KEVN-LD

KEVN-LD is a low-power television station based in Rapid City, South Dakota, United States. It is affiliated with the Fox television network and operates as part of a group of stations serving the Black Hills and nearby areas. The station shares facilities on Skyline Drive in Rapid City with ABC affiliate KOTA-TV and MeTV affiliate KHME. Its transmitter is also located at the Rapid City studio and transmitter complex. The present KEVN-LD license was created during a restructuring of the Rapid City television market in the mid-2010s. Before that restructuring, the KEVN call sign, Fox affiliation, and virtual channel 7 identity belonged to a full-power station that is now associated with KOTA-TV. Gray Television, now known as Gray Media, acquired the non-license assets of KOTA-TV in 2015 as part of its purchase of television stations from Schurz Communications. Because federal ownership rules limited how the licenses could be held and operated, Gray established a new low-power station to carry the KEVN call sign, virtual channel assignment, Fox affiliation, and related programming. The ABC service and channel 3 identity were moved to the former full-power KEVN facility, while the original KOTA license was subsequently sold to Legacy Broadcasting and became KHME. The KEVN identity has a longer history in the market. A station using the KEVN-TV call sign began broadcasting in 1976 as an ABC affiliate, replacing KRSD-TV, a station whose license renewal had been denied earlier in the decade. The original station later changed affiliations, moving to NBC in 1984 and then to Fox in 1996. A related Lead, South Dakota, satellite also used the KEVN service at different points in the market's history. Following the 2016 realignment, KEVN-LD continued the Fox programming service under the new low-power license, while its signal and programming became available through additional distribution arrangements connected with KOTA-TV. KEVN-LD's broadcast footprint extends beyond its primary Rapid City signal. Fox programming is carried on a KOTA-TV subchannel and on full-power satellite facilities serving portions of the Black Hills and Wyoming. KHSD-TV's relevant service reaches the Black Hills from a transmitter near Terry Peak, close to Spearfish, South Dakota. KSGW-TV provides related coverage in northern and northeastern Wyoming from a transmitter on Bosin Rock. These arrangements allow the Fox service to reach communities where a single low-power Rapid City signal would not provide complete over-the-air coverage. Local news is an important part of the station's offering. KEVN-LD currently broadcasts approximately nine and a half hours of locally produced news each week, including weekday and weekend programming. Its schedule includes a six o'clock newscast and an hour-long nine o'clock program, while the nine o'clock broadcast is rebroadcast on weekday mornings. The station does not currently produce separate morning or midday newscasts. Earlier in the Fox era, the station offered a broader schedule, including a morning program, a midday bulletin, early-evening news, and a late newscast. The late program moved from 10 p.m. to 9 p.m. in 1998, becoming Rapid City's first prime-time newscast; it expanded to an hour on weeknights by 2001. The early-evening broadcast moved to 6 p.m. in 2008 and was relaunched as The Six, while weekend late news expanded to an hour in 2013. In July 2024, the separate Black Hills Fox branding was discontinued for KEVN-LD and its related simulcasts. KOTA-TV and KEVN-LD adopted the broader KOTA Territory presentation, with the stations emphasizing a shared regional identity rather than repeatedly naming their individual network affiliations. KEVN retained the Fox mark in its logo while using a visual treatment coordinated with the KOTA branding. The change reflected a portfolio-wide presentation strategy rather than a change in KEVN-LD's Fox affiliation. KEVN-LD remains an active local broadcast outlet within Gray Media's Rapid City station group.

KEVN's history is closely connected with the development and restructuring of television broadcasting in Rapid City and the Black Hills. The original KEVN-TV began operation in 1976 as an ABC affiliate. It replaced KRSD-TV, which had begun broadcasting in 1958 as an NBC station with a secondary ABC affiliation, later moved to CBS, and ultimately lost its license renewal. The replacement station gave the market a continuing local television service under the KEVN identity. In 1984, the original KEVN changed its network affiliation from ABC to NBC. It later became a Fox affiliate in 1996. This change established the KEVN identity as the market's principal Fox outlet. The service was also distributed through a satellite station in Lead, South Dakota, which helped extend coverage into the Black Hills. Over time, the related facilities and call signs changed as the market's licenses and network services were reorganized. A major structural change occurred after Gray acquired television assets associated with Schurz Communications in 2015. Gray obtained the non-license assets of KOTA-TV, the market's ABC affiliate, but federal ownership restrictions required a new operating arrangement. Gray created a low-power license that assumed the KEVN call sign, virtual channel 7 assignment, Fox affiliation, and programming. At the same time, the ABC service and KOTA-TV identity moved to the existing full-power facility historically associated with KEVN. The former KOTA license was later sold to Legacy Broadcasting and became KHME, a MeTV affiliate. The new low-power KEVN-LD began operating as the continuation of the Fox service under a distinct license. KEVN-LD operates within a broader Gray Media station group in Rapid City. It shares studios and transmission facilities on Skyline Drive with KOTA-TV and KHME. The Fox service is also distributed through a KOTA-TV subchannel and through related full-power satellite facilities. KHSD-TV serves the Black Hills from a transmitter near Terry Peak, while KSGW-TV serves northern and northeastern Wyoming from Bosin Rock. This combination of a Rapid City low-power signal, a subchannel, and satellite coverage allows the service to function as a regional Fox outlet rather than a station limited to the immediate city. The station's local news operation has changed considerably over time. During the early Fox period, KEVN offered a morning newscast, a midday program, early-evening news, and a late-night broadcast. In 1998, the late newscast moved from 10 p.m. to 9 p.m., making it the first prime-time local newscast in Rapid City. The weeknight program expanded to an hour by 2001. The early-evening newscast moved to 6 p.m. in 2008 and was relaunched as The Six. Weekend late news expanded to an hour in 2013. The current schedule is more concentrated. KEVN-LD produces about nine and a half hours of local news each week, with weekday and weekend broadcasts. It carries a 6 p.m. newscast and an hour-long 9 p.m. program, which is rebroadcast on weekday mornings. It does not currently produce separate morning or midday newscasts. The operation remains focused on local and regional reporting for Rapid City, the Black Hills, and nearby Wyoming communities. In July 2024, KEVN-LD and its simulcasts ended the separate Black Hills Fox branding. KOTA-TV and KEVN-LD adopted KOTA Territory as a shared spoken and visual identity. KEVN continues to use the Fox logo and carry Fox programming, but its presentation is coordinated with the wider KOTA regional brand. The change represented a branding and portfolio strategy decision rather than a reported change in ownership or network affiliation.

• 2024

  Black Hills Fox branding is replaced

  [1]KEVN-LDen.wikipedia.org

  KEVN-LD and its related simulcasts adopt the shared KOTA Territory identity while retaining Fox programming and the Fox logo.

• 2016

  The reorganized KEVN-LD service becomes the Fox outlet

  [1]KEVN-LDen.wikipedia.org

  The Fox service operates under the newly established low-power KEVN-LD license while the ABC service uses the former full-power KEVN facility.

• 2015

  Gray creates the new KEVN low-power operation

  [1]KEVN-LDen.wikipedia.org

  Gray establishes a new low-power station to carry the KEVN call sign, Fox affiliation, virtual channel 7 identity, and related programming during the Rapid City license restructuring.

• 2013

  Weekend late news expands

  [1]KEVN-LDen.wikipedia.org

  The weekend edition of the late newscast expands to one hour.

• 2008

  The Six launches

  [1]KEVN-LDen.wikipedia.org

  The station moves its early-evening newscast to 6 p.m. and relaunches it as The Six.

• 2001

  Weeknight prime-time news expands

  [1]KEVN-LDen.wikipedia.org

  The weeknight 9 p.m. newscast expands to one hour.

• 1998

  The late newscast moves to prime time

  [1]KEVN-LDen.wikipedia.org

  KEVN moves its late local newscast to 9 p.m., making it Rapid City's first prime-time local newscast.

• 1996

  KEVN becomes a Fox affiliate

  [1]KEVN-LDen.wikipedia.org

  The KEVN service switches from NBC to Fox, establishing the affiliation associated with the brand today.

• 1984

  KEVN changes to NBC

  [1]KEVN-LDen.wikipedia.org

  The original KEVN station changes its network affiliation from ABC to NBC.

• 1976

  KEVN-TV begins broadcasting

  [1]KEVN-LDen.wikipedia.org

  The original KEVN-TV signs on as an ABC affiliate in Rapid City, replacing the discontinued KRSD-TV service.

A regional low-power Fox affiliate combining network entertainment and sports programming with locally produced news for Rapid City, the Black Hills, and adjacent Wyoming communities.

• Network television · 1996

  Fox network programming

  KEVN-LD carries programming from the Fox television network, including the network schedule distributed to viewers in Rapid City, the Black Hills, and adjacent Wyoming communities. The service is delivered through the low-power KEVN-LD signal, a KOTA-TV subchannel, and associated satellite facilities.

• Television news

  Local news

  KEVN-LD produces local television news focused on Rapid City, the Black Hills, and surrounding regional communities. Its current schedule includes a 6 p.m. newscast and an hour-long 9 p.m. broadcast, with the latter rebroadcast on weekday mornings. The station produces approximately nine and a half hours of local news each week.

• Early-evening newscast · 2008

  The Six

  The Six is the branding used for KEVN's 6 p.m. local newscast after the station moved its early-evening news program from an earlier time slot in 2008. It is part of the station's local news offering and serves as an early-evening regional news program.

• 2024KOTA Territory brand integration

  Rapid City · The Black Hills · Northern and northeastern Wyoming

  KEVN-LD and related Fox simulcasts were integrated into the KOTA Territory presentation used across the Gray-operated Rapid City station group. The change replaced the separate Black Hills Fox branding and emphasized a shared regional identity.

  Outcome. KEVN-LD retained its Fox affiliation and Fox logo while adopting coordinated KOTA Territory branding.

  Source

• 2024

  Replace Black Hills Fox branding with KOTA TerritoryStrategy

  Background

  The Gray-operated Rapid City stations sought a shared regional presentation across KOTA-TV, KEVN-LD, and related simulcasts.

  Action taken

  KEVN-LD discontinued the separate Black Hills Fox branding and adopted KOTA Territory branding while keeping the Fox logo and Fox programming.

  Aftermath

  The station continued operating as a Fox affiliate with a presentation coordinated with KOTA-TV.

  Source

• 2015

  Create a low-power KEVN license during the station realignmentStrategy

  Background

  Gray's acquisition of Schurz television assets was subject to federal ownership restrictions affecting the Rapid City licenses and station identities.

  Action taken

  Gray established a new low-power station to carry the KEVN call sign, virtual channel 7 assignment, Fox affiliation, and programming, while moving the ABC service to the former full-power KEVN facility.

  Aftermath

  The reorganized KEVN-LD became the market's low-power Fox outlet, while KOTA-TV continued as the ABC station under the former KEVN full-power facility.

  Source

1. 1KEVN-LDen.wikipedia.org