KSVI

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Television station in Billings, Montana

title: "KSVI" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["1993-establishments-in-montana", "american-broadcasting-company-affiliates", "antenna-tv-affiliates", "the-cw-affiliates", "ion-mystery-affiliates", "nexstar-media-group", "television-channels-and-stations-established-in-1993", "television-stations-in-billings,-montana"] description: "Television station in Billings, Montana" topic_path: "geography/united-states" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/KSVI" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary Television station in Billings, Montana ::

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

FieldValue
callsignKSVI
logoKSVI 6 (2016).svg
logo_upright.8
imageKSVI-DT2 2024.svg
image_upright.6
brandingABC 6; Billings CW (6.2)
digital18 (UHF)
virtual6
translators*see *
affiliations
airdate
locationBillings, Montana
countryUnited States
callsign_meaning"Six", "VI" is the Roman numeral for 6
former_channel_numbers
ownerNexstar Media Group
licenseeNexstar Media Inc.
sister_stationsKHMT
former_affiliations
erp1,000 kW
haat227.5 m
facility_id5243
coordinates
licensing_authorityFCC
website
::

| callsign = KSVI | logo = KSVI 6 (2016).svg | logo_upright = .8 | image = KSVI-DT2 2024.svg | image_upright = .6 | branding = ABC 6; Billings CW (6.2) | digital = 18 (UHF) | virtual = 6 | translators = *see * | affiliations = | airdate = | location = Billings, Montana | country = United States | callsign_meaning = "Six", "VI" is the Roman numeral for 6 | former_channel_numbers = | owner = Nexstar Media Group | licensee = Nexstar Media Inc. | sister_stations = KHMT | former_affiliations = | erp = 1,000 kW | haat = 227.5 m | facility_id = 5243 | coordinates = | licensing_authority = FCC | website =

KSVI (channel 6) is a television station in Billings, Montana, United States, affiliated with ABC and owned by Nexstar Media Group. Its second digital subchannel serves as an owned-and-operated station of The CW (via The CW Plus), as Nexstar owns a majority stake in the network. Nexstar also provides certain services to Fox affiliate KHMT (channel 4) under joint sales and shared services agreements with Mission Broadcasting. The two stations share studios on South 24th Street West in Billings; KSVI's transmitter is located on Old Hardin Road east-northeast of the city.

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

KSVI's programming is relayed on translator station K25BP-D (channel 25) in Billings, in areas where KSVI's signal is poor. It can also be seen in Miles City on K16DH-D (channel 16), and in Howard on K32MN-D (channel 32).

History

KSVI went on the air January 8, 1993, under the ownership of Big Horn Communications. Big Horn had previously signed on KOUS-TV (channel 4) in 1980. However, for most of its existence, KOUS was plagued by marginal reception in some parts of Billings, since its transmitter was located 18 mi east of the city in order to ensure city-grade coverage of its city of license, Hardin. In hopes of getting better reception in Billings, Big Horn won a construction permit for channel 6 after the allocation was moved from Miles City.

KOUS signed off for the last time on January 8, and KCTZ (channel 7) in Bozeman, both of which had previously served as satellites of KOUS. KCTZ was sold to Cordillera Communications several months later to become a satellite of KXLF-TV in Butte (originally proposed to become a satellite of KXGN-TV in Glendive, this ended when KWYB signed on in 1996. Channel 6 also, at its sign-on, inherited Billings translator station K25BP, which was originally intended to improve KOUS' signal in Billings.

KSVI added a secondary affiliation with Fox in April 1994; this was primarily to carry the network's NFL coverage, but 15 hours a week of other Fox programs, such as Married... with Children and The Simpsons, were aired in overnight and weekend timeslots not programmed by ABC. Following this deal, cable systems in the Billings area removed Foxnet from their lineups. The secondary Fox affiliation ended when channel 4 returned to the air in August 1995 as Fox affiliate KHMT under a local marketing agreement with KSVI. Also in June 1995, channel 6 added a secondary affiliation with UPN (it had carried the first season of the network's Star Trek: Voyager on a standalone basis before signing as a formal secondary affiliate that June). this affiliation, which was eventually shared with KHMT, continued until UPN closed down in 2006.

Big Horn Communications sold KSVI to Great Trails Broadcasting Corporation for $17.37 million in 1997. The following year, Great Trails exited broadcasting and sold the station (and its LMA with KHMT), along with WHAG-TV in Hagerstown, Maryland, and WFFT-TV in Fort Wayne, Indiana, to Quorum Broadcasting Company for $65 million. Nexstar Broadcasting Group acquired Quorum for $230 million in December 2003.

News operation

KSVI launched a news operation, shared with sister station KHMT, on April 18, 2002. After 18 months, the newscasts were canceled in September 2003, following Nexstar taking control of the stations in advance of its purchase of Quorum. Though the news operation had won Montana Broadcasters Association and Associated Press awards during its run, it was not successful in the ratings, as KSVI's newscasts trailed KTVQ (channel 2) and KULR-TV (channel 8) by a substantial margin. Nexstar said that shutting down the news operation was necessary to keep the stations profitable.

Technical information

Subchannels

The station's signal is multiplexed: ::data[format=table title="Subchannels of KSVI{{Cite web |url=http://www.rabbitears.info/market.php?request=station_search&callsign=KSVI#station |title=RabbitEars TV Query for KSVI |website=[[RabbitEars]] |access-date=June 19, 2016 |archive-date=August 20, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160820150713/http://www.rabbitears.info/market.php?request=station_search&callsign=KSVI#station |url-status=live }}"]

ChannelRes.AspectShort nameProgramming6.16.26.36.4
720p16:9KSVI-DTABC
KSVI-CWThe CW Plus
480iMysteryIon Mystery
4:3AntennaAntenna TV
::

Translators

References

References

  1. "Channel Lineup Glendive". Mid-Rivers Communications.
  2. "Local TV Listings, TV Schedules and TV Guides".
  3. "Montana Radio and TV Photos".
  4. (1994). "Broadcasting & Cable Yearbook 1994".
  5. Smith, Doug. (December 1993). "TV News". VHF-UHF Digest.
  6. Smith, Doug. (August 1993). "TV News". VHF-UHF Digest.
  7. (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]].
  8. (February 27, 1995). "In re Application of Big Horn Communications, Inc. (Assignor) and KYUS Broadcasting Corporation (Assignee) For Consent to Assign the License for Station KYUS-TV, Channel 3 Miles City, Montana". [[Federal Communications Commission]].
  9. Smith, Doug. (April 1994). "TV News". VHF-UHF Digest.
  10. (April 18, 1994). "Fox's growing family". Broadcasting & Cable.
  11. Smith, Doug. (December 1994). "TV News". VHF-UHF Digest.
  12. Smith, Doug. (July 1994). "TV News". VHF-UHF Digest.
  13. (July 8, 1997). "Re: MM Docket Nos. 91-211, 87-8, 94-150, 92-51 and 87-154". [[Federal Communications Commission]].
  14. (June 26, 1995). "UPN extends affil reach". [[Variety (magazine).
  15. "UPN Affiliate Stations (Montana)".
  16. "UPN Affiliate Stations (Montana)".
  17. (June 23, 1997). "Changing Hands". [[Broadcasting & Cable]].
  18. (November 16, 1998). "Changing Hands". [[Broadcasting & Cable]].
  19. (December 31, 2003). "Nexstar completes $230M buy of Quorum Broadcast". [[Dallas Business Journal]].
  20. (April 13, 2002). "Falstad Column: Kmart, Penske will close 550 tire centers". [[Billings Gazette]].
  21. Falstad, Jan. (September 30, 2003). "KULR sold; ABC-6/Fox-4 drop local news". [[Billings Gazette]].
  22. (October 5, 2003). "Nexstar Nixes Newscasts". [[Broadcasting & Cable]].
  23. "RabbitEars TV Query for KSVI".

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1993-establishments-in-montanaamerican-broadcasting-company-affiliatesantenna-tv-affiliatesthe-cw-affiliatesion-mystery-affiliatesnexstar-media-grouptelevision-channels-and-stations-established-in-1993television-stations-in-billings,-montana