KULR-TV

KULR-TV (channel 8) is a television station in Billings, Montana, United States, affiliated with NBC and owned by the Cowles Company. The station's studios are located on Overland Avenue in the Homestead Business Park section of Billings, and its transmitter is located on Coburn Hill southeast of downtown.

KULR-TV was the second TV station on the air in Billings; it began broadcasting as KGHL-TV, co-owned with KGHL radio, on March 15, 1958. The station was renamed KULR-TV in 1963 when it was separated from the radio stations. It was an ABC affiliate from 1969 to 1987, when it returned to NBC. KULR-TV was purchased by Max Media in 2004 and by Cowles in 2013. Since the late 1980s, its newscasts have been a distant second-place finisher to KTVQ.

History

The first channel 8 construction permit was awarded on November 21, 1952, to the Rudman-Hayutin Television Company, a consortium of two oil producers.[1] M. B. Rudman surrendered other permits he owned with Hayutin in North Dakota in September 1953 in order to concentrate on the proposed Billings station,[2]

KGHL-TV: Early years

The Midland Empire Broadcasting Company, owner of Billings radio station KGHL (790 AM), applied to the FCC in September 1955 for channel 8.[4] The FCC granted the application on November 23,[5] but it stayed the grant after KOOK-TV (channel 2), the city's other TV station, protested to the commission.[6] In August, FCC hearing examiner James D. Cunningham recommended a grant of the Midland Empire application, noting that while the addition of a second station would cause some economic damage to KOOK-TV, the Billings market could sustain two stations.[7]

The FCC lifted the stay on construction of KGHL-TV on April 19, 1957. Midland Empire Broadcasting Company officials announced they would begin construction immediately on studios co-located with the radio station on Broadway.[8] However, the company instead decided to build new facilities on North 30th Street to house both stations; the KGHL-TV transmitter was also built southeast of Billings.[9][10] KGHL-TV began broadcasting on March 15, 1958, as an affiliate of NBC.

KULR-TV

Midland Empire Broadcasting sold KGHL-AM-TV to Crain-Snyder Television in 1962; Crain-Snyder immediately spun KGHL radio off to George C. Hatch, retaining KGHL-TV.[11] It was decided to let the older radio station keep the KGHL call letters;[12] On January 1, 1963, coinciding with the change in ownership, KGHL-TV became KULR-TV; both halves of the newly split operation made plans to leave the 30th Street site, with channel 8 relocating to studios at the transmitter site on Coburn Hill.[13] KULR also added a secondary affiliation with ABC in 1963.[14]

Paul Crain, one of the two principals in Crain-Snyder Television, died at the age of 43 in 1964.[15] Two years later, Crain-Snyder sold KULR-TV to the Harriscope Broadcasting Corporation, which owned

Dix, Max, and Cowles ownership

Harriscope sold KULR-TV and KTWO-TV in Casper to Dix Communications in 1986 for $12.2 million.[28] At a time when NBC was stronger than ABC, in January 1987, KULR initiated an affiliation switch to NBC, with KOUS-TV picking up ABC; the switch took effect that August.[29][30] Dix also was early to begin digital broadcasting from its stations despite their small market size, with KULR-DT beginning operations on May 6, 2002.[31][32]

Dix Communications sold KULR-TV, along with KFBB-TV in Great Falls, to Max Media on June 16, 2004, for $12.25 million.[33][34]

callsign	KULR-TV
branding	NonStop Local Billings
digital	11 (VHF)
virtual	8
translators	See
affiliations	8.1: NBC 8.2: SWX Right Now
airdate	March 15, 1958
location	Billings, Montana
country	United States
callsign meaning	"Color"; as in Color television
former callsigns	KGHL-TV (1958–1963)
former channel numbers	Analog: 8 (VHF, 1958–2009)
owner	Cowles Company
licensee	Cowles Montana Media Company
former affiliations	ABC (1963–1987, secondary until 1969)
erp	16 kW
haat	191 m
facility id	35724
coordinates	45.75986°N, -108.45483°W
licensing authority	FCC
website	https://www.nonstoplocal.com/billings/

History

KGHL-TV: Early years

KULR-TV

Dix, Max, and Cowles ownership

News operation

Notable former on-air staff

Technical information

Subchannels

Translators

Former satellite

External links

References