Branding Branson Visitor TV Subchannels 17.1 K17DL-D Former callsigns K17DL (1993–2009) | Channels Digital: 17 (UHF) Sister station(s) KYTV, KGHZ, KSPR-LD | |
Owner Branson Visitors TV, LLC
(Gray Television (50.1%); Market Branson, LLC (49.9%)) | ||
K17DL-D is a low-power digital television station licensed to Branson, Missouri, United States. It is owned by Branson Visitors TV, LLC, a company jointly owned by Gray Television, owner of KYTV in nearby Springfield, and Market Branson. K17DL-D broadcasts tourist information programming.
History
The original construction permit to construct a low-power station on channel 17 in Branson was issued on March 3, 1993 and issued the call sign K17DL; on May 16, 1994, original owner Lorianne Crook-Owens sold the station to GEP, Inc. On July 26, 1999, K17DL, along with K05JQ (channel 5, now defunct) and Springfield-based K15CZ (channel 15, now KSPR-LD), was sold to Miller Family Broadcasting. By this point, channel 17 had come on the air through a series of special temporary authority grants and was simulcasting UPN programming with K15CZ; the station was fully licensed on January 14, 2002. Miller sold K17DL and K15CZ to Schurz Communications, owner of KYTV, on March 14, 2002. After UPN and The WB closed down to form The CW in 2006, K17DL and K15CZ affiliated with the new network.
On May 20, 2009, Schurz sold a 49.9-percent interest in K17DL to Market Branson for $250,000; following the sale, the station dropped all CW and K15CZ programming and began carrying tourist information. The station also converted to digital television and began broadcasting in high definition; consequently, the call sign was modified to K17DL-D on May 29, 2009. Schurz' remaining 50.1-percent interest in channel 17 is included in Gray Television's purchase of Schurz' television stations.