View source for KMOT

{{Short description|Television station in Minot, North Dakota}}
{{For|the airport in Minot, North Dakota, assigned the ICAO code KMOT|Minot International Airport}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=March 2024}}
{{Infobox television station
| callsign = KMOT
| above = {{ubl|[[Semi-satellite]] of [[KFYR-TV]],|[[Bismarck, North Dakota]]}}
| logo = KMOT TV Logo 2023.svg
| logo_size = 200px
| image = West Dakota Fox (2014).svg
| image_size = 200px
| branding = {{ubl|KMOT-TV; [[NBC North Dakota]]|West Dakota Fox (10.2)|MeTV North Dakota (10.3)}}
| digital = 10 ([[VHF]])
| virtual = 10
| network = [[NBC North Dakota]]
| affiliations = {{ubl|'''10.1:''' [[NBC]]|'''10.2:''' [[Fox Broadcasting Company|Fox]]|'''10.3:''' [[MeTV]]}}
| country = United States
| airdate = {{start date and age|1958|1|23|p=y}}
| location = [[Minot, North Dakota]]
| callsign_meaning = Minot
| former_channel_numbers = {{ubl|'''Analog:''' 10 (VHF, 1958–2009)|'''Digital:''' 58 ([[UHF]], until 2009)}}
| owner = [[Gray Media]]
| licensee = Gray Television Licensee, [[LLC]]
| sister_stations = [[KFYR-TV]], [[KQCD-TV]], [[KUMV-TV]]
| former_affiliations = [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]] (secondary, 1958–1986)
| erp = 7.69 [[kW]]
| haat = {{convert|207|m|ft|0|abbr=on}}
| facility_id = 41425
| coordinates = {{coord|48|12|56|N|101|19|7|W|type:landmark_scale:2000}}
| licensing_authority = [[FCC]]
| website = {{URL|https://www.kfyrtv.com/}}
}}
'''KMOT''' (channel 10) is a [[television station]] in [[Minot, North Dakota]], United States, affiliated with [[NBC]] and [[Fox Broadcasting Company|Fox]]. The station is owned by [[Gray Media]], and maintains studios and transmitter facilities at the intersection of 16th Street and 18th Avenue SW in Minot.

KMOT is one of two full-fledged NBC stations in the '''[[NBC North Dakota]]''' regional network of NBC affiliates in central and western North Dakota, along with [[flagship station]] [[KFYR-TV]] (channel 5) in [[Bismarck, North Dakota|Bismarck]]. The NBC North Dakota network relays NBC network and other programming across central and western North Dakota, as well as bordering counties in [[Montana]] and [[South Dakota]]. The four stations along with fellow NBC affiliate [[KVLY-TV]] in [[Fargo, North Dakota|Fargo]] often share news stories. [[Master control]] and some internal operations of KMOT are based at KFYR's facilities on North 4th Street and East Broadway Avenue in downtown Bismarck. The four stations are counted as a single unit for [[Nielsen ratings|ratings]] purposes.

KMOT also operates a [[semi-satellite]] in [[Williston, North Dakota]], '''[[KUMV-TV]]''' (channel 8), which airs local advertising and weekday newscast inserts focusing on the northwestern portion of the Minot–Bismarck market, but otherwise airs the same programming as KMOT. Although operated as a separate station in its own right, KMOT is actually considered a semi-satellite of KFYR-TV in Bismarck, which also has semi-satellite [[KQCD-TV]] (channel 7) in [[Dickinson, North Dakota|Dickinson]]. It clears all network and [[broadcast syndication|syndicated]] programming as provided through its parent but airs separate local newscasts, [[station identification|legal identifications]], and commercial inserts. KFYR and KQCD serve the southern portion of the Bismarck–Minot/Dickinson–Williston [[media market|market]] while KMOT and KUMV serve the northern portion.

The over-the-air signal of KMOT reaches portions of the [[Canadian province]] of [[Saskatchewan]], but is no longer available on any cable systems there.

[[Dish Network]] and [[DirecTV]] only provide only KFYR as central and western North Dakota's NBC affiliate.

==History==
KMOT signed on January 23, 1958, as the third station in the Meyer group, after KFYR-TV and KUMV-TV. KUMV, which signed on a year earlier as a semi-satellite of KFYR, became a semi-satellite of KMOT. Until [[KBMY]]/KMCY signed on in 1986, the Meyer stations carried a secondary affiliation with [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]]. Until [[KXMD-TV]] signed on in 1969, KUMV would break away from KMOT to carry select [[CBS]] programs.

The Meyers sold off their broadcast holdings in 1997, with the television stations going to [[Smith Media|Sunrise Television Corporation]]. Sunrise sold them to The Wicks Group of Companies of [[New York City]] in 2002.

[[Hoak Media]] bought KFYR-TV, KMOT, KUMV, and KQCD in July 2006, as well as [[KVLY-TV]] in [[Fargo, North Dakota|Fargo]] and [[KSFY]] in [[Sioux Falls, South Dakota]] and its satellite stations. On November 17, 2006, the sale was approved by the FCC.

On January 19, 2009, KMOT began operation as a [[digital television in the United States|digital-only]] station on its existing channel frequency.

KMOT picked up [[MeTV]] in April 2013, with an official launch date of May 1, 2013.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://northpine.com/|title=NorthPine: Upper Midwest Broadcasting|website=northpine.com}}</ref>

On November 20, 2013, Hoak announced the sale of most of its stations, including KMOT, to [[Gray Television]]. Gray initially planned, through Excalibur Broadcasting, to also acquire Fox affiliate [[KNDB|KXND]] from Prime Cities Broadcasting and operate it under a [[shared services]] agreement, which would have made it a sister station to KMOT.<ref name=tvnc-saletogray>{{cite news|title=Gray Buying Hoak, Prime Stations For $342.5M|url=http://www.tvnewscheck.com/article/72138/gray-buying-hoak-prime-stations-for-3425m|access-date=November 20, 2013|newspaper=TVNewsCheck|date=November 20, 2013}}</ref> On March 25, 2014, Prime Cities Broadcasting requested that the FCC dismiss the sale of KXND to Excalibur;<ref name=fcc-kndxsalecanceled>{{cite web|last=Paxson|first=Ann Thomas|title=Re: Prime Cities Broadcasting, Inc. Request for Dismissal of Group Application for Assignment of Broadcast Station License(s)…|url=https://cdbs.recnet.com/corres/?doc=48158|format=PDF|work=CDBS Public Access|publisher=[[Federal Communications Commission]]|access-date=March 26, 2014|date=March 25, 2014}}</ref> Gray would instead acquire the non-license assets of KXND, as well as the license of Williston repeater KXND-LP.<ref name=tvnc-graykndxnonlicenseandld>{{cite news|title=Gray Adds North And South Dakota TVs|url=http://www.tvnewscheck.com/article/76006/gray-adds-north-and-south-dakota-tvs|access-date=December 4, 2014|work=TVNewsCheck|date=May 1, 2014}}</ref> The sale of the Hoak stations was completed on June 13;<ref>[http://rbr.com/gray-closes-hoak-deal-completes-refinancing/ Gray closes Hoak deal; completes refinancing.], rbr.com, Retrieved June 13, 2014.</ref> at that time, Gray shut down KXND's full-power signal and moved Fox programming to the second digital subchannel of KMOT.<ref name=tvnc-hoakclosed>{{cite web|title=Gray Completes Hoak-Prime Station Buy|url=http://www.tvnewscheck.com/article/77062/gray-completes-hoakprime-station-buy|website=TVNewsCheck|access-date=June 16, 2014}}</ref>

==Newscasts==
{{further|KFYR-TV#News operation}}
KMOT produces its own newscasts from Monday through Friday weekdays at 6 and 10 p.m., and rebroadcasts KFYR-TV's other newscasts.

KUMV airs its own newscasts from Monday through Friday at 6 and 10 p.m. The first 10 minutes (which includes regional news and weather) originate at KMOT. KUMV has its own news and sports anchor who fill the remaining 20 minutes. It simulcasts KMOT/KFYR's other newscasts.

From 2002 to 2007, KMOT was forced to cut its newscasts to 20 minutes while simulcasting the first 10 minutes of KFYR-TV's 6 and 10&nbsp;p.m. newscasts, much as KUMV does now. In January 2007, KMOT began airing full 30-minute newscasts at 6 and 10 p.m. once again. It also added a weatherman and photographer/reporter to the staff.

The stations occasionally share stories with co-owned KVLY-TV. The five stations simulcast major North Dakota sporting events and statewide political debates under the NBC North Dakota brand name and share certain equipment, such as remote broadcasting vehicles. On April 30, 2012, NBC North Dakota began broadcasting its local newscasts in high definition.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.kfyrtv.com/News_Stories.asp?news=56743|title=KFYR-TV Makes the Conversion to HD}}{{Dead link|date=February 2025 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>

NBC North Dakota has long dominated the ratings in western North Dakota as a whole; the main stations and their semi-satellites count as one station for ratings and regulatory purposes. However, KMOT has spent most of its history as a distant runner-up to [[KXMC-TV]] in the northern half of the market.

The Fox-affiliated subchannel debuted ''West Dakota Fox News at Nine'' during October 2014, originating from KFYR's studios in Bismarck.

==Technical information==
===Subchannels===
The station's signal is [[Multiplex (TV)|multiplexed]]:
{| class="wikitable"
|+ Subchannels of KMOT<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.rabbitears.info/market.php?request=station_search&callsign=KMOT#station|title=RabbitEars TV Query for KMOT|website=RabbitEars|access-date=August 19, 2022}}</ref>
! scope = "col" | [[Digital subchannel#United States|Channel]]
! scope = "col" | [[Display resolution|Res.]]
! scope = "col" | [[Aspect ratio (image)|Aspect]]
! scope = "col" | Short name
! scope = "col" | Programming
|-
! scope = "row" | 10.1 
| [[1080i]] || rowspan=3| [[16:9]] || KMOT-DT || [[NBC]]
|-
! scope = "row" | 10.2 
| [[720p]] || WD FOX || [[Fox Broadcasting Company|Fox]]
|-
! scope = "row" | 10.3 
| [[480i]] || MeTV ND || [[MeTV]]
|}

===Analog-to-digital conversion===
KMOT shut down its analog signal, over [[VHF]] channel 10, on January 19, 2009. The station's digital signal relocated from its pre-transition [[UHF]] channel 58, which was among the high band UHF channels (52-69) that were removed from broadcasting use as a result of the transition, to its analog-era VHF channel 10 for post-transition operations.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DA-06-1082A2.pdf |title=DTV Tentative Channel Designations for the First and the Second Rounds |access-date=March 24, 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130829004251/http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DA-06-1082A2.pdf |archive-date=August 29, 2013 }}</ref>

==See also==
* [[KFYR-TV]]
* [[KQCD-TV]]
* [[KUMV-TV]]
* [[KVLY-TV]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
* {{Official website|https://www.kfyrtv.com/}}

{{Bismarck-Minot TV}}
{{TV Stations North Dakota}}
{{Gray TV}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kmot}}
[[Category:1958 establishments in North Dakota]]
[[Category:Fox Broadcasting Company affiliates]]
[[Category:Gray Media]]
[[Category:MeTV affiliates]]
[[Category:NBC affiliates]]
[[Category:Television channels and stations established in 1958]]
[[Category:Television stations in Minot, North Dakota|MOT]]