KOTA-TV

KOTA-TV is a broadcast television station based in Rapid City, South Dakota, and affiliated with the ABC network. It serves a broad regional audience across western South Dakota, eastern Wyoming, northern Wyoming, and parts of eastern Montana. The station describes this large service area as “KOTA Territory.” Its main studios and transmitter are located on Skyline Drive in Rapid City, and its programming is distributed through full-power satellite stations, including KHSD-TV in Lead, South Dakota, and KSGW-TV in Sheridan, Wyoming. The KOTA-TV identity originated in 1955, when the station became the first television broadcaster in western South Dakota. It was established by Helen Duhamel alongside KOTA radio and initially operated as a primary CBS affiliate, while also carrying programming from NBC and ABC. The station’s network relationships changed repeatedly as the regional television market developed. It shared or carried ABC and NBC programming at different times, adopted a joint CBS-ABC configuration in 1965, moved to NBC as its primary affiliation in 1970, and later returned to ABC in 1984. The modern KOTA-TV operation is the result of a major 2016 station and license realignment involving the former KOTA-TV and KEVN-TV facilities. KEVN had begun broadcasting on channel 7 in 1958 as an NBC affiliate and later became a Fox station. After Gray Television acquired the former KOTA operation from Schurz Communications and consolidated it with KEVN, Gray transferred the KOTA call letters, ABC affiliation, programming, staff, and intellectual property to the channel 7 facility. The former KOTA facility became KHME and adopted MeTV-related programming, while the former KEVN intellectual unit moved to low-power channel 23 and became KEVN-LD. The reorganization preserved the KOTA brand and ABC affiliation while changing the physical broadcast facility associated with them. KOTA-TV is operated alongside Gray-owned sister stations KHME and KEVN-LD. Its satellite arrangement allows the KOTA signal and programming to reach communities that are difficult to serve from Rapid City alone. KHSD-TV functions as a full-time repeater in the Black Hills, while KSGW-TV serves Sheridan and nearby areas in Wyoming. The station also has a substantial local news operation. KOTA and its associated facilities use the KOTA Territory identity across the regional operation, emphasizing geographic reach rather than relying solely on network affiliation in consumer-facing branding. The station’s programming mix consists of ABC network content, locally produced news, weather, sports and public-affairs material, syndicated programming, and digital-subchannel services distributed through the wider station group. KOTA’s current local news schedule includes weekday early-evening and prime-time broadcasts as well as weekend editions. Its historical news strategy has been shaped by the market’s unusual network configuration: the Fox-affiliated KEVN-LD operation produces a prominent 9 p.m. newscast, while KOTA and KEVN share elements of the broader newsroom and regional brand. In July 2024, the separate “Black Hills Fox” branding used by KEVN was discontinued in favor of the shared KOTA Territory presentation.

KOTA-TV began broadcasting in 1955 as the first television station in western South Dakota. Helen Duhamel owned the station together with KOTA radio. Its original network arrangement made it primarily a CBS outlet, with additional NBC and ABC programming. As the Rapid City market developed, KOTA’s affiliations changed several times. It carried NBC until 1958, shared ABC programming with KRSD-TV, adopted a joint CBS-ABC primary arrangement in 1965, and became primarily affiliated with NBC in 1970 after the collapse of KRSD-TV’s technical and regulatory position. A separate channel 7 station, KRSD-TV, launched in 1958 under the ownership of the Heart of the Black Hills Stations. Persistent technical deficiencies led to repeated complaints from viewers, network officials, and the Federal Communications Commission. FCC inspections documented serious violations, and in 1971 the commission denied renewal of the KRSD-TV and KDSJ-TV licenses. The stations remained in operation under temporary authority while a replacement licensee was found, but they ultimately ceased broadcasting in February 1976. Dakota Broadcasting Company received authorization for replacement channel 7 and channel 5 facilities. The new stations, KEVN-TV and KIVV-TV, launched in July 1976 as full-time ABC affiliates. KOTA then became primarily NBC, with a secondary CBS arrangement that continued until a separate CBS service became available. In 1984, KEVN assumed the NBC affiliation and KOTA reclaimed ABC. The change reflected NBC’s dissatisfaction with programming preemptions by KOTA and aligned KEVN with the network position of its sister station in Sioux Falls. KEVN and KIVV changed ownership several times. Dakota Broadcasting sold them, together with KDLT-TV, to Heritage Communications in 1985. Following corporate restructuring associated with Tele-Communications Inc., the television assets were placed under the Heritage Media banner. In the mid-1990s, KEVN was sold to Blackstar, a minority-controlled ownership structure with nonvoting interests held by Fox Television Stations and Silver King Communications. KEVN became a Fox affiliate in July 1996, replacing NBC programming, which subsequently appeared on other stations in the market. USA Broadcasting acquired Blackstar in 1998 and later sold KEVN and KIVV to Mission TV. KEVN entered Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in November 2003 in a dispute involving its largest creditor. The station’s programming and daily operations continued during the proceeding, and it emerged from bankruptcy in 2005. In 2007, the station replaced the “KEVN Fox 7” identity with “Black Hills Fox.” Gray Television acquired KEVN-TV and KIVV-TV in 2014. Gray’s acquisition of Schurz Communications’ television properties in 2015 brought the original KOTA-TV operation into the same ownership group. Rather than operate two competing full-power identities in the same market, Gray reorganized the facilities in February 2016. The KOTA intellectual unit—including its call letters, ABC affiliation, programming, employees, and brand—moved to the former KEVN channel 7 facility. That facility adopted virtual channel 3 while continuing to transmit on RF channel 7. The former KOTA facility changed its call sign to KHME and became a MeTV-oriented station. The KEVN identity moved to low-power KEVN-LD on virtual channel 7, with Fox programming continuing through the reorganized operation. The same realignment affected the Lead satellite facilities. The KHSD intellectual unit moved to the former KEVN satellite, KIVV, while the former KHSD facility became KQME and served the KHME operation. KOTA’s wider distribution network now includes KHSD-TV in Lead and KSGW-TV in Sheridan, Wyoming. A proposed NBC subchannel on KSGW-TV was removed in 2019 after KNBN asserted exclusive rights to NBC programming in the Sheridan portion of the market. KOTA’s news operation has evolved alongside these ownership and affiliation changes. The associated KEVN newsroom developed a prime-time 9 p.m. newscast in 1998, expanded it to an hour by 2001, and moved an early-evening broadcast to 6 p.m. in 2008 under the title The Six. KOTA-TV currently produces local news and related programming for the regional audience, with the combined stations emphasizing the KOTA Territory identity. In July 2024, Gray retired the separate Black Hills Fox branding from KEVN-LD and its simulcasts, reinforcing a unified regional presentation while retaining ABC and Fox network services.

• 2024

  KOTA Territory branding expands across the operation

  [1]KOTA-TVen.wikipedia.org

  The Black Hills Fox identity is discontinued for KEVN-LD and related simulcasts, leaving KOTA Territory as the shared regional presentation.

• 2019

  NBC subchannel is removed from KSGW-TV

  [1]KOTA-TVen.wikipedia.org

  Gray removes the KCWY-DT NBC subchannel from KSGW-TV after a market exclusivity dispute involving KNBN.

• 2016

  KOTA identity moves to channel 7

  [1]KOTA-TVen.wikipedia.org

  The KOTA call letters, ABC affiliation, programming, and staff move to the former KEVN facility.

• 2014

  Gray acquires KEVN

  [1]KOTA-TVen.wikipedia.org

  Gray Television completes its purchase of KEVN-TV and KIVV-TV.

• 2003

  KEVN files for Chapter 11 protection

  [1]KOTA-TVen.wikipedia.org

  KEVN enters bankruptcy protection during a creditor dispute; operations continue and the station later exits bankruptcy.

• 1996

  KEVN becomes a Fox affiliate

  [1]KOTA-TVen.wikipedia.org

  KEVN switches from NBC to Fox, while NBC programming moves to other local facilities.

• 1984

  KOTA returns to ABC

  [1]KOTA-TVen.wikipedia.org

  KEVN takes NBC and KOTA resumes the ABC affiliation formerly associated with KEVN.

• 1976

  KEVN and KIVV launch

  [1]KOTA-TVen.wikipedia.org

  Replacement channel 7 and channel 5 facilities begin operation after KRSD-TV and KDSJ-TV shut down.

• 1970

  KOTA becomes primarily affiliated with NBC

  [1]KOTA-TVen.wikipedia.org

  Following the regulatory decline of KRSD-TV, KOTA takes the NBC affiliation and carries secondary CBS programming.

• 1965

  KOTA adopts joint CBS-ABC primary status

  [1]KOTA-TVen.wikipedia.org

  The station operates with both CBS and ABC as primary network affiliations.

• 1955

  KOTA-TV begins broadcasting

  [1]KOTA-TVen.wikipedia.org

  KOTA-TV signs on in Rapid City as the first television station in western South Dakota.

A regional broadcast television brand centered on local news and ABC programming for the Black Hills and a large multi-state viewing area.

• Local television news

  KOTA-TV local news

  KOTA-TV produces regional newscasts focused on Rapid City, the Black Hills, western South Dakota, and surrounding parts of Wyoming and Montana. The broader operation includes early-evening, prime-time, weekend, weather, and breaking-news coverage. Its associated Fox facility, KEVN-LD, is known for a prominent 9 p.m. local newscast that is integrated into the market’s shared newsroom structure.

• Broadcast television affiliation · 1984

  ABC network programming

  KOTA-TV carries programming supplied by the ABC television network, including entertainment, news, sports, and special-event content. The ABC affiliation has been associated with the KOTA identity at different points in the station’s history and was restored to the KOTA operation in 1984.

• Regional broadcast brand

  KOTA Territory

  KOTA Territory is the shared regional identity used by KOTA-TV and related Gray-owned operations. The branding highlights the station’s unusually large multi-state coverage area rather than limiting its positioning to Rapid City or a single network affiliation.

• Television transmission · 1966

  Satellite distribution

  KOTA programming is distributed through satellite stations including KHSD-TV in Lead, South Dakota, and KSGW-TV in Sheridan, Wyoming. These facilities extend the station’s over-the-air reach into the Black Hills and northern Wyoming.

• 1971

  FCC denies renewal of KRSD-TV and KDSJ-TV licenses

  The FCC denied renewal of the predecessor channel 7 and channel 5 licenses after years of documented technical violations and complaints about signal quality. The decision was historically notable because it resulted in the shutdown of television stations for technical noncompliance.

  Source

Read more

• 2024KOTA Territory unified branding

  Western South Dakota · Northern Wyoming · Eastern Wyoming · Eastern Montana

  Gray ended the separate Black Hills Fox presentation used by KEVN-LD and its simulcasts and emphasized KOTA Territory as the shared regional identity for the linked stations.

  Outcome. The stations retained their separate network programming while presenting a more unified local-market brand.

  Source

• 2019

  Gray removes KCWY programming from KSGW-TVOther

  Background

  KSGW-TV carried a subchannel associated with KCWY-DT, the NBC affiliate in Casper, but Sheridan also fell within the Rapid City market.

  Action taken

  Gray removed the KCWY NBC subchannel from KSGW-TV after KNBN asserted exclusive NBC programming rights in Sheridan.

  Aftermath

  KSGW-TV no longer carried the KCWY subchannel in the Sheridan market.

  • KNBN — KNBN asserted exclusive rights to NBC programming in Sheridan and supported its position with the network.

  Source

• 2016

  Gray reorganizes KOTA and KEVN facilitiesStrategy

  Background

  After Gray acquired both operations, it sought to consolidate their programming, personnel, affiliations, and physical facilities.

  Action taken

  Gray moved the KOTA intellectual unit to the former KEVN channel 7 facility and moved KEVN to low-power channel 23. The former KOTA facility became KHME.

  Aftermath

  KOTA retained the ABC affiliation and became associated with virtual channel 3 while transmitting on RF channel 7; KEVN continued as a Fox-branded low-power service.

  Source

• 1996

  KEVN switches from NBC to FoxStrategy

  Background

  Before the change, Fox programming in the Rapid City market was primarily available through cable carriage of distant services.

  Action taken

  KEVN became a full-time Fox affiliate, replacing NBC programming.

  Aftermath

  NBC programming moved to other local stations, while KOTA remained the market’s ABC station.

  Source

• 1984

  KOTA and KEVN exchange ABC and NBC affiliationsStrategy

  Background

  NBC had become dissatisfied with KOTA’s local programming preemptions, while KEVN was positioned to take the network affiliation.

  Action taken

  KEVN assumed NBC and KOTA took over ABC, restoring the ABC identity to KOTA.

  Aftermath

  The arrangement established the network identities that largely shaped the two stations until the later Fox transition and 2016 facility realignment.

  Source

1. 1KOTA-TVen.wikipedia.org