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KATH-LD, virtual channel 2 (UHF digital channel 35), is a low-power NBC-affiliated television station licensed to both Juneau and Douglas, Alaska, United States. The station is owned by Gray Television. KATH-LD's transmitter is located in downtown Juneau.

KSCT-LP (virtual channel 2, VHF digital channel 5) in Sitka is a translator of KATH-LD, broadcasting from a transmitter in downtown Sitka. Programming is identical to KATH-LD with both stations being fed from the studios of sister station KTUU-TV (channel 2) in Anchorage.

On cable, KATH-LD is carried on GCI in Juneau on channel 15, on Dish Network throughout Southeast Alaska on channel 5/9380, and on DirecTV throughout Southeast Alaska on channel 4. KATH-LD's high definition feed is also available on GCI's basic service on digital channel 652 in Juneau, Sitka, Ketchikan, Petersburg and Wrangell. KATH-LD's standard-definition signal is also on GCI cable in Petersburg, Wrangell and Angoon. Daily Alaska news is provided through a partnership with KTUU-TV.

History

KSCT-LP was the first of the two stations to go on the air, signing on May 1, 1995, as a Fox affiliate owned by Dan Etulain, who previously owned KTNL (channel 13) from 1983 to 1992. KSCT-LP had operated as a cable-only station since December 9, 1994; during that period, Fox's primetime programming was seen in the afternoon, though it was moved into primetime concurrently with channel 5's sign on. KSCT-LP affiliated with Fox because, at the time, it was the only one of the Big Four television networks that was willing to affiliate with low-power television stations. Initially, most of KSCT-LP's non-Fox programming was supplied by National Empowerment Television, though it also broadcast some local programming; after NET moved to a satellite that the station could not receive, its programming was replaced with Channel America, Outdoor Channel, and American Independent Network on December 1, 1995. By this time, KSCT-LP had added a secondary affiliation with The WB. The station was originally assigned the call letters K05KH; it officially became KSCT-LP on November 20, 1995, though it had promoted itself as "KSCT" since its launch.

In June 1998, Etulain announced that he would launch KATH-LP as Juneau's NBC affiliate that July; KSCT-LP had switched to NBC by this time as well. Delays in receiving equipment required to place the station on GCI's lineup postponed the launch of the station to August 17, 1998. NBC programming was previously only available in Juneau via cable carriage of Seattle's KING-TV; however, KING was not carried on the basic cable tier, unlike KATH-LP. KATH-LP supplemented NBC programming with blocks of local programming, which generally consisted of pre-recorded coverage of community events and high school sports; at its launch, the station did not air any local newscasts. Juneau's existing stations, ABC affiliate KJUD (channel 8) and PBS station KTOO-TV (channel 3), were at the time part of the statewide Alaska's SuperStation and AlaskaOne networks respectively, with limited local programming. Shortly after KATH-LP's launch, Etulain purchased K05JR, which had been licensed in 1994; the sale was completed on May 26, 1999. K05JR and KSCT-LP continued their secondary WB affiliations until early 1999; at that time, K05JR added a secondary UPN affiliation. K05JR's call sign was changed to KATH-LP on November 15, 2001; it had been calling itself "KATH" on the air since its sale to Etulain. By early 2003, KATH-LP was simulcasting local newscasts from KTUU-TV in Anchorage. KATH-LD ended analog over-the-air broadcasts in November 2011.

On November 9, 2012, GCI, through subsidiary Denali Media Holdings, announced plans to purchase KATH-LD and KSCT-LP from Dan Etulain's North Star Television Network, along with KTVA in Anchorage from MediaNews Group. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) approved the deal on October 29, 2013. KATH-LD's news partnership with KTUU-TV was suspended on December 7, 2013, as a result of a larger dispute between GCI and KTUU, but a deal to resume it was reached on February 6, 2014.

KSCT-LP began broadcasting a digital over-the-air TV signal in January 2018.

Denali Media Holdings announced the sale of KATH-LD and KSCT-LP to Gray Television on May 28, 2020. The sale made KATH-LD and KSCT-LP sister stations to KTUU-TV and KYES-TV in Anchorage and KTVF in Fairbanks, and gave Gray a monopoly on NBC programming throughout Alaska. The sale was completed on July 31.

Digital channel

The stations digital signal carries one subchannel:

References

1. "Facility Technical Data for KATH-LD". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission.
2. "Facility Technical Data for KSCT-LP". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission.
3. ^ Haugland, Shannon (April 28, 1995). "TV Watchers to Receive Broader Viewing". Daily Sitka Sentinel. p. 13. Retrieved April 6, 2016.
4. ^ "New TV Station On Air in Sitka". Daily Sitka Sentinel. December 30, 1994. p. 7. Retrieved April 6, 2016.
5. ^ "Local Station Changes Schedule". Daily Sitka Sentinel. November 30, 1995. p. 4. Retrieved April 6, 2016.
6. "Call Sign History (KSCT-LP)". CDBS Public Access. Federal Communications Commission. Retrieved April 6, 2016.
7. ^ "Juneau-based television station to hit airwaves soon". Juneau Empire. June 26, 1998. Archived from the original on April 22, 2016. Retrieved April 6, 2016.
8. ^ "New local television station to hit airwaves Monday". Juneau Empire. August 16, 1998. Archived from the original on April 22, 2016. Retrieved April 6, 2016.
9. ^ "Application Search Details (DKATH-LP, 1)". CDBS Public Access. Federal Communications Commission. Retrieved April 6, 2016.
10. ^ "Call Sign History (DKATH-LP)". CDBS Public Access. Federal Communications Commission. Retrieved April 6, 2016.
11. "Application Search Details (DKATH-LP, 2)". CDBS Public Access. Federal Communications Commission. Retrieved April 6, 2016.
12. Smith, Doug (March 1999). "TV News" (PDF). VHF-UHF Digest. p. 10. Retrieved April 6, 2016.
13. Krueger, Andrew (March 6, 2003). "What's up with that?". Juneau Empire. Retrieved April 6, 2016.
14. Burke, Jill (October 30, 2013). "GCI wins out in FCC fight over acquisition of Alaska TV stations". Alaska Dispatch. Retrieved October 31, 2013.
15. "KTUU service in Southeast to change". Juneau Empire. December 6, 2013. Retrieved December 10, 2013.
16. "Agreement finalized, KTUU-TV programming to return to rural Alaska on GCI cable systems". KTUU.com. February 6, 2014. Archived from the original on February 7, 2014. Retrieved February 7, 2014.
17. "GCI announces sale of TV stations in Southeast markets". KINY. Retrieved May 29, 2020.
18. "KTUU Expands into Southeast Alaska and KYES Launches "CBS5 Anchorage"". KTUU.com. July 31, 2020. Retrieved August 3, 2020.
19. "KATH-LD JUNEAU-DOUGLAS, AK". rabbitears.info.

External links

• Official website

• 1998 establishments in Alaska
• NBC affiliates
• Television channels and stations established in 1998
• Television stations in Juneau, Alaska
• Low-power television stations in Alaska