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Branding Channel 10 (general)
News 10 (newscasts)
News 4 (during newscast simulcasts) Channels Digital: 10 (VHF)
Virtual: 10 (PSIP) | ||
KENV-DT, channel 10, is a NBC-affiliated television station located in Elko, Nevada. It is owned by Intermountain West Communications Company and operated by Sinclair Broadcast Group. KENV's studios are located on the campus of Great Basin College on 1025 Chilton Circle in Elko along I-80, and its transmitter is located on Grindstone Mountain. It serves as the NBC affiliate for much of the Nevada side of the Salt Lake City market.
Contents
History
The first occupant of channel 10 was used by KEKO-TV, a satellite station of CBS affiliate in Reno KTVN.
The Federal Communications Commission granted an original construction permit on June 26, 1995, to build a television station licensed in Elko. Originally, the station was approved for 0.790 kW to broadcast on VHF channel 10 with transmitter located in coordinates 40°48′42″N 115°41′56″W. In July 1996, Sunbelt Broadcasting Company (today Intermountain West Communications Company) requested a modification to change the construction permit: moving the transmitter to Grindstone Mountain (in coordinates 40°41′52.5″N 115°54′13″W) and increasing the power to 3.09 kW. It was approved on January 29, 1997.
The station signed-on March 27, 1997 as KENV, a semi-satellite of KRNV (today KRNV-DT). The creation of KENV extended the coverage of the NBC affiliate in Reno into Northeastern Nevada. It is the only full-powered television station in Elko.
On November 22, 2013, Sinclair Broadcast Group announced the acquisition of KRNV's non-license assets, for $26 million. On December 19, it was announced that Cunningham Broadcasting will acquire the license assets of KRNV and KENV for $6.5 million. Sinclair could not buy KENV-DT outright because it is located in the Salt Lake City DMA, in which Sinclair already owns a duopoly (formed by CBS affiliate KUTV and MyNetworkTV affiliate KMYU).
Station Status
Although considered a separate station in its own right, the outlet is actually operated as a Semi-satellite of KRNV-DT in Reno. As such, it simulcasts NBC network and syndicated programming as provided by KRNV but airs separate commercials, legal identifications, and weekday morning newscasts. Even though the station maintains its own facilities, most internal operations are based within KRNV's studios on 1790 Vassar Street in Reno.
Digital channels
The station's digital channel is multiplexed:
Analog-to-digital conversion
When the FCC released its initial DTV allocations on April 21, 1997, it assigned VHF channel 8 to KENV-DT as its digital companion channel. Although many allocations were adjusted when the FCC issued its revised final DTV allocations table on February 17, 1998, KENV's remained unchanged.
In February 22, 2001, the Federal Communications Commission granted a permit to construct the station's digital facilities (requested in 1999). The CP was extended 2 times, but the third was dismissed in 2007 because the FCC Media Bureau approved a request by KENV to "flash cut" from analog to digital by the end of the DTV transition and the permit was extended to February 17, 2009, the original target date for full-power television stations in the United States to transition from analog to digital broadcasts under federal mandate (which was later pushed back to June 12, 2009).
On January 18, 2009, KENV suffered a problem with the analog transmitter, forcing the station reduce its power by 60-70%. On March 27, the analog antenna suffered a complete failure, forcing the station to go to digital three months ahead of schedule (planned on June 12). The station officially flash-cut to digital on March 31.
News operation
KENV-DT presently broadcasts 5 hours of locally produced newscasts each week (with 1 hour on weekdays); KENV-DT does not carry newscasts on Saturdays and Sundays.
On May 5, 2008, that channel began producing a fifteen-minute news and weather insert weekday mornings at 6:45. KENV now offers a one-hour long morning show.