KPAX-TV

KPAX-TV (channel 8) is a television station in Missoula, Montana, United States, affiliated with CBS and The CW Plus. Owned by the E. W. Scripps Company, it is part of the Montana Television Network, a statewide network of CBS-affiliated stations. KPAX-TV's studios are located on West Central Avenue in Missoula, and its transmitter is located on TV Mountain north of the city.

Not to be confused with Pax TV.
KPAX-TV
Channels
BrandingKPAX 8; MTN News
Missoula/Flathead CW 8.2
Programming
Affiliations8.1: CBS (1970–present;
secondary 1976−1984)/MTN
8.2: CW+
8.3: Grit
8.4: Ion Television
8.5: Court TV
Ownership
Owner
History
First air date
May 9, 1970 (1970-05-09) (satellite of KXLF-TV until 1977)
Former channel number(s)
Analog:
8 (VHF, 1970–2009)
ABC (1970–1990; secondary 1970–1976 and 1984–1990)
Technical information
Licensing authority
FCC
Facility ID35455
ERP22.5 kW
HAAT653.5 m (2,144 ft)
Transmitter coordinates47°1′2.1″N 114°0′50.5″W
Links
Public license information
Websitewww.kpax.com
Satellite station
KAJJ-CD
Channels
BrandingKAJ 18; MTN News
Programming
Affiliations18.1: CBS/MTN
18.2: CW+
18.3: Grit
18.4: Ion Television
18.5: Court TV
Ownership
Owner
  • E. W. Scripps Company
  • (Scripps Broadcasting Holdings LLC)
History
First air date
July 10, 1985 (1985-07-10)
Former call signs
K18AJ (1982–2011)
KAJJ-CA (2011–2012)
Former channel number(s)
Analog:
18 (UHF, 1985–2012)
Digital:
39 (UHF, 2012–2018)
Call sign meaning
derived from former K18AJ call sign
Technical information
Facility ID35453
ClassCD
ERP9.55 kW
HAAT805 m (2,641 ft)
Transmitter coordinates48°8′48″N 114°21′58″W
Links
Public license information
Websitewww.kpax.com/news/local-news/flathead-county

KAJJ-CD (channel 18) in Kalispell operates as a low-power, Class A semi-satellite of KPAX-TV; known on-air as KAJ, it broadcasts the same schedule as KPAX, but with local commercials and news segments. To comply with the requirements of its Class A license, KAJJ also produces its own weeknight 5:30 and 10 p.m. newscasts with a separate anchor, which premiered in 2010.

History

The signal of KXLF-TV in Butte had been received in Missoula since 1958, when a translator was set up in the Rattlesnake Valley,[3] but KXLF-TV itself was approved to set up a translator station in Missoula in December 1965, at the same time that KMSO-TV of Missoula was allowed to build a translator in Butte, which began broadcasting in February 1966.[4][5]

Joe Sample, owner of KXLF-TV, applied to build a full-power satellite of the station for Missoula on October 15, 1969 through subsidiary Garryowen Butte TV. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) granted the construction permit on December 23.[6] KPAX-TV went on the air in two phases: provisionally from a 20-foot (6.1 m) tower on May 9, 1970,[7] and from its full, 257,000-watt facility on June 5.[6]

In January 1977, a former television and appliance store on Regent Street was remodeled into a local studio for KPAX. This allowed KPAX to sever the electronic umbilical cord with KXLF and begin the production of local news and commercials in the city.[8][9] The year before, KXLF-KPAX had become a primary ABC affiliate, with CBS being shared with KGVO-TV/KTVM-TV in the Missoula and Butte areas.[10][11]

In 1984, Sample sold the MTN stations to SJL, Inc. for $20 million.[12] The network became exclusively affiliated with CBS that year; as a result, the airing of ABC programs in Missoula and Butte moved to the Eagle Communications network (KECI, KTVM, and KCFW), which signed an affiliation agreement with the network to air it alongside NBC.[13][14]

MTN was split two years later when the stations outside Billings, including KPAX-TV, were sold to Evening Post Publishing Company, through its Cordillera Communications subsidiary, for $24 million in 1986.[15][16] The hybrid local-state news format that had been used at MTN since 1971 was abolished, with each station beginning to produce full-length local newscasts.

While MTN was changing owners, a low-power TV station was going on the air at Kalispell. Owned by Thom Curtis and Daniel Coon of Billings, stockholders in KOUS-TV in Hardin,[17] K18AJ made its debut on July 10, 1985, and primarily aired programming from the Satellite Program Network.[18] It went silent in mid-1988 and was sold to KPAX-TV,[19] returning to the air in November as a translator with local commercials. In addition, a news reporter was stationed full-time in the Kalispell area;[20] separate evening newscasts have been produced since 2000 for Kalispell. The call sign was altered to KAJJ-CA in 2011 and KAJJ-CD in 2012.

KECI-TV with KCFW in Kalispell generally had the lead in local news in the Missoula market until KPAX-TV surpassed it in 1993, aided by the defection of anchor Jill Valley from KECI.[21] The station began producing a local morning newscast in 1996.[22]

Notable former on-air staff

Technical information

Subchannels

The station's digital signal is multiplexed:

Channel Video Aspect Short name Programming[23][24]
KPAX-TVKAJJ-CDKPAX-TVKAJJ-CD
8.118.11080i16:9KPAX-DTKAJJ-CDMain KPAX-TV programming / CBS
8.218.2720pKPAX-CWKAJJ-CWCW 8.2
8.318.3480iGRIT-TVGrit
8.418.4ION TVIon Television
8.518.5Court TV

Translators
City of license Callsign Channel ERP HAAT Facility ID Transmitter coordinates Owner
Big ArmK11RX-D 110.035 kW−131 m (−430 ft)581447°48′55.7″N 114°19′17.4″WBlacktail TV Tax District
Bitterroot RangeK11IL-D 0.004 kW518 m (1,699 ft)2768347°33′31.7″N 114°32′45.4″WHot Springs TV District
DrummondK20KL-D 200.005 kW−137 m (−449 ft)18307946°37′2.2″N 113°10′55.5″WGranite County TV District
FerndaleK12LO-D 120.008 kW87 m (285 ft)6428148°4′4.3″N 114°2′19.3″WSwann Hill TV District
KalispellKAJJ-CD 189.55 kW805 m (2,641 ft)3545348°0′48″N 114°21′58″WE. W. Scripps Company
LibbyK22KS-D 220.431 kW84 m (276 ft)3721448°26′19.8″N 115°31′40.5″WLibby Video Club, Inc.
PhillipsburgK17JS-D 170.015 kW465 m (1,526 ft)18306346°15′48.8″N 113°15′2.9″WGranite County TV District
Plains-ParadiseK05GM-D 50.017 kW32 m (105 ft)5278047°31′29.7″N 114°57′31.4″WPlains-Paradise TV District
PolsonK11HO-D 110.04 kW7 m (23 ft)5291147°40′38.8″N 114°8′33.2″WBlacktail TV Tax District
Thompson FallsK07FL-D 70.033 kW309 m (1,014 ft)6696447°32′27″N 115°19′5″WThompson Falls TV District
K17MQ-D 170.053 kW−270 m (−886 ft)18190647°35′45″N 115°16′51″W
Trout Creek, etc.K08OZ-D 80.019 kW239 m (784 ft)18155547°57′17.9″N 115°40′14.9″WGranite County TV District
St. RegisK10HM 10 (analog)0.024 kW−205 m (−673 ft)6217147°19′7.7″N 115°7′7.5″WSt. Regis TV Tax District
SulaK03IA-D 30.005 kW111 m (364 ft)18157747°49′17.5″N 113°59′41″WSula TV District
SuperiorK11FF-D 11−99 m (−325 ft)6403247°10′30″N 114°55′3.7″WSuperior TV Translator District
West GlacierK10LH-D 100.018 kW628 m (2,060 ft)1675348°25′58.8″N 113°57′58.4″WFriends of KSPS
Woods BayK22MG-D 220.173 kW−45 m (−148 ft)580848°1′14.8″N 114°3′33.4″WBlacktail TV Tax District
Leadore, IDK11BD-D 110.003 kW−276 m (−906 ft)3686044°42′29.7″N 113°20′3.1″WSalmon TV Translator District
K25PY-D 250.168 kW−245 m (−804 ft)18664744°40′1.7″N 113°21′3.1″W
Lemhi, etc., IDK05BE-D 50.013 kW525 m (1,722 ft)5870844°52′29.7″N 113°32′43.1″W
K34CB-D 340.07 kW414 m (1,358 ft)5870144°40′1.7″N 113°21′3.1″W
Salmon, IDK08PI-D 80.018 kW−185 m (−607 ft)5870045°04′4.7″N 113°52′33.2″W
K32NQ-D 320.11 kW846 m (2,776 ft)5871045°08′44.7″N 114°0′33.2″W

Analog-to-digital conversion

KPAX-TV shut down its analog signal, over VHF channel 8, on June 12, 2009, the official date in which full-power television stations in the United States transitioned from analog to digital broadcasts under federal mandate.[25] The station's digital signal remained on its pre-transition VHF channel 7.[26] Through the use of PSIP, digital television receivers display the station's virtual channel as its former VHF analog channel 8.

References
  1. "Channel Substitution/Community of License Change". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission. December 21, 2021. Retrieved December 22, 2021.
  2. "Report & Order", Media Bureau, Federal Communications Commission, 29 November 2022, Retrieved 12 January 2023.
  3. "Notice to TV Viewers..." The Daily Missoulian. Missoula, Montana. October 2, 1958. p. 5. Retrieved June 10, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. "New television translator at Butte okayed". Montana Standard-Post. December 3, 1965. p. 8. Archived from the original on October 30, 2021. Retrieved October 30, 2021.
  5. "Now a Maximum Power Translator Brings the Finest TV to Missoula: KXLF-TV Butte". The Missoulian. Missoula, Montana. February 20, 1966. p. 35. Retrieved June 10, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. "FCC History Cards for KPAX-TV". Retrieved June 9, 2022 – via FCC Licensing and Management System.
  7. "KPAX-TV goes on the ether". The Montana Standard. Butte, Montana. May 10, 1970. p. 19. Retrieved June 10, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. "KPAX Plans Missoula Studio". The Missoulian. Missoula, Montana. January 8, 1977. p. 3-A. Retrieved June 10, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. "Lights, Camera, Action". The Missoulian. Missoula, Montana. March 13, 1977. p. 43. Retrieved June 10, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. "In Brief" (PDF). Broadcasting. June 7, 1976. p. 24. Retrieved October 4, 2015.
  11. "KPAX, KXLF Are ABC Affiliates". The Missoulian. June 19, 1976. p. 2-A. Archived from the original on November 1, 2021. Retrieved November 1, 2021.
  12. "Changing Hands" (PDF). Broadcasting. January 16, 1984. p. 138. Retrieved September 29, 2015.
  13. Nell, William (June 15, 1984). "ABC deal could delay TV station in Bozeman". The Billings Gazette. pp. 1A, 14A. Archived from the original on November 2, 2021. Retrieved November 7, 2021.
  14. "Butte to get full-time CBS". The Montana Standard. Associated Press. May 6, 1984. p. 26. Archived from the original on October 21, 2021. Retrieved October 21, 2021.
  15. "Changing Hands" (PDF). Broadcasting. September 29, 1986. p. 78. Retrieved September 29, 2015.
  16. "3 Montana TV stations to be sold". The Billings Gazette. September 20, 1986. p. 7-A. Archived from the original on October 21, 2021. Retrieved October 21, 2021.
  17. "In re Applications … For Construction Permit for a New Television Station Billings, Montana". Federal Communications Commission. October 6, 1987. Retrieved October 4, 2015. Curtis and Coon each own a 50% in Telecrafter Broadcasting Corporation, licensee of LPTV station K18AJ, Kalispell, Montana.
  18. "New low-power TV station on air". The Daily Inter Lake. Kalispell, Montana. July 16, 1985. p. 4 – via NewspaperArchive.
  19. "New ownership". The Missoulian. Missoula, Montana. October 9, 1988. p. B-2. Retrieved June 10, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  20. "KPAX satellite station to broadcast locally". The Missoulian. Missoula, Montana. November 13, 1988. p. C1. Retrieved June 10, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  21. McInally, Mike (January 5, 1994). "KPAX ratings surge past KECI". The Missoulian. Missoula, Montana. p. D-2. Retrieved June 10, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  22. "KPAX plans morning newscast". The Missoulian. Missoula, Montana. July 10, 1996. p. D1. Retrieved June 10, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  23. RabbitEars TV Query for KPAX
  24. RabbitEars TV Query for KAJJ-CD
  25. Eggerton, John (2009-06-29). "Boise Station Gets Power Boost". Broadcasting & Cable. Retrieved 2009-07-01.
  26. "DTV Tentative Channel Designations for the First and the Second Rounds" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2013-08-29. Retrieved 2012-03-24.
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