KTTC
A Rochester, Minnesota television station serving Southeast Minnesota and Northern Iowa as an NBC and The CW Plus affiliate.
Last updated August 31, 2026
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Overview
KTTC is a television station licensed to Rochester, Minnesota, serving viewers across Southeast Minnesota and Northern Iowa. The station operates as an NBC affiliate and carries The CW Plus on a digital subchannel. It is owned by Gray Media and is operated alongside Fox affiliate KXLT-TV, which serves the same regional market. KTTC and KXLT share facilities on Bandel Road Northwest in Rochester, while KTTC also maintains an advertising sales office in Clear Lake, Iowa, serving the Mason City area. The station's transmitter is located south of Ostrander, Minnesota, near the Fillmore-Mower county line. The station began broadcasting on July 16, 1953, under the call sign KROC-TV. It was established by the Gentling family through Southern Minnesota Broadcasting Company and was associated with KROC radio in Rochester. At launch, KROC-TV became the first television station in Southern Minnesota and the third in Minnesota. Although its primary network relationship was with NBC, the station also carried programming from ABC, CBS, and DuMont during the four-network era of the 1950s. Its first studios and transmitter were located on Hennessey Hill west of Rochester. In 1966, the station moved to a new facility on First Avenue Southwest in downtown Rochester. Ownership changed in 1976, when Quincy Newspapers acquired the television station from Southern Minnesota Broadcasting. Because of Federal Communications Commission rules concerning common ownership of television and radio stations using the same call letters in one market, the station adopted the KTTC call sign on July 1. Its former owners retained the KROC radio properties for many years. KTTC later expanded its technical footprint with a digital signal, beginning digital broadcasting on UHF channel 36 in September 2000. The station became digital-only on February 17, 2009. Quincy also assumed operational control of KXLT-TV through a shared-services arrangement after acquiring Shockley Communications in 2001. Direct ownership of KXLT was constrained by FCC concentration rules, but the operating relationship allowed the two stations to share facilities and resources while maintaining separate station identities. KTTC moved from downtown Rochester to the former KXLT offices on Bandel Road in 2002. The former downtown studio was demolished in 2011 as part of redevelopment connected with the University of Minnesota Rochester campus. KTTC's local news operation is a major part of its identity. The station produces locally focused newscasts for its own schedule and supplies KXLT with a weekday prime-time newscast, Fox 47 News at Nine, under a news-sharing agreement that began in 2001. KTTC also produces the KXLT morning program Fox in the Morning, launched in 2014, with a magazine-style format covering lifestyle, cooking, style, weather, and regional subjects. The station upgraded its local news production to full high definition in 2011, following the market's earlier move toward widescreen production. In 2021, Gray Television announced an agreement to acquire Quincy Media for $925 million. The transaction was completed on August 2, 2021, placing KTTC within Gray's nationwide television-station group and giving it sister-station relationships in several nearby markets. KTTC remains an active regional broadcaster, combining network programming, local news, digital-subchannel services, advertising, and community-oriented coverage for Rochester and surrounding communities.
History
KTTC traces its history to July 16, 1953, when it launched in Rochester, Minnesota, as KROC-TV. The station was founded by G. David Gentling and operated by the Gentling family's Southern Minnesota Broadcasting Company. Its arrival made it the first television station in Southern Minnesota and the third in the state. The station was affiliated primarily with NBC, while also carrying selected programming from ABC, CBS, and DuMont during the period when local stations commonly combined programming from several networks. KROC-TV was initially paired with KROC radio and operated from studios and a transmitter site on Hennessey Hill, approximately two miles west of Rochester. In November 1966, the station moved to a new building on First Avenue Southwest in downtown Rochester. A more consequential change came in 1976, when Quincy Newspapers purchased the television station from Southern Minnesota Broadcasting. FCC ownership rules at the time restricted television and radio stations in the same market from operating under identical call letters when they belonged to different ownership groups. As the Gentling family retained the KROC radio operations, the television station changed its call sign to KTTC on July 1, 1976. KTTC entered the digital era in September 2000, beginning transmissions on UHF channel 36. The station became digital-only on February 17, 2009. Its former pre-transition digital facility ultimately became the post-transition facility for ABC affiliate KAAL. KTTC also used translators to extend over-the-air service in areas including La Crosse, Winona, and Blue Earth. Some of these facilities were later discontinued or reassigned as digital-television rules and regional network coverage changed. Quincy's relationship with Fox affiliate KXLT-TV developed in the early 2000s. Quincy acquired Shockley Communications, KXLT's owner, in 2001, but FCC duopoly restrictions prevented Quincy from directly owning both stations in the Rochester-Austin-Mason City market. Instead, Quincy operated KXLT through a shared-services agreement. KTTC moved into KXLT's then-current Bandel Road Northwest facility in 2002, creating a shared operational base while preserving separate station brands. KTTC later produced KXLT's Fox 47 News at Nine, a half-hour prime-time newscast, and the Fox in the Morning program introduced in 2014. These arrangements expanded KTTC's local-news production role beyond its own NBC schedule. The former downtown Rochester studio was demolished in November 2011 to make way for redevelopment associated with the University of Minnesota Rochester campus. By that point, the Bandel Road site had become KTTC's principal Rochester base. The station also operated an Austin bureau located at Riverland Community College and maintained an advertising sales office in Clear Lake, Iowa, supporting coverage and commercial activity in the wider Mason City area. KTTC modernized its news presentation in March 2011 by moving to full high-definition local newscasts, accompanied by a new set and graphics. The station's local schedule subsequently included substantial weekday and weekend news output, while its shared-services operation supplied programming for KXLT. In 2021, Gray Television agreed to acquire Quincy Media for $925 million. The transaction closed on August 2, 2021, transferring KTTC to Gray and adding it to a larger group of regional television stations. KTTC continues to operate as a Rochester-based NBC and The CW Plus broadcaster serving a multi-county audience in southeastern Minnesota and northern Iowa.
- 2021
Gray completes Quincy Media acquisition
[1]Gray Television completes its acquisition of Quincy Media, making KTTC part of Gray's broadcast group.
- 2014
Fox in the Morning launches
[1]KTTC begins producing a weekday morning lifestyle and news program for KXLT-TV.
- 2011
Local news moves to full HD
[1]The station launches high-definition newscasts with a new set and graphics.
- 2009
Analog broadcasting ends
[1]KTTC completes its transition to digital-only broadcasting.
- 2002
Move to Bandel Road
[1]KTTC relocates to the Rochester facility it shares with KXLT-TV.
- 2001
KXLT news-sharing relationship begins
[1]KTTC begins producing news programming for KXLT under a shared-services arrangement.
- 2000
Digital transmission begins
[1]KTTC launches a full-power digital signal on UHF channel 36.
- 1976
Quincy Newspapers acquires the station
[1]Ownership transfers from Southern Minnesota Broadcasting to Quincy Newspapers, and the station adopts the KTTC call sign.
- 1966
Downtown Rochester studio opens
[1]The station moves to a new facility on First Avenue Southwest in downtown Rochester.
- 1953
KROC-TV signs on
[1]The station begins broadcasting from Rochester as KROC-TV, Southern Minnesota's first television station and Minnesota's third.
Products and positioning
A regional broadcast news and network-television brand centered on Rochester, Minnesota, with coverage extending across Southeast Minnesota and Northern Iowa.
Local television news · 1953
KTTC local newscasts
KTTC's locally produced news programming covers Rochester, Southeast Minnesota, Northern Iowa, weather, public affairs, and regional events. The operation includes weekday and weekend broadcasts and uses the station's Rochester facilities, with additional reporting capacity associated with its Austin bureau.
Network television affiliation · 1953
NBC programming
NBC is KTTC's primary network service and has been central to the station's identity since its launch as KROC-TV. The service combines national network programming with KTTC's locally produced news and public-service content.
Digital multicast television
The CW Plus
KTTC carries The CW Plus on a digital subchannel, extending the station's programming portfolio beyond its primary NBC service and providing syndicated and network-affiliated entertainment programming to the regional audience.
Produced television newscast · 2001
Fox 47 News at Nine
This half-hour prime-time newscast is produced by KTTC for sister station KXLT-TV. It uses a separate presentation package and airs on Fox 47 on Sunday through Thursday evenings, while drawing substantially on KTTC's news-production resources.
Morning television program · 2014
Fox in the Morning
Launched for KXLT in 2014, this weekday morning program uses a magazine format focused on lifestyle, cooking, style, local subjects, and weather updates. It is produced by KTTC but maintains a distinct KXLT presentation.
Brand decisions
2021
Acquisition by Gray TelevisionM&ABackground
Gray Television announced a transaction to acquire Quincy Media and its collection of regional television stations.
Action taken
Gray acquired Quincy Media for $925 million; the transaction closed on August 2, 2021.
Aftermath
KTTC became part of Gray Media and gained new sister-station relationships in nearby markets.
Acquisition price. $925 million (Announced February 1, 2021; completed August 2, 2021)
2011
Full-high-definition news productionGeneration changeBackground
The station had previously used widescreen enhanced-definition production, but field material and studio output were not fully high definition.
Action taken
KTTC upgraded its local newscasts to full high definition and introduced a new studio set and graphics.
Aftermath
The station's local news presentation aligned more closely with contemporary high-definition television standards.
2001
Shared-services operation for KXLTStrategyBackground
Quincy acquired KXLT's owner but could not directly combine the two Rochester-market stations because of FCC ownership restrictions.
Action taken
Quincy arranged for KTTC to provide operational and news-production services to KXLT while the stations retained separate brands.
Aftermath
KTTC became the producer of KXLT's prime-time news and later its morning program, while both stations shared Rochester facilities.
1976
Change from KROC-TV to KTTCStrategyBackground
The television station changed ownership while the former owners retained related KROC radio properties. FCC rules then restricted separately owned radio and television stations in the same market from sharing call letters.
Action taken
The station adopted the KTTC call sign on July 1, 1976.
Aftermath
KTTC became the continuing identity of the Rochester television station and remains its call sign.
Sources2 sources
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