KWCM-TV (channel 10) is a PBS member television station in Appleton, Minnesota, United States, owned by the West Central Minnesota Educational TV Corp. KWCM-TV's studios are located on Pioneer Drive in Granite Falls, and its transmitter is located near Appleton.
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| Channels | |
| Branding | Pioneer PBS |
| Programming | |
| Affiliations |
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| Ownership | |
| Owner | West Central Minnesota Educational TV Corp. |
| History | |
First air date | January 21, 1966 |
Former channel number(s) |
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| NET (via KTCA, 1966–1970) | |
Call sign meaning | West Central Minnesota |
| Technical information[1] | |
Licensing authority | FCC |
| Facility ID | 71549 |
| ERP | 50 kW |
| HAAT | 381 m (1,250 ft) |
| Transmitter coordinates | 45°10′3″N 96°0′2″W / 45.16750°N 96.00056°W |
| Translator(s) | see § Translators |
| Links | |
Public license information | |
| Website | www |
| Satellite station | |
| KSMN | |
| Channels | |
| Branding | see KWCM-TV infobox |
| Programming | |
| Affiliations |
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| History | |
First air date | February 3, 1997 |
Former call signs | KMSW (CP, 11/20/1995–12/8/1995) |
Former channel number(s) | Analog: 20 (UHF, 1997–2009) |
Call sign meaning | Southern Minnesota |
| Technical information[2] | |
| Facility ID | 71558 |
| ERP | 200 kW |
| HAAT | 290.1 m (952 ft) |
| Transmitter coordinates | 43°53′52″N 95°56′51″W / 43.89778°N 95.94750°W |
| Links | |
Public license information | |
KSMN (channel 20) in Worthington operates as a full-time satellite of KWCM-TV; this station's transmitter is located near Chandler, Minnesota. KSMN covers areas of southwestern Minnesota that receive a marginal to non-existent over-the-air signal from KWCM, although there is significant overlap between the two stations' contours otherwise. KSMN is a straight simulcast of KWCM; on-air references to KSMN are limited to Federal Communications Commission (FCC)-mandated hourly station identifications during programming. Aside from the transmitter, KSMN does not maintain any physical presence locally in Worthington.
The two stations are collectively branded as Pioneer PBS. Their combined signal can also be received in parts of Iowa, South Dakota and North Dakota. Several other translators carry the signal into other communities.
History
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KWCM went on the air for the first time on February 7, 1966. In the early years, it repeated the signal of KTCA-TV in the Twin Cities. It adopted the Pioneer Public Television name in 1982, and added KSMN in 1997.
The station is available on the DirecTV and Dish Network feeds for the Twin Cities and Sioux Falls markets. Appleton is part of the Twin Cities market, while Worthington is in the Sioux Falls market. This gives Pioneer a potential audience of 4.8 million people in Minnesota, Iowa, South Dakota, North Dakota and Wisconsin. As of November 3, 2019, the station became Pioneer PBS due to PBS' overhaul.
Pioneer-produced shows
editSome locally produced shows include Postcards, Prairie Sportsman, Funtime Polka, Your Legislators, Country Spires and programs produced with the University of Minnesota Morris, Prairie Yard and Garden, Academic Challenge, Echoes of Cry of the Marsh and Minnesota Rivers and Fields. Some of these shows have also been shown on the Minnesota Channel, a statewide network originated at KTCI-TV in the Twin Cities which carries local programs on Saturday and Sunday evenings.
Technical information
editSubchannels
editThe stations' signals are multiplexed:
| Channel | Res. | Aspect | Short name | Programming | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| KWCM-TV | KSMN | K08QE-D | KWCM-TV | KSMN | |||
| 10.1 | 20.1 | 8.1 | 720p | 16:9 | KWCM-HD | KSMN-HD | PBS |
| 10.2 | 20.2 | 8.2 | 480i | KWCM-CR | KSMN-CR | Create | |
| 10.3 | 20.3 | 8.3 | KWCM-MN | KSMN-MN | Minnesota Channel | ||
| 10.4 | 20.4 | 8.4 | KWCM-WD | KSMN-WD | World | ||
| 10.5 | 20.5 | 8.5 | KWCM-KD | KSMN-KD | PBS Kids | ||
| 10.6 | 20.6 | 8.6 | KWCMFNX | KSMNFNX | First Nations Experience | ||
Analog-to-digital conversion
editKWCM-TV and KSMN shut down their analog transmitters on June 12, 2009.[5] KWCM-TV's digital signal relocated to VHF channel 10 from UHF channel 31, while KSMN's digital signal remained on its pre-transition UHF channel 15.
Translators
editA network of digital translators in western Minnesota translates KWCM.
| City of license | Callsign | Channel | ERP | HAAT | Facility ID | Transmitter coordinates | Owner |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alexandria | K27KN-D | 27 | 1.1 kW | 123 m (404 ft) | 59645 | 45°55′59.0″N 95°26′51.0″W / 45.933056°N 95.447500°W | Selective TV |
| Fergus Falls | K08QE-D | 8 | 3 kW | 202 m (663 ft) | 71562 | 46°28′48.0″N 96°01′46.0″W / 46.480000°N 96.029444°W | West Central Minnesota Educational TV Corporation |
| Olivia | K20JY-D | 20 | 0.79 kW | 87 m (285 ft) | 55749 | 44°45′32.9″N 94°52′24.0″W / 44.759139°N 94.873333°W | Renville County TV Corporation |
| Willmar | K22ND-D | 22 | 0.7 kW | 155 m (509 ft) | 68708 | 45°09′58.0″N 95°02′38.0″W / 45.166111°N 95.043889°W | UHF TV, Inc. |
References
edit- ^ "Facility Technical Data for KWCM-TV". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission.
- ^ "Facility Technical Data for KSMN". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission.
- ^ "Digital TV Market Listing for KWCM-TV". RabbitEars.info. Retrieved October 4, 2024.
- ^ "Digital TV Market Listing for KSMN". RabbitEars.info. Retrieved October 4, 2024.
- ^ Salas, Randy A. (February 18, 2009). "More Minnesota stations pull the plug on analog TV". www.startribune.com.