KSVI
KSVI is a Billings, Montana television station serving as an ABC affiliate with a secondary CW affiliation.
Last updated August 31, 2026
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Overview
KSVI is a broadcast television station serving Billings, Montana, and surrounding communities. Operating on channel 6, it is primarily affiliated with ABC and also carries programming from The CW. The station is owned by Nexstar Media Group and is operated in a shared-studio arrangement with KHMT, a Fox affiliate on channel 4. Both stations use facilities on South 24th Street West in Billings, while KSVI's main transmitter is positioned on Old Hardin Road east-northeast of the city. The station began broadcasting on January 8, 1993, under Big Horn Communications. Its launch was part of a broader effort to improve ABC service and reception in the Billings area. Big Horn had previously operated KOUS-TV, channel 4, which was licensed to Hardin and transmitted from a site roughly 18 miles east of Billings. That arrangement provided required coverage for the station's city of license but produced weaker reception in portions of the Billings market. After channel 6 was reassigned from Miles City and a construction permit was secured, the KOUS intellectual property and ABC affiliation moved to the new KSVI facility. KOUS ceased broadcasting on the same day that KSVI signed on. At launch, KSVI programming was also distributed through several satellite and translator arrangements. KYUS-TV in Miles City and KCTZ in Bozeman initially carried the service, although both later changed ownership or affiliations. KSVI also inherited the K25BP translator in Billings, originally established to improve KOUS reception. Over time, a larger network of translators extended the station's signal into communities including Hardin, Miles City, Roundup, Colstrip, Columbus, Harlowton, Howard, and White Sulphur Springs. KSVI is also carried by Mid-Rivers Communications in Glendive, a Montana market without its own local ABC affiliate. KSVI expanded its network profile during the 1990s. In April 1994, it added a secondary Fox affiliation, chiefly to provide Fox's National Football League programming and selected entertainment shows during otherwise available overnight and weekend periods. That arrangement ended in August 1995 when channel 4 returned to the air as KHMT, a Fox affiliate operated under a local marketing agreement with KSVI. KSVI also added a secondary UPN affiliation in June 1995, following an earlier standalone presentation of Star Trek: Voyager. The UPN relationship was eventually shared with KHMT and continued until UPN ceased operation in 2006. Ownership changed several times. Big Horn sold KSVI to Great Trails Broadcasting Corporation in 1997 for a reported $17.37 million. Great Trails exited the television business the following year, selling KSVI, its KHMT-related local marketing arrangement, and other stations to Quorum Broadcasting Company in a transaction reported at $65 million. Nexstar Broadcasting Group acquired Quorum in December 2003 for a reported $230 million, bringing KSVI into the corporate lineage of what is now Nexstar Media Group. The station operated a joint local news service with KHMT beginning April 18, 2002. Although the operation received Montana Broadcasters Association and Associated Press recognition, its newscasts substantially trailed competing Billings services from KTVQ and KULR-TV. The news operation was discontinued in September 2003 after approximately 18 months. Nexstar stated that ending the service was necessary to maintain profitability. KSVI remains a local broadcast outlet focused on network programming, regional distribution, and over-the-air service across a wide area of Montana.
History
KSVI is a Billings, Montana television station that began operation on January 8, 1993. It was established by Big Horn Communications after the company obtained a construction permit for channel 6. The new station addressed reception problems associated with KOUS-TV, Big Horn's earlier channel 4 operation. KOUS was licensed to Hardin and transmitted from a location east of Billings, an arrangement that supported city-grade service in Hardin but left portions of Billings with marginal reception. When channel 6 became available after its allocation was moved from Miles City, Big Horn used it to create a stronger Billings-oriented service. On the day KSVI launched, KOUS ended its broadcasts and its intellectual unit, including the ABC affiliation, moved to channel 6. The initial service was supported by satellite and translator relationships. KYUS-TV in Miles City and KCTZ in Bozeman carried KSVI programming at first. KCTZ was later sold and converted into a satellite of a Butte station, while KYUS subsequently changed ownership and programming arrangements. KSVI also inherited the K25BP translator in Billings, which had originally been intended to improve KOUS's reception. Additional translators and cable distribution later extended KSVI's service to numerous Montana communities. KSVI broadened its affiliation portfolio in the mid-1990s. Fox programming was added in April 1994, with an emphasis on NFL coverage and selected entertainment shows scheduled outside ABC's main programming periods. The arrangement ended when channel 4 returned to the air in August 1995 as KHMT, a Fox affiliate connected to KSVI through a local marketing agreement. KSVI also carried UPN programming beginning in June 1995, after airing the first season of Star Trek: Voyager independently. The UPN affiliation was later shared with KHMT and remained in place until the network shut down in 2006. The station's ownership history reflects consolidation in the American television industry. Big Horn Communications sold KSVI to Great Trails Broadcasting Corporation in 1997. Great Trails exited broadcasting in 1998, selling KSVI and related assets to Quorum Broadcasting Company. Nexstar Broadcasting Group acquired Quorum in December 2003, making KSVI part of the Nexstar corporate portfolio. Nexstar later became Nexstar Media Group, the station's current owner according to the supplied reference material. KSVI and KHMT launched a combined local news operation on April 18, 2002. The service received recognition from the Montana Broadcasters Association and the Associated Press, but its audience remained well behind established Billings competitors KTVQ and KULR-TV. The newscasts were canceled in September 2003 after roughly a year and a half. Nexstar characterized the decision as a profitability measure. Today, KSVI operates as a network television station serving Billings and a wide surrounding area. Its principal affiliation is ABC, supplemented by The CW. The station shares studios with KHMT on South 24th Street West in Billings, while its transmitter is located on Old Hardin Road east-northeast of the city. Its signal is supplemented by digital translators in communities such as Miles City, Howard, Hardin, Colstrip, Roundup, Columbus, and White Sulphur Springs. Mid-Rivers Communications also carries KSVI in Glendive, where there is no local ABC affiliate.
- 2006
UPN affiliation ends
[1]KSVI's UPN programming relationship ends when the UPN network ceases operation.
- 2003
Nexstar acquires Quorum
[1]Nexstar Broadcasting Group acquires Quorum Broadcasting, bringing KSVI into the Nexstar station group.
- 2003
Local news service is discontinued
[1]The KSVI-KHMT newscasts end after weak ratings and profitability concerns.
- 2002
Joint news operation launches
[1]KSVI and KHMT begin a shared local news service.
- 1998
Sale to Quorum Broadcasting
[1]Great Trails sells KSVI and related station interests to Quorum Broadcasting Company.
- 1997
Sale to Great Trails Broadcasting
[1]Big Horn Communications sells KSVI to Great Trails Broadcasting Corporation.
- 1995
KHMT returns and KSVI adds UPN programming
[1]KHMT returns to channel 4 as a Fox affiliate, ending KSVI's secondary Fox role; KSVI also formally adds UPN programming.
- 1994
Secondary Fox affiliation begins
[1]KSVI adds selected Fox programming, including NFL coverage, alongside its ABC schedule.
- 1993
KSVI signs on
[1]KSVI begins broadcasting on January 8, replacing KOUS's channel 4 service and inheriting its ABC affiliation and intellectual unit.
Products and positioning
A locally distributed network television station serving Billings and a broad rural Montana coverage area, with ABC as its principal network affiliation and additional CW programming.
Broadcast television affiliation · 1993
ABC network service
KSVI's principal programming service consists of ABC network content distributed over channel 6 in the Billings area and through translators and cable systems in parts of Montana.
Broadcast television affiliation
The CW programming
KSVI carries secondary programming from The CW, complementing its principal ABC schedule and broadening the station's network entertainment offering.
Television transmission · 1993
KSVI over-the-air signal
The station's terrestrial service originates from its Billings-area transmitter and is supplemented by a network of digital translators serving rural and smaller communities across Montana.
Brand decisions
2003
End of the shared local news operationStrategyBackground
KSVI and KHMT's joint newscasts had received industry recognition but performed substantially below competing Billings newscasts.
Action taken
The stations discontinued the local news service in September 2003.
Aftermath
Nexstar stated that the decision was intended to maintain profitability, leaving KSVI focused on network programming and distributed broadcast service.
Recent events
- 2003
KSVI ends its local news operation[1]
Other
The shared KSVI-KHMT newscasts were discontinued in September 2003 after weak ratings and a stated need to preserve station profitability.
- 2002
KSVI launches a shared local news operation[1]
Product launch
KSVI and sister station KHMT introduced jointly produced local newscasts on April 18, 2002.
- 1994
KSVI adds a secondary Fox affiliation[1]
Other
The station began carrying selected Fox programming, especially NFL coverage, while retaining ABC as its principal affiliation.
- 1993
KSVI begins broadcasting and assumes the former KOUS ABC service[1]
Other · Product launch
KSVI signed on in Billings on January 8, 1993, replacing KOUS as the market's channel 6 ABC service and improving reception for portions of the Billings area.
Sources2 sources
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