KENV-DT
KENV-DT is a television station licensed to Elko, Nevada, currently carrying the Roar digital multicast network and operated under a joint sales arrangement with Sinclair Broadcast Group.
Last updated August 31, 2026
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Overview
KENV-DT is a full-power television station licensed to Elko, Nevada, serving communities in northeastern Nevada and occupying channel 10. The station was established by Sunbelt Broadcasting Company, later renamed Intermountain West Communications Company, and began broadcasting on March 27, 1997. It was created primarily to extend the programming and coverage of Reno NBC affiliate KRNV-DT into northeastern Nevada. Although KENV-DT has its own license and local facilities, it initially functioned as a semi-satellite of KRNV-DT: most network and syndicated programs, master-control functions, and much of the station's operational infrastructure were supplied from KRNV's Reno facilities, while KENV-DT inserted its own commercials, legal identifications, and limited local programming. The station's facilities are located on the campus of Great Basin College on Chilton Circle in Elko, while its transmitter is situated on Grindstone Mountain. This geography gives KENV-DT an unusual market identity. It is licensed on the Nevada side of the Salt Lake City designated market area, even though its transmission site is far from the Salt Lake City metropolitan area. The station has been described as the only television station in that market licensed to Nevada. It was also the only full-power television station based in Elko. KENV-DT's most important programming change occurred at the end of 2017. Its NBC affiliation was not renewed, and the station's NBC service ended after the December 31, 2017 broadcast of New Year's Eve with Carson Daly. On January 1, 2018, KENV-DT became an affiliate of Comet, a science-fiction-oriented multicast network associated with Sinclair. The change also ended the station's local news operation. KENV-DT's final local newscast aired on December 22, 2017, and the station's general manager said that the loss of NBC made local news production financially impractical. KENV-DT subsequently carried digital multicast programming, including the network identified in the current reference material as Roar, formerly known as TBD. Before the NBC affiliation ended, KENV-DT produced approximately five hours of local programming each week. Its local output consisted principally of a weekday morning newscast and news cut-ins during Today, while most other newscasts were simulcast from KRNV-DT. The station also aired the weekend public-affairs program Elko Newsmakers. After the change in affiliation, local news was no longer a core part of the station's offering. Ownership and operational control also changed during the station's history. In 2013, Sinclair Broadcast Group announced a transaction involving KRNV's non-license assets. Cunningham Broadcasting was later selected to acquire the license assets of KRNV and KENV. The structure reflected broadcast ownership restrictions: Sinclair could not directly acquire KENV-DT because the station was located in the Salt Lake City market, where Sinclair already owned a duopoly involving KUTV and KMYU. The transaction received regulatory approval in September 2017 and closed in January 2018. Cunningham owns the license, while Sinclair operates the station through a joint sales arrangement and has supplied its subsequent multicast-network affiliation. KENV-DT also underwent an early transition from analog to digital transmission. The station's analog transmitter experienced a major power reduction in January 2009, and the analog antenna failed completely in March of that year. KENV-DT therefore moved to its digital signal on March 31, 2009, several months before the originally scheduled nationwide transition date. Its digital operation uses the KENV-DT call sign and is supported by translators serving Elko, Ryndon, and Wells.
History
The channel 10 allocation in Elko was first occupied by KEKO-TV, which signed on April 18, 1973, as a satellite of Reno CBS affiliate KTVN. KEKO experienced an extended period off the air beginning in January 1974. In December 1975, its owner, Washoe Empire, notified the Federal Communications Commission that the station's transmitter and equipment had been destroyed by fire. The FCC later authorized temporary operation of a KTVN translator on channel 10, but Washoe Empire did not restore KEKO. At the station's request, the FCC canceled the KEKO license effective March 18, 1977. A new channel 10 service was authorized when the FCC granted Sunbelt Broadcasting Company an original construction permit on June 26, 1995, for a television station licensed to Elko. Sunbelt subsequently requested permission to relocate the transmitter to Grindstone Mountain and increase power. The FCC approved the modification on January 29, 1997. Sunbelt later became known as Intermountain West Communications Company. KENV began broadcasting on March 27, 1997, as a semi-satellite of KRNV, the NBC affiliate in Reno. Its purpose was to extend NBC programming into northeastern Nevada. The station maintained a separate license and local presence, but most of its network and syndicated programming was supplied by KRNV. It carried separate commercial insertions and legal identifications and produced a limited amount of local programming, while master control and many internal functions remained based at KRNV's Reno studios. As an NBC affiliate, KENV-DT produced roughly five hours of local programming each week. Its principal local broadcast was a weekday morning newscast, supplemented by news cut-ins during Today. Other newscasts were generally simulcast from KRNV-DT. The station also produced Elko Newsmakers, a weekend public-affairs program. This arrangement allowed KENV to maintain a local identity without operating a full independent newsroom. The station's ownership structure changed as part of transactions involving KRNV and KENV. Sinclair Broadcast Group announced in November 2013 that it would acquire KRNV's non-license assets for $26 million. In December 2013, Cunningham Broadcasting was announced as the buyer of the KRNV and KENV license assets for $6.5 million. Direct Sinclair ownership of KENV was constrained by the station's placement in the Salt Lake City market, where Sinclair already held a duopoly consisting of KUTV and KMYU. The transaction was approved on September 22, 2017, and completed on January 9, 2018. Sinclair subsequently operated KENV under a joint sales arrangement with Cunningham. The end of KENV's NBC affiliation was announced on December 14, 2017. The affiliation agreement expired at the end of that month, and KENV joined Comet on January 1, 2018. Its final NBC program was New Year's Eve with Carson Daly. The affiliation change also ended the local news department; the final local newscast was broadcast on December 22. Station general manager Amie Chapman explained that the loss of NBC made local news financially infeasible. The change produced uncertainty for local viewers because KENV had been the NBC outlet serving much of the Nevada portion of the broader Salt Lake City market. The Elko Television District considered retransmitting KRNV-DT while the future of NBC service was clarified. NBC subsequently advised the district that KSL-TV would be the only authorized NBC affiliate carrying NBC programming and the NBC brand in Elko County. KSL programming began appearing on one district transmitter by January 12, 2018, and was later expanded to additional transmitters. KENV also has a notable technical history. The FCC's initial 1997 digital allocation assigned it VHF channel 8 as a digital companion channel, and that assignment remained unchanged in the revised 1998 table. The FCC granted a construction permit for the digital facilities in February 2001. After difficulties with the analog transmitter reduced power in January 2009, the analog antenna failed completely in March. KENV therefore completed a flash cut to digital on March 31, 2009, ahead of the national transition timetable. The station's broadcast footprint is supplemented by translators serving Elko, Ryndon, and Wells. In its current form, KENV-DT is a digital multicast television outlet licensed to Elko. Its studios are located at Great Basin College on Chilton Circle, and its transmitter is on Grindstone Mountain. Reference material identifies the current multicast service as Roar, formerly TBD, reflecting the station's evolution from a locally oriented NBC semi-satellite to a network-multicast operation.
- 2018
Cunningham transaction closes
[1]The license-asset transaction closes on January 9, with Sinclair operating the station under a joint sales arrangement.
- 2018
NBC affiliation ends
[1]KENV ends its NBC affiliation and begins carrying Comet programming on January 1.
- 2017
Cunningham acquisition receives approval
[1]The FCC approves the transfer of the KRNV and KENV license assets to Cunningham Broadcasting.
- 2013
Sinclair announces acquisition of KRNV non-license assets
[1]Sinclair announces a planned acquisition involving KRNV's non-license assets, forming part of the later ownership restructuring affecting KENV.
- 2009
Early digital flash cut
[1]Following an analog transmitter power reduction and antenna failure, KENV completes its transition to digital transmission on March 31.
- 1997
KENV signs on as a KRNV semi-satellite
[1]KENV begins broadcasting on March 27 as an NBC semi-satellite of KRNV, extending Reno's NBC service into northeastern Nevada.
- 1995
Construction permit granted for a new Elko station
[1]The FCC grants Sunbelt Broadcasting Company an original construction permit for a new channel 10 station licensed to Elko.
- 1977
KEKO license is canceled
[1]The FCC cancels the KEKO license at the station's request after the service is not restored.
- 1973
KEKO-TV begins broadcasting
[1]KEKO-TV signs on channel 10 in Elko as a satellite of Reno CBS affiliate KTVN.
Products and positioning
A locally licensed northeastern Nevada television outlet with a distinctive Salt Lake City market designation, historically serving as a semi-satellite NBC station for KRNV-DT and later operating primarily as a digital multicast affiliate.
Television broadcasting · 1997
KENV-DT over-the-air television service
KENV-DT is a full-power broadcast television service licensed to Elko, Nevada. Its transmission facilities are located on Grindstone Mountain, and its service is supplemented by translators in Elko, Ryndon, and Wells. The station historically distributed NBC programming and currently operates as a digital multicast outlet.
Network affiliation · 1997
NBC affiliation
From its 1997 launch through the end of 2017, KENV-DT carried NBC programming as a semi-satellite of KRNV-DT in Reno. The service combined network and syndicated programming from KRNV with KENV-specific commercials, legal identifications, and limited local broadcasts.
Digital multicast television
Roar digital multicast service
The current reference material identifies KENV-DT as carrying Roar, a digital multicast network formerly known as TBD. This service represents the station's post-NBC programming model, focused on distributed network content rather than a full local-news operation.
Public-affairs programming
Elko Newsmakers
Elko Newsmakers was a weekend public-affairs program produced by KENV-DT during its NBC affiliation. It formed part of the station's limited locally produced programming alongside its weekday morning newscast and news cut-ins.
Brand decisions
2018
Replace NBC with multicast-network programmingStrategyBackground
KENV's NBC affiliation agreement was not renewed, and the station stated that its local news operation could not be sustained without the network affiliation.
Action taken
KENV ended NBC programming on December 31, 2017, began carrying Comet on January 1, 2018, and discontinued its local news department.
Aftermath
NBC service in Elko County shifted toward KSL-TV distribution through the Elko Television District, while KENV continued as a multicast-oriented station.
2017
Restructure ownership through Cunningham BroadcastingM&ABackground
Sinclair sought operational control of assets associated with KRNV and KENV, but direct ownership of KENV was constrained by the station's placement in the Salt Lake City market and Sinclair's existing duopoly there.
Action taken
Cunningham Broadcasting acquired the license assets, while Sinclair retained operational involvement through a joint sales arrangement.
Aftermath
The transaction closed in January 2018 and placed KENV within a Cunningham-owned, Sinclair-operated structure.
License-asset purchase price. $6.5 million (Announced December 2013; transaction approved September 2017 and completed January 2018)
2009
Move to digital transmission ahead of scheduleGeneration changeBackground
A reduction in analog transmitter power and the subsequent failure of the analog antenna disrupted the station's planned transition timetable.
Action taken
KENV ended analog broadcasting and completed a digital flash cut on March 31, 2009.
Aftermath
The station became an all-digital service several months before the originally scheduled nationwide transition date.
1997
Launch as a semi-satellite of KRNV-DTStrategyBackground
The new Elko station was created to extend the Reno NBC affiliate's coverage into northeastern Nevada without establishing a fully independent programming and news operation.
Action taken
KENV began broadcasting with KRNV-supplied network and syndicated programming while retaining separate commercials, legal identifications, and limited local output.
Aftermath
The arrangement gave KENV an NBC presence and local identity while centralizing much of its operational infrastructure in Reno.
Recent events
KENV announces general availability of EaaS[2]
Reported:
KENV announced the general availability of its EaaS product as a SaaS offering for deploying and managing Kubernetes environments.
KENV simplifies EaaS licensing and introduces a Startup package[2]
Reported:
KENV said it had simplified its licensing model and offered a Startup package with up to 20 licenses for $1,000 a month.
Jonathan Benartzi joins KENV's board[3]
Reported:
Jonathan Benartzi was appointed to KENV's board of directors.
KENV makes EaaS V2021 available[3]
Reported:
KENV's EaaS V2021 became available. The announcement describes self-service environments for AWS and Kubernetes.
KENV announces financing round led by Firstime[3]
Reported:
KENV announced a financing round led by Firstime Venture Capital. The source does not state the amount raised.
Sources3 sources
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