KNSN-TV (channel 21) is a primary sports-formatted independent television station in Reno, Nevada, United States, which has a secondary affiliation with MyNetworkTV. It is owned by Deerfield Media, which maintains joint sales and shared services agreements (JSA/SSA) with Sinclair Broadcast Group, owner of Fox affiliate KRXI-TV (channel 11), for the provision of certain services. Sinclair also manages NBC affiliate KRNV-DT (channel 4) under a separate JSA with Cunningham Broadcasting; 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-TV's transmitter is located on Red Hill between US 395 and SR 445 in Sun Valley, Nevada.
| ATSC 3.0 station | |
|---|---|
 | |
| |
| Channels | |
| Branding | Nevada Sports Net |
| Programming | |
| Affiliations |
|
| Ownership | |
| Owner |
|
| 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) |
Call sign meaning | Nevada Sports Net |
| Technical information[1] | |
Licensing authority | FCC |
| Facility ID | 19191 |
| ERP | 53 kW |
| HAAT | 176 m (577 ft) |
| Transmitter coordinates | 39°35′3″N 119°47′55″W / 39.58417°N 119.79861°W |
| Translator(s) | see § Translators |
| Links | |
Public license information | |
| Website | nevadasportsnet |
History
edit
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 July 20, 2012, one day after Cox Media Group purchased WAWS and WTEV in Jacksonville, Florida, and KOKI-TV and KMYT-TV in Tulsa, Oklahoma, from Newport Television, Cox put KRXI-TV (along with the LMA for KAME-TV) and sister stations WTOV-TV in Steubenville, Ohio, WJAC-TV in Johnstown, Pennsylvania, and KFOX-TV in El Paso, Texas (all in markets that are smaller than Tulsa), plus several radio stations in medium to small markets, on the selling block.[2] On February 25, 2013, Cox announced that it would sell the four television stations, and the LMA for KAME, to Sinclair Broadcast Group;[3] as part of the deal, Ellis Communications would sell KAME-TV to Deerfield Media.[4] The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) granted its approval on April 30, 2013, one day after it approved the sale of sister station, KRXI.[5] The sale was finalized on May 2, 2013.[6] Sinclair would subsequently purchase the non-license assets of a third Reno station, KRNV-DT, on November 22, 2013.[7] 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 continue to air MyNetworkTV on a secondary basis. The new format launched on September 1. At that time, NSN took over KRNV's sports department.[8] On July 15, 2019, the station's call sign was changed to KNSN-TV. On July 25, 2023, the station converted to ATSC 3.0.[9]
On September 21, 2023, NSN acquired the local television rights to the Vegas Golden Knights. Coverage is produced by Scripps Sports.[10]
Programming
editBefore the station shifted to a mainly sports-themed format, syndicated programming featured on KAME-TV included The Real (later aired on KRXI-TV), Judge Faith, The Simpsons, Family Guy (now airing on KOLO-DT3), and Anger Management, among others.
Technical information
editSubchannels
editThe station's ATSC 1.0 channels are carried on the multiplexed signals of other Reno television stations:
| Channel | Res. | Aspect | Short name | Programming | ATSC 1.0 host |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 21.1 | 720p | 16:9 | KNSN-TV | Sports programming / MyNetworkTV | KRXI-TV |
| 21.2 | 480i | Stadium | The Nest | KRNV-DT | |
| 21.3 | Comet | Comet | KTVN |
ATSC 3.0 lighthouse
edit| Channel | Res. | Aspect | Short name | Programming |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2.1 | 1080p | 16:9 | 2 CBS | CBS (KTVN) |
| 4.1 | News4 | NBC (KRNV-DT) | ||
| 8.1 | 720p | KOLO-TV | ABC (KOLO-TV) | |
| 11.1 | FOX11 | Fox (KRXI-TV) | ||
| 21.1 | KNSN-TV | Main KNSN-TV programming |
Translators
edit- K32GW-D Carson City
- K24NB-D Elko
- K28LM-D Eureka
- K36KN-D Eureka
- K35AX-D Hawthorne
- K19MK-D Lake Tahoe
- K27OI-D Mina–Luning
- K35FL-D Silver Springs
- K27NE-D Susanville, etc., CA
- K34QQ-D Tahoe City, CA
- K17FR-D Walker Lake
- K17HB-D Winnemucca
- K16GM-D Yerington
Analog-to-digital conversion
editKNSN-TV (as KAME-TV) shut down its analog signal, over UHF channel 21, on February 17, 2009, the original target date on 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,[15] using virtual channel 21.
References
edit- ^ "Facility Technical Data for KNSN-TV". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission.
- ^ "Cox Puts Four TV Stations on Block After Acquiring Four From Newport – 2012-07-20 18:05:04 | Broadcasting & Cable". Broadcastingcable.com. July 20, 2012. Retrieved June 2, 2013.
- ^ 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 February 15, 2014.
- ^ "Sinclair Broadcast Group". Sbgi.net. May 2, 2013. Archived from the original on June 10, 2013. Retrieved July 12, 2013.
- ^ "KRNV-TV Sold to Sinclair Broadcast Group". KTVN Channel 2 News. November 22, 2013. Retrieved November 22, 2013.
- ^ "Nevada Sports Net has arrived!". MyNews4.com. August 31, 2018.
- ^ "Major Broadcasters Launch NextGen TV on Five Local Television Stations in Reno, NV". BitPath (via BusinessWire). July 25, 2023. Retrieved July 27, 2023.
- ^ Murray, Chris (September 21, 2023). "Nevada Sports Net to broadcast 75 Vegas Golden Knights games in 2023-24". Nevada Sports Net. Retrieved September 24, 2023.
- ^ "RabbitEars TV Query for KRXI". Rabbitears.info. Retrieved September 3, 2023.
- ^ "RabbitEars TV Query for KRNV". Rabbitears.info. Retrieved September 3, 2023.
- ^ "RabbitEars TV Query for KTVN". Rabbitears.info. Retrieved September 3, 2023.
- ^ "RabbitEars TV Query for KNSN". www.rabbitears.info. Retrieved September 3, 2023.
- ^ "DTV Tentative Channel Designations for the First and the Second Rounds" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on August 29, 2013. Retrieved March 24, 2012.