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Branding KODE 12 or
KODE Action 12 (general)
Action 12 News (newscasts) Channels Digital: 43 (UHF)
Virtual: 12 (PSIP) Affiliations ABC (secondary until 1968) Owner Mission Broadcasting
(Mission Broadcasting, Inc.) | ||
KODE-TV, virtual channel 12, is the ABC network affiliated television station serving all of Joplin, Missouri and its surrounding areas and Pittsburg, Kansas and its rural communities. The two stations share studios and transmitter facilities located on South Cleveland Avenue in Joplin. The station broadcasts its high definition digital signal on UHF channel 43 at 1.46 kilowatts under a Special Temporary Authority, but has filed a construction permit to increase power to 1000 kilowatts.
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KODE is owned by Mission Broadcasting; however, through a local sales agreement, the station is controlled by NBC affiliate KSNF, owned and operated by Nexstar Media Group.
History
KODE began broadcasting September 26, 1954, originally as KSWM-TV (for SouthWestern Missouri). The station was originally a primary CBS affiliate, sharing ABC with then-NBC affiliate KOAM-TV, which is now a CBS affiliate. It became KODE-TV in 1957 after being sold to the owners of KODE radio (AM 1230, now KZYM). Gilmore Broadcasting of Kalamazoo, Michigan bought the KODE stations in 1964.
KODE became a sole ABC affiliate on January 1, 1968 and three days later KUHI-TV (now NBC-affiliated KSNF) started and took over the CBS affiliation.
KODE was acquired by Mission Broadcasting in 2002, following its takeover of Quorum Broadcasting. Subsequently, KODE then entered into a shared services agreement with Nexstar Broadcasting-owned NBC affiliate KSNF.
On May 8, 2009, a powerful storm system slammed Joplin, knocking out power to KODE and knocking down the tower of sister station KSNF. KODE-TV returned to the air early on the morning of May 9, while KSNF didn't return to the air until June 17. Both stations moved to a rebuilt KSNF building in April 2010 making it the next-to-last Nexstar duopoly to do so (as Nexstar formed a virtual duopoly in Evansville, Indiana in December 2011 with the purchase of that market's ABC affiliate WEHT and transfer of its existing Evansville independent station (now The CW affiliate) WTVW to Mission Broadcasting, and Nexstar almost immediately moved WTVW's operations to the WEHT facility).
On December 19, 2012, KODE began broadcasting its local newscasts in High Definition.
On June 15, 2016, Nexstar announced that it has entered into an affiliation agreement with Katz Broadcasting for the Escape, Laff, Grit, and Bounce TV networks (the last one of which is owned by Bounce Media LLC, whose COO Jonathan Katz is president/CEO of Katz Broadcasting), bringing the four networks to 81 stations owned and/or operated by Nexstar, including KODE-TV and KSNF.
Programming
Syndicated programming broadcast on KODE-TV includes The Dr. Oz Show, Jeopardy! (though sister show Wheel of Fortune airs on KOAM, and Entertainment Tonight.