KSTC-TV
Independent television station serving the Minneapolis–Saint Paul area under the 45TV brand.
Last updated August 31, 2026
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Overview
KSTC-TV is an independent television station licensed to Minneapolis, Minnesota, and serving the Twin Cities metropolitan area. It is owned by Hubbard Broadcasting and operates as a sister station to KSTP-TV, the company's Saint Paul-licensed ABC affiliate and principal Twin Cities television outlet. KSTC-TV is widely identified on-air as 45TV, a branding reference to the station's former analog, digital, and virtual channel 45 identity. Although its primary virtual placement is now associated with channel 5.2 through KSTP-TV's broadcast system, the station remains available on channel 45 on some cable systems outside the central market and through satellite providers. The station's origins date to a license granted in 1987, although it did not begin broadcasting until June 1994. It initially operated under the call sign KVBM and carried Minnesota Department of Transportation traffic information together with Home Shopping Network programming. Hubbard Broadcasting acquired the station on April 24, 2000, and relaunched it as KSTC on September 1 of that year. The change was supported by a promotional campaign built around people of different ages declaring, “I'm 45,” helping establish a new identity for a station that had previously attracted limited public awareness. KSTC was developed in part as an outlet for syndicated programs that KSTP-TV could not accommodate in its schedule. Its programming has consequently combined off-network series, films, sports, locally produced features, and selected programs originating at KSTP. Over time, the station has carried Minnesota sports including Timberwolves basketball, Wild hockey, state high-school tournaments, college basketball, baseball, boxing, and other special events. It has also aired locally oriented entertainment, including the horror-movie program Horror Incorporated and the comedy-variety program Nate on Drums. The station expanded its digital role during the 2000s. It began digital broadcasting in 2003, initially using a standard-definition main service and a high-definition HDnet channel on a secondary stream. A later digital service carried sports programming, including Minnesota Wild and Minnesota Timberwolves games and Minnesota State High School League events. This TV was added in standard definition around 2010, while KSTC's principal programming moved to high definition. In 2009, the station began carrying full-time newscasts produced by KSTP-TV, including morning, midday, and evening broadcasts designed to compete with local news offerings on other Twin Cities stations. KSTC shut down its analog UHF channel 45 signal on June 12, 2009, as part of the United States digital television transition. Its digital transmission later moved from physical channel 45 to physical channel 30 in September 2019 during the nationwide spectrum-reallocation process, while the 45TV brand was retained. The station's programming is also distributed through KSTP-related satellite and translator facilities, extending service into parts of central and southern Minnesota, including the Mankato market. KSTC shares Hubbard's University Avenue studio complex with KSTP-TV and related radio stations, while its transmitter is located at Telefarm Towers in Shoreview. Its distinctive local identity has included the mascot Dr. Chuck Ells, preceded by the “45 Guy.”
History
KSTC-TV traces its regulatory origin to a television license granted in 1987, but the station did not begin broadcasting until June 1994. It initially used the KVBM call letters and operated with a limited schedule centered on Minnesota Department of Transportation traffic information and Home Shopping Network programming. This early format gave the station relatively little visibility in a market dominated by established network affiliates and independent outlets. Hubbard Broadcasting acquired the station on April 24, 2000. The company changed the call sign to KSTC and relaunched the outlet on September 1, 2000, positioning it as an independent station closely associated with KSTP-TV. Hubbard used the station to provide a home for syndicated programs that could not fit on KSTP-TV's schedule. A launch campaign featuring people saying “I'm 45” helped introduce the new service and explain its channel-based identity. The station was subsequently promoted under names including 45TV and, for a period, FORTY5. During the 2000s, KSTC developed a broader programming portfolio. It carried syndicated series, films, locally produced entertainment, and sports rights. The station broadcast Minnesota Timberwolves basketball under a six-year agreement announced in 2004, and it entered an eleven-year arrangement with the Minnesota State High School League to televise state athletic tournaments and educational or student-oriented programming. The agreement included rights payments and promotional commitments, with the figures reported in contemporary reference material. KSTC also established a multi-year arrangement to air Minnesota Wild hockey games in December 2004. Other past programming included Minnesota Twins and Saint Paul Saints baseball, boxing, college basketball, and unusual entertainment formats. KSTC's local identity included station-specific programs such as Horror Incorporated, a hosted horror-film presentation, and Nate on Drums, a comedy and variety program associated with Nate Perbix. In later years, much of the local output came from KSTP-TV, including On the Road and Sports Wrap. KSTC also served as an overflow outlet for ABC programs when KSTP-TV was occupied with extended breaking-news or severe-weather coverage. Digital operations began in 2003. The station initially carried its principal service in standard definition and used a secondary stream for HDnet, which represented the network's only conventional over-the-air presence outside subscription-related services. After that arrangement ended, a secondary high-definition service was introduced in December 2006 with Minnesota sports and high-school athletics. Around June 2010, This TV was added as a standard-definition service, while the principal KSTC schedule moved to high definition and absorbed the sports material. KSTC experimented with an extension of KSTP-TV's weekday morning newscast in the early 2000s. On July 19, 2009, it expanded to a full daily news schedule, including a two-hour weekday morning broadcast, a weekday noon program, and a prime-time newscast. Weekend scheduling was more limited. The news operation was designed to compete with local morning and 9 p.m. broadcasts from other Twin Cities stations. The station ended analog broadcasting on June 12, 2009, under the federally mandated United States digital transition. In October 2011, KSTP and KSTC consolidated their over-the-air virtual-channel presentation, placing KSTC's main service at virtual channel 5.2 and associating other services with KSTP's virtual-channel structure. On September 2, 2019, KSTC moved its physical digital transmission channel from 45 to 30 because of the national spectrum-reallocation process. The 45TV name remained in use despite the technical change. KSTC's signal is distributed through Hubbard-related facilities and translators serving central and southern Minnesota. It is available through satellite and cable systems, and its programming reaches the Mankato market through a translator associated with the municipal Cooperative TV network. The station shares University Avenue studios on the Saint Paul–Minneapolis border with KSTP-TV and Hubbard radio stations. Its transmitter is at Telefarm Towers in Shoreview. KSTC has also maintained a distinctive community-facing identity through mascots, most notably Dr. Chuck Ells and formerly the “45 Guy.”
- 2019
Physical digital channel changes to 30
[1]KSTC moved its physical digital transmission from channel 45 to channel 30 while retaining the 45TV branding.
- 2011
Virtual-channel structure unified with KSTP
[1]KSTP and KSTC reorganized their over-the-air virtual-channel presentation, placing the main KSTC service at 5.2.
- 2010
This TV added to digital lineup
[1]The station added This TV in standard definition while its primary schedule moved to high definition.
- 2009
Full-time local newscasts launch
[1]KSTP-TV began producing daily newscasts specifically for KSTC, including morning, midday, and evening broadcasts.
- 2009
Analog transmission ends
[1]KSTC shut down its analog UHF channel 45 signal during the United States digital television transition.
- 2004
Major Minnesota sports partnerships
[1]The station announced partnerships involving Minnesota Timberwolves basketball and Minnesota State High School League programming, and later established a multi-year Minnesota Wild hockey arrangement.
- 2003
Digital broadcasting begins
[1]KSTC commenced digital transmission, initially carrying its principal programming in standard definition and HDnet on a secondary stream.
- 2000
Hubbard acquisition and KSTC relaunch
[1]Hubbard Broadcasting acquired the station in April and relaunched it under the KSTC call sign in September.
- 1994
Broadcast operations begin as KVBM
[1]The station began transmitting in June 1994 with traffic information and Home Shopping Network programming.
- 1987
Station license granted
[1]FCC records identify 1987 as the year in which the license associated with the station was granted.
Products and positioning
A locally focused independent station and Hubbard Broadcasting companion to KSTP-TV, combining syndicated entertainment, local news, Minnesota sports, community programming, and digital multicast services.
Independent broadcast television service · 2000
45TV
KSTC-TV's principal consumer-facing service, branded 45TV in recognition of its historic channel identity. It offers a mix of syndicated entertainment, films, locally oriented programming, news produced by KSTP-TV, and sports or special-event coverage. The service is carried over the air, through cable and satellite systems, and through related Hubbard transmission facilities.
Local news · 2009
KSTC local newscasts
A schedule of KSTC-branded local news broadcasts produced by sister station KSTP-TV. The expanded service introduced in 2009 included weekday morning, noon, and evening programs, with a shorter weekend prime-time edition. The broadcasts positioned KSTC as an additional local-news outlet rather than solely an entertainment independent.
Sports broadcasting · 2004
Minnesota sports coverage
KSTC has carried a range of Minnesota sports, including Minnesota Timberwolves basketball, Minnesota Wild hockey, Minnesota State High School League tournaments, Minnesota Golden Gophers men's basketball, baseball, boxing, and other events. Rights and schedules have changed over time, so individual historical partnerships should not be read as current rights holdings.
Digital television · 2003
Digital multicast services
KSTC has used secondary digital capacity for services including HDnet, a high-definition sports channel, and This TV. Its technical configuration has changed as programming services and the Hubbard station group’s virtual-channel structure evolved.
Marketing campaigns
- 2000I'm 45
Minneapolis–Saint Paul
Hubbard promoted the transition from KVBM to KSTC through advertisements showing people of varied ages saying “I'm 45.” The campaign was intended to create curiosity and establish the station's new channel-based identity among viewers unfamiliar with the former outlet.
Outcome. The station adopted the 45TV identity, which remained central to its branding even after later digital-channel changes.
Brand decisions
2019
Move digital transmission to physical channel 30Generation changeBackground
The United States spectrum-reallocation process required many television stations to change their physical transmission channels.
Action taken
KSTC moved from physical digital channel 45 to channel 30 while retaining its 45TV consumer branding.
Aftermath
The technical transmission frequency changed, but the station's established brand identity remained intact.
2009
Launch full-time local news scheduleProduct launchBackground
KSTC had previously carried limited extensions of KSTP-TV's morning news and needed a more substantial local programming proposition.
Action taken
KSTP-TV began producing daily KSTC newscasts covering morning, midday, and evening periods.
Aftermath
The station added a full local-news presence and competed directly with other Twin Cities morning and prime-time newscasts.
2004
Expand into Minnesota sports and scholastic eventsStrategyBackground
As an independent station, KSTC used sports programming to differentiate itself from general syndicated entertainment and strengthen its local-market relevance.
Action taken
The station entered arrangements for Timberwolves basketball, Minnesota State High School League programming, and Minnesota Wild hockey coverage.
Aftermath
KSTC became a recurring broadcast outlet for professional, collegiate, and high-school sports in Minnesota, although the historical agreements were time-limited.
Reported MSHSL rights fees and promotional commitment. $9.7 million in rights fees and $10.6 million in promotional value (Eleven-year partnership announced in 2004)
2000
Acquire and relaunch KVBM as KSTCM&ABackground
The former KVBM service had limited visibility and a narrow programming schedule. Hubbard Broadcasting sought an additional outlet for syndicated programming and a companion service for KSTP-TV.
Action taken
Hubbard acquired the station, changed its call sign, and relaunched it with the 45TV identity.
Aftermath
KSTC became an independent station integrated with Hubbard's Twin Cities television and radio operations.
Sources1 sources
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