KXMD-TV


KXMD-TV, virtual channel 11, is a dual CBS/CW+-affiliated television station licensed to Williston, North Dakota, United States. The station is owned by Nexstar Media Group. KXMD-TV's news bureau and advertising sales office are located at the intersection of 13th Avenue West and 18th Street West in Williston, and its transmitter is located west of the city near the North Dakota–Montana border. On cable, the station is available on Midcontinent Communications channel 6 in Williston, and channel 11 in most other areas. There is a high definition feed provided on Midco digital channel 606.
KXMD is part of the KX Television regional network of CBS affiliates in central and western North Dakota, originating from flagship station KXMB-TV in Bismarck. The KX network relays CBS network and other programming across central and western North Dakota, as well as bordering counties in Montana and South Dakota. Master control and some internal operations of KXMD are based at KXMB's facilities on North 15th Street in Bismarck. The four stations are counted as a single unit for ratings purposes.
KXMD operates as a semi-satellite of KXMC-TV in Minot. KXMC is itself a semi-satellite of KXMB-TV in Bismarck, which also has semi-satellite KXMA-DT2 in Dickinson. KXMD identifies itself as a station in its own right, but clears all network and syndicated programming as provided through KXMC. However, KXMD airs separate local commercial inserts and legal identifications. The Montana viewing portion of KXMD's coverage area is within the Mountain Time Zone, and the station's prime time schedule starts at 6 p.m. rather than the usual 7 p.m. for the time zone.
The over-the-air signal of KXMD reaches portions of the Canadian province of Saskatchewan. Most of the Montana portion of KXMD's viewing area also receives CBS from KXGN-TV in Glendive via a network of translators and cable television.

History

KXMD signed on in November 1969 as a semi-satellite of KXMC-TV in Minot. Previously, Williston viewers had to pick up CBS programming on cable from KOOK-TV in Billings, Montana, although KUMV-TV had not been above breaking away from the KFYR/KMOT feed when CBS had something very important to present.
Boler sold his interest in the KX stations to Reiten in 1971. Steve Reiten, Dave Reiten, Kathleen Reiten Hruby, Tim Reiten, and Melanie Reiten Shonkwiler, Chester's children, still own the stations today.
The KX stations previously had a secondary affiliation with ABC before full-time ABC affiliate KMCY signed on in 1986. During the late 1950s, the stations were also briefly affiliated with the NTA Film Network.
Until 1986, KXMD was carried by cable systems across neighboring Saskatchewan, even operating a sales office in Saskatoon, as did KUMV and Great Falls ABC station KFBB-TV. These arrangements ended in 1986 when the Canadian cable companies were granted permission to replace the North Dakota signals with network affiliates from Detroit and Toledo, Ohio.
In 2006, the stations began a web portal-like website called KX Net, with each station's website displaying a localized front page. The stations continue to be branded as "KX Television" and as "KX News" on the air, but also use the "KX Net" moniker on the air also. KXNet.com combined the previous domains kxma.com, kxmb.com, kxmc.com and kxmd.com under one umbrella. The original domains are still active. KXNet.com won the 2007 Teddy Award for Best Website and the 2007 Eric Severaid Award for best website small market television in a 6 state region.
In October 2007, KXNet.com along with Midkota Solutions launched DakotaPolitics.com, a web site focusing on North Dakota political news coverage. DakotaPolitics featured profile information, voting records and some analysis. DakotaPolitics also launched weekly tracking polls for the 2008 elections. In 2008 KXNet.com became the first web site in North Dakota to deliver a live news broadcast over the Internet when they streamed a 1-hour special coverage of the 2008 Presidential Caucuses from Bismarck.
In July 2008, Reiten Television began a joint agreement to sell television commercial slots on both its existing stations and KMCY, Minot's ABC affiliate owned by Forum Communications Company. KMCY became available in Williston on a full-power signal on KXMD's second digital subchannel in 2009.
Nexstar Broadcasting Group announced its $44 million purchase of the Reiten Television stations, including KXMA-TV, on September 17, 2015. Sale was completed on February 2, 2016. As result of the acquisition, Nexstar decided to terminate the Joint Sales Agreement with KMCY.

Digital television

Digital channels

The station's digital signal is multiplexed:
ChannelVideoAspectPSIP Short NameProgramming
11.11080iKXMD DTMain KXMD-TV programming / CBS
11.2720pKXMD WxNorth Dakota CW
11.3480iLaff
11.4480iCourt TV Mystery

Analog-to-digital conversion

KXMD-TV shut down its analog signal, over VHF channel 11, on June 12, 2009, the official date in 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 UHF channel 14. Through the use of PSIP, digital television receivers display the station's virtual channel as its former VHF analog channel 11.

Programming

programming on KXMD includes Dr. Phil, The Ellen DeGeneres Show, Entertainment Tonight, and Rachael Ray, among others.
The North Dakota State Fair parade in Minot is aired live every July as well as a July 4th Parade in Mandan.
The KX network carries the CBS Overnight News, while weekends simulcast the local weather conditions of North Dakota. All four stations provide a formal sign-off, including "The Star Spangled Banner", at 1:05 a.m. CT/12:05 a.m. MT Tuesday through Saturday mornings and at 1:35 a.m. CT/12:35 a.m. MT on Sunday and Monday mornings.

News operation

KXMC produces local newscasts daily at 6 a.m., noon, 6 p.m. and 10 p.m. KXMC produces a morning show at 6 a.m., KX News Morning, and co-produces a 5 p.m. newscast with KXMB. Both are simulcast on all four stations. All of the local newscasts are broadcast in high definition.
For many years, KXMD placed inserts into KXMC's newscasts. However, recent cutbacks have resulted in KXMD's operations being largely merged with those of KXMC, and local inserts have been eliminated.
As a whole, KX Television has long trailed NBC North Dakota in the ratings by a significant margin; the main stations and their satellites are counted as one station for ratings and regulatory purposes. However, KXMC has historically been well ahead of KMOT in the ratings for the northern part of the market. This is largely because it is the only station airing a full schedule of local news for the northern part of the market. Also, KX News Morning has recently surged well ahead of NBC North Dakota's Country Morning Today—the first time in recent memory that NBC North Dakota has lost consecutive ratings periods in any time slot.