KNSN-TV
KNSN-TV, virtual channel 21 (UHF digital channel 20), is a primary sports-formatted independent and secondary MyNetworkTV-affiliated television station licensed to Reno, Nevada, United States. Owned by Deerfield Media, the station is operated under joint sales and shared services agreements (JSA/SSA) by the Sinclair Broadcast Group, making it sister to Fox affiliate KRXI-TV, channel 11 (which is owned by Sinclair outright), and NBC affiliate KRNV-DT, channel 4 (which is owned by Cunningham Broadcasting and managed by Sinclair under a separate JSA). However, Sinclair effectively owns KRNV as the majority of Cunningham's stock is owned by the family of deceased group founder Julian Smith. The three stations share studios on Vassar Street in Reno; KNSN's transmitter is located on Red Hill between US 395 and SR 445 in Sun Valley (on a tower shared with PBS member station KNPB, channel 5). On cable, KNSN is available on Charter Spectrum channel 7 and in high definition on digital channel 787.
 | |
| Reno, Nevada United States | |
|---|---|
| Channels | Digital: 20 (UHF) Virtual: 21 (PSIP) |
| Branding | Nevada Sports Net |
| Programming | |
| Affiliations | 21.1: Independent (1981–1986 and 2018–present) MyNetworkTV (secondary) 21.2: Stadium 21.3: Comet TV |
| Ownership | |
| Owner | Deerfield Media (Deerfield Media (Reno) Licensee, LLC) |
| Operator | Sinclair Broadcast Group (via JSA/SSA) |
| KRNV-DT, KRXI-TV | |
| History | |
First air date | October 11, 1981 |
Former call signs | KAME-TV (1981–2019) |
Former channel number(s) | Analog: 21 (UHF, 1981–2009) |
| Primary: Fox (1986–1996) UPN (1995–2006; secondary until 1996) MyNetworkTV (2006–2018) | |
Call sign meaning | Nevada Sports Net |
| Technical information | |
Licensing authority | FCC |
| Facility ID | 19191 |
| ERP | 53 kW |
| HAAT | 176 m (577 ft) |
| Transmitter coordinates | 39°35′3″N 119°47′55″W |
| Translator(s) | 23 K23DT-D Tahoe City, CA 27 K40MV-D Susanville, etc., CA 27 K27OI-D Mina/Luning 32 K32GW-D Carson City |
| Links | |
Public license information | Profile LMS |
| Website | www |
History
The station launched on October 11, 1981, as KAME-TV, an independent station airing movies (TV-21's The Big Movie), cartoons, westerns, and sitcoms. On October 9, 1986, it became a charter Fox affiliate. On January 16, 1995, KAME-TV picked up UPN on a secondary basis; it became a full-time UPN affiliate on January 1, 1996, after KRXI signed-on and took Fox. Between September 1996 and May 1997, the station was briefly owned by Raycom Media. With the 2006 shutdown and merge of The WB and UPN to form The CW, the station joined News Corporation–owned and Fox sister network MyNetworkTV on September 5, 2006.
On June 20, 2012, Cox Media Group announced that it put KRXI and the LMA for KAME-TV, along with stations in Steubenville, Ohio, Johnstown, Pennsylvania and El Paso, Texas, on the market following its purchase of four television stations in Jacksonville, Florida and Tulsa, Oklahoma from Newport Television.[1] On February 25, 2013, Cox announced that it would sell the four television stations, and the LMA for KAME-TV, to Sinclair Broadcast Group;[2] as part of the deal, Ellis Communications would sell KAME-TV to Deerfield Media.[3] The FCC granted its approval on April 30, 2013, one day after it approved the sale of sister station, KRXI.[4] The sale was finalized on May 2, 2013.[5] Sinclair would subsequently purchase the non-license assets of a third Reno station, KRNV-DT, on November 22, 2013.[6] Sinclair could not buy KRNV-DT outright because Reno has only six full-power stations—three too few to legally permit a duopoly. With the sale of KRNV's license to Cunningham, Sinclair now controls half of those stations. The sale also created a situation in which a Fox affiliate is the nominal senior partner in a duopoly involving an NBC affiliate and a "Big Three" station.
On August 31, 2018, Sinclair announced that KAME-TV would relaunch as "Nevada Sports Net," which would feature extended coverage of Nevada Wolf Pack athletics, as well as the Reno Aces and the Mountain West Conference. The station would also air MyNetworkTV on a secondary basis. The new format launched on September 1. At that time, NSN took over KRNV's sports department.[7]
On July 15, 2019, the station's call sign was changed to KNSN-TV.
Digital television
Digital channels
The station's digital signal is multiplexed:
| Channel | Video | Aspect | PSIP Short Name | Programming[8] |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 21.1 | 720p | 16:9 | KNSN-TV | Main KNSN-TV programming / Sports-formatted Independent (primary) MyNetworkTV (12–2 a.m. Tuesday–Saturday) (secondary) |
| 21.2 | 480i | Stadium | Stadium | |
| 21.3 | COMET | Comet TV | ||
Analog-to-digital conversion
KNSN-TV (as KAME-TV) shut down its analog signal, over UHF channel 21, on February 17, 2009, the original target date in which full-power television stations in the United States were to transition from analog to digital broadcasts under federal mandate (which was later pushed back to June 12, 2009). The station's digital signal remained on its pre-transition UHF channel 20.[9] Through the use of PSIP, digital television receivers display the station's virtual channel as its former UHF analog channel 21.
Programming
Before the station shifted to a mainly sports-themed format, syndicated programming featured on KAME-TV included The Real (now airing on KRXI-TV), Judge Faith, The Simpsons, Family Guy (now airing on KOLO-DT3), and Anger Management, among others.
References
- Cox Puts Four TV Stations on Block After Acquiring Four From Newport, from Broadcasting & Cable, June 20, 2012
- Malone, Michael (February 25, 2013). "Sinclair to Acquire Five Cox Stations". Broadcasting & Cable. Retrieved February 25, 2013.
- "Sinclair Buys Four Cox Stations". TVNewsCheck. February 25, 2013. Retrieved February 25, 2013.
- "distasst" (PDF). Retrieved 2014-02-15.
- "Sinclair Broadcast Group". Sbgi.net. 2013-05-02. Archived from the original on 2013-06-10. Retrieved 2013-07-12.
- "KRNV-TV Sold to Sinclair Broadcast Group". KTVN Channel 2 News. November 22, 2013. Retrieved November 22, 2013.
- NSN Digital Staff (August 31, 2018). "Nevada Sports Net has arrived!". MyNews4.com.
- "RabbitEars TV Query for KNSN". Rabbitears.info. Retrieved 2014-02-15.
- "DTV Tentative Channel Designations for the First and the Second Rounds" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2013-08-29. Retrieved 2012-03-24.