KHMT

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Television station in Hardin, Montana

title: "KHMT" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["1980-establishments-in-montana", "court-tv-affiliates", "fox-broadcasting-company-affiliates", "ion-television-affiliates", "laff-(tv-network)-affiliates", "nexstar-media-group", "television-channels-and-stations-established-in-1980", "television-stations-in-billings,-montana"] description: "Television station in Hardin, Montana" topic_path: "arts/film" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/KHMT" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary Television station in Hardin, Montana ::

::data[format=table title="Infobox television station"]

FieldValue
callsignKHMT
cityHardin, Montana
logoKHMT logo.png
locationHardin–Billings, Montana
countryUnited States
brandingFox 4
digital22 (UHF)
virtual4
translators*see *
affiliations
ownerMission Broadcasting, Inc.
operatorNexstar Media Group
airdate
callsign_meaningHardin, Montana
sister_stationsKSVI
former_callsignsKOUS-TV (1980–1995)
former_channel_numbersAnalog: 4 (VHF, 1980–2009)
former_affiliations
erp1,000 kW
haat247.5 m
facility_id47670
coordinates
licensing_authorityFCC
website
::

| callsign = KHMT | city = Hardin, Montana | logo = KHMT logo.png | location = Hardin–Billings, Montana | country = United States | branding = Fox 4 | digital = 22 (UHF) | virtual = 4 | translators = *see * | affiliations = | owner = Mission Broadcasting, Inc. | operator = Nexstar Media Group | airdate = | callsign_meaning = Hardin, Montana | sister_stations = KSVI | former_callsigns = KOUS-TV (1980–1995) | former_channel_numbers = Analog: 4 (VHF, 1980–2009) | former_affiliations = | erp = 1,000 kW | haat = 247.5 m | facility_id = 47670 | coordinates = | licensing_authority = FCC | website =

KHMT (channel 4) is a television station licensed to Hardin, Montana, United States, serving as the Fox affiliate for the Billings area. It is owned by Mission Broadcasting, which maintains joint sales and shared services agreements (JSA/SSA) with Nexstar Media Group, owner of dual ABC/CW affiliate KSVI (channel 6), for the provision of certain services. The two stations share studios on South 24th Street West in Billings; KHMT's transmitter is located in unincorporated southeastern Yellowstone County (southeast of Indian Arrow).

Mid-Rivers Communications (based in Circle, Montana) carries KHMT on cable in Glendive, Montana (the smallest DMA in the U.S. according to Nielsen), as that market has no local Fox affiliate of its own.

History

The station signed on November 26, 1980, as KOUS-TV, owned by a company that shared two stockholders with KYUS-TV (channel 3) in Miles City. In 1982, KOUS became a primary NBC affiliate, which Billings lacked at the time; while the station already carried some NBC programming, it had primarily been an independent station. Since 1968, NBC had largely been relegated to secondary clearances on CBS affiliate KTVQ (channel 2) and ABC affiliate KULR-TV (channel 8)—as was PBS until 1984. Billings was one of the last markets in the nation to receive full service from all three networks. In 1984, the ownership of KOUS and KYUS was formally consolidated when KOUS' owners bought KYUS for $200,000; afterward, KYUS, which had been a separate station, became a satellite of KOUS. This created an instance of a satellite station older than its parent, as KYUS signed on in 1969.

In 1987, NBC chose to move its affiliation from KOUS-TV to KULR-TV (which had been a primary affiliate of the network from 1958 to 1968) effective that August; at that time, the stations swapped affiliations, and channel 4 picked up KULR's former ABC affiliation. That September, KOUS' programming began to be simulcast in Bozeman on new station KCTZ. Shortly afterward, the station's owner changed its name from KOUS-TV, Inc. to Big Horn Communications.

KOUS-TV's tower was located 18 mi east of Billings, which resulted in difficult reception in portions of the city; as a result, in 1987, the station established a translator, K25BP channel 25, in Billings. translator K25BP also began to carry channel 6's programming.

The following year, Big Horn sold the channel 4 license to the National Indian Media Foundation, which entered into a local marketing agreement with KSVI. The agreement allowed channel 4 to resume broadcasting August 16, 1995, as Fox affiliate KHMT, operating from the same tower it had used as KOUS. Under the foundation's ownership, KHMT claimed to be the only full power television station to have 100 percent Native American ownership; Between 1991 and 1994, Foxnet served as the network's cable-only affiliate for the Billings market; this ended when KSVI became a secondary affiliate of Fox, which lasted for approximately one year. By 1997, KHMT had added a secondary affiliation with UPN, shared with KSVI; this continued until that network shut down in 2006.

Wolf Mountain Broadcasting, the subsidiary of the National Indian Media Foundation that became the station's licensee in 1997, sold KHMT to VHR Broadcasting in 2002. In 2003, Mission Broadcasting acquired the station from VHR; the sale coincided with the merger of Quorum Broadcasting (which by then owned KSVI) with Nexstar.

News operation

KOUS-TV first started a news operation in 1982; this newscast was short-lived and was eventually canceled. after 18 months, the newscasts were canceled in September 2003, following Nexstar taking control of the stations. KHMT's prime time newscast reportedly pulled in only 3 percent viewing shares, putting it behind KTVQ and KULR in a distant third. At the time, Nexstar said ending the news operation would mean the difference between a profit and a loss. Local officials were also thrown off by KHMT reporters, who were aggressive about their news coverage and questioning in a manner not previously known in the state among other news operations.

Technical information

Subchannels

The station's signal is multiplexed: ::data[format=table title="Subchannels of KHMT{{cite web|url=http://www.rabbitears.info/market.php?request=station_search&callsign=KHMT#station|title=RabbitEars TV Query for KHMT|website=[[RabbitEars]]|access-date=April 16, 2018}}"]

ChannelRes.AspectShort nameProgramming4.14.24.34.4
720p16:9KHMT-DTFox
480iCourtTVCourt TV
LaffLaff
IonIon Television
::

Translators

Analog-to-digital conversion

KHMT's broadcasts became digital-only, effective June 12, 2009.

Notes

References

References

  1. "Channel Lineup Glendive". Mid-Rivers Communications.
  2. "Local TV Listings, TV Schedules and TV Guides".
  3. (1982). "Broadcasting/Cablecasting Yearbook 1982".
  4. (October 29, 1979). "For the Record". [[Broadcasting & Cable.
  5. (April 26, 1982). "In Brief". [[Broadcasting & Cable.
  6. "David, Ella Rivenes". [[Great Falls Tribune]].
  7. (February 9, 1987). "In Brief". [[Broadcasting & Cable.
  8. (1988). "Broadcasting/Cablecasting Yearbook 1988".
  9. (July 15, 1988). "In re Applications of BEE BROADCASTING ASSOCIATES, A Limited Partnership … Station KCTZ(TV), Bozeman, Montana". [[Federal Communications Commission]].
  10. Smith, Doug. (December 1993). "TV News". VHF-UHF Digest.
  11. "Montana Radio and TV Photos".
  12. "Application Search Details (K25BP)". [[Federal Communications Commission]].
  13. Smith, Doug. (August 1993). "TV News". VHF-UHF Digest.
  14. (September 17, 1993). "In Re Application of BIG HORN COMMUNICATIONS, INC. (Assignor) and KCTZ COMMUNICATIONS, INC. (Assignee) For Consent to Assign the License for Station KCTZ(TV), Channel 7, Bozeman, Montana". [[Federal Communications Commission]].
  15. "Application Search Details (KHMT, 1)". [[Federal Communications Commission]].
  16. (July 8, 1997). "Re: MM Docket Nos. 91-211, 87-8, 94-150, 92-51 and 87-154". [[Federal Communications Commission]].
  17. Smith, Doug. (August 1995). "TV News". VHF-UHF Digest.
  18. (July 24, 1995). "WILL MURDOCH APPEAR AT ABC AFFIL MEETING?". [[Variety (magazine).
  19. Smith, Doug. (July 1994). "TV News". VHF-UHF Digest.
  20. "Listing of channel lineups in TV Guide Montana Edition".
  21. "UPN Affiliate Stations (Montana)".
  22. "UPN Affiliate Stations (Montana)".
  23. "Application Search Details (KHMT, 2)". [[Federal Communications Commission]].
  24. "Application Search Details (KHMT, 3)". [[Federal Communications Commission]].
  25. "Application Search Details (KHMT, 4)". [[Federal Communications Commission]].
  26. "Application Search Details (KHMT, 5)". [[Federal Communications Commission]].
  27. Falstad, Jan. (September 30, 2003). "KULR sold; ABC-6/Fox-4 drop local news". [[Billings Gazette]].
  28. (October 5, 2003). "Nexstar Nixes Newscasts". [[Broadcasting & Cable]].
  29. "RabbitEars TV Query for KHMT".
  30. "montanasnewsstation.com".

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1980-establishments-in-montanacourt-tv-affiliatesfox-broadcasting-company-affiliatesion-television-affiliateslaff-(tv-network)-affiliatesnexstar-media-grouptelevision-channels-and-stations-established-in-1980television-stations-in-billings,-montana