call sign to KSFL-TV; several weeks later, it switched its affiliation to Ion Television and upgraded to high-definition operations for the first time since its departure from The CW. On January 1, 2024, KSFL dropped Ion and became an independent station.

Technical information

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Subchannel of KSFL-TV[7]
Channel Res. Aspect Short name Programming
36.1 720p 16:9 KSFL-DT Main KSFL-TV programming

Analog-to-digital conversion

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KSFL-TV (as KWSD) shut down its analog signal, over UHF channel 36, on June 12, 2009, the official date on which full-power television stations in the United States transitioned from analog to digital broadcasts under federal mandate. The station's digital signal relocated from its pre-transition UHF channel 51 to channel 36 for post-transition operations.[8]

References

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  1. ^ a b Ellis, Jon (November 23, 2022). "Forum to Buy Independent TV Station in Sioux Falls, Launch News". Northpine.com. Retrieved November 24, 2022.
  2. ^ "Facility Technical Data for KSFL-TV". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission.
  3. ^ Malone, Michael (June 5, 2012). "KSFY the New Home for CW in Sioux Falls". Broadcasting & Cable. Retrieved June 5, 2012.
  4. ^ BET Fall 2012 Schedule With Return of Jamie Foxx; MeTV Network Adds 3 More Affiliates, SitcomsOnline, September 5, 2012.
  5. ^ "Assignments". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission. November 28, 2022. Retrieved November 28, 2022.
  6. ^ "Notification of Consummation". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission. February 21, 2023. Retrieved February 28, 2023.
  7. ^ "RabbitEars.Info". rabbitears.info.
  8. ^ "DTV Tentative Channel Designations for the First and the Second Rounds" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on August 29, 2013. Retrieved March 24, 2012.

Mt. Shasta News Archives; Dunsmuir News Archives

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