KNDU
KNDU (channel 25) is a television station licensed to Richland, Washington, United States, serving the Tri-Cities area as an affiliate of NBC. It is owned by the Spokane-based Cowles Company as part of the KHQ Television Group. KNDU's studios are located on West Kennewick Avenue in Kennewick, and its transmitter is located on Jump Off Joe Butte.
| Semi-satellite of KNDO, Yakima, Washington | |
|---|---|
| |
| City | Richland, Washington |
| Channels | |
| Branding | NonStop Local Tri-Cities |
| Programming | |
| Affiliations | 25.1: NBC 25.3: SWX Right Now |
| Ownership | |
| Owner | |
| KNDO | |
| History | |
First air date | August 10, 1961 |
Former channel number(s) | Analog: 25 (UHF, 1961–2009) |
| ABC (1961–1970, secondary from 1965) | |
Call sign meaning | Sounds like "Can-Do" |
| Technical information | |
Licensing authority | FCC |
| Facility ID | 12427 |
| ERP | 150 kW |
| HAAT | 402 m (1,319 ft) |
| Transmitter coordinates | 46°6′11″N 119°7′53″W / 46.10306°N 119.13139°W |
| Links | |
Public license information |
|
| Website | www |
Although identifying as a separate station in its own right, KNDU is considered a semi-satellite of KNDO (channel 23) in Yakima. As such, it simulcasts all network and syndicated programming as provided through its parent, and the two stations share a website. However, KNDU airs separate commercial inserts and legal identifications. Local newscasts, produced by KNDU, are simulcast on both stations. KNDU serves the eastern half of the Yakima/Tri-Cities market while KNDO serves the western portion. The two stations are counted as a single unit for ratings purposes. Master control and some internal operations are based at the studios of sister station, fellow NBC affiliate and company flagship KHQ-TV on West Sprague Avenue in downtown Spokane.[1][2]
On satellite, KNDU is only available on Dish Network, while DirecTV carries KNDO instead.
History
On August 16, 1960, the Columbia Empire Broadcasting Corporation filed to build a new TV station on channel 25 in Richland.[3] The company was composed of employees of KNDO and KTNT-TV in Tacoma and had also filed to buy KNDO.[4] The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) granted the permit on May 24, 1961,[3] and the station was announced to be a satellite of KNDO, then a primary ABC affiliate.[5] Programming began August 10, 1961.[3] A major increase in power was made in 1966.[3]
In 1965, KNDU became a primary NBC affiliate, but it continued to air some ABC programs until 1970, when KVEW went on the air as a full-time ABC affiliate; at that point, KNDU became an exclusive NBC affiliate.
Programming
In addition to the NBC network schedule, syndicated programming on KNDU includes Hot Bench, The Drew Barrymore Show, Jeopardy!, and Wheel of Fortune, among others.
In the past like KNDO, the station pre-empted much of the NBC lineup post-Late Night, including Later and Friday Night Videos/Friday Night, along with the network's Nightside rolling news block, as the station carried syndicated programming, then continued to sign off the air nightly. It began to air all three programs in 1996, shortly after Federal took control of the station.
Notable former on-air staff
- Jamie Kern (now with IT Cosmetics)
- Whit Johnson (now with ABC News/Good Morning America (weekend edition))
- Jim Snyder (1987–1989; now with KSNV)
Subchannels
The station's digital signal is multiplexed:
| Channel | Video | Aspect | Short name | Programming [6] |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 25.1 | 1080i | 16:9 | KNDU-HD | Main KNDU programming / NBC |
| 25.3 | SWXKNDU | SWX Right Now (sports and weather) |
KNDO and KNDU have been digital-only since February 17, 2009.[7][8] NBC Weather Plus had been carried on digital subchannel 25.3; the originating national network ceased operation on December 1, 2008.
On September 1, 2010, KNDO and KNDU discontinued broadcasting Universal Sports on digital subchannel 25.2. They will be giving this bandwidth to SWX Right Now (25.3) to improve the picture of SWX programming.
References
- ^ "KHQ Launches Centralcasting With ABS". TVNewsCheck. Retrieved 18 May 2013.
- ^ "Retrans Deal Drives Cowles Centralcasting". TVNewsCheck. 14 July 2011. Retrieved 18 May 2013.
- ^ a b c d FCC History Cards for KNDU
- ^ "Channel Sought". Spokane Daily Chronicle. Spokane, Washington. Associated Press. August 22, 1960. p. 5. Retrieved March 25, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Channel 25 Receives OK". Tri-City Herald. Pasco, Washington. May 12, 1961. p. 3. Retrieved March 25, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "RabbitEars.Info".
- ^ FCC list of full-service US TV stations 2011-10-18 at the Wayback Machine, February 16, 2009
- ^ NBC News[dead link]
External links
- Official website
- SWX Right Now