Slogan Your Eye on Dakota | ||
Branding KXMD CBS 11 (general)
KX Television (regional)
KX News (newscasts) Channels Digital: 14 (UHF)
Virtual: 11 (PSIP) Subchannels 11.1 CBS
11.2 CW
11.3 Laff
11.4 Escape Affiliations CBS (Secondary through 1986) Owner Nexstar Media Group
(Nexstar Broadcasting, Inc.) | ||
KXMD-TV, channel 11, is the CBS affiliate for Williston, North Dakota. The station operates as a semi-satellite of KXMC-TV in Minot, North Dakota. This outlet broadcasts a high definition digital signal on UHF channel 14 (or virtual channel 11.1 via PSIP) from a transmitter west of Williston near the North Dakota/Montana border. KXMD identifies itself as a station in its own right, but simulcasts all programming from KXMC. However, KXMD airs separate commercials and station identifications. The station maintains a news bureau and advertising sales office at the intersection of 13th Avenue West and 18th Street West (near U.S. Highway 2/85) in Williston. KXMD's viewing area includes most of the Montana portion of this vast market. As Montana is within the Mountain Time Zone, primetime programming on KXMD begins at 6 pm rather than at 7 pm for other stations licensed in the Central Time Zone. The station can also be seen on Midcontinent cable channel 6 in Williston, and cable channel 11 in most other areas. There is a high definition feed provided on Midcontinent digital channel 606.
Contents
As a semi-satellite of KXMC-TV, KXMD-TV is part of the KX Television regional network. Programming, master control and internal operations for the entire KX network is provided by Bismarck's KXMB-TV, which airs mostly separate local news programming from KXMC/KXMD and simulcasts it on KXMA-TV in Dickinson. The KX network relays CBS network programming and other programs across central and western North Dakota, as well as bordering counties in Montana and South Dakota. KXMD clears all network and syndicated programming as provided through its parent but airs separate station identifications and commercial inserts. KXMD serves the northwestern portion of the Bismarck/Minot market. The four stations along with ABC affiliates WDAY-TV in Fargo and WDAZ-TV in Grand Forks often share news stories. The four stations are counted as a single unit for ratings purposes.
The over-the-air signal of KXMD reaches portions of the Canadian province of Saskatchewan, but are no longer available on any cable systems there. Most of the Montana portion of KXMD's viewing area also receives CBS from KXGN-TV in Glendive via a network of translators and cable television.
Syndicated programming on KXMD includes Dr. Phil, The Ellen DeGeneres Show, Entertainment Tonight, Friends, Rachael Ray, among others. KXMD's second digital subchannel simulcasts Minot's ABC affiliate KMCY.
History
KXMD signed on in November 1969 as a semi-satellite of KXMC-TV in Minot, North Dakota. Previously, Williston viewers had to pick up CBS programming on cable from KOOK-TV in Billings, Montana (now KTVQ), although KUMV-TV had not been above breaking away from the KFYR/KMOT feed when CBS had something very important to present.
Boler sold his interest in the KX stations to Reiten in 1971. Steve Reiten, Dave Reiten, Kathleen Reiten Hruby, Tim Reiten, and Melanie Reiten Shonkwiler, Chester's Children, still own the stations today (including KXMA-TV in Dickinson, which he bought in 1985).
The KX stations previously had a secondary affiliation with ABC before full-time ABC affiliate KMCY signed on in 1986. During the late 1950s, the stations were also briefly affiliated with the NTA Film Network.
Until 1986, KXMD was carried by cable systems across neighboring Saskatchewan, even operating a sales office in Saskatoon, as did KUMV and Great Falls ABC station KFBB-TV. These arrangements ended in 1986 when the Canadian cable companies were granted permission to replace the North Dakota signals with network affiliates from Detroit and Toledo, Ohio.
In 2006, the stations began a web portal-like website called KX Net, with each station's website displaying a localized front page. The stations continue to be branded as "KX Television" and as "KX News" on the air, but also use the "KX Net" monkier on the air also. KXNet.com combined the previous domains kxma.com, kxmb.com, kxmc.com and kxmd.com under one umbrella. The original domains are still active. KXNet.com won the 2007 Teddy Award for Best Website and the 2007 Eric Severaid Award for best website small market television in a 6 state region.
In October 2007, KXNet.com along with Midkota Solutions launched DakotaPolitics.com, a web site focusing on North Dakota political news coverage. DakotaPolitics featured profile information, voting records and some analysis. DakotaPolitics also launched weekly tracking polls for the 2008 elections. In 2008 KXNet.com became the first web site in North Dakota to deliver a live news broadcast over the Internet when they streamed a 1-hour special coverage of the 2008 Presidential Caucuses from Bismarck.
In July 2008, Reiten Television began a joint agreement to sell television commercial slots on both its existing stations and KMCY, Minot's ABC affiliate owned by Forum Communications Company. KMCY became available in Williston on a full-power signal on KXMD's second digital subchannel in 2009.
Nexstar Broadcasting Group announced its $44 million purchase of the Reiten Television stations, including KXMA-TV, on September 17, 2015. Sale was completed on February 2, 2016. As result of the acquisition, Nexstar decided to terminate the Joint Sales Agreement with KMCY.
Programming
The North Dakota State Fair parade in Minot is aired live every July.
The KX network carries CBS News Up To The Minute (though with public service announcements instead of local commercials), while weekends simulcast the local weather conditions of North Dakota. All four stations provide a formal sign-off, including The Star Spangled Banner, every night at 1:05 a.m. CT/12:05 a.m. MT Tuesday-Saturday mornings and at 1:35 a.m. CT/12:35 a.m. MT on Sunday and Monday mornings.
Digital channels
The station's digital signal is multiplexed:
Analog-to-digital conversion
KXMD-TV shut down its analog signal, over VHF channel 11, on June 12, 2009, the official date in which full-power television stations in the United States transitioned from analog to digital broadcasts under federal mandate. The station's digital signal remained on its pre-transition UHF channel 14. Through the use of PSIP, digital television receivers display the station's virtual channel as its former VHF analog channel 11.
News operation
KXMC produces local newscasts daily at 6 a.m., noon, 6 p.m. and 10 p.m. KXMC produces a morning show at 6 a.m., KX News Morning, and co-produces a 5 p.m. newscast with KXMB. Both are simulcast on all four stations. All of the local newscasts are broadcast in high definition.
For many years, KXMD placed inserts into KXMC's newscasts. However, recent cutbacks have resulted in KXMD's operations being largely merged with those of KXMC, and local inserts have been eliminated.
As a whole, KX Television has long trailed NBC North Dakota in the ratings by a significant margin; the main stations and their satellites are counted as one station for ratings and regulatory purposes. However, KXMC has historically been well ahead of KMOT in the ratings for the northern part of the market. This is largely because it is the only station airing a full schedule of local news for the northern part of the market. Also, KX News Morning has recently surged well ahead of NBC North Dakota's Country Morning Today—the first time in recent memory that NBC North Dakota has lost consecutive ratings periods in any time slot.