KXPI-LD

KXPI-LD

Pocatello–Idaho Falls, Idaho/
Jackson, Wyoming
United States
City Pocatello, Idaho
Branding Fox 5 (general; cable channel)
Channel 3 Eyewitness News (newscasts)
Slogan Taking Action For You
Channels Digital: 34 (UHF)
Virtual: 34 (PSIP)
Translators KIDK-DT 3.2 (36.2 UHF) Idaho Falls
Affiliations Fox (2012–present)
MyNetworkTV (primary 2009–2012; secondary 2012–present)
Owner News-Press & Gazette Company
(NPG of Idaho, Inc.)
First air date June 26, 2001 (2001-06-26)
Call letters' meaning FoX Pocatello, Idaho
Sister station(s) KIDK, KIFI-TV
Former callsigns K24EV (CP, 1997–2000)
KPID-LP (2000–2004)
KUNP-LP (2004–2006)
KPPP-LP (2006–2009)
KXPI-LP (2009–2011)
Former channel number(s) Analog:
24 (UHF)
Former affiliations UPN (2001–2006)
TeleFutura (2006–2008)
Transmitter power 5.2 kW
Height 280 m (919 ft)
Class LD
Facility ID 28231
Transmitter coordinates 42°51′57.6″N 112°30′50.9″W / 42.866000°N 112.514139°W / 42.866000; -112.514139
Licensing authority FCC
Public license information: Profile
CDBS
Website www.localnews8.com

KXPI-LD, virtual and UHF digital channel 34, is a low-powered primary Fox and secondary MyNetworkTV-affiliated television station licensed to Pocatello, Idaho, United States and also serving Idaho Falls. Owned by News-Press & Gazette Company, it is a sister station to Idaho Falls-licensed ABC affiliate KIFI-TV (channel 8); NPG also operates CBS outlet KIDK (channel 3, also licensed to Idaho Falls) through a shared services agreement with owner VistaWest Media, LLC. The three stations share studios on North Yellowstone Highway/U.S. 26 in Idaho Falls; KXPI's transmitter is located on Howard Mountain in unincorporated Bannock County west of Downtown Pocatello. The station is branded as Fox 5 in reference to the channel's position on many cable providers in the area.

Even though KXPI airs a digital signal of its own, the low-powered broadcasting radius does not reach Idaho Falls. Therefore, the station is simulcast in high definition on KIDK's second digital subchannel in order to reach the entire market. This signal can be seen on UHF channel 36.2 (or virtual channel 3.2 via PSIP) from a transmitter on East Butte in unincorporated northern Bingham County along the Idaho National Laboratory border. On cable, the station is carried on Cable One channel 5 and in high definition on digital channel 1005. The website for the station is currently a subsection of the KIFI-TV site.

History

An original construction permit for low-power station K24EV was granted on June 20, 1997 to Idaho Independent Television, Inc. This construction permit was acquired by the Pocatello Media Group on May 19, 2000. K24EV had originally planned to simulcast the programming of future KRXZ-LP on channel 59 licensed to Rexburg, and air UPN programming. KRXZ-LP's license originally covered low-power K63GA on channel 63 which was only on the air for less than a year, from August 1999 to July 2000,[1] when it was granted Remain Silent Authority from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC).

K24EV had its call letters changed to KPID-LP (standing for Pocatello, IDaho) and applied for a license to cover on February 2, 2001, which was dismissed in May[2] because it was not timely filed. The underlying construction permit had expired in June 2000, more than seven months before Pocatello Media Group filed for the license. Both KPID-LP and KRXZ-LP were put up for auction, but the company winning the FCC auction (ESI Communications) went into bankruptcy and neither signal had gone on the air.

However, Pocatello Media Group's license to cover for KPID-LP was reinstated[3] and granted on June 26, 2001, indicating that the station had finally gotten on the air. At this time, the call letters were changed back to K24EV. KRXZ-LP, however, which was to broadcast UPN to the northern portion of the broadcasting area, never went on the air on channel 59. KRXZ-LP's license was deleted in 2003.

Equity Broadcasting, through its subsidiary EBC Pocatello, Inc., acquired K24EV on February 3, 2003,[4] and changed the call letters to KUNP-LP on March 5, 2004. The station was finally acquired by Fisher Communications,[5] owner of CBS affiliate KIDK, on May 15, 2006. UPN merged with The WB to form The CW and WB affiliate KPIF (channel 15) acquired the CW affiliation. UPN ceased programming on September 15, 2006, and KUNP-LP became an affiliate of the Spanish-language TeleFutura network (now UniMás).[6] The call letters changed again on December 15, 2006 to KPPP-LP.

In mid-December 2008, KPPP dropped its TeleFutura affiliation and signed off. The station then changed its call letters to the current KXPI-LP on April 22, 2009. The station signed back on September 14, 2009 with programming from MyNetworkTV; at that time, KXPI began to be simulcast on a new subchannel of KIDK-DT.[7] Prior to this latest relaunch, the Idaho Falls–Pocatello market was one of the few markets in the country without a MyNetworkTV affiliate of its own. In January 2011, the News-Press & Gazette Company (owner of local ABC affiliate KIFI-TV) began operating KXPI-LD and sister station KIDK through shared services agreements.

On June 15, 2012, it was announced that KXPI-LD/KIDK-DT2 would be taking over the Fox affiliation from Intermountain West Communications Company-managed KFXP] (channel 31, now KVUI) beginning July 1. KFXP would then switch to This TV on that date. KXPI would retain MyNetworkTV as a secondary affiliation airing programming in a delayed arrangement at 10 on weeknights.[8][9][10]

The affiliation move gives News-Press & Gazette operational control of five of the six largest English-language networks in the Idaho Falls–Pocatello market since The CW moved its affiliation from KPIF to a new digital subchannel of KIFI back in 2009. It also makes the Idaho Falls–Pocatello market one of the few markets with all three legacy networks (ABC, CBS, NBC) as primary affiliations and all three post-1986 networks (Fox, The CW and the MyNetworkTV programming service) as digital multicast channels in a market with four commercial full-power stations (or five when counting KPIF). After joining Fox, KXPI's call sign could also be interpreted as "FoX Pocatello, Idaho".

On April 11, 2013, Fisher announced that it would sell its stations to the Sinclair Broadcast Group.[11] The deal was completed on August 8, 2013.[12] Shortly beforehand, a deal was reached to sell KXPI and KIDK to VistaWest Media, LLC, a company based in St. Joseph, Missouri (where NPG is also based); the stations remain operated by NPG under a shared services agreement.[13] The sale was finalized on November 29.[14] NPG agreed to purchase KXPI-LD outright on February 1, 2017.[15] The sale was completed on March 20.[16]

Digital television

Digital channel

Channel Video Aspect PSIP Short Name Programming[17]
24.11080i16:9KIDKSimulcast of KIDK / CBS
24.2720pFoxKXPIMain KXPI-LD programming / Fox & MyNetworkTV1

Programming

Syndicated programming on KXPI-LD includes The Simpsons, Everybody Loves Raymond, Two and a Half Men, and The Big Bang Theory among others.

Newscasts

KIDK airs a nightly prime time newscast on this station known as Channel 3 Eyewitness News at 9 on Fox 5. The show can be seen for 35 minutes on weeknights and a half-hour on weekends. Prior to the SSA formulation with KIFI, this outlet also rebroadcast KIDK's weekday morning show at 7. KIFI now produces KXPI's newscast as a result of the SSA. It competed with another local newscast seen weeknights at 9 on KFXP (that was produced by rival NBC affiliate KPVI-DT, channel 6). However, that thirty-minute show was discontinued on June 30, 2012, as KFXP lost its Fox affiliation a day before KXPI affiliated with the network.

See also

References

  1. ↑
  2. ↑ TV Translator or LPTV Station Applications for Minor Modification to a Licensed Facility Granted
  3. ↑ TV Translator or LPTV Station Applications for Amendment Application Comment
  4. ↑
  5. ↑ "Fisher Communications, Inc, Form 8-K, Current Report, Filing Date Dec 12, 2005". secdatabase.com. Retrieved May 14, 2018.
  6. ↑
  7. ↑ KXPI Pocatello Launches MyNet, Broadcasting & Cable, September 10, 2009.
  8. ↑ Fisher's KXPI Grabs Fox Affiliation in Idaho Falls, Broadcasting & Cable, June 15, 2012.
  9. ↑ KXPI to become Fox affiliate on July 1st Archived 2012-06-25 at the Wayback Machine., KIFI-TV, June 15, 2012.
  10. ↑ Fisher Gains Fox Affiliation In Idaho Falls, TVNewsCheck, June 15, 2012.
  11. ↑ Malone, Michael (April 11, 2013). "Sinclair to Acquire Fisher Stations for $373 Million". Broadcasting & Cable. Retrieved April 12, 2013.
  12. ↑ "Sinclair Broadcast Group Closes On Fisher Communications Acquisition". All Access. August 8, 2013. Retrieved August 8, 2013.
  13. ↑ "Application For Consent To Assignment Of Broadcast Station Construction Permit Or License". FCC. Retrieved 22 July 2013.
  14. ↑ https://licensing.fcc.gov/cgi-bin/ws.exe/prod/cdbs/forms/prod/cdbsmenu.hts?context=25&appn=101604033&formid=905&fac_num=56028
  15. ↑ "Application For Transfer Of Control Of A Corporate Licensee Or Permittee, Or For Assignment Of License Or Permit Of TV Or FM Translator Station Or Low Power Television Station". CDBS Public Access. Federal Communications Commission. February 1, 2017. Retrieved February 2, 2017.
  16. ↑ Consummation Notice. CDBS Public Access, Federal Communications Commission, 28 March, 2017, Retrieved 28 March, 2017.
  17. ↑ RabbitEars TV Query for KXPI-LD
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