KODE-TV
Television station in Joplin, Missouri
title: "KODE-TV" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["1954-establishments-in-missouri", "american-broadcasting-company-affiliates", "bounce-tv-affiliates", "grit-(tv-network)-affiliates", "ion-television-affiliates", "nexstar-media-group", "television-channels-and-stations-established-in-1954", "television-stations-in-joplin,-missouri"] description: "Television station in Joplin, Missouri" topic_path: "geography/united-states" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/KODE-TV" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0
::summary Television station in Joplin, Missouri ::
::data[format=table title="Infobox television station"]
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| callsign | KODE-TV |
| city | Joplin, Missouri |
| logo | KODE 2021.webp |
| logo_size | 200px |
| image | Bounce KODE-DT3.png |
| image_size | 200px |
| branding | KODE 12 (call letters are pronounced individually); Action 12 News |
| digital | 23 (UHF) |
| virtual | 12 |
| affiliations | |
| airdate | |
| location | |
| country | United States |
| callsign_meaning | Sounds like the word "code", though not pronounced that way on air |
| former_callsigns | KSWM-TV (1954–1957) |
| former_channel_numbers | |
| owner | Mission Broadcasting, Inc. |
| operator | Nexstar Media Group via JSA/SSA |
| sister_stations | KSNF |
| former_affiliations | |
| erp | 700 kW |
| haat | 321.9 m |
| facility_id | 18283 |
| coordinates | |
| licensing_authority | FCC |
| website | |
| :: |
| callsign = KODE-TV | city = Joplin, Missouri | logo = KODE 2021.webp | logo_size = 200px | image = Bounce KODE-DT3.png | image_size = 200px | branding = KODE 12 (call letters are pronounced individually); Action 12 News | digital = 23 (UHF) | virtual = 12 | subchannels = | affiliations = | airdate = | location = | country = United States | callsign_meaning = Sounds like the word "code", though not pronounced that way on air | former_callsigns = KSWM-TV (1954–1957) | former_channel_numbers = | owner = Mission Broadcasting, Inc. | licensee = | operator = Nexstar Media Group via JSA/SSA | sister_stations = KSNF | former_affiliations = | erp = 700 kW | haat = 321.9 m | facility_id = 18283 | coordinates = | licensing_authority = FCC | website =
KODE-TV (channel 12) is a television station licensed to Joplin, Missouri, United States, serving as the ABC affiliate for the Joplin, Missouri–Pittsburg, Kansas television market. It is owned by Mission Broadcasting, which maintains joint sales and shared services agreements (JSA/SSA) with Nexstar Media Group, owner of NBC affiliate KSNF (channel 16, also licensed to Joplin), for the provision of certain services. The two stations share studios on South Cleveland Avenue in Joplin, where KODE-TV's transmitter is also located.
History
The station began broadcasting on September 26, 1954, as KSWM-TV (for Southwestern Missouri) and was a primary CBS affiliate, but shared ABC with then-NBC affiliate KOAM-TV. It was locally founded by Austin Harrison who also owned radio station KSWM (1230 AM; now KZYM). It originally operated from studios and transmitter located on West 13th Street in Joplin. Harrison sold his stations to Friendly Broadcasting, owners of WSTV (now WTOV-TV) in Steubenville, Ohio, in 1956. In 1957, the call letters were changed to KODE-AM-TV. Friendly then sold both KODE and WRGP (now WRCB) in Chattanooga, Tennessee, to Massachusetts-based United Printers & Publishers in 1961. Gilmore Broadcasting of Kalamazoo, Michigan, bought the KODE stations in 1962.
KODE became a sole ABC affiliate on January 1, 1968, and three days later KUHI-TV (now NBC-affiliated KSNF) started and took over the CBS affiliation.
On March 15, 1970, KODE weatherman Lee George would make a major blunder on his daily forecast, where a prediction of light flurries for the next day instead turned into a snowstorm, with over 20 in falling at the official measuring station at Joplin Regional Airport and 30 in across portions of the Ozarks, with the station receiving viewer criticism to the point local police had to escort George to the station due to death threats. George swore to never use the word 'flurries' in another forecast, and future snowstorms in the area have been derisively known as 'Lee George flurries'.
KODE was acquired by Mission Broadcasting in 2002. Subsequently, KODE then entered into a shared services agreement with Nexstar Broadcasting, which owns NBC affiliate KSNF. The same year, it was announced KSNF and KODE would merge, with KSN's studios expanded to accommodate the combined operation.
On May 8, 2009, a powerful storm system slammed Joplin, knocking out power to KODE and knocking down the tower of sister station KSNF. KODE-TV returned to the air early on the morning of May 9, while KSNF did not return to the air until June 17. Both stations moved to a rebuilt KSNF building in April 2010 making it the next-to-last Nexstar duopoly to do so (as Nexstar formed a virtual duopoly in Evansville, Indiana, in December 2011 with the purchase of that market's ABC affiliate WEHT and transfer of its existing Evansville independent station (now CW affiliate) WTVW to Mission Broadcasting, and Nexstar almost immediately moved WTVW's operations to the WEHT facility).
On December 19, 2012, KODE began broadcasting its local newscasts in High Definition.
On June 15, 2016, Nexstar announced an affiliation agreement with Katz Broadcasting (now Scripps Networks) for Escape, Laff, Grit, and Bounce TV, including KODE-TV and KSNF. Ion Television was added to KODE-TV's subchannel map several years later.
News operation
KODE-TV presently broadcasts 17 hours of local newscasts each week (with three hours each weekday and an hour each on Saturdays and Sundays).
Notable former on-air staff
- Jonathan Elias – reporter
- Robb Hanrahan
- Evan Rosen
- Marny Stanier
Subchannels
The station's signal is multiplexed: ::data[format=table title="Subchannels of KODE-TV{{Cite web|url=http://www.rabbitears.info/market.php?request=station_search&callsign=KODE#station|title = RabbitEars TV Query for KODE|website=RabbitEars.info}}"]
| Channel | Res. | Aspect | Short name | Programming | 12.1 | 12.2 | 12.3 | 12.4 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 720p | 16:9 | KODE-DT | ABC | |||||
| 480i | Grit | Grit | ||||||
| Bounce | Bounce TV | |||||||
| 4:3 | ION | Ion Television | ||||||
| :: |
References
References
- Smith, David. (July 25, 2017). "Avoiding 'Lee George' moments". [[Hot Springs Sentinel-Record]].
- Caldwell, Bill. (October 7, 2022). "Veteran broadcaster Lee George Challenged the Weather". [[Joplin Globe]].
- (June 15, 2016). "Bounce TV, Grit, Escape, Laff Multicast Deal Covers 81 Stations, 54 Markets". Broadcasting & Cable.
- "Robb Hanrahan bio". [[WHP-TV]].
- "RabbitEars TV Query for KODE".
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