A television station is a set of equipment managed by a business, organisation or other entity such as an amateur television (ATV) operator, that transmits video content and audio content via radio waves directly from a transmitter on the earth's surface to any number of tuned receivers simultaneously.
83-611: KNDO (channel 23) is a television station in Yakima, Washington , United States, affiliated with NBC . It is owned by the Spokane -based Cowles Company as part of the KHQ Television Group . KNDO's studios are located on West Yakima Avenue in downtown Yakima, and its transmitter is located on Ahtanum Ridge . KNDU (channel 25) in Richland operates as a semi-satellite of KNDO, serving
166-423: A barter in some cases. Digital subchannel In broadcasting, digital subchannels are a method of transmitting more than one independent program stream simultaneously from the same digital radio or television station on the same radio frequency channel. This is done by using data compression techniques to reduce the size of each individual program stream, and multiplexing to combine them into
249-426: A "K" call-letter will generally have their subchannels identified with an "N" (.2), "O" (.3), "Q" (.4), "R" (.5) or "S" (.6). For example, if the call letters are WFRC and the station broadcasts on channel 10, then the 10.2 subchannel is identified as EFRC, 10.3 is GFRC, 10.4 is HFRC, 10.5 is IFRC and 10.6 is JFRC. If the call letters are KFRC and the station broadcasts on channel 10, then 10.2 is identified as NFRC, 10.3
332-654: A 1080i high definition main feed; this changed in 2013 with the addition of dedicated local news channels on CBS O&Os in New York City and Philadelphia (the company later announced the creation of Decades , a multicast network part-owned by CBS which aired on all CBS and CW owned-and-operated stations from 2015 to 2018). It is possible for stations to carry more than two subchannel feeds in HD, at least nominally. Actual picture quality may be comparable to DVD video. Some examples of stations broadcasting in this format are: Outside
415-471: A CW affiliate) and had to mostly rely on stations in Pittsburgh (and to a lesser extent Columbus and Youngstown, Ohio ) to view programming from other networks. However, the advent of digital television allowed WTRF to launch two digital channels (one as a primary Fox/secondary MyNetworkTV affiliate, the other affiliated with ABC) while still carrying CBS programming in full on its main signal (WTOV later took
498-524: A CW affiliate), as the additional educational content these separate stations once provided can now be carried by multiple subchannels of a single parent station. Subchannels also allow some educational stations to devote an entire channel to telecourses , which are recorded by instructors and students for later use, allowing the station's main channel to air a generalized schedule in the morning and overnight hours . Subchannels and transmitter reconfigurations have been used to temporarily restore service from
581-777: A duopoly outright. In the latter scenario, the station whose programming is on an LMA station is moved to a subchannel of a station that is owned outright by the station that own the non-licensed assets of other stations. Many companies such as Sinclair Broadcast Group (via Cunningham Broadcasting , Deerfield Media , & Howard Stirk Holdings ), Nexstar Media Group (via Mission Broadcasting & Vaughan Media ), and Gray Television (via American Spirit Media & SagamoreHill Broadcasting ) have been doing this, partially due to regulation pressure. Networks dedicated to sports programming have been launched specifically for use on digital subchannels. Until 2010, CBS affiliates often subdivided four temporary subchannels in order to show all of
664-457: A few multicast channels that have broadcast familiar sports programs: Bounce TV , for instance, carried college football from historically black colleges and universities until 2013. In January 2016, Sinclair Broadcast Group launched a 24-hour feed of its American Sports Network sports syndication service on subchannels of ten stations owned and/or operated by the group; the ASN multicast network
747-726: A large market area. This is used to duplicate network service for stations that are part of duopolies , where transmitters scattered through a large geographical area allow multiple networks and channels to be carried. The most prominent example is the Granite Broadcasting Corporation 's virtual quadropoly in Duluth, Minnesota , which consists of two separate full-power stations, NBC affiliate KBJR-TV and CBS affiliate KDLH , which combined carry three subchannels (two affiliated with major networks – CW Plus affiliate "Northland CW 2" on KDLH and MyNetworkTV affiliate "My9" on KBJR – and
830-456: A low-power or Class A station or by a cable television channel. Often, the owner of a full-power television station acquires or already owns a low-power secondary station in the same market to carry another network. The use of a digital subchannel on a full-power television station as a replacement for low-power station greatly increases the available coverage area for its programming. Because of interference issues that stations transmitting on
913-563: A main channel affiliation may not be available. Other stations have launched subchannels with an independent station format on their DT2 signals (such as WTTV in Indianapolis , Indiana – a market with enough commercial stations able to support affiliations with all six networks and a standalone independent, although the seventh (WTTK) instead acts as a WTTV satellite – which converted its 4.2 subchannel as an independent station in January 2015 as
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#1732852068082996-599: A market at one time (outside of Los Angeles, where if the Rams and Chargers play at the same time, Fox is allowed to broadcast the second game on MyNetworkTV affiliate KCOP-TV , or CBS on independent KCAL-TV , depending on the game's carrier that specific week); all four of the major sports leagues (the NFL , the NBA , Major League Baseball and the NHL ) have out-of-market sports packages that require
1079-415: A much shorter wavelength, and thus requires a shorter antenna, but also higher power. North American stations can go up to 5000 kW ERP for video and 500 kW audio, or 1000 kW digital. Low channels travel further than high ones at the same power, but UHF does not suffer from as much electromagnetic interference and background "noise" as VHF, making it much more desirable for TV. Despite this, in
1162-456: A pay television subscription and generate significant revenue for the leagues. Most sports programming on digital subchannel broadcasters has been relegated to low-budget content such as amateur athletics, extreme sports, and hunting and fishing programming geared toward outdoorsmen, though minor league baseball , American Hockey League hockey and other minor league sports may also be seen. Prominent team sports programming on digital subchannels
1245-413: A period digit (".xx"). Simultaneously, the suffix indicates that a television station offers additional programming streams. By convention, the suffix position ".1" is normally used to refer to the station's main digital channel and the ".0" position is reserved for analog channels . For example, most of the owned-and-operated stations / affiliates of Trinity Broadcasting Network transmit five streams in
1328-561: A result of owner Tribune Media selling the local rights to the CW affiliation that was to move from its main feed on 4.1 to Media General -owned WISH-TV , whose CBS affiliation was assumed by WTTV). Digital subchannels are also used to relay stations beyond their traditional signal coverage areas to reach an entire market. In the Upper Peninsula of Michigan and northern Minnesota , many of these stations are on duplicate frequencies to cover
1411-505: A secondary affiliation with NBC, and also aired a few CBS programs turned down by KIMA-TV, including The Andy Griffith Show . On August 16, 1960, CEBC filed to build a new TV station on channel 25 in Richland. The company was composed of employees of KNDO and KTNT-TV in Tacoma and had also filed to buy KNDO. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) granted the permit on May 24, 1961, and
1494-411: A sector traditionally lacking subchannels, digital cable television provider Music Choice packages its nearly 50 music channels (including Music Choice Play ) as digital subchannels of one channel. This is possible as the only information sent over each channel are audio feeds and a still slide which rotates every 20 seconds, displaying an advertisement and information about the current playing song on
1577-547: A service known as DTV radio , in which the audio of a commonly owned broadcast radio station is simulcast over a subchannel (for instance, KPJK in San Mateo, California broadcasts former FM sister KCSM on its DT3 signal). WANN-CD in Atlanta offers six radio stations owned by iHeartMedia , in addition to ten television channels. Non-broadcast content, subscription television channels or datacasting operations unrelated to
1660-542: A single SD subchannel which simulcasts that station's primary channel. There have been a number of issues surrounding the introduction of digital subchannels in Australia. The first subchannels launched by the ABC – ABC Kids and Fly TV – closed after less than two years in operation in 2003 as a reaction to budget cuts by the conservative Howard government under Communications Minister Alston and low viewership (partly due to
1743-459: A single signal. The practice is sometimes called " multicasting ". The ATSC digital television standard used in the United States supports multiple program streams over-the-air, allowing television stations to transmit one or more subchannels over a single digital signal. A virtual channel numbering scheme distinguishes broadcast subchannels by appending the television channel number with
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#17328520680821826-579: A station that is unable to broadcast for technical, weather-related, or other reasons using the facilities of another. This use dates to the early days of digital television: in the immediate aftermath of the September 11 attacks, which destroyed the primary TV transmission site in New York City, WWOR-TV was broadcast as a subchannel of co-owned WNYW-DT . Competing stations in a market have even offered each other support; in 2009, Weigel Broadcasting offered
1909-457: A subchannel and air network programming on the other. Thus, the station can accommodate viewers wanting to watch either regular programming or news coverage. Some sports leagues, most notably the NFL, have strict rules against their game broadcasts airing on a subchannel. The first major nationally distributed general entertainment digital multicast television network , or diginet, for use on subchannels
1992-563: A subchannel. One notable experiment involving digital subchannels in Mexico was undertaken by TV Azteca , which used its three muxes in the Mexico City area to broadcast a service called Hi-TV, featuring several channels encoded in H.264 MPEG-4 encoding, which while available in the ATSC standard is not common on TV sets. This use of subchannels as pseudo-restricted signals within non-restricted channels
2075-425: A variety of ways to generate revenue from television commercials . They may be an independent station or part of a broadcasting network , or some other structure. They can produce some or all of their programs or buy some broadcast syndication programming for or all of it from other stations or independent production companies. Many stations have some sort of television studio , which on major-network stations
2158-496: Is non-commercial educational (NCE) and considered public broadcasting . To avoid concentration of media ownership of television stations, government regulations in most countries generally limit the ownership of television stations by television networks or other media operators, but these regulations vary considerably. Some countries have set up nationwide television networks, in which individual television stations act as mere repeaters of nationwide programs . In those countries,
2241-573: Is OFRC, 10.4 is QFRC, 10.5 is RFRC and 10.6 is SFRC. Although digital television services in Canada use the same ATSC technology as the United States, none of the stations currently broadcasting a digital signal transmit any subchannel other than a possible HD service or a standard definition simulcast of the main channel. Unlike the FCC in the United States, the body that governs Canadian broadcasting licenses,
2324-523: Is believed to have the most feeds of any individual over-the-air broadcaster, offering twelve video and several audio feeds (all transmitted in standard definition). WANN-CD in Atlanta , Georgia, with ten video and ten audio feeds, comes at a close second. Several cable-to-air broadcasters, such as those in Willmar, Minnesota and Cortez, Colorado , have multiplexed more than five separate cable television channels into subchannels of one signal. Operating in
2407-542: Is broadcast in Wales instead of Channel 4 HD). In the United States, digital subchannels have been used to provide programming from multiple major networks on a single television station. This has become prevalent since the late 2000s in smaller markets that have as few as one or two commercial stations, which during the era of analog television, would not have been able to carry the complete programming lineups of all four major commercial networks (CBS, NBC, ABC and Fox) because of
2490-470: Is broadcast via terrestrial radio waves. A group of television stations with common ownership or affiliation are known as a TV network and an individual station within the network is referred to as O&O or affiliate , respectively. Because television station signals use the electromagnetic spectrum, which in the past has been a common, scarce resource, governments often claim authority to regulate them. Broadcast television systems standards vary around
2573-491: Is divided. Therefore, station managers and broadcast engineers could run any of the following scenarios using one 6 MHz channel (note that the actual bitrate moves up and down, due to usage of variable bitrate encoding): With improvements in MPEG encoding, and tighter VBR encoding, more subchannels can be combined. 1×720p + 3×480i is becoming more common. For a frame rate of 30 p or 60 i , uncompressed DTV channels have
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2656-792: Is often used for newscasts or other local programming . There is usually a news department , where journalists gather information. There is also a section where electronic news-gathering (ENG) operations are based, receiving remote broadcasts via remote pickup unit or satellite TV . Outside broadcasting vans, production trucks , or SUVs with electronic field production (EFP) equipment are sent out with reporters , who may also bring back news stories on video tape rather than sending them back live . To keep pace with technology United States television stations have been replacing operators with broadcast automation systems to increase profits in recent years. Some stations (known as repeaters or translators ) only simulcast another, usually
2739-537: Is only carried by the stations of non-commercial networks SBS Television and ABC Television ). Each network currently has at least one HD sub channel. All networks use their HD subchannel to provide a simulcast of their primary channel or their multichannels. Inclusive of their primary standard definition channels (ignoring HD): Community television stations in Melbourne ( C31 ) and Adelaide ( C44 ) also broadcast digital signals, however they typically only broadcast
2822-509: Is rare; the general trend for sports programming tends to eschew the free-to-air model that digital subchannels use, and the cost of rights fees for most sports requires that they air on channels that air on cable and satellite television services and thus can recuperate costs through retransmission consent . Channels such as Sportsman Channel (and the now-defunct Universal Sports ) that began as digital subchannel networks now operate as cable and satellite-exclusive services. There are nonetheless
2905-591: The ATSC-M/H standard. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) considers all subchannels carried by a single station to have the same call letters for legal identification purposes. However, within the broadcast sales industry, to differentiate subchannels, the initial letter of a call sign changes per subchannel. As per Nielsen , digital stations identified with a "W" call letter will generally have their subchannels identified with an "E" (.2), "G" (.3), "H" (.4), "I" (.5) or "J" (.6). Digital stations identified with
2988-494: The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC), requires stations to file license amendments in order to be considered for permission to carry digital subchannels (this differs from the commission's rules for premium cable television services, which allow the addition of multiplex channels consistent with the service's license requirements without the need to amend the license). On August 17, 2012,
3071-640: The Traverse City - Cheboygan market in Upper Michigan, NBC affiliate WPBN/WTOM also simulcasts sister station WGTU/WGTQ , providing that station's ABC programming to the entire market; CBS affiliate WWTV/WWUP carries its Fox-affiliated sister WFQX/WFUP on their DT2 subchannel to expand their coverage area further north into the eastern portion of the Upper Peninsula. In many cases, these "new" channels are existing secondary channels that were carried by
3154-555: The Tri-Cities area; this station maintains its own studios on West Kennewick Avenue in Kennewick , with transmitter on Jump Off Joe Butte. As a KNDO semi-satellite, it simulcasts all network and syndicated programming as provided through its parent, and the two stations share a website. However, KNDU airs separate commercial inserts and legal identifications . Local newscasts, produced by KNDU, are simulcast on both stations. KNDO serves
3237-1006: The Washington, D.C. area, MHz Networks is available as ten subchannels transmitted by two stations, with their virtual channels mapped uniformly, making them appear as if they are transmitted by one station. In some U.S. states, statewide educational, cultural or public affairs services are carried on a digital subchannel of a PBS member station or network (such as the Minnesota Channel , PBS Wisconsin 's Wisconsin Channel, or New York State broadcaster ThinkBright TV ). The use of subchannels has also allowed educational television broadcasters to sell off former secondary PBS analogue stations to commercial broadcasters (such as WNEQ in Buffalo , which its sister station WNED-TV sold in 1999 to LIN TV (now owned by Nexstar Media Group ) to become WNLO , now
3320-405: The broadcast range , or geographic area, that the station is limited to, allocates the broadcast frequency of the radio spectrum for that station's transmissions, sets limits on what types of television programs can be programmed for broadcast and requires a station to broadcast a minimum amount of certain programs types, such as public affairs messages . Another form of television station
3403-534: The electricity bill and emergency backup generators . In North America , full-power stations on band I (channels 2 to 6) are generally limited to 100 kW analog video ( VSB ) and 10 kW analog audio ( FM ), or 45 kW digital ( 8VSB ) ERP. Stations on band III (channels 7 to 13) can go up by 5 dB to 316 kW video, 31.6 kW audio, or 160 kW digital. Low-VHF stations are often subject to long-distance reception just as with FM. There are no stations on Channel 1 . UHF , by comparison, has
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3486-599: The CRTC gave approval to Leamington, Ontario community station CFTV-TV to broadcast four local subchannels on its digital signal, making it the first station in Canada to launch original content on its multiplex channels. Some Mexican TV stations use digital subchannels as they are used in the United States. The Sistema Público de Radiodifusión del Estado Mexicano , a public broadcaster, operates 26 multiplexed transmitters throughout Mexico carrying five to six public television services, while XHTRES-TDT carries Imagen Radio audio on
3569-458: The DVB format) is used, and was specifically designed with physical RF segments that could be split to use for different subchannels. In Brazil , a digital subchannel is only allowed to the public and educational stations. As the amount of data which can be carried on one digital television channel at one time is limited, the addition of multiple channels of programming as digital subchannels comes at
3652-551: The Fox affiliation for its second subchannel in September 2014). Upon their launches in September 2006, The CW and MyNetworkTV were among the first conventional networks to actively utilize subchannel-only affiliations in markets where a standalone station is not available to affiliate with; this is particularly true of The CW's small-market feed, The CW Plus , which originally consisted mostly of cable-only affiliations (by way of inheriting
3735-627: The U.S., the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is taking another large portion of this band (channels 52 to 69) away, in contrast to the rest of the world, which has been taking VHF instead. This means that some stations left on VHF are harder to receive after the analog shutdown . Since at least 1974, there are no stations on channel 37 in North America for radio astronomy purposes. Most television stations are commercial broadcasting enterprises which are structured in
3818-625: The United States broadcast their main channel in high definition and up to three standard definition subchannels; however, a few reconfigure their digital channels depending on daypart, carrying four standard definition channels during the daytime, reducing them to one HD and one SD channel at night due to technical limitations at the station's level that may prevent it from carrying PBS programming in HD full-time and maintain multiple full-time subchannels like other member stations. PBS stations often carry additional national channels such as PBS HD ( PBS Satellite Service ), PBS Kids , World , and Create . In
3901-678: The United States ;– especially in Europe ;– high-definition feeds are rarer, and most countries only provide a single high-definition service for each broadcaster. For example, in France , there are only five HD services: one each for TF1 , France 2 , Canal+ , M6 and Arte ; in the United Kingdom , four HD services are currently transmitted over terrestrial frequencies: BBC One HD , BBC Two HD , ITV HD and Channel 4 HD ( S4C Clirlun
3984-498: The air on October 15, 1959. It was owned by Hugh Davis and his Columbia Empire Broadcasting Corporation. Previously, all three networks had been shoehorned on primary CBS affiliate KIMA-TV (channel 29). Although conventional wisdom suggested that KNDO should have signed on as an NBC affiliate, it instead took on the ABC affiliation. This was very unusual for a two-station market, especially one as small as Yakima. During this time, it carried
4067-480: The case for certain local stations. The IFT enforces minimum bitrates for digital television channels, and as such it is not possible for a station to broadcast two HD feeds in MPEG-2 encoding. Most HD feeds are provided in 1080i with all subchannels in 480i standard definition. Australian digital subchannels are currently divided between high definition (HD), standard definition (SD) and radio subchannels (the latter type
4150-398: The clear) in selected cities to stream a limited number of "cable" channels to its subscribers for an additional fee to supplement its otherwise free digital video recorder (DVR) service allowing recordings of local broadcast channels and free and subscription internet content. Digital television supports multiple digital subchannels if the 19.39 Mbit/s (megabits per second) bitstream
4233-547: The early round games of the NCAA men's basketball tournament in addition to those broadcast on the main digital channel (this was superseded as a result of a new television agreement with the NCAA that took effect in 2011, which gave cable networks TBS , TNT and TruTV partial rights to the tournament). Most of the major professional sports leagues , however, have strict prohibitions against using subchannels for carrying multiple game broadcasts and only allow one game to be aired in
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#17328520680824316-610: The expense of having less available bandwidth for other purposes, such as the ability to transmit high definition content. A station carrying multiple subchannels will normally limit itself to one high-definition channel (or in some cases, two HD channels), with any additional channels being carried in standard definition. Because of the tradeoffs, stations owned by CBS Corporation through its CBS Television Stations subsidiary (which include owned-and-operated stations of CBS and The CW , and some independent stations ) generally opted not to carry digital subchannels and transmitted only
4399-553: The following format: The most of any large broadcaster in the United States, Ion Television stations transmit eight channels (in standard definition ) and the Scripps Networks subchannel services Court TV , Ion Mystery , Bounce TV , Laff , Grit , Defy TV , and Scripps News . More programming streams can be fit into a single channel space at the cost of broadcast quality. Among smaller stations, KAXT-CD in San Francisco
4482-420: The highest point available in the transmission area, such as on a summit , the top of a high skyscraper , or on a tall radio tower . To get a signal from the master control room to the transmitter, a studio/transmitter link (STL) is used. The link can be either by radio or T1 / E1 . A transmitter/studio link (TSL) may also send telemetry back to the station, but this may be embedded in subcarriers of
4565-414: The individual channel. The audio feed and rotating stills occupy significantly less bandwidth than video feeds, leaving space for more multiplexed content. A broadcaster saves significant costs in power and bandwidth through multiplexing in comparison to the cost of operating additional analog television stations to accommodate the extra programming. In practice, operating extra stations is impossible due to
4648-402: The late 2010s, some station groups have started consolidating major network affiliations onto one signal if they own the non-licensing assets of those channels. Some of this was due to the 2016 United States wireless spectrum auction , but most have been due to companies who use sidecar companies to create virtual duopolies via local marketing agreements when they are not legally able to own
4731-467: The limited distribution of set-top boxes); and commercial broadcasters could not legally air a digital subchannel other than a single high-definition service until 2009. As most digital services in Europe rely on more complex methods of multiplexing, where a large number of digital channels by many different broadcasters can be broadcast on one single frequency, the concept of a subchannel is instead applied to
4814-400: The local television station has no station identification and, from a consumer's point of view, there is no practical distinction between a network and a station, with only small regional changes in programming, such as local television news . To broadcast its programs, a television station requires operators to operate equipment, a transmitter or radio antenna , which is often located at
4897-500: The low VHF band (channels 2 to 6) often experience, some stations broadcasting on these frequencies are relayed on the subchannels of stations that are less prone to interference. An example of this is CBS affiliate WRGB in Albany, New York . While WRGB broadcasts its main digital on VHF channel 6 in high definition, CW-affiliated sister station WCWN relays a standard-definition subchannel feed of WRGB over its digital channel 45. Since
4980-419: The main broadcast. Stations which retransmit or simulcast another may simply pick-up that station over-the-air , or via STL or satellite. The license usually specifies which other station it is allowed to carry. VHF stations often have very tall antennas due to their long wavelength , but require much less effective radiated power (ERP), and therefore use much less transmitter power output , also saving on
5063-482: The main television programming are also permitted by the digital television standards but are less-commonly used. USDTV was an over-the-air pay television service that used H.264 compression instead of standard MPEG-2 . Mobile DTV now uses MPEG-4 compression, which like H.264 yields a much lower bitrate for the same video quality . For example, the Sezmi TV/DVR service uses broadcast digital subchannels (not in
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#17328520680825146-598: The model and much of the affiliate body of predecessor The WB 100+ Station Group ). Since its launch, affiliates of other major networks have taken over the operations of cable-only CW Plus affiliates (or even outright replacing WB 100+ cable channels at the launch of The CW) and began transmitting the service over subchannels to reach viewers who do not subscribe to a pay television service. Some Spanish language networks (such as Estrella TV and Telemundo ) have also been carried on digital subchannels, either as subchannel-exclusive services or to provide programming to markets where
5229-417: The network's Nightside rolling news block, as the stations carried syndicated programming, then continued to sign off the air nightly. It began to air all three programs in 1996, shortly after Federal took control of the stations. The stations' signals are multiplexed : KNDO and KNDU have been digital-only since February 17, 2009. NBC Weather Plus had been carried on digital subchannel 23.3 and 25.3;
5312-465: The originating national network ceased operation on December 1, 2008. On September 1, 2010, KNDO and KNDU discontinued broadcasting Universal Sports on digital subchannels 23.2 and 25.2. Its bandwidth was reallocated to SWX Right Now (23.3/25.3) to improve the picture quality of SWX programming. Television station The Fernsehsender Paul Nipkow ( TV Station Paul Nipkow ) in Berlin , Germany ,
5395-476: The programmes seen on its owner's flagship station, and have no television studio or production facilities of their own. This is common in developing countries . Low-power stations typically also fall into this category worldwide. Most stations which are not simulcast produce their own station identifications . TV stations may also advertise on or provide weather (or news) services to local radio stations , particularly co-owned sister stations . This may be
5478-421: The required channel and distance separations combined with the available number of channels. Most ATSC tuners will automatically add a new digital subchannel to their internal channel map , once it is tuned to the station carrying the new channel. However, some of these will not delete the channel if the station removes it. Mobile DTV is also carried on ATSC stations, but as a separate service, according to
5561-963: The same level as in the late 2000s due to the population of entertainment-based multicast services, many local stations have used or currently use subchannels to carry continuous news or local weather content; in particular, there have been at least four networks that have been created to serve this audience: NBC Weather Plus (a service exclusive to NBC stations that operated from 2004 to 2008), The AccuWeather Channel , WeatherNation TV (which also maintains limited exclusive distribution on pay television services) and TouchVision . Locally programmed news subchannels (such as News 9 Now / News on 6 Now on KWTV in Oklahoma City and KOTV in Tulsa, Oklahoma or NewsChannel 5+ on WTVF in Nashville , Tennessee ) often carry rebroadcasts and simulcasts of local news programs seen on
5644-575: The same transmitter. Additionally, TV Azteca has two national services that are broadcast as subchannels in most areas, a+ and adn40 . In October 2016, the IFT put into effect new guidelines for the numbering of virtual channels. As a result, national networks use consistent numbers nationwide; SPR transmitters now use four or five major channel numbers (11, 14, 20, 22, and 45 in some areas). Prior to this, digital television stations usually used virtual channels corresponding to their former analog positions, still
5727-498: The station was announced to be a satellite of KNDO. Programming began August 10, 1961. A major increase in power was made in 1966. In 1965, KNDO and KNDU became primary NBC affiliates, but shared ABC with KIMA-TV until KAPP (channel 35) and KVEW (channel 42) debuted in 1970 to take the ABC affiliation; since then, KNDO and KNDU have been exclusive NBC affiliates. Davis sold the two stations to Farragut Communications in 1988. Federal Enterprises acquired KNDO and KNDU in 1995. Federal
5810-429: The station's main feed, in some cases displaying a ticker with news headlines and weather forecasts to provide updated information. Subchannels also allow stations to air news programs without fully pre-empting normally scheduled programing on the station's main feed. During significant breaking news or severe weather events, for instance, a station may choose to air extended news coverage on either its main channel or
5893-458: The station's own local and syndicated programming commitments, and overlapping network programs that would be tough to schedule outside of regular timeslots. A prime example is the Wheeling, West Virginia / Steubenville, Ohio market, which for decades was home to only two stations (CBS affiliate WTRF-TV and NBC affiliate WTOV-TV ; the cable-only WBWO also served the market as a WB and now as
5976-748: The team's broadcasts to over-the-air television in the home market; as part of the deal, Golden Knights games air on the second subchannel of KIVI in Boise , KSAW-LD in Twin Falls , and the Montana Television Network . In October of that year, the Arizona Coyotes moved their broadcasts to Scripps Sports, where the games air on the second subchannel of KNXV in Phoenix and KGUN in Tucson . Although not to
6059-555: The third, a local weather subchannel on KBJR). While KDLH carries the CW subchannel on their DT2 feed and KBJR carries the MyNetworkTV subchannel on its DT2 feed on their primary signals, all five channels are carried on satellite station KRII in Chisholm , providing the Iron Range region (located north of Duluth) programming from networks that were previously unavailable over-the-air. In
6142-532: The use of a subchannel to Milwaukee's WTMJ-TV when its transmitter was disabled by lightning, only for WTMJ to reciprocate the next year when flooding took Weigel's WDJT-TV out of service for three days. For five months from October 2019 to 2020, commonly operated WBBH-TV and WZVN-TV in Fort Myers , broadcast from the former's facility on one multiplex to allow for an overhaul of the latter's antenna. In rare cases, digital television broadcasters have included
6225-485: The variety of channels that are produced by a single company. This can vary widely depending on the country: for example, ITV currently has four of its digital channels ( ITV1 , ITV2 , ITV3 and ITV4 ) broadcasting on one multiplexed service, while two others ( ITV2 +1 and CITV ) are each broadcast on another, separate multiplex. In Japan and Latin America (except Colombia , Mexico and Panama ), ISDB (similar to
6308-524: The western half of the Yakima–Tri-Cities market while KNDU serves the eastern portion. The two stations are counted as a single unit for ratings purposes. Master control and some internal operations are based at the studios of sister station , fellow NBC affiliate and company flagship KHQ-TV on West Sprague Avenue in downtown Spokane. On satellite , KNDO is only available on DirecTV , while Dish Network carries KNDU instead. KNDO debuted on
6391-399: The world. Television stations broadcasting over an analog system were typically limited to one television channel , but digital television enables broadcasting via subchannels as well. Television stations usually require a broadcast license from a government agency which sets the requirements and limitations on the station. In the United States, for example, a television license defines
6474-512: Was Retro Television Network in 2005. Several new services launched or attempted to launch in 2008, including This TV , utilizing classic TV programming and library movies. This time period also saw the launch of some of the first services for public TV stations in the United States, such as Create . The field of diginets grew throughout the 2010s. MeTV , once a local service in Chicago and Milwaukee, became nationally distributed in 2010; by 2014, it
6557-647: Was bought out by Raycom Media in 1997. Current owner Cowles Company purchased the two stations from Raycom in July 1999. On October 15, 2009, KNDO celebrated 50 years of broadcasting to the Yakima Valley. Leading up to that date, KNDO aired stories of local businesses and organizations that have also been around for 50 years or longer. In the past, KNDO and KNDU preempted much of the NBC lineup post- Late Night , including Later and Friday Night Videos/Friday Night , along with
6640-581: Was placed under investigation and litigation with authorities at COFETEL (the Federal Telecommunications Commission), involving a fine of 4,453,150 Mexican pesos . HiTV subchannels began broadcasting on an intermittent basis in 2013 and were almost completely deactivated in late 2014. Televisa and TV Azteca use subchannels in rural areas in order to ensure national network service. As a result, since 2016, many areas that formerly had only one Azteca or Televisa network now have both from
6723-571: Was subsequently replaced by Stadium in August 2017, following the formation of a multi-platform network venture with the Chicago White Sox's Silver Chalice unit and 120 Sports . 2023 saw the moves of two National Hockey League team broadcasts to digital subchannels, in at least part of the team's market. In May 2023, the Vegas Golden Knights and Scripps Sports announced plans to bring
6806-674: Was the first regular television service in the world. It was on the air from 22 March 1935, until it was shut down in 1944. The station was named after Paul Gottlieb Nipkow , the inventor of the Nipkow disk . Most often the term "television station" refers to a station which broadcasts structured content to an audience or it refers to the organization that operates the station. A terrestrial television transmission can occur via analog television signals or, more recently, via digital television signals. Television stations are differentiated from cable television or other video providers as their content
6889-750: Was the most widely distributed diginet, and it remains the most watched with prime time viewership eclipsing some cable channels. Station groups also increased their presence in the space, most notably the E. W. Scripps Company 's 2017 acquisition of Katz Broadcasting, which was seen as giving the sector legitimacy. Ratings and coverage have increased as these channels seek to reach cord cutters who still use antennas to receive broadcast signals. Diginets generally are reliant on national advertising revenue and, in some cases, pay stations to be carried on their subchannels, prizing lower channel numbers. Some have obtained national distribution on paid and free ad-supported streaming TV services. Many PBS member stations around
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