KDLH
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kW | |
| HAAT | 310.2 m (1,018 ft) |
|---|---|
| Transmitter coordinates | 46°47′21.1″N 92°6′51.4″W / 46.789194°N 92.114278°W |
| Links | |
Public license information | |
| Website | www |
KDLH (channel 3) is a
Throughout most of the station's history, KDLH had long been the
History
KDLH began broadcasting on March 14, 1954, as KDAL-TV and aired an
Benedek went bankrupt in 2002, and most of the company merged with Gray Television in 2001. However, KDLH was not included in the merger and was sold to Chelsey Broadcasting instead. New Vision Television bought the station in 2003.
In March 2005, the Malara Broadcast Group purchased channel 3 from New Vision and outsourced most of the station's operations to longtime rival KBJR, who was owned by Granite Broadcasting. Under this agreement, KDLH laid off most of its staff. Filings with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) showed Malara could operate KDLH with as few as two people on the payroll.
KDLH's digital transmitter had been operating at reduced power with a substitute side-mounted antenna after a May 18, 2008, fire that severely damaged its main digital antenna. It returned to full power on UHF channel 33 by June of that year. In February 2009, Malara Broadcasting announced that KDLH would not make the switch to all digital later in the month due to the fire. With that announcement, the station was the only one in the area still broadcasting in analog after February 19 as KBJR,
On June 26, two weeks after regular broadcasts had ended, the nightlight signal was terminated with the help of Bob Peterson (a former engineer at the station who helped launch KDLH in 1954) bringing an end to all full-power analog broadcasting in the area. In November 2009, the station re-branded from "CBS 3" to "KDLH 3". This brought a new logo to the station for the first time since it merged with KBJR.
On February 11, 2014, it was announced that
In July 2015, the deal was reworked yet again; it returned to its previous structure, with SagamoreHill acquiring KDLH and being operated under an SSA by Quincy. However, the SSA was wound down on August 1, 2016: at this time, CBS programming was moved to a subchannel of KBJR, and KDLH began operating independently as a CW affiliate.[4] The sale was completed on November 2.[5] The move ended KDLH's 61-year association with the CBS network.
On May 21, 2018, it was announced that Quincy Media would acquire KDLH outright for $792,557.[6] While the FCC normally prohibits one company from owning two television licenses in the same market when both are among the top four rated stations, Quincy submitted a filing saying that during the November 2017 "sweeps" period, KBJR-TV was the top ranked station while KDLH placed fifth.[7] The sale was completed on August 1.[8]
On February 1, 2021,
News operation
While operating its own news department, KDLH was the last of the big three stations in Duluth to have a weekday 5 p.m. broadcast. It aired Judge Judy in the time slot instead. In 2004, it debuted a 5 p.m. show that featured anchor Amy Rutledge and meteorologist Phil Johnson. This was replaced along with its 6 o'clock show with the current one at 5:30 when KDLH merged with KBJR in March 2005. Jeopardy! has since reclaimed the 5 o'clock spot on channel 3 and the CBS Evening News airs at 6.
After the buyout, the station had its news department closed and merged with KBJR. To maintain a separate identity, there were some channel 6 personalities that were also seen on KDLH. However, due to KBJR's existing newscasts, not all of that station's personnel were seen on channel 3.
KDLH's Northland's NewsCenter at 5:30 had been anchored by Pat Kelly who was the only channel 3 news team member remaining after the KDLH sellout. Its weeknight 10 p.m. newscast, which continues to be a separate production, was known as Northland's NewsCenter Express and consisted of a ten-minute news "capsule". The other 25 minutes was a Seinfeld rerun. After thirteen months of mediocre ratings, KDLH changed the 10 o'clock show to the traditional 35 minutes and re-branded it to Northland's NewsCenter Tonight.
KDLH and KBJR began broadcasting their local newscasts in
In the fall of 2014, KDLH partnered with KDAL radio (now owned by Midwest Communications) to produce a unique simulcast broadcast airing KDAL's Cadigan and Kelly. KDLH installed cameras and switching gear so each member of the KDAL team could be seen on air.
KDLH's intellectual unit was re-located to KBJR-DT2 on August 1, 2016.
Notable former on-air staff
- E. D. Hill (currently at CNN)
Technical information
Subchannels
The station's signal is
| Channel | Res. | Aspect | Short name | Programming |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.1 | 720p | 16:9 |
KDLHCW | Duluth CW |
| 3.2 | 480i | Justice | True Crime Network | |
| 3.3 | Laff | Laff | ||
| 3.4 | 720p | CourtTV | Court TV | |
| 3.5 | 480i | Mystery | Ion Mystery | |
| 3.6 | Quest | Quest |
Analog-to-digital conversion
KDLH discontinued regular programming on its analog signal, over
See also
- Channel 2 branded TV stations in the United States
- Channel 3 virtual TV stations in the United States
- Channel 33 digital TV stations in the United States
References
- ^ "Facility Technical Data for KDLH". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission.
- ^ a b "Quincy Buying Stations From Granite, Malara". TVNewsCheck. February 11, 2014. Retrieved February 11, 2014.
- ^ a b "Amendment to Agreements and Description of Transaction (KBJR-TV)" (PDF). CDBS Public Access. Federal Communications Commission. November 24, 2014. Retrieved November 25, 2014.
- ^ "Amended Description of Agreements, Description of Transaction, and Request for Temporary Waiver". Quincy Newspapers, Inc. Retrieved August 1, 2015.
- Quincy Herald-Whig, Retrieved November 2, 2015
- ^ "Application for Consent to Assignment of Broadcast Station Construction Permit or License". CDBS Public Access. Federal Communications Commission. May 21, 2018. Retrieved May 23, 2018.
- ^ Exhibit 18 - Multiple Ownership
- ^ "Consummation Notice". CDBS Public Access. Federal Communications Commission. Retrieved August 8, 2018.
- ^ Goldsmith, Jill (February 1, 2021). "Gray Television Acquires Quincy Media For $925 Million In Cash". Deadline Hollywood. Penske Media Corporation. Retrieved February 1, 2021.
- Globe Newswire. Retrieved August 2, 2021.
- ^ RabbitEars TV Query for KDLH
- ^ List of Digital Full-Power Stations Archived August 29, 2013, at the Wayback Machine