NBC North Dakota is a network of four television stations that serve most of central and western North Dakota, along with parts of South Dakota and Montana. All four stations are affiliates of NBC, and the flagship station is KFYR-TV in Bismarck. All four are owned by Gray Television. Sister station KVLY-TV in Fargo is also considered a member of the network covering eastern North Dakota and northwestern Minnesota, but originates its own programming and newscasts.
Stations
The network consists of four stations in the Bismarck/Minot market and one in the Fargo/Grand Forks market:
The four Bismarck/Minot market stations all identify as separate stations in their own right, but KMOT, KUMV and KQCD are all reckoned as semi-satellites of KFYR. They all air the same syndicated programming, but also air separate commercials for their respective cities. KVLY-TV originates its own programming and newscasts, as its located in the separate Fargo/Grand Forks media market.
KMOT and KUMV air separate weeknight newscasts, and simulcast KFYR's other newscasts. The first 10 minutes of KUMV's newscasts simulcast KFYR, while KUMV fills the remaining 20 minutes. KQCD airs a time-shifted feed of KFYR in Mountain Time for most of the day, apart from station identifications and commercials.
The network was founded by the Meyer family of Bismarck, which signed on KFYR radio in 1925. KFYR-TV, North Dakota's second television station, signed on in 1953. Two years later, the Federal Communications Commission collapsed central and western North Dakota into one giant television market. The Meyers then signed on Williston's KUMV in 1957, having bought it from the local owners who had won the license. The two stations formed the "Meyer Television Network," with KFYR-TV as the flagship station. KMOT followed in 1958, and KQCD was brought online in 1980.
The stations have always been NBC affiliates, though they all carried some ABC programming in off-hours until KBMY signed on in 1986. Additionally, KUMV broke off to air occasional CBS programming until KXMD-TV signed on in 1969.
The Meyers owned the stations until 1997, when they sold their stations to Sunrise Television. Wicks Group bought the stations in 2002, and in turn sold its entire television group to Hoak Media in 2007. In turn, Hoak sold the majority of its stations, including the NBC North Dakota chain, to Gray Television in 2014.
Gray also owns KVLY-TV in Fargo; KVLY has been co-owned with the NBC North Dakota stations since 1995, when it was purchased by Meyer Broadcasting. KVLY shares news stories and sports programming (such as high school tournaments) with NBC North Dakota.