KGWC-TV

KGWC-TV
Casper, Wyoming
United States
Branding CBS 14
Channels Digital: 14 (UHF)
Virtual: 14 (PSIP)
Subchannels 14.1 CBS
14.2 ABC
Owner Mark III Media, Inc.
First air date August 12, 1980 (1980-08-12)
Call letters' meaning Greater
Wyoming
Casper
(after former sister station, KGWN-TV)
Former callsigns KCWY-TV (1980–1986)
Former channel number(s) Analog:
14 (UHF, 1980–2009)
Digital:
15 (UHF, 2002–2009)
Transmitter power 53.3 kW
Height 562 m (1,844 ft)
Facility ID 63177
Transmitter coordinates 42°44′26″N 106°21′36″W / 42.74056°N 106.36000°W / 42.74056; -106.36000
Licensing authority FCC
Public license information: Profile
CDBS

KGWC-TV is a CBS-affiliated television station licensed to Casper, Wyoming, United States. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on virtual channel and UHF channel 14 from a transmitter atop Casper Mountain. Owned by Mark III Media, the station maintains studios on Skyview Drive in Casper.

KGWC's programming is relayed on its satellite stations, KGWL-TV (channel 5) in Lander, and KGWR-TV (channel 13) in Rock Springs (part of the Salt Lake City market). Operations for the three stations are based on Skyview Drive in Casper, in the same studios as ABC affiliate KTWO-TV (channel 2), Fox affiliate KFNB (channel 20) and MeTV affiliate KWYF-LD (channel 27).

KGWC is one of the few stations in the country that signs off at night. Its repeaters KGWL and KGWR stay on air, but freeze up on the last image transmitted by KGWC.

History

KGWC signed on August 12, 1980 as KCWY-TV, the second television station in western Wyoming. In 1982, KCWY began operating satellite stations to expand its reach; it bought KTUX-TV in Rock Springs, which had signed on October 21, 1977, and renamed it KWWY-TV, and in September started a second satellite, KOWY, in Lander. All three stations adopted their current call letters on January 1, 1987 (the KCWY calls are now located on channel 13 in Casper), and were grouped together as the "Wyoming News Network" until June 2000, when then-owner Benedek Broadcasting closed much of the Casper operation and made the stations semi-satellites of KGWN-TV, the CBS affiliate in Cheyenne. The stations were sold to Chelsey Broadcasting in 2002, following Benedek's bankruptcy.[1]

In 2003, Chelsey Broadcasting sold the KGWN stations in two separate sales. KGWN and Scottsbluff, Nebraska satellite KSTF were sold to SagamoreHill Broadcasting, while KGWC, KGWL, and KGWR were sold separately to Mark III. After a lengthy approval process at the Federal Communications Commission due to several objections to the sale (primarily concerning whether the sale would effectively put the stations under common ownership with KFNB and KTWO-TV[2]), Mark III officially consummated the sale on May 31, 2006. KGWC and its satellites then returned to operating separately from KGWN.

Mark III Media announced the sale of KGWC-TV to Gray Television, owner of KCWY-DT, on February 12, 2018.[3] Under the terms of the deal, the KGWC license was to be donated to a non-profit organization and would receive a new call sign and virtual channel number;[4] on March 6, 2018, Gray agreed to donate the license and transmitter to Central Wyoming College, operator of the Wyoming PBS network. Central Wyoming College planned to convert channel 14 into a non-commercial license, with the station being used to broadcast their PBS Kids subchannel full-time in high definition (which is currently unavailable in the area via Wyoming PBS station KPTW).[5][6] CWC reserved the call sign KEWY for the station.[7] Gray would have retained the KGWC call letters and CBS programming, moving them to its low power KCBZ-LD, formerly KSBF-LD (channel 36); per the donation agreement, KCBZ-LD was to have taken the virtual channel 14 PSIP to maintain CBS programming on channel 14.[8] Gray would have acquired and retained KGWR-TV and KGWL-TV.[4] The sale of KGWC-TV and its satellites was canceled in October 2018.[9][10]

Digital channels

Channel Video Aspect PSIP short name Programming [11]
14.11080i16:9KGWCMain KGWC-TV programming / CBS
14.2480i4:3KTWO-SDSimulcast of KTWO-TV / ABC

KGWL and KGWR began broadcasting digital television service in February 2009. KGWL opted to transmit its digital signal on channel 7 (its analog signal had operated on channel 5), while KGWR flash-cut on channel 13. KGWC had operated a digital signal on channel 15 for some time before then, but moved it to channel 14 after shutting down its analog transmitter.

Programming

Syndicated programming on KGWC includes Two and a Half Men, Wheel of Fortune, Judge Judy, Dr. Phil, and Family Feud.

Newscasts

KGWC does not currently produce any local news. The station first ceased its news operation upon consolidating with KGWN-TV in June 2000.[1] Local news, produced partly in cooperation with KTWO-TV, returned in 2004 under the NewsChannel 14 branding, but was again eliminated on January 3, 2006 due to poor viewership.[12] Local news updates broadcast during CBS This Morning are produced by KTWO using their Good Morning Wyoming anchors.

Satellite stations

Station City of license Channels
(VC / RF)		 First air date Former callsigns ERP HAAT Facility ID Transmitter coordinates Public license information
KGWL-TV Lander 5 (PSIP)
7 (VHF)		 September 19821 KOWY (1982–1986) 14.3 kW 113 m (371 ft) 63162 42°53′42.8″N 108°43′36.4″W / 42.895222°N 108.726778°W / 42.895222; -108.726778 (KGWL-TV) Profile
CDBS
KGWR-TV Rock Springs 13 (PSIP)
13 (VHF)		 October 21, 1977 KTUX (1977–1982)
KWWY-TV (1982–1986)		 14.2 kW 495 m (1,624 ft) 63170 41°26′20.8″N 109°6′44.4″W / 41.439111°N 109.112333°W / 41.439111; -109.112333 (KGWR-TV) Profile
CDBS

Notes:

  • 1. The Broadcasting and Cable Yearbook says September 10, while the Television and Cable Factbook says September 12.

References

  1. 1 2 Morton, Tom (November 29, 2002). "CBS affiliates under new ownership". Casper Star-Tribune. Retrieved February 6, 2010.
  2. ↑ Van Dusen, Matthew (June 8, 2004). "TV trouble". Casper Star-Tribune. Retrieved February 6, 2010.
  3. ↑ Gray, Roger (February 12, 2018). "Casper's Channel 13 to Purchase CBS Affiliate KGWC". K2Radio.com. Townsquare Media. Retrieved February 13, 2018.
  4. 1 2 "Application for Consent to Assignment of Broadcast Station Construction Permit or License". CDBS Public Access. Federal Communications Commission. Retrieved February 13, 2018.
  5. ↑ "Application for Consent to Assignment of Broadcast Station Construction Permit or License". CDBS Public Access. Federal Communications Commission. Retrieved March 15, 2018.
  6. ↑ Dugas, Terry (March 22, 2018). "WyomingPBS acquires Casper station". Central Wyoming College. Retrieved April 15, 2018.
  7. ↑ "Media Bureau Call Sign Actions" (PDF). Federal Communications Commission. May 10, 2018. Retrieved May 10, 2018.
  8. ↑ "Donation Agreement". CDBS Public Access. Federal Communications Commission.
  9. ↑ "Notification of Non-consummation (KGWC-TV)". CDBS Public Access. Federal Communications Commission. October 5, 2018. Retrieved October 9, 2018.
  10. ↑ "Notification of Non-consummation (KGWR-TV/KGWL-TV)". CDBS Public Access. Federal Communications Commission. October 5, 2018. Retrieved October 9, 2018.
  11. ↑ http://www.rabbitears.info/market.php?request=station_search&callsign=KGWC#station
  12. ↑ Matteson, Cory (January 5, 2006). "Back down to two". Casper Star-Tribune. Retrieved February 6, 2010.
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