abstract
| - The station began broadcasting on November 9, 1953 as KOOK-TV, Montana's second television station; Butte's KXLF-TV had signed on in August. The station carried programming from all three major networks of the time—CBS, NBC, ABC and DuMont Television Network-- but has always been a primary CBS affiliate. It lost DuMont when that network shut down in 1956 and lost NBC when KGHL-TV (now KULR-TV) signed on in 1958. The station changed its callsign to KTVQ in 1973. On September 1, 1975, channel 2 picked up a secondary affiliation with NBC after KULR opted to take a primary affiliation with ABC. It shared NBC with KULR until KOUS (now KHMT) signed on in 1980. In 1970, channel 2 picked up a secondary affiliation with PBS, mainly for Sesame Street. It was standard practice at the time for PBS to offer its programming to any interested commercial outlet in areas where no PBS station was available. Channel 2's secondary PBS affiliation lasted until Montana PBS finally signed on in 1984. The station has, along with most other MTN stations, been the leader in local news ratings. It remains the only Billings television station that has not changed its affiliation. In February 2009, KULR, KTVQ and two other stations in the Billings market were refused Federal Communications Commission permission to end analogue broadcasts and operate as digital-only effective on the originally-scheduled February 17, 2009 date.
|