KCPM

KCPM was a former television station licensed to Grand Forks, North Dakota, operating on UHF channel 27. The station served the Grand Forks market and nearby areas of eastern North Dakota and northwestern Minnesota. It was owned by Central Plains Media, the Sioux Falls-based broadcasting company associated with Chuck Poppen, and ultimately operated as a semi-satellite of independent station KCPO-LP in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. KCPM carried distinct local commercial messages and station identifications and, at times, different syndicated programming from its Sioux Falls counterpart because of Federal Communications Commission market requirements and its separate network affiliation. KCPM was created to provide a full-time UPN outlet in North Dakota. Before its launch, UPN programming in the region was available through cable carriage of Minneapolis–Saint Paul station KMSP-TV or through limited arrangements with other local stations. The station was initially expected to launch around 2000, but the original construction permit was sold to Catamount Broadcasting of Fargo and became associated with KXJC-LP instead. KCPM eventually began full-power operation in 2003 and became North Dakota's first full-time UPN affiliate. The station's network identity changed during the 2006 restructuring of the American television network system. When UPN and The WB announced their merger into The CW, KCPM did not join The CW. Instead, it selected MyNetworkTV, a programming service launched by News Corporation in response to the UPN–WB combination. KCPM ended its UPN affiliation when MyNetworkTV began operations in September 2006. The CW was subsequently made available in the market through a digital subchannel of WDAY-TV and later WDAZ-TV, replacing the former cable-only WBFG service. KCPM's later history was marked by prolonged technical, financial, and regulatory difficulties. The station filed notices concerning the suspension or cessation of terrestrial operations in 2008, citing economic conditions. Although it remained available through certain cable systems, its over-the-air service was inconsistent. The station's analog signal ended during the transition to digital television, and KCPM later pursued authority to resume digital broadcasting at reduced power. Its authorized transmitter site became unavailable in December 2014, and the station did not timely resolve its licensing and facilities issues. KCPM asserted that it had briefly resumed operations in early 2018 using a temporary transmitter, but the FCC later found that the equipment and operating arrangements had not been properly authorized and that the station had not provided licensed service for the required period. In 2018, Gray Television announced an agreement to acquire KCPM, a transaction that would have placed it alongside KVLY-TV and KXJB-LD in the Fargo–Grand Forks region. Gray proposed rebuilding or upgrading the station and considered using reserved call letters KXQK. The transaction became entangled in questions about whether KCPM had actually transmitted from an authorized facility since losing access to its former site. On March 9, 2020, the FCC canceled KCPM's license, deleted its call sign, and dismissed pending applications after determining that the station had failed to transmit from authorized facilities for at least twelve consecutive months. Gray later asked the FCC to restore the license, citing the potential public value of renewed service during the COVID-19 pandemic, including local educational programming and public-affairs coverage. The FCC rejected the request in May 2020, concluding that the pandemic did not justify departing from established licensing precedent and that restoration would also raise continuing local television ownership issues. The former channel 27 allotment was subsequently auctioned in 2022, with BEK Sports Network winning the bidding. A new station, KNGF, eventually began using the allotment in 2023. KCPM therefore remains a defunct broadcast brand rather than an operating television service.

KCPM was established as a full-power television station for Grand Forks, North Dakota, on UHF channel 27. Its original purpose was to fill a regional gap in UPN availability. KMSP-TV in Minneapolis–Saint Paul had been widely carried by cable systems in the Fargo–Grand Forks market, but its move from UPN to Fox threatened to remove that programming from local cable lineups. KCPM was intended to become the area's dedicated UPN outlet. A construction permit originally associated with a planned 2000 launch was sold to Catamount Broadcasting of Fargo and became linked to KXJC-LP. KCPM ultimately launched in 2003 at full power and became North Dakota's first full-time UPN affiliate. The station was owned by Central Plains Media of Sioux Falls, South Dakota, and operated as a semi-satellite of KCPO-LP in Sioux Falls. Although the stations shared much of their programming structure, KCPM maintained separate commercials and station identifications and sometimes carried different syndicated programming. These distinctions reflected both the station's local-market obligations and its separate affiliation with MyNetworkTV. KCPM also operated in a market where cable carriage was especially important because its terrestrial signal did not consistently provide strong coverage across the region. The collapse and restructuring of UPN and The WB changed KCPM's network role. On January 24, 2006, the two networks announced that they would combine to form The CW, which launched in September of that year. KCPM chose not to affiliate with The CW and instead adopted MyNetworkTV, a new network service created by News Corporation. The station replaced its UPN branding with Central Plains Media branding in 2005, introduced a MyNetworkTV identity in 2006, and ended UPN programming when MyNetworkTV launched. The CW was carried in the market through digital subchannels associated with WDAY-TV and WDAZ-TV. KCPM's operating record later became unstable. In February 2008, the station notified the FCC that it intended to cease terrestrial operations, and in May it filed a notice to suspend operations. The owners attributed the suspension to financial conditions. Reports indicated that KCPM remained available through cable providers even when its over-the-air signal was absent. The FCC rejected the proposed cessation, and the station reported a return to terrestrial broadcasting in late 2008. KCPM turned off its analog signal during the digital transition, citing financial hardship, and later sought authority to operate digitally at 11.1 kW. It reported resuming over-the-air service in June 2010. The central regulatory issue arose after KCPM lost access to its licensed transmitter site on December 15, 2014. The station also failed to submit a timely license-renewal application. KCPM claimed that it operated briefly from January 27 through February 3, 2018, using a temporary transmitter. Subsequent FCC review questioned whether that transmitter had been authorized and whether the station had actually provided a licensed broadcast signal for the required period. Affidavits and testimony cited in the regulatory proceeding described reliance on cable or fiber delivery and long-standing uncertainty about the condition and operation of the terrestrial transmitter. The FCC's concern was particularly significant because federal law requires deletion of a station's license when it fails to broadcast for twelve consecutive months from an authorized facility. In February 2018, Gray Television announced an agreement to acquire KCPM. Gray planned to make KCPM a sister station to KVLY-TV and KXJB-LD, rebuild or upgrade the transmitter, and potentially use the call sign KXQK. The proposed acquisition drew scrutiny because the station's operating history after 2014 was disputed. Gray later petitioned the FCC to restore the license, arguing that KCPM could provide useful public service during the COVID-19 pandemic through local school programming, public-affairs coverage, and pandemic information. Gray also discussed possible carriage of Circle programming and expanded Grand Forks-oriented news coverage. The FCC denied the restoration request on May 22, 2020. It stated that the pandemic did not warrant disregarding established licensing precedent and emphasized that the proposed acquisition would also require a permanent waiver of local television ownership rules. On March 9, 2020, the FCC had canceled KCPM's license and deleted its call sign after determining that the station had not transmitted from authorized facilities for at least one year. Gray's proposed acquisition consequently did not result in an operating KCPM station. The former channel 27 allotment was later included in an FCC auction of unused television allotments. BEK Sports Network won the Grand Forks allotment in 2022 with a reported bid of $6.4 million. KNGF began broadcasting in February 2023, replacing the former channel assignment with a new station rather than reviving KCPM. KCPM's low-power translator and construction-permit history also remained separate from the defunct full-power operation; some proposed or associated facilities were never built, and a KCPM-LP license was later canceled.

• 2023

  KNGF launched on the former allotment

  [1]KCPM (TV)en.wikipedia.org

  KNGF began broadcasting on the channel 27 allotment previously associated with KCPM.

• 2022

  The former channel 27 allotment was auctioned

  [1]KCPM (TV)en.wikipedia.org

  BEK Sports Network won the Grand Forks channel 27 allotment in an FCC auction.

• 2020

  The FCC canceled KCPM's license

  [1]KCPM (TV)en.wikipedia.org

  The FCC canceled the license and deleted the call sign after finding that the station had not operated from authorized facilities for the required period.

• 2018

  Gray Television announced a proposed acquisition

  [1]KCPM (TV)en.wikipedia.org

  Gray proposed acquiring KCPM and rebuilding its facilities, but the transaction was not completed.

• 2014

  KCPM lost its licensed transmitter site

  [1]KCPM (TV)en.wikipedia.org

  The station lost access to its authorized transmitter site, beginning the facilities and licensing dispute that eventually led to license cancellation.

• 2010

  KCPM sought reduced-power digital operation

  [1]KCPM (TV)en.wikipedia.org

  The station filed an application to operate digitally at 11.1 kW and reported returning to over-the-air broadcasting.

• 2008

  KCPM suspended and later resumed terrestrial operations

  [1]KCPM (TV)en.wikipedia.org

  The station cited financial conditions in notices concerning a suspension of over-the-air service, later resuming broadcasting after FCC action.

• 2006

  The station changed from UPN to MyNetworkTV

  [1]KCPM (TV)en.wikipedia.org

  KCPM rejected The CW and became affiliated with MyNetworkTV when the new service launched.

• 2003

  KCPM launched as a full-power UPN affiliate

  [1]KCPM (TV)en.wikipedia.org

  KCPM began full-power broadcasting on UHF channel 27 and became North Dakota's first full-time UPN affiliate.

A small-market, full-power broadcast station positioned as a network-affiliated television outlet for Grand Forks and nearby communities, with a business model built around network programming, syndicated content, local advertising, cable carriage, and semi-satellite operations.

• Television broadcasting · 2003

  Broadcast television service

  KCPM operated as a full-power UHF television station serving Grand Forks and nearby areas. Its service combined network programming, syndicated shows, station identifications, local commercial inventory, and cable distribution. The station's terrestrial availability became intermittent during its later years, while cable and fiber arrangements remained important to its practical audience reach.

• Network affiliation · 2003

  UPN affiliation

  UPN was KCPM's original major network affiliation. The station was created in part to replace UPN availability lost after KMSP-TV changed its affiliation, making KCPM the first full-time UPN affiliate in North Dakota.

• Network affiliation · 2006

  MyNetworkTV affiliation

  KCPM became a MyNetworkTV affiliate in September 2006 after declining to join The CW. The affiliation formed the station's principal network identity during its later operating period.

• Digital multicast television · 2015

  Retro TV digital subchannel

  KCPM claimed to carry Retro TV on its third digital subchannel beginning in approximately 2015. The service was part of the station's planned digital multicast offering.

• 2020

  FCC canceled the station licenseOther

  Background

  The FCC examined whether KCPM had transmitted from an authorized facility for the statutory twelve-month period after losing access to its licensed transmitter site.

  Action taken

  The FCC canceled KCPM's license, deleted its call sign, and dismissed pending applications.

  Aftermath

  Gray's proposed acquisition could not proceed as an operating-station transaction. The former channel 27 allotment was later auctioned to a different broadcaster.

  Source

• 2020

  Gray sought restoration of KCPM's licenseStrategy

  Background

  Gray argued that a revived KCPM could provide pandemic information, educational programming, public affairs, and expanded local coverage during COVID-19.

  Action taken

  Gray petitioned the FCC to restore the license using equipment associated with KVLY-TV and proposed possible Circle network programming.

  Aftermath

  The FCC denied the petition, stating that the pandemic did not justify departing from precedent and that local television ownership concerns would remain.

  Source

• 2018

  Gray Television proposed acquiring KCPMM&A

  Background

  KCPM's transmitter and licensing history had become uncertain, while Gray operated other stations in the broader Fargo–Grand Forks region.

  Action taken

  Gray announced a proposed purchase, planned transmitter rebuilding and upgrades, and reserved the call letters KXQK for a possible post-acquisition relaunch.

  Aftermath

  The application drew regulatory scrutiny over KCPM's lack of authorized broadcasting after 2014. The acquisition was not completed before the license was canceled.

  Purchase price. (2018 proposed transaction)

  Source

• 2008

  KCPM sought to suspend terrestrial broadcastingStrategy

  Background

  The owners cited financial conditions and the difficult operating environment for the station.

  Action taken

  KCPM filed notices concerning cessation and suspension of over-the-air operations while remaining available through some cable systems.

  Aftermath

  The FCC rejected the proposed cessation, and the station later reported resuming terrestrial broadcasting.

  Source

• 2006

  KCPM chose MyNetworkTV instead of The CWStrategy

  Background

  UPN and The WB announced a merger into The CW, creating uncertainty for existing affiliates. News Corporation launched MyNetworkTV as an alternative network service.

  Action taken

  KCPM ended its UPN affiliation and joined MyNetworkTV when the new network launched in September 2006.

  Aftermath

  The CW was carried in the market through digital subchannels of WDAY-TV and WDAZ-TV, while KCPM retained a separate MyNetworkTV identity.

  Source

1. 1KCPM (TV)en.wikipedia.org