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KRNV-DT
Channels
BrandingChannel 4; News 4
Programming
Affiliations
Ownership
Owner
OperatorSinclair Broadcast Group
KNSN-TV, KRXI-TV
History
First air date
September 30, 1962 (62 years ago) (1962-09-30)
Former call signs
  • KCRL (1962–1969)
  • KCRL-TV (1969–1982)
  • KCRL (1982–1990)
  • KRNV (1990–2009)
Former channel number(s)
  • Analog: 4 (VHF, 1962–2009)
  • Digital: 7 (VHF, until 2019)
ABC (secondary, 1962–1967)
Call sign meaning
Reno, Nevada
Technical information[1]
Licensing authority
FCC
Facility ID60307
ERP19 kW
HAAT891.4 m (2,925 ft)
Transmitter coordinates39°18′56.2″N 119°53′6″W / 39.315611°N 119.88500°W / 39.315611; -119.88500
Translator(s)See § Translators
Links
Public license information
Websitemynews4.com

KRNV-DT (channel 4) is a television station in Reno, Nevada, United States, affiliated with NBC. It is owned by Cunningham Broadcasting, which maintains joint sales and shared services agreements (JSA/SSA) with Sinclair Broadcast Group, owner of Fox affiliate KRXI-TV (channel 11), for the provision of certain services. However, Sinclair effectively owns KRNV-DT as the majority of Cunningham's stock is owned by the family of deceased group founder Julian Smith. Sinclair also manages primary sports-formatted independent station and secondary MyNetworkTV affiliate KNSN-TV (channel 21) under a separate JSA with Deerfield Media. The three stations share studios on Vassar Street in Reno; KRNV-DT's transmitter is located on Slide Mountain between SR 431 and I-580/US 395/US 395 ALT in unincorporated Washoe County.

Channel 4 in Reno began broadcasting in 1962 as KCRL, the second station on the air in Reno. Founded by E. L. Cord and owned after his 1974 death by his estate and charitable foundation, it was an NBC affiliate from the moment it began broadcasting but was not much of a success, eventually becoming the perennial third-rated outlet in the market. The station was purchased by Sunbelt Communications (later known as Intermountain West Communications Company, IWCC) in 1989 and relaunched the next year as KRNV, including a comprehensive overhaul of the station's local newscasts. This was successful at moving KRNV from third to second place locally. Sunbelt also embarked on several extensions of the KRNV brand, including rebroadcasters in Northern Nevada and a news/talk radio station in the Reno area.

In 2013, Sinclair acquired KRNV's non-license assets and began operating the station; Cunningham eventually acquired the license from IWCC.

History

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A one-story complex with a KRNV logo sign
KRNV studios in Reno

KCRL: Circle L years

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The first application for channel 4 in Reno was made by Western Television Company in January 1953.[2] The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) granted an application made by Nevada Telecasting Corporation in April 1955,[3] but that station never materialized because the company misrepresented its ownership to the commission, and a Zephyr Cove man, Charles E. Halstead, filed for the channel in 1956.[4]

E. L. Cord—a businessman, Nevada state senator, and owner of KFAC in Los Angeles—asked the FCC to insert channel 11 at Reno in 1958, with channel 4 mired in litigation.[5] Cord then applied for channel 4 on June 25, 1959,[6] with Halstead and the Electron Corporation of Dallas also seeking the permit.[7][8] As many as six applicants sought the channel, but all except Cord's Circle L, Inc., had withdrawn by 1961, when an FCC hearing examiner recommended Cord's application; the FCC then awarded the construction permit on June 15, 1961.[9]

In 1962, Circle L began constructing offices at Vassar Street and Harvard Way, and approval was received to erect an antenna in rural Washoe County.[10] The station began broadcasting on September 30, 1962, as KCRL.[11] In addition to NBC, the station split ABC programming with Reno's first station, KOLO-TV (channel 8), until 1967, when KTVN (channel 2) debuted.[12]

Under a separate corporation, the Cord family started a radio station, KCRL (780 AM), in October 1970.[13] The station was sold in 1981 and became KROW, now KKOH.[14]

Cord died in 1974, setting off a years-long court dispute for control of his estate.[15] A preliminary sale agreement was reached with 20th Century Fox for a $17.5 million acquisition of KCRL in 1980,[16] but ownership never changed hands. At the time, Chris-Craft Industries owned a 19-percent stake in 20th Century Fox. Between them, they already owned the limit of five very high frequency (VHF) stations, creating possible legal issues for any attempt by Fox to purchase stations.[17]

KRNV: Sunbelt ownership

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Beginning in 1985, an affiliate of Sunbelt Broadcasting Company, a company of James Rogers and owners of KVBC in Las Vegas, began pushing for the Cord Foundation to sell its 90 percent stake in Circle L, Inc. It believed that the Cord Foundation's management of the station was so poor and underperforming as to not fulfill its fiduciary duty; it also filed a license challenge, seeking to force the FCC to choose it over Circle L to run channel 4.[15] The owner of the other 10 percent, estate co-executor Charles Cord, died in 1986 at the age of 70.[18]

The Cord Foundation put KCRL on the market in February 1989, in part because Nevada law stipulated a non-profit foundation could not own a commercial TV station.[19] In July 1989, after two months of negotiations, the Cord Foundation signed a deal with Sunbelt to sell the station for $27 million. Sunbelt was attracted to KCRL because it was an NBC affiliate with obvious efficiencies and synergy with its Las Vegas station, also an NBC affiliate.[20] The move promised major changes for KCRL, long Reno's third-rated local TV station. Over the course of the 1980s, Sunbelt had turned KVBC from a distant second place to fighting for the market lead.[21][22][23]

Upon taking control in October, Sunbelt replaced the station's management and several on-air staffers.[24] Among those dismissed was John Firpo, who had been news director and 6:30 news anchor for 26 years.[25] Sunbelt also applied for new KRNV call letters for channel 4.[26]

On January 22, 1990, the station officially relaunched as KRNV and overhauled its newscasts. Only three news anchors were held over from the pre-Sunbelt operation.[27] KRNV slowly picked itself up into second place; the addition of the market's only 5 p.m. newscast proved to be successful, leading the local ratings in its time slot.[28]

From 1993 to 2000, Sunbelt expanded the KRNV brand to radio by purchasing KTHX (101.7 FM).[29] On July 11, 1994, KRNV-FM debuted, mixing local morning and daytime rolling news coverage with audio simulcasts of the television station's 5 p.m., 6 p.m., and 11 p.m. newscasts.[30] The format proved successful enough that a Sunbelt affiliate leased out and then bought a radio station in Las Vegas, which became KVBC-FM, in 1995;[31] Sunbelt exited radio in December 1999 by selling the stations to EXCL Communications.[32]

Another way Sunbelt sought to expand KRNV was building semi-satellite stations in rural Northern Nevada. From studios at Great Basin College in Elko, KENV (channel 10) began broadcasting in March 1997; it broadcast KRNV's programming with morning news inserts for the Elko area.[33] KENV continued to air NBC programming until December 31, 2017, when NBC refused to renew its affiliation because Elko is assigned to the Salt Lake City TV market.[34] Another such station, KWNV (channel 7) in Winnemucca, operated from 1998[35] to 2008, when it was closed down for economic reasons.[36]

On December 19, 2006, KRNV began broadcasting its local newscasts in high definition, making it the first station in the market to do so.[37][38]

Sinclair ownership

[edit]

On November 22, 2013, Sinclair Broadcast Group announced the acquisition of KRNV's non-license assets for $26 million. Sinclair could not acquire the license directly; it already owned KRXI-TV and operated KAME-TV in Reno. In addition, Reno has only six full-power stations—three too few to legally permit a duopoly.[39] Cunningham Broadcasting then filed on December 19, 2013, to purchase the license assets of KRNV and KENV for $6.5 million—a transaction the FCC did not approve until September 22, 2017.[40] While the sale remained pending, Rogers announced that his bladder cancer had recurred[41] before dying in June.[42]

Notable former on-air staff

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Technical information

[edit]

Subchannels

[edit]

The station's signal is multiplexed:

Subchannels of KRNV-DT[47]
Channel Res. Aspect Short name Programming
4.1 1080i 16:9 News4 Main KRNV-DT programming / NBC
4.2 480i Dabl Dabl
4.3 TBD TBD
21.2 480i 16:9 Stadium Stadium (KNSN-DT2)
  Broadcast on behalf of another station

Analog-to-digital conversion

[edit]

KRNV shut down its analog signal, over VHF channel 4, on June 12, 2009, the official date on which full-power television stations in the United States transitioned from analog to digital broadcasts under federal mandate. The station's digital signal remained on its pre-transition VHF channel 7, using virtual channel 4.[48]

KRNV-DT relocated its signal from channel 7 to channel 12 on July 3, 2020, as a result of the 2016 United States wireless spectrum auction.[49]

Translators

[edit]

KRNV-DT's signal is additionally rebroadcast over the following translators:[50]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Facility Technical Data for KRNV-DT". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission.
  2. ^ "Seek TV Permit". Reno Evening Gazette. Associated Press. January 16, 1953. p. 9. Archived from the original on April 8, 2023. Retrieved April 8, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. ^ "New TV Station Is authorized". Reno Evening Gazette. April 20, 1955. p. 24. Archived from the original on April 8, 2023. Retrieved April 8, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. ^ "Seeks TV Permit". Reno Evening Gazette. August 7, 1956. p. 12. Archived from the original on April 8, 2023. Retrieved April 8, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. ^ "Cord to Seek TV Channel". Reno Evening Gazette. July 28, 1958. p. 11. Archived from the original on April 8, 2023. Retrieved April 8, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. ^ "FCC History Cards for KRNV-DT". Federal Communications Commission.
  7. ^ "TV Channel 4 Permit Sought". Reno Evening Gazette. Associated Press. July 2, 1959. p. 1. Archived from the original on April 8, 2023. Retrieved April 8, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. ^ "Permit Sought For Channel 4". Reno Evening Gazette. July 9, 1959. p. 1. Archived from the original on April 8, 2023. Retrieved April 8, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. ^ "Cord Station Application Is Approved". Reno Evening Gazette. Associated Press. April 26, 1961. p. 15. Archived from the original on April 8, 2023. Retrieved April 8, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. ^ "Special Permit Issued by Board". Reno Evening Gazette. June 20, 1962. p. 23. Archived from the original on April 8, 2023. Retrieved April 8, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  11. ^ "KCRL" (PDF). Television Factbook. 1966. p. 410-b. Archived (PDF) from the original on January 31, 2023. Retrieved April 15, 2023 – via World Radio History.
  12. ^ "Legal Maneuver Delaying 3d Reno TVer; Maybe Jan". Variety. September 28, 1966. p. 33. ProQuest 1017139417.
  13. ^ "KCRL(AM)" (PDF). Broadcasting Yearbook. 1973. p. B-124. Archived (PDF) from the original on February 20, 2022. Retrieved April 16, 2023.
  14. ^ Voyles, Susan (December 24, 1981). "Program change for radio station". Reno Evening Gazette. p. 19. Archived from the original on April 16, 2023. Retrieved April 16, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  15. ^ a b Miller, Ken (October 14, 1985). "Foundation not complying with state law". Reno Gazette-Journal. pp. 1C, 2C. Archived from the original on April 16, 2023. Retrieved April 15, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  16. ^ Anderson, Tim (January 14, 1980). "KCRL television station reportedly sold". Reno Evening Gazette. p. 19. Archived from the original on April 8, 2023. Retrieved April 8, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  17. ^ "Fox is hunting KCRL-TV; Chris-Craft interest will be in question" (PDF). Broadcasting. January 28, 1980. p. 90. ProQuest 962744533. Archived (PDF) from the original on September 6, 2022. Retrieved April 15, 2023.
  18. ^ "Reno television station owner dies after lengthy illness". Reno Gazette-Journal. May 1, 1986. p. 2C. Archived from the original on April 16, 2023. Retrieved April 15, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  19. ^ Melton, Rollan (April 16, 1989). "Reno author offers heartfelt message". Reno Gazette-Journal. p. 1C. Archived from the original on April 16, 2023. Retrieved April 15, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  20. ^ DeChick, Joe (July 12, 1989). "Las Vegas firm buys Reno's KCRL Channel 4". Reno Gazette-Journal. p. 1D. Archived from the original on April 16, 2023. Retrieved April 15, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  21. ^ DeChick, Joe (July 13, 1989). "Channel 4 sale adds new force in battle for news ratings". Reno Gazette-Journal. p. 1D. Archived from the original on April 16, 2023. Retrieved April 15, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  22. ^ Dahlberg, Tim (March 24, 1980). "Arbitron ratings show Channel 8 news leader". Las Vegas Review-Journal. p. 8B. Archived from the original on April 16, 2023. Retrieved April 15, 2023.
  23. ^ "Nielsen ratings put KVBC news on top". Las Vegas Review-Journal. December 29, 1987. p. 1D. Archived from the original on April 16, 2023. Retrieved April 15, 2023.
  24. ^ DeChick, Joe (September 29, 1989). "KCRL-TV's new owner making staff changes". Reno Gazette-Journal. pp. 1D, 3D. Archived from the original on April 16, 2023. Retrieved April 15, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  25. ^ De Leon, Darcy (November 1, 1989). "KCRL-TV's new owners fire anchor Firpo, 2 others". Reno Gazette-Journal. p. 1B. Archived from the original on April 16, 2023. Retrieved April 15, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  26. ^ Powers, Lenita (November 30, 1989). "KCRL-TV to change call letters in January". Reno Gazette-Journal. p. 1E. Archived from the original on April 16, 2023. Retrieved April 15, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  27. ^ "News is new at Channel 4". Reno Gazette-Journal. January 21, 1990. p. TV Week 4. Archived from the original on April 16, 2023. Retrieved April 15, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  28. ^ Melton, Wayne R. (March 11, 1994). "KOLO News joins KRNV at 5 p.m. slot". Reno Gazette-Journal. p. 1D. Archived from the original on April 16, 2023. Retrieved April 15, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  29. ^ Melton, Wayne R. (March 29, 1994). "Plug again may be pulled on KTHX". Reno Gazette-Journal. Reno, Nevada. p. 1A, 6A. Archived from the original on June 17, 2022. Retrieved June 17, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  30. ^ Melton, Wayne R. (July 9, 1994). "24-hour all-news radio station hits the airwaves Monday: All news, all day". Reno Gazette-Journal. Reno, Nevada. p. 1E, 4E. Archived from the original on June 12, 2022. Retrieved June 17, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  31. ^ White, Ken (December 4, 1995). "News radio". Las Vegas Review-Journal. p. 1C. ProQuest 260014696.
  32. ^ Melton, Wayne (December 1, 1999). "First Spanish FM radio station to begin broadcast". Reno Gazette-Journal. Reno, Nevada. p. 1E. Archived from the original on May 21, 2022. Retrieved May 21, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  33. ^ Harding, Adella (March 29, 1997). "Elko gets new TV station". Elko Daily Free Press. p. 16. Archived from the original on April 16, 2023. Retrieved April 15, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  34. ^ Featherston, Suzanne (December 14, 2017). "NBC to pull KENV affiliation". Elko Daily Free Press. Archived from the original on December 14, 2017. Retrieved December 17, 2017.
  35. ^ "KWNV" (PDF). Television Factbook. 2002. p. A-852. Archived (PDF) from the original on January 31, 2023. Retrieved April 15, 2023 – via World Radio History.
  36. ^ "Notification of Suspension of Operations". Consolidated Database System. Federal Communications Commission. June 26, 2008. Archived from the original on April 16, 2023. Retrieved April 15, 2023.
  37. ^ "Reno's KRNV Launches HD Local News". TVTechnology. December 27, 2006. Retrieved May 19, 2013.
  38. ^ Dickson, Glen (December 20, 2006). "KRNV Beats KREN to the HD Punch". Broadcasting & Cable. Archived from the original on December 3, 2013. Retrieved May 19, 2013.
  39. ^ "KRNV-TV Sold to Sinclair Broadcast Group". KTVN Channel 2 News. November 22, 2013. Archived from the original on November 26, 2013. Retrieved November 22, 2013.
  40. ^ "Application for Consent to Assignment of Broadcast Station Construction Permit or License". Consolidated Database System. Federal Communications Commission. December 18, 2013. Archived from the original on April 16, 2023. Retrieved April 15, 2023.
  41. ^ Clarke, Norm (January 5, 2014). "TV owner Jim Rogers has second battle with cancer". Las Vegas Review-Journal. Archived from the original on January 8, 2014. Retrieved January 8, 2014.
  42. ^ "Nevada leaders remember media titan, education leader Jim Rogers, dead at 75". Las Vegas Review-Journal. June 15, 2014. Archived from the original on October 28, 2016. Retrieved May 6, 2015.
  43. ^ Otto Cummings, Sandra (October 16, 1999). "Bonnie Bernstein: she got game". Asbury Park Press. p. G2. ProQuest 437265104.
  44. ^ "Contessa Brewer". NBC News. Archived from the original on April 16, 2023. Retrieved April 15, 2023.
  45. ^ Vierria, Dan (July 9, 1991). "Father, son make moves, keep in step". The Sacramento Bee. p. F5. Archived from the original on December 17, 2021. Retrieved April 15, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  46. ^ Holsopple, Barbara (May 4, 1994). "'Daybreak' adds Nevada anchor to a.m. lineup". Phoenix Gazette. p. E7. ProQuest 245955533.
  47. ^ "RabbitEars TV Query for KRNV". Rabbitears.info. Archived from the original on February 22, 2014. Retrieved February 15, 2014.
  48. ^ "DTV Tentative Channel Designations for the First and Second Rounds" (PDF). Federal Communications Commission. May 23, 2006. Archived from the original (PDF) on August 29, 2013. Retrieved August 29, 2021.
  49. ^ "FCC TV Spectrum Phase Assignment Table" (CSV). Federal Communications Commission. April 13, 2017. Archived from the original on April 17, 2017. Retrieved April 17, 2017.
  50. ^ "List of TV Translator Input Channels". Federal Communications Commission. July 23, 2021. Archived from the original on December 9, 2021. Retrieved December 17, 2021.
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